Podcast Summary
Building a strong sales engine for home services businesses: Focus on brand and content marketing to build emotional connections with customers, understand sales-marketing relationship, and pay attention to subtle brand communications.
For businesses in the home services industry looking to build a brand and reach the level of household names like Coca-Cola and Nike, it's important to understand the unique opportunities and challenges that come with selling higher-priced, less frequently consumed items. Gary Vaynerchuk suggests that these businesses should focus on building a strong sales engine through brand and content marketing. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the relationship between sales and marketing, and the emotional connection consumers can have with a brand. Using the example of his own strong emotional connection to the New York Jets, Gary highlights how brands can inspire irrational, emotional decisions. He encourages businesses to pay attention to the subtle communications their brand choices make to the world, and to invest in building a strong, emotional connection with their customers.
Embrace AI for Sales and Marketing: AI automates tasks, enhances efficiency, and is crucial for sales and marketing professionals to understand. Invest time in learning about AI before 2024 for a game-changing impact on your career.
AI is not something to be feared or dismissed, but rather embraced and understood by sales and marketing professionals. AI is here to automate mundane tasks, making jobs more efficient and effective. The speaker encourages everyone in the room, regardless of age or experience, to invest time in learning about AI and its use cases, as it will have a profound impact on their careers in the coming years. The speaker also shares an example of how AI has made engineers 10 times faster in the tech industry. It's important not to be left behind by new technologies and to adapt to the changing landscape of sales and marketing. The speaker encourages everyone to pour some time into understanding AI before 2024, as it will be a game-changer for the rest of their lives. Don't be a headline reader, but rather, take the time to truly understand the implications of AI for sales and marketing.
Embrace the AI Revolution, Start Learning Now: Focus on understanding AI, it will save time, enhance creativity, and change the nature of work
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is advancing at an unprecedented rate and is set to make everyday tasks faster and more efficient. Instead of worrying about coaching employees on AI right away, the focus should be on individuals gaining a solid understanding of the technology. The speaker drew parallels between AI and past technological advancements, such as email, search engines, and tractors, which all saved time and allowed people to focus on other areas of their lives. The speaker encouraged everyone to start learning about AI, even if the initial interactions may be clunky, and assured that the technology would ultimately free up time and creativity. The speaker also acknowledged that while AI may not replace humans entirely, it will likely change the nature of work and could potentially lead to bionic enhancements. Overall, the message was to embrace the coming AI revolution and to start learning about it now.
Embracing Technological Shifts: Failing to adapt to technological advancements like AI could result in missed opportunities and leaving money on the table.
We are witnessing significant technological advancements, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), which has the potential to revolutionize various industries and businesses. However, many people may be hesitant or skeptical about embracing these changes, seeing it as a potential threat rather than an opportunity. But as the speaker emphasized, failing to adapt to these technological shifts could result in missed opportunities and leaving money on the table. The speaker used to example of his own experience with TikTok, where he urged people to jump on the trend early on but was met with resistance. Those who didn't listen missed out on potential growth and opportunities. The same applies to AI and other emerging technologies. It's essential to understand the profound impact these technologies can have on businesses and industries and be open to adapting to stay competitive.
Building a brand through organic social media on TikTok: Focus on clients who value organic social media or bring in paid ads for measurable results, prioritize Facebook and LinkedIn for B2B industries, AI won't replace face-to-face sales in plumbing.
Building a brand through organic social media, especially on platforms like TikTok, can be a challenge due to the intangible nature of the results. However, it's essential for long-term success and should not be overlooked. For those who struggle with justifying the investment, there are two options: focus on finding the clients who understand the value or bring in media capabilities for more measurable results through paid ads. As for which platforms to prioritize, Facebook and LinkedIn are currently the most effective for reaching a large audience and doing business, especially for B2B industries. AI is not expected to interfere with face-to-face sales in the plumbing industry.
AI helps optimize ad spend but can't replace human expertise in some industries: Independent businesses should focus on 'day trading attention' by finding cost-effective ways to capture and maintain potential customers' attention, even in industries where AI is less effective.
