Nyda's Blog

Why Your Company is not Considered Unique

Nyda Bittmann-Neville — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:11:18 +0000

Some of you may have read the title and said “wait a minute, my company is unique”. Many companies do not have a meaningful unique value proposition; even if they do they do not know how to effectively communicate it internally and externally. They also do not understand how to utilize the tools of marketing and capture the benefits.

If you will, please look and read your current company brochure, your main piece of marketing material that is used by your sales people, the latest ad you placed in media or your best letter or email that is sent to prospects and customers. Now please write down exactly what makes your company unique as a result of your reading these items. Then ask several people to review them and provide you with the same information….exactly what they feel makes you unique from this information. Compare that with your statements. Is there a gap or was it the same?

Making sure that you are communicating exactly what makes your company unique is vital to your overall success. Here are five things that will help you accomplish this goal. They are:

1. Define exactly what makes you special. Then create words, phrases, and sentences that cement this in others minds. You must provide your customer or prospect with a reason to buy from or do business with you.

2. Learn how to say it in less than 30 seconds. Using your unique value proposition, develop a way to say in 30 seconds or less because that is all the time you have to gain attention. A 30 second commercial is the answer to the question of “what does your company do”? It begins with an introduction of your name and company followed by the creation of what I call an IGI or Interest Generating Idea. This represents a way to talk about your company in a way that others will find interesting and gain attention which is the goal. Then because the IGI gained attention you will need to create two key points to provide further information in support of the IGI. Last, develop a strong closing to include a probe for a need or at least an opportunity.

Develop a 30 second commercial for your company and then develop one for you, including your position or job. Each employee should develop a commercial as well. What does this do? Having all employees in a company being able to effectively communicate what the company uniquely does and what they individually do will help to build professionalism and consistency of which builds image and brand.

3. Create your story in a clear, concise, and compelling fashion. You can never tell your customer or prospect everything there is to tell about your company. You need to design three to five well-articulated messages to market your company. These messages can be used interchangeably to tell your story. This is necessary because you have no idea where the prospect or even the customer is in the buying process.

4. Explore and understand the buying process. Since today’s consumer begins with a need or want and seeks information about that product or service, they turn to the Internet, talk on social media venues, check with neighbors, friends, and family to help narrow their selection. At the time when they are ready to seek the product or service, will they remember you and your company? There are so many marketing messages delivered today that the consumer does not really see or hear many of them. Your message has to stand out—be unique.

5. Using “neon” words are key to having your message stand out. What are neon words? They are words that your customers have used when doing business with you. They are words prospects have spoken about the perceived benefit or your product or service. Listen to your customers and prospects and gather those words that cause their eyes to shine and sparkle, their voice to rise with excitement. They have experienced the benefits of doing business with you and your product or service. Soon you will have enough neon words/phrases to utilize them in your marketing messages and all the “touch points” or ways in which you touch your customers and prospects.

Consistency is the key to developing a strong image and brand. Make sure that all your marketing messages, 30 second commercials, social media sites, websites, eblasts, newsletters, brochures and every way that you communicate with your customers or prospects creates the unique story.

Your goal is to make your company unique; using these techniques will help you achieve it!

Until next month,

Nyda

Join me on www.TheMagnolia.TV and see this message live!

The Twenty-Five-Cent Challenge

Nyda Bittmann-Neville — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:34:26 +0000

A Canadian entrepreneur has a sounding board of three other business people. They meet monthly to share ideas and offer support to each other. At one meeting they all agreed they needed a new challenge. They came up with an idea that would test their confidence and cause them to stretch out of their familiar surroundings.

The plan was to fly from Vancouver to Toronto which is several thousand miles away on a one-way ticket with twenty-five cents in their pockets. Upon landing they had to figure out how to get back home with no credit cards, no checks and no friends to help them out. To make it more interesting, they agreed to use at least three modes of transport. In order words, if one person was able to arrange a flight home, part of the journey had to include two other forms of transportation—train, bus, car, etc.

