Hard to Market

Mastering Networking: No Anxiety, Just Connections!

Dive into the networking know-how with Dalene Allen, your 'Connection Concierge,' as she unveils the secrets to building warm, genuine relationships that blossom into business opportunities. Bid farewell to awkward handshakes and monotonous elevator pitches as Dalene redefines networking with a touch of humanity. Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Hard to Market Podcast. * Transform networking anxiety into joy * Strategic connections fuel business growth * It's about relationships, not transactions * Daily action plans lead to networking success * Employ visual cues for engaging interactions Resources: * Networking Naturally [https://www.networkingnaturally.ca/] * Podcast Chef [https://podcastchef.com/] Connect with Dalene Allen: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daleneallen/] Connect with our host, Brian Mattocks: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmattocks/] * Email [brian@podcastchef.com] Quotables: * 03:06 - First of all, I believe looking to make a connection with another human being is if you like each other and trust each other. Business can happen organically. So if we take it from a different point of view, let me learn as much as I can about you, and how could I help you? It's a law of reciprocity. If I can help you, that's where the trust starts. And by looking at a relationship as opposed to transactional, you're gonna love your life a whole lot more. And I truly believe business will grow. You know, what you send out until the lives of others can come back tenfold. * 11:42 - If you're a person that needs to network, but the very thought of it creates anxiety, get the focus off you and pretend every person in that room's got a sign around their neck that says, make me feel important. So here, here's a couple of tips. Get to the networking early, get to know the organizers. Guess what the organizer's trying to do? They're trying to introduce you to people. Then that's where I would go in, and I would say, help.  I can help you set up, I can help do anything, but I'm paranoid about networking. Could you help me meet some people? And if they're the organizers and they don't do that, well, you're never going back to that networking event again, are you?  * 01:23 - If we look at it from curiosity point of view, that person in front of you learn as much as you can about them as a human being. Because if we've ever had to deal with a crappy client, if you got to know them as a human being first, we could likely save ourselves a lot of heartache or headache. And so I had a real fear when I started my first business of even handing out a business card. So I did everything wrong. And what I realized was I was willing because my goals and dreams were big enough to find a way that worked for me. Most people that fear never goes away. * 08:25 - I was the worst networker in the whole wide world. I would be like a car dealer in Las Vegas and just throw cards at people. I'd collect them, and then I'd get home and say, why did I do that? To gain a little bit more of a strategic plan. But here's the other part, even reaching out on a social media platform that can be intimidating. But if we look at it from the other point, you know, in another way, they wouldn't have the website if they didn't wanna do business.  * 19:10 - Listening like a sponge, not a brick. Most people will ask a question, listen until they can get their word in. That's not what it's all about. And so one of the sweetest things you can say is if somebody starts talking, you say it now that was interesting. Tell me more. And that person suddenly it's like doors open, shoulders go down. Because if you're really sincere, just that little thing they've opened up, not a lot, but it's like the segue into Connect with our host, Brian Mattocks: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmattocks/] * Email [brian@podcastchef.com] * Schedule a Free Podcast Consult [https://calendly.com/brian-podcastchef/30min]

