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Do you know your own value?

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One of the biggest obstacles to success in any industry is not understanding your real value and undercharging for your services.

I was recently at the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers conference in Toronto. After a long day on the convention floor, I addled up to the hotel bar for a drink.

As often is the case, I met a few speakers.

None of us being shy we started chatting about our jobs. One fellow was just beginning in the industry. But his resume in education, politics and industry was so impressive that I was immediately able to pick out a niche, and could visualize specific companies that would be a great fit for his topic and expertise.

So what was he charging? $500.

No, I didn’t leave off any zeros.

After flushing out a quick business and marketing plan, I told him that he should be charging at least 10x that amount. And he’d get it too. Trust me. There was real value in his topic. And even the thickest manager would see it.

So why was he charging $500? Because he was a new speaker.

Here’s the thing, professional speaking is a meritocracy. It’s not a seniority-based business. It’s not how long you’ve done it, it’s how much value you bring to clients.

This guy could easily save a company millions of dollars, so charging $500 only demonstrated that he didn’t have confidence in his own skills.

I don’t know about you, but I prefer to have a few high value clients, so I’m not constantly looking for folks who will only pay bare minimum for what I do.

So if you value what you offer – don’t be afraid to charge for it. Trust me, you’ll feel better getting rejected 19 times at $10000, and getting a single great gig, than working your ass off for 20 cheapskates.

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Small business marketing strategy and execution

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When you finally decide to offload your marketing duties to an outside agency the first thing you need to consider is compatibility.

There are a million different companies swimming in the same pool offering virtually identical services.  So the key is not look for the best – most are pretty good – but rather the agency that works best for you.

A bit of history

2005 was a particularly hot summer, so there were many opportunities to brainstorm ideas while enjoying Toronto’s patio season.

At the time Aidan Crawford was working as the Manager of Internet/Intranet for BMO Mutual Funds. After spending the previous three years as the Web Marketing Specialist for Group Investments at Canada Life, his career path looked to be forever linked to financial services if he didn’t make a change. And soon.

Among the many ideas that bubbled up during those long sunny afternoons, was a concept to build national bank websites for people to research specific products without having to go to individual banking sites.

For the next two years, Short Circuit Media developed banking and investment sites using the latest internet marketing technologies.

Since 2010 Short Circuit Media has built a solid reputation as the go-to marketing firm for consultants, professional speakers and trainers, delivering one-off projects like websites, copywriting, business consulting and coaching all the way up to full service retainer marketing programs.

If you are a consultant, professional speaker or sales trainer find out what we can do to make your business grow.

Social Media Strategy & Internet Marketing for Business

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Short Circuit Media helps small business, consultants and professional speakers make more money by using social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) to create brand awareness, while streamlining online marketing efforts to attract more visitors and convert more sales.

We don’t just tell you what needs to be done. We do it.

dreamstime_xxl_34981713When was the last time you looked in a phone book, checked out the classifieds in the local newspaper, or actioned a piece of junk mail?

Whether you are B2B or B2C, your clients go to the internet first. And that’s why social media strategy and a proper internet marketing plan are the keys to growing your business.

The internet is competitive. And if you’re not keeping up with social media strategies, you can be sure your competitors are.

If you’re a professional speaker, author or consultant, click here for specific information related to your business, and find out how I’ve used social media and internet marketing to help speakers like Kurt Shaver, John Von Achen, Jim Clemmer and Rhonda Scharf.

We can help you if you are looking for information and services related to:

  • Social media strategy (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)
  • Developing and implementing an internet marketing plan
  • Creative way to market your business online
  • Website development and email newsletter management
  • Search Engine Optimization and marketing