Picture yourself in this situation. What would you do? What skills would it take to accept such a challenge and make such a journey? It seems that we are faced with such a journey periodically. With our current economy you may be faced with how to continue doing more with less, when to add more employees to lessen the load of the others, how to utilize your marketing dollars effectively, how to sharpen your skills to close deals faster, how to keep prospects in the pipeline…the list could go on and on.

This challenge faced by these four entrepreneurs would require creativity, innovation, courage and a strong belief in one’s ability, as well as obtaining money, to successfully make the trip back home.

It took most of the group about a week to get home, and everyone returned safely. One person took the long route of hitching rides, working as a waiter in a restaurant and earning tips. One even talked a high end hotel in giving them a room at no cost. They found odd jobs even asking people on the street for spare change.

They all agreed that the trip was one of their all-time greatest learning experiences. They discovered that no matter how little they had, it was possible to not only survive, but to prosper. Confidence levels soared and their twenty-five cent challenge created bigger and better business opportunities in the months that followed.

How are you looking at the journey ahead of you? What skills do you need? What changes need to be made?

Think about it and step outside of your comfort zone…..

Nyda

Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot. ~Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 1958, spoken by the character Holly Golightly

P. S. Thank you to all who helped support my challenge of sending Girl Scout Cookies to our men and women serving our country through the Troop Program. They will certainly enjoy the delicious cookies and think of home.

Check out www.TheMagnolia.TV to see the new show featuring Chef Isabella in the Kitchen.

Are You a Possibility Thinker?

Nyda Bittmann-Neville — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:14:44 +0000

Possibility Thinkers resemble the hummingbird that looks for and finds honey, often in the most unlikely and unthinkable places. The Possibility Thinkers perceptively probe every problem, proposal, and challenge to discover and disclose the positive opportunities.

They are people—just like you—who when faced with a mountain do not quit. They keep on striving until they climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath—or simply stay and turn their mountain into a gold mine.

Why do they succeed? Why are possibility thinkers different from impossibility thinkers? What impact do they have on the image, brand, and culture of an organization? Which are you? These are questions I hope you will take time to reflect upon and determine who you are and what type of thinkers make up your company.

Possibility Thinkers have learned how to:

· Overcome inferiority complexes and live confidently

· Listen to new ideas and evaluate them carefully

· See opportunities, size them and seize them

· Welcome challenging problems and solve them creatively

· Face personal tragedies and use them constructively

Possibility Thinkers are faith builders, hope boosters, confidence creators, enthusiasm generators, and optimism spreaders! Doesn’t that sound exciting, can you not feel the energy!

The impact on image, brand, and culture of an organization is enhanced with Possibility Thinkers. Where are you on the scale of thinkers, on the end of impossibility or the opposite end of possibility?

Now more than ever, the marketplace wants Possibility Thinkers. These will be the people who not only keep their jobs but gain more responsibility, move up in an organization, and feel more satisfaction in their work….and the list goes on.

Be a Possibility Thinker!

Until next month,

Nyda

P. S. I am getting close to my goal of 310 boxes of Girl Scout cookies that will be shipped to our troops. Please help me achieve this goal. For those of you who have sent checks and given me $$, thank you. Boxes are $3.50 each and I would love a check for at least $35.00. Mail the check payable to Girl Scouts of Citrus Council to 3561 Bellington Drive, Orlando, Fl 32835. The troops will thank you!

Check out the redesigned website and let me know your thoughts. www.NydaSpeaks.com

And of course tune in to The Magnolia show airs each Friday at 9am ET with a new edition focused on image, brand and business culture. www.TheMagnolia.TV

Happy New Year 2010!

Nyda Bittmann-Neville — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:57:44 +0000

Greetings!

As many of you remember my Mother passed on this day one year ago. It seems hard to believe I am marking such an anniversary so quickly. This year has been one of the most difficult for me to endure while it has also been a year of personal growth. Each day it seems something happens to remind me of how much I am the image of my Mother. We need not look far from the tree to find where much of our personality, image, and behaviors originated. I for one am very thankful.