Steering Success: A Small Biz Growth Masterclass

Dive into the challenges of marketing with Loralyn Mears from STEERus! Uncover the art of balance as we explore her journey from burnout to brilliance, helping businesses shine online, snag grants, and gear up mid-level managers for the top. Tune in for her transformative tales and practical advice that could steer your business to success! Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Hard to Market Podcast. * Small Biz Visibility is Key * Overcome Overwhelm with Strategy * Grants: Lifting Businesses Higher * Adaptive Leadership for Managers * Podcasting as a Marketing Tool Resources: * SteerUs [https://steerus.io/] * Podcast Chef [https://podcastchef.com/] Connect with Loralyn Mears: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/loralynmears/] Connect with our host, Brian Mattocks: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmattocks/] * Email [brian@podcastchef.com] Quotables: * 03:50 - Brian: That's normally the way it works. Right? It's never a direct line to success. It's always much more of a search algorithm, a much more of a spiral pattern. * Loralyn: Yes. Downward spiral being a lot of it, but yes. And then now I'm spiraling up. I've got it. 'cause it's really the messaging is now really more clear. It's helping people get seen and get paid. And what does that mean? Well, if you're a mid-level manager that everybody's overlooking or you're not getting along with your staff, well, you need to get seen, right? And do all of these things differently so that you get promoted or keep your job.  * 17:14 - It's so much easier to fix other people's problems rather than your own always plus, right? The cobbler's children has no shoes, right? Because we're always fixing everybody else's thing. So like, my website sucks, but everybody else's that I do looks really good. And that's a whole other thing.  * 15:11 -  The cost of change is often not measured in dollars. It's often measured in organizational fatigue. It's measured in all sorts of the emotional cognitive expense work that isn't easy. It's the same as going to the gym in a lot of these kind of environments where it's like you have to do the, you know, you have to lift the weights, nobody can do it for you. And so you have folks that come in in the small business space, and very often they wanna buy their way out of a problem. And it's like, no, you exercised your way into this problem, you're gonna need to exercise your way out of it. And that creates a very, very difficult dynamic. * 17:29 - I think it's the state of overwhelm. I think you talked about change, that there is a cost. Mentally, people aren't ready. They know that they need to make change, but it's too much because they've got to change everything on every axis. Right? It's like that movie, first it was only a little bit, and then everything all at once. And it really does become overwhelming, and it's all-consuming, and people just don't have, not even the, the financial capital, which of course is a constraint. You look at the number of small business loans, and two-thirds of small businesses are subsisting on loans. But you look at just the mental energy, it's too much. * 23:29 - The third thing I would say on go to market is don't get so hung up on the perfection. It's gotta be 99.99% perfect. I really like this. No, I like this image a little better. Let's craft this. Hmm, that post isn't quite right. Just do it. I really believe Wayne Gretzky greatest hockey player of all time, although Alex mentioned, is like taken over. But that's another story, and good for Ovechkin, but Wayne Gretzky said famously, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. And so that's what I say, don't wait till you're 99.99, 80% is good enough. Get it going. See if it works, test it, try it, refine it. Connect with our host, Brian Mattocks: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmattocks/] * Email [brian@podcastchef.com] * Schedule a Free Podcast Consult [https://calendly.com/brian-podcastchef/30min]

Elevating Experts to Market Dominance with Ann Carden

Discover the secrets to propelling your expertise-driven business to new heights with Ann Carden on the Hard to Market Podcast. Dive into transformational strategies that go beyond basic branding, leverage your full potential, and harness high-level marketing to close major deals and amplify your influence. Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Hard to Market Podcast. * Elevate beyond entry-level offerings * Specialization should be market-specific * Leverage assets to build client relationships * Avoid the "one-trick pony" approach to business * Premium market strategies drive bigger profits Resources: * Expert In You Marketing & Media [https://annlcarden.com/] * Podcast Chef [https://podcastchef.com/] * Expert In You Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/expert-in-you/id1809311181] Connect with Ann Carden: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anncarden-business-consultant-coach/] Connect with our host, Brian Mattocks: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmattocks/] * Email [brian@podcastchef.com] Quotables: * 18:14 - McKinsey and Deloitte have said that like the consulting and the professional service industry is going to hit trillions of dollars in the next two years, in 2026 and 2027. But they also said that the premium market is going to be where the real opportunity is which is great news for me because that's where I help people play, right? So I'm like, oh, yes, sounds good. This great. Finally, now it's not a want anymore. Now it's a need, right? If you wanna stay relevant in the market, go high. * 38:33 - Brian: What are the three biggest takeaways that you've picked up in your journey so far? * Ann: The three biggest takeaways is get help from someone that can move you faster, really move you forward faster because business is not waiting any longer and it is, you really will become irrelevant very quickly if you are trying to DIY things. So that would be the first thing. A lot of people think they can DIY it, they can get the information, but information doesn't equate to being able to do it. So that's where I believe everybody now needs help because things are moving at warp speed. It's, it's just not like the old days. Right. Yeah. The second thing I would say, especially with AI coming onto the scene, is don't think AI can do it all for you.  * 32:49 - It goes beyond just their online presence, but everything that we do is to drive revenue. So a lot of people start a podcast to put out value, to put out content that's not what we do. There's a more strategic approach in the way we utilize those assets so that they are either working through the people they're having on their show. To get to the right people, or they are actually interviewing the people on their show that could be clients for them or could be referral partners for them. * 11:45 - I am such a proponent of specializing, but a lot of people do it the wrong way, Brian, and this is, this is the problem. When people say the riches are in the niches, that doesn't mean you only show up with a portion of your value, because that's how you put yourself in a beginner category.  * 23:34 - There was such a gap in the market. I call it the elevation gap. You've got startup and getting good at what you do over here, and then you've got scaling. Nowhere in the middle is anybody closing the gap, right? So people are jumping over the elevation phase in business. They're not, they're not going as high as they can. And then scaling that, they're trying to scale what they first did or what they originally did. And that's why they end up. A lot of the clients that I work with have tried to scale, and they have found they're unfulfilled. They, they're working with clients beneath their skillset. They don't feel like their value is really being seen or appreciated.  Connect with our host, Brian Mattocks: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmattocks/] * Email [brian@podcastchef.com] * Schedule a Free Podcast Consult [https://calendly.com/brian-podcastchef/30min]

