Getting the Right Help
Time and time again I see businesses trying to do things for which they do not have the requisite skills, usually in marketing and sales. If it was that easy, everybody would be highly successful.
I’d like to give you an example of a recent personal experience, where I made a mistake of trying to do something where I should have got a professional involved from the start.
My son, Ashleigh, gave me a book to read on blogging, saying how good it would be for us to blog. The book was Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel.
I read the book whilst I was away in July and immediately rushed off and set up a blog. I thought it would be simple and that I wouldn’t need help. Yes, I created a blog, but it lacked all the tools of a good blog, links, tags, search facility; all those things that experienced blog readers expect to see, and which frustrates them if they don’t.
Now I consult lots of businesses on sales and marketing, and I see them make the same mistakes. They think it’s easy to create a website; it is, but much more difficult to create a website that engages the visitor and gets a result. So, find an expert with a track record; not just someone who creates pretty images, but which visitors find difficult to use. It’s really worth reading Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug; then talk to your web designer.
Similarly, with sales presentations and proposals. I see presentation after presentation in Powerpoint, and I don’t think the presenter has ever sought professional help. That’s why they are usually so unappealing and uninteresting. Sales proposals are the same. Dull, boring, overloaded with turgid text and badly presented. Sales is the lifeblood of your organisation. Seek good, professional help or read up on it, if you would like to have a go yourself. The only problem is the shortage of good books about proposal writing. I’ve read whatever’s available and find it in the main predictable and uninspiring. The nearest to anything that stands scrutiny is Tom Sant’s book, Persuasive Business Proposals. I found Sant’s book interesting but can lead you to writing something that is too formulaic. But it’s head and shoulders above anything else.
You may care to read my White Paper on Persuasive Proposal Writing.
So, going back to my blog. I went back to Ashleigh and asked for his help. He knows what he’s doing; see his blog. And now you see the outcome in my new blog site.
I think it clearly states the case for getting in the professional. Just make sure you choose the right one ie someone with a good track record.
