Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Schedule Time to DO the Work

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Schedule Time to do the workA few weeks ago I received an email from someone who had downloaded my Monthly Marketing Calendar.

“I have a calendar, I have content, but putting it all together is overwhelming, so I am very inconsistent. Thoughts?”

As per the usual, I have lots of thoughts on this! Here was my response:

It’s time to schedule time to do the work. That’s my best suggestion – block time on your calendar to write and post and schedule social media/blogs/etc. It sounds like that may be the missing piece.

For some people (me) having a to do list is enough to ensure that your tasks get accomplished each week. My first two items on my to do list each week are 1. Blog 2. ZOHO (my CRM). This way you’re always guaranteed a blog post (you’re welcome) and I always make sure to do the follow up with my contacts and leads that I manage in my CRM.

For other people the to do list isn’t enough. You may need to block that TIME in your calendar. That’s why I recommend when you attend a networking event you also schedule time to do your follow up after the event. That way it gets done. Maybe it’s 30 minutes a day of marketing and follow up to start. Then you’ll start to see you don’t need it every day, or at least not as much time. Great! In time you’ll start to see just how much time you specifically need to do your marketing tasks and you can get them done.

Also consider WHEN in the day/week you want to do your marketing tasks. Monday is often an office day for me so I get a lot of my marketing/admin tasks done on Monday. I also know right after lunch isn’t always my most productive time so maybe some admin tasks are good to schedule then.

What do you do to ensure that your marketing tasks are accomplished each week?

June Pop Culture Round Up

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june pop culture round upI love this time of year – it’s lighter longer and it’s warmer so I spend more time outside reading than sitting inside watching TV (but don’t worry, I found time to binge the new season of Queer Eye!) Here’s a few things I’ve been loving this past month…

Reading

I finished The Hate U Give this last weekend and it was AWESOME. I’ll be recommending this book to people for a long time to come.

I finished it just in time to see Dan Pfeiffer at a Powells Books event this week and he was great! Dan’s new book Yes We (Still) Can is next up and I am already in love with/easily distracted by the footnotes.

I also had some time to catch up on comics this weekend. I plowed through the latest The Walking Dead storyline – I always like when new communities show up, this one seems to be especially sketchy. I also caught up on Ms. Marvel this weekend which continues to be a great series.

My local comic store will put suggestions in my box at times which is GENIUS. Because I end up spending more money with them. The latest recommendation was Brian K. Vaughn’s short series Barriers. It’s a  beautiful series and very eye opening concept (spoiler: half the comic is in spanish, half in english, and there’s also aliens). It wasn’t my favorite story ever BUT the concept was great!

Listening

Besides The Daily (crap, I still have one episode of Charm City to go!) and Rachel Maddow and Pod Save America… I am loving The Good Place podcast! It’s a recap show but with actors and behind the scenes folks on the show which is some fun insights. It’s just the escapism I need most days. I’m also loving the new season of Majority 54 from future Mayor of Kansas City, Jason Kander! Oh and the Axe Files episode with Rachel Maddow is fantastic if you’re as in love with her as I am.

Along with everyone else I watched the Paul McCartney Carpool Karaoke and I’m now listening to a LOT more of The Beatles which is never a bad thing. Also, the new Janelle Monáe album is INCREDIBLE.

Watching

I am really liking The Break with Michelle Wolf on Netflix. It’s weekly and very clever. She plays some ridiculous games and I appreciate her humor. I also finished the Howard Stern episode of My Next Guest and it was great. Letterman and Stern have been friends for so long that it was really fun to watch them talk, specially about Trump…

The new season of Queer Eye is exactly the escapism my mental health needed this last week. The film buff proposal may have made me cry…

I have the entire last season of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown on my DVR and I don’t want to start them because then it’ll be over…

I have been catching up on Westworld and based on what grumblings I’m hearing about the season finale I’m considering just dropping it…thoughts?