Digital Marketing Convo with Luke Eccles

Dive into the dynamic world of digital marketing with the self-taught maestro Luke Eccles on this episode of "Hard To Market Podcast". From the roots of social media marketing to the blossoming tree of AI integration, Luke shares insights on authentic content, niche marketing, and the beauty of learning through failure. Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Hard to Market Podcast. * Luke's journey from MySpace to SEO * The blend of IT and marketing expertise * Localizing marketing strategies for impact * Content with personality wins audiences * Embracing AI while keeping it authentic Resources: * Red Bearded Marketing [https://redbeardedmarketing.com/] * Podcast Chef [https://podcastchef.com/] Connect with Luke Eccles: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukeeccles/] Connect with our host, Brian Mattocks: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmattocks/] * Email [brian@podcastchef.com] Quotables: * 08:30 - Luke: So one of the things I've really always pushed since I started was I would say I'm a unique individual. Brian: Why Luke? Why would you say that? Luke: Yeah. But  I feel like everybody's unique. Everybody has like, their little quirks, their little things about their personality, and content is one of those things where when you get really good at doing your content, that personality starts to seep into it. And sometimes it makes it the best content because it's surrounded by your personality. So I think that's one of the things I've really honed in on and really pushed with my clients is what are you into what. * 06:20 - And most marketers are like, well, I can only really help you with this part, and like right here. Whereas, think of it like a spider web. I kind of understand, and I handle everything surrounding it. And I think that really plays off with the questions I ask my client. 'Cause when people come to me, they sometimes have an idea of what they need or they think they know, they know what they need. Sometimes they're right. Sometimes it's like the inkling of what they should know, but sometimes they think they need “A” and they actually need “F” You know, and I think having that diverse background of different services and different parts of the digital marketing field allow me to kind of say, okay, well yeah, like this is something that maybe we should, we should just do right now really quick. But like SEO is what you really need.  * 24:18 - Be prepared and be excited to fail. I think one of the things that we overlook when somebody screws up or fails is like, how do you learn usually by failing, usually by screwing up. And, that's, I mean, like I said, that's how I learned web design. It was a, you go in, how do I do this? Google, okay, is there a video for it? Watch the video. And then you do it, and sometimes you mess up. Sometimes you've had some bad customer interactions where, you know, maybe you weren't completely wrong, but you know, like, you know you messed up a little bit. Or like, there's something new that you didn't know about, and they get pissed that you didn't know that. And it's like, like again, like I said, there's no open source, streaming, saying like, all right, this is what's going on in our industry. This is how you do it. It's like you mess around and find out, and sometimes, you know, like you're gonna fail, and sometimes it's gonna be really bad. And how you rebound from that and how you learn from that. I think that really pushes right into that topic of how you expand, how you learn. * 22:05 -  It's people that are looking at it as like a negative thing. Like, you, you can take that approach, but you're just gonna get steamrolled. And everybody's like, the people that learn how to use it for their industry are gonna exceed. They're gonna way beyond everybody else. That's not. So if your industry is using AI, learn it, it's two years from now, this is going to kind of be like the conversation. Like you remember in 2014 when like the older guys were like, yeah, I don't do that email stuff. I don't do that internet stuff. Where are they now?Brian: Yeah, yeah. Luke: You know, it's like, it's like the transition from radio to tv. It's just, it happened, and all those disc jockeys were done. * 19:54 - Luke: Ot's still the same principle. It's just that we were playing with a gun before, now we're playing with a nuclear, you know, a nuclear bomb. Right. You know, AI is, it's insane what we're gonna be able to do. Brian: So apart from the capacity side though, it's also flooding the sort of marketplace of ideas with content, and then differentiations harder and harder. Because again, just the volume of signal out there, you know, the volume of noise to signal is so, so much higher. Connect with our host, Brian Mattocks: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmattocks/] * Email [brian@podcastchef.com] * Schedule a Free Podcast Consult [https://calendly.com/brian-podcastchef/30min]