AI can help businesses optimize their advertising spend by analyzing which channels are most effective and allocating resources accordingly. However, there are some industries, such as plumbing, where AI cannot replace human expertise. Instead, independent businesses should focus on being the best at "day trading attention" by finding cost-effective ways to capture and maintain potential customers' attention. This could involve unconventional marketing tactics, such as door-to-door sales or long-tail Google AdWords. The importance of this strategy becomes even more crucial as consolidation in industries leads to increased competition and rising lead costs. Ultimately, staying ahead of the curve and adapting to new marketing trends can give smaller businesses a competitive edge.
Effective Communication in Contemporary Marketing: Provide value through podcasts, TikTok, AI, YouTube ads, LinkedIn, and social media using 'jab, jab, jab, right hook' strategy.
Effective communication in contemporary marketing involves providing value to the audience through various channels like podcasts, videos, and social media. Podcasts can be used to build brand awareness and educate people in different sectors. TikTok offers opportunities for creative and extroverted operators, but finding the right independent professionals with charisma can be challenging. AI can help write mini books to provide free value and build trust. Preroll YouTube video ads are effective for attention in the day trading industry, but crafting the videos and targeting correctly is essential. Finding communication arbitrage, such as using LinkedIn for high-ticket items, is crucial for independents. Applying the "jab, jab, jab, right hook" strategy, which involves giving value in social media content before asking for business, can make companies more effective. The marketing landscape has changed, and it's essential to adapt and provide value consistently to stand out.
Investing in employees and creating a strong company culture is crucial for businesses in growth mode.: Spend one-on-one time with employees, make them feel safe to share motivations and concerns, and cut down on lengthy meetings to build a strong foundation for a growing team.
Investing time in employees and creating a strong company culture is crucial for businesses experiencing rapid growth. Gary Vaynerchuk, the CEO of VaynerX with 2,000 employees, emphasizes the importance of retention as a measure of a healthy culture. He suggests spending one-on-one time with employees, making them feel safe to share their motivations and concerns, and cutting down on lengthy meetings to create opportunities for meaningful connections. By prioritizing these actions, businesses can build a strong foundation for their growing team.
Creating a safe environment for open communication: Effectively build relationships by allocating time and making individuals feel comfortable to express their evolving ambitions and desires.
Building strong relationships with individuals, especially those in their 50s, requires creating a safe environment for open communication. This means allocating time and making them feel comfortable to express their ambitions and desires, even if they change over time. Having a well-known brand can provide advantages, but it doesn't guarantee success – execution and effective marketing are still crucial. When considering leveraging financial instruments like private equity, it's essential to understand where you are in your personal and business journey and make decisions based on your unique situation and patience level. Ultimately, success depends on a combination of self-awareness, determination, and strategic planning.
Focusing on equity over comfort can lead to long-term success: Prioritize creating quality content consistently over material possessions for business success
Sacrificing comfort and focusing on keeping equity in a business can lead to greater success in the long run. Gary Vaynerchuk shared his personal experience of working out of a conference room for four years instead of having his own office, which allowed him to keep more equity in his company. He emphasized that material possessions like fancy chairs or first-class flights are not necessary for success. Instead, it's essential to prioritize the craft of creating quality content consistently, even if it means putting out a large volume of content. In the social media industry, frequency and quality are not at odds with each other, and producing a high volume of content does not diminish its quality. In fact, with the help of AI, it's now possible to produce an even larger volume of content while maintaining quality. Ultimately, the key is to focus on scaling caring for your audience, which was a message Gary emphasized a dozen years ago in his book "The Thank You Economy." Although many people didn't act on it then, it remains a crucial principle for building a successful business today.
Reach out to past customers to express gratitude: Expressing gratitude to past customers can leave a positive impression, lead to recommendations, and take just an hour or two.
Reaching out to past customers to check-in and express gratitude can have a profound impact, both on yourself and on your business. This simple act of caring, which involves calling, emailing, or texting your past clients to ask how they're doing, can make you feel good internally and leave a positive impression on the recipient. In fact, this rare act of kindness may even lead the person to recommend you to their friends or family members in the future. Moreover, this outreach doesn't have to be time-consuming or complicated. You likely already have the necessary data in a computer somewhere, so all it takes is an hour or two of your time to make these connections. And, as a bonus, you'll be leaving a positive mark on the world, just as your parents may have done for you. This approach is not just about selling or promoting your business. Instead, it's about building genuine relationships and leaving a lasting impression. So, take some time to show appreciation to those who have already supported you, and you may be surprised by the positive outcomes that follow.