I’m mostly caught up on Colony which I’m still enjoying. I just re-upped my Hulu subscription which means coming up soon is S2 of The Handmaid’s Tale, not sure if I can handle it but I promised my cousin I’d catch up so we can discuss.

I seem to be wanting to watch a lot more light and easy TV these days when the rest of the world is so crazy. What about you?

The Science of Why People Buy

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The Science of Why People BuyDo you ever find yourself confused by the actions your customers (or would be customers) behave?

Have you ever found yourself asking, “Why would they possibly do that?” or “Why didn’t they buy?” or “Why didn’t I get more clicks?” or “How can I get more people to sign up for (and then open) my emails?”

If you answered yes to any of those questions above…you’re normal!

And, I am happy to say that reading this article will help you.

Most people have not heard the term “behavioral economics” – yet. I know it sounds kinda boring, but I promise you it is beyond fascinating.

When I am speaking on the topic, I like to say “If traditional economics and psychology had a baby… you would have behavioral economics.”

In a nutshell: Behavioral Economics (BE) is the study of why people buy. (and why they don’t)

The field came about because traditional economics had a problem…it assumed rational people make logical decisions. Unfortunately, that is not the world we live in, and so economic models are generally bad at predicting behavior.

While people are not logical, they are predictable. Understanding those concepts and trends of how the brain works (and how people will make decisions) is the study of behavioral economics.

In my work, I get to dig into research studies about the brain and behavior, which I absolutely love. And, because it is a really new field, I also get to design studies (I currently have one running with a credit union in Portland, which is attempting to help people to save without the use of matching funds).

Your customers are essentially zombies.

Did you know that 99% of buying behavior is done on a subconscious level? Yes, you read that right. 99%. (I have seen a study as high as 99.999% and the lowest I have seen is 95%, which I can provide to you if you are interested in digging into the research.)

So, what does that mean for you and your business?

A lot.

If you were going to sit down and plan a promotion, or product, or your brand, or lead magnet, or advertising campaign, or (you get the picture) what part of your brain do you think you are using?

That’s right: your conscious brain.

But that is not how people buy.

If you find yourself saying “should” a lot (i.e. “people should buy this!” or “everyone should want to download this…” (and were then surprised when they didn’t) this is why.

People do not do what they “should” do. Instead, they listen to their subconscious brain (which is driven by visuals and strange rules of thumb that often seem to make no sense).

You may find yourself thinking, “How much difference could it really make? They will get to logic eventually, right?” or “My people will find me…anyone who doesn’t get the logic just isn’t my tribe.” I have news for you.

There are many (many) studies which show the differences a small tweak can make. For example, in one study, the change of one word (yes, one) resulted in a 38% increase in sales.

And the word is not what you would think. (But, it is something that is easy to replicate and test in your business.)

What would you do if overnight your sales increased by 38%? I know I would be pretty darn excited!

That is where I come in. I help businesses to incorporate the nuance of BE into their messaging (so you don’t have to spend years of your life studying it) to increase conversions and encourage people to buy.

If you are interested in learning how I can help you, now is a great time! All my services are 25% off if booked by June 30 and include things like a Lead Magnet Review, Product Pricing Audit or Sales Page Audit. I can also do a Virtual Strategy Session where we discuss a question or two you are struggling with, and I can help you get the confidence to move forward knowing people will buy (and why)! And, if you aren’t quite sure what you need, my 15-minute Discovery Call is always free.

I hope we get a chance to work together. It is my personal mission to help everyone’s messaging be more “brain friendly.”

Melina Palmer has been building and reimagining brands for a decade. Her fresh, new “truth” brand launch nearly tripled brand awareness for Verity Credit Union in less than two years. Melina has always been fascinated by the psychological influences behind consumer behavior, which inspired her to pursue a Masters in Behavioral Economics from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her new podcast, The Brainy Business: Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy, will launch on iTunes (and all other platforms) on July 6, 2017.