The Global Seller's Playbook: Amazon Success with Andrew Morgans

Dive into entrepreneurship across continents as we chat with Andrew Morgans, a marketing expert with a mission. From a childhood in Africa to pioneering Amazon’s selling space, Andrew’s tale is nothing short of inspiring. Tune in for a masterclass on building brands, adapting strategies, and connecting through commerce. Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Hard to Market Podcast. * Born in Africa, raised by missionaries. * Dislike networking job, joined a startup. * Grew toy company sales by millions. * Top 10 world marketers on Upwork. * Pioneered services side of Amazon selling. Resources: * Marknology [https://www.marknology.com/] * Podcast Chef [https://podcastchef.com/] Connect with Andrew Morgans: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amorgans/] Connect with our host, Brian Mattocks: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmattocks/] * Email [brian@podcastchef.com] Quotables: * 15:38 - And so whenever they get clients and they're looking for a larger agency or a partner to do some of the other work or things like that, I've just spent a lot of time creating great relationships there. I feel like that's what I brought to the table outside of being kind of a, just a geek around this stuff was relationship building growing up that way. Growing up the way I grew up is like relationships are everything. It's kinda what I was taught and I just leaned on that. I didn't definitely, I knew zero entrepreneurs when I started this journey. I zoom, I knew zero business people when I started this journey. * 23:29 - I thought I knew yesterday, I don't know today, you know, we've had pandemics happen, we've had inflation happen, we've had new presidents, we've had all different types of stuff happening that just changes the temperature of your customers, the changes, the temperature of your buying platform and you have to be able to adjust and just, you know, try new things. * 21:52 - Whenever you're first learning out to market, you just think like through the lens of you, you know? And if that can help you in your first idea, maybe your second idea about, as you start adding hundreds of brands or projects that you're working on, you have to quickly realize that you are not the target market of all times. And you can't always think like you do. So take a step back. A lot of times when you're thinking about a project, if you're helping somebody else or doing your own, there's a big difference. Marketing number one, marketing number two, keep it fresh and don't get stale. * 13:37 - It's been a great way to grow and market my business and it's changed, it's pushed me to do podcasting and things like that as well as, you know, learning B2B marketing or B2B message is different than being amazing at Google PPC or Amazon ads or, you know, whatever it is. it's been iterations of websites. It's been tons of partner networking.  * 06:11 - There’s more voices out there in the business community saying this is the truth. This is what you should be doing, this is the future of business. This is e-commerce. Amazon is not going anywhere. Amazon can make you have a profitable business. You can tell your brand story on Amazon. Amazon isn't just gonna cannibalize your website. Connect with our host, Brian Mattocks: * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmattocks/] * Email [brian@podcastchef.com] * Schedule a Free Podcast Consult [https://calendly.com/brian-podcastchef/30min]