Moving Beyond Marketing
by Paul McCord

Marketing, for most who sell financial products and services, consists of all the things
you do to try to get in front of qualified prospects. From cold calling, to faxing fliers, to
direct mail, to advertising, and a myriad of other techniques are in your marketing tool
bag. Depending upon your target market, you may employ only some or all of these
tools.

In addition to the marketing techniques you employ, you must also find prospects to
approach. Again, you have a number of methods at hand: networking, purchasing leads,
asking for referrals, creating cold call lists, and the like. And, again, depending upon
your target market, you employ those methods you think will be the most effective and fit
within your budget.

You may even be fortunate enough to work for a company that participates in the process
by generating leads through more broad based lead generation activities.

Yet, there are serious problems with these methods and techniques, the most serious of
which is that your competition is using the exact same techniques. In fact, unless you are
recognized as a leader and expert in your field, you are simply a faceless advisor in a sea
of faceless advisors, trying to sell the same things, to the same people, in the same
manner as your competition.

If you want to bust out of the rut that leaves you fighting to be heard above the din of the
rest of the crowd, you have to find a way to get above the crowd.

Fortunately, there are ways to set yourself apart. And best of all, these techniques not
only set you apart from your competition, they help eliminate price as a major factor.

Moving beyond marketing into the realm of public relations can help you establish a
unique, expert image within your local area.

Experts are not necessarily experts in the sense that they are the best technicians in their
field. Experts are people who are recognized within their field. They may not be the best
financial planner, business continuity expert, or estate-planning advisor from a technical
knowledge standpoint. Rather, they have a public reputation as the expert.

That expert image has been carefully developed and honed. It doesn't happen by
accident. Moreover, that expert image drives prospects to want to work with them
because most prospects, especially when dealing with more sophisticated products and
services, want to work with experts. When working with a recognized expert, money
becomes less of an issue, as does competition.Unfortunately, marketing won't establish you as an expert. People know marketing when
they see it. They know they are being sold. They are leery of the message because it's a
sales message.

Expert image development activities, on the other hand, have a distinctly different impact
on prospects than marketing does. When people see press releases reported as "news," or
they hear a non-sales oriented, educational talk, or they read a non-sales oriented,
educational article, they view the newsmaker, speaker or author as an expert. The author
isn't trying to manipulate, but rather, to educate. The speaker isn't selling anything;
instead, they are informing. The news article isn't an advertisement, its news.

If a prospect sees your name enough times in a format that puts you in a position of
authority and enhances your expert image, they begin to think of you as an expert. You
know what you're talking about and you're not simply trying to sell something. When
they need information or advice, they seek out those people or that person they believe
knows what they are talking about–the perceived expert.

That perceived expert could be you.

How do you develop that image and reputation? By learning how to use the image
building tools at your disposal. The four easiest tools you can employ are:

Press Releases: A well-written and well-placed press release can have immense impact
on your business. Almost anything can be the subject of a press release: the introduction
of a new product or service; supporting a cause, organization, or event; acquiring a major
new account; moving or expanding an office; hiring a new employee; writing a new book
or article, making a speech or presentation; or anything else that is newsworthy in the
broadest sense of the word "news."

Writing Articles: Having articles published in print or on internet article sites can
quickly enhance your image. In addition, they are easy to publish if you publish them on
internet article sites. There are thousands of article sites on the internet that publish
articles about almost any subject you can think of and which accept articles from anyone.
Although few people actually read the articles, you can put copies printed off the site into
all of the packages you give your clients and prospects; you can link to your articles on
your website; and you can turn a number of published articles into a self-published e-
book. And, once your writing skills improve, you can submit your articles to print
publications.

Giving Speeches: Giving speeches to local business, industry, and civic groups puts you
in a position of power and authority as the expert on your subject. Getting speaking
engagements is relatively easy as most business and civic groups are always looking for
quality speakers. With practice and a well-written speech, you can develop a reputation
and enhance your image quickly if you are willing to commit the time and effort.Getting Quoted and Interviewed: News reports and freelance writers are always
looking for people from whom to get quotes, to interview, and to supply industry data.
Becoming an expert source for these reports and writers takes more time and energy than
the other methods we've discussed, but the impact can be tremendous. People assume
that the people who are quoted in news stories and articles are experts. You aren't quoted
if you're not known and recognized as an expert. The more often you're quoted and
interviewed, the more quickly your reputation builds. To become an expert source, you
have to contact the reports and writers and let them know you exist and why you are an
expert. Supplying them with articles you've published and the names of groups you've
spoken to is a good start.

If you want to move your business beyond the din of your competition, you must move
beyond marketing. Don't be limited by assuming you cannot generate the publicity and
recognition you want. It takes time, it takes effort, it takes creativity. Nevertheless, the
payoff can put your business into a new realm, way above the sea of faceless advisors in
which you are currently lost.

And the compliance problem? Depending upon your company, well-written articles,
press releases, or speeches should have no problem being approved by compliance. The
same rules apply as with any advertising piece–except with your speeches, articles, and
press releases, you're educating, not selling.


Paul McCord is a leading authority on prospecting, referral selling, and personal marketing. He is
the author of the best-selling book on referral selling, Creating a Million Dollar a Year Sales
Income: Sales Success through Client Referrals (John Wiley and Sons, 2007), which is quickly
becoming recognized as the authoritative work on referral generation. His second book,
SuperStar Selling: 12 Keys to Becoming a Sales SuperStar will be released in February, 2008. He
may be reached at pmccord@mccordandassociates.com or visit his sales training website at
www.powerreferralselling.com.



Copyright 2007, Paul McCord. You may reprint the article in full, with proper attribution
and short bio. Notify Paul of when and where it will appear with a short email to
pmccord@mccordandassociates.com