The holidays are over and we now face returning to the work world. We also face a new year of opportunity to create the image and brand that you desire. For many of us it is time to lose the holiday weight from those cookies and other delicious goodies, begin an exercise program, clean up the house or office. While all of those resolutions are great, I would challenge you to focus on your image and brand…building and enhancing.

Start by objectively analyzing your behaviors and actions, the way you present yourself to others, the way you communicate, the way you dress, and the way you network. What can you do more effectively? And maybe you will add to the mix to eat healthier or to begin a walking program which will be a bonus!

As you remember from my blog last year shortly after Mother’s passing that her image and brand was so vivid in the minds of others that she had touched. Likewise, it is what and how we will be remembered. And so I look forward to a New Year bringing you techniques, resources, and strategies to help you build and enhance your image and brand.
Here is my wish for each of you in the New Year….

I wish you Health…
So you may enjoy each day in comfort.

I wish you the Love of friends and family…
And Peace within your heart.

I wish you the Beauty of nature…
That you may enjoy the work of God.

I wish you Wisdom to choose priorities…
For those things that really matter in life.

I wish you Generousity so you may share…
All good things that come to you. I wish you Happiness and Joy…
And Blessings for the New Year.

I wish you the best of everything…

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Nyda

Join me in sending Girl Scout cookies to our troops. This is a great way to enjoy the cookies without having the pounds go to your hips! Boxes are $3.50 and my goal is to beat last year of 303 boxes. Send your checks payable to Girl Scouts-Citrus Council to 3561 Bellington Drive, Orlando Fl 32835.

Also check out The Magnolia show every Friday at 9am ET where I bring techniques, resources, and strategies to help enhance image, brand, and business culture. Visit www.TheMagnolia.TV
And check out the first holiday in snowy NC

UPDATED 12.21.09 View the most recent edition of the North Carolina mountain house. Click on the link below and check out the recent postings. The title is First Snow Holiday!
http://nydabittmannneville.com/northcarolina_mtn_home.htm

Marketing in 2010 and Beyond

Nyda Bittmann-Neville — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:44:47 +0000

Greetings!

Our current economic times have changed the way companies are conducting their marketing strategies. Traditional media has been reduced and digital and social marketing has been increased. I believe that while traditional forms of marketing may return, they will not return to the levels in the past because the new default marketing mix (digital and social marketing) will continue to increase. What is your opinion?
Here are four reasons why I make the statements.

First, surveys recently conducted show that 34% of media time is spent on the Internet both on a personal and professional level. However, Internet spending is only 12% of the total marketing budget. By contrast, TV makes up 35% of media time and gets 31% of spending. In this recession media budgets are getting cut, and traditional media is losing more than is online. Survey results indicate that an increase in marketing will be focused in the areas of social media projects, online video, search engine optimization and mobile marketing. Newspapers, radio and TV budgets are more likely to be flat or down.

The second reason is that marketers should take prudent risks and implement programs that extend and enhance existing initiatives and invite customers to help drive traffic to a site. Best Buy for example is using Camelbuy which tracks price changes on sites such as Best Buy and others and alerts customers to price drops etc. This is a prudent risk for Best Buy to have someone else potentially sending customers to them.

A third reason is that digital media helps with branding awareness efforts by using techniques like banner ads, search ads, blogs and rating options. Giving customers the opportunity to view ads, read blogs plus providing rating and review options helps others to become buyers of your product/service. There of course is risk in offering the opportunity for ratings and reviews. To me it only creates a “better mouse trap” if you will, and improves customer service, enhances credibility and faith in your product or service.

The last reason that marketing will be more digital, more interactive and more social is that the impact of digital marketing done today can turn into a long-term marketing asset. What you create today has the opportunity to turn into strong client relationships. Why?

While this media may not replace the entire way we