What is a CRM?

The acronym CRM stands for customer or client relationship management.  In the early days of automation, busy professionals looked for ways to expedite critical but tedious tasks and get rid of paper address books, calendars and rolodex files. Computer savvy folks replaced those antiquated paper systems with spreadsheets, database tools, word processing, and email  software.

As the digital business environment became more competitive, software developers saw an opportunity to meet consumers needs with a single integrated system to handle all of those needs. The CRM was born!

 

Introduction

I'm Mike Harris, founder and managing member of Smart Money Network, LLC.

What I do in the simplest possible terms, is help business owners and professional advisors find their best prospective clients and help them start conversations that convert them to clients, . . . at scale.

The idea is simple and hasn't changed much in thousands of years. The definition of commerce is the exchange of goods and/or services  or anything else of value. The process however, is complicated by the nuances of human psychology and behavior.

Marketing VS Sales

There is a huge misunderstanding in the minds of many business owners and other professionals about the processes involved in converting products, property, or services to revenue.

The same disconnect is true of many other critical business objectives that involve influencing the decisions of others to take any desired action.

To successfully market, then sell any product, service, or idea you must fully understand and apply the principles and psychology of the decision-making process.

People who don't want to invest thirty years figuring it out, hire me to do it for them. If you want to learn more go to

 

Prospecting at Scale

Today's digital business environment is an incredibly noisy place.

On one hand it has leveled the playing field such that small companies can win against much larger competitors. But its still a challenge to be heard above all the noise.

If you are selling a big ticket product or service (over $1,000) you generally have to engage about 100 prospects to get one new client. On average, it takes six to twelve touch points, often over several months to convert a prospect to a paying customer.

So, how does a small business owner make the time to do all- this prospecting and still be able to deliver the product or service.

It's really simple. You must automate as much of the process as is possible, practical, and smart. Make no mistake. People do business with people they know, like, and trust. Building "KLT" at scale requires smart automation.

 

VCITA

The first of four videos shared on this page is from the first day of the workshop that was held from July 6 - 8, 2021. It's approximately one hour in length and briefly discusses strategies for growing your visibility and influence on LinkedIn. It also includes a demo of VCITA, a tool I have used since 2013 to engage my target audiences and run a substantial part of my marketing.

I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a very capable, low-cost solution. It has the functionality of an integrated appointment scheduler, calendar, and contact manager. It will also handle all of your marketing automation, job estimates, quotes, invoicing, and payment processing. VCITA gives you all of this without the complexity of stitching together individual products.

VCITA is a perfect solution for professional service providers who serve a regional, national or global audience.

If, after watching Shira's demo presentation, you are interested in a FREE two week trial, I am happy to set it up and walk through how you might use it for your business. Pick a time that works for you at https://smartmoneynetwork.net/lets-talk.

Among many other things, I am a VCITA re-seller. If you decide to use VCITA, I will get paid. However, my primary objective is to help you in your digital marketing efforts. You need good tools to succeed, and I would welcome the opportunity to build a relationship.

Mike.

The second video features Kristin Hannum and Lynn Daley demonstrating the Thryv Client Engagement System.

VCITA and Thryv share the same core technology and functionality, but are two separate companies with different target markets.

If you've been looking for a set of tools that will help dominate your local market without hiring a social media manager, look no further than Thryv.

Thryv offers a complete digital marketing presence that includes social media management, automated management and listing on over sixty directories like Yelp, Yahoo, and TripAdvisor.

Unlimited, 24/7 phone, chat, and email support come standard with every account, and ThryvPay payment processing can potentially save you enough in payment processing fees to to pay for the software many times over.

The biggest payoff, however, is in the client/customer experience you are able to deliver using Thryv.

Over 70% of consumers report relying on online reviews from Google, Yahoo, Yelp, and TripAdvisor to make buying decisions.

Thryv automates solicitation of and response to reviews, providing the "social proof" your customers need to choose you over the competition.

The third video in the series features Mike Jones, founder of Beep2B and notable LinkedIn thought leader. I first met Mike back in 2013 when I was looking for better automation alternatives than were available at the time.

Like many other so-called "experts" of the time, I really didn't know how much I didn't know. I had developed a strategy that worked based on building a targeted private group and nurturing relationships among group members.

However, I had not yet optimized all of the components of that strategy for effectiveness and efficiency.

Mike had already developed the Beep2B process, but had not branded it as such. Although the psychology behind the process has been known for some time, it was not widely communicated by anyone in the context of LinkedIn marketing.

Make no mistake. ALL social media platforms are built for marketing products and services and nothing else. That is the only reason they exist.

You either learn to leverage social media or be the product (data) that they sell. In less kind but more direct terms, you are either the shepherd or the sheep.

I have used at least a dozen different LinkedIn automation tools in the last ten years for myself and my clients. None are perfect for every situation, and all will get you in trouble if not used ethically.

That is why its critical to understand the psychology of influence and persuasion before you start this journey.

beep2b

The final video presented during this workshop series describes the Six Principles of persuasion as describes by Robert Cialdini.

We deploy all of the six principals in our unique private group strategy that has generated $$millions$$ in revenue for our clients since 2014.

  • Authority – Membership in the group is a privilege. You control the group. Accumulate and display social proof (testimonials, quality content). Set an example and expectations.
  • Scarcity – Membership is exclusive and private
  • Reciprocity – Do nice things, create value for others. They will be more likely to do for you. Also contributes to likeability.
  • Consistency – Show up. Post something valuable in the group at least once a week. Comment and respond to members' posts promptly.
  • Likeability – Video intro on your posts shows personality and helps people connect with you as a person. Affirm others by commenting on their posts. Answer questions to the best of your ability. Welcome other members when they introduce themselves. All of these also contribute to reciprocity.
  • Consensus – Find or create surveys that support a central theme that you post good content on; i.e. paid vs earned media exposure.

All of these principles can be woven into a comprehensive strategy for growing your business on LinkedIn. If you would like us to show you how, schedule a free discovery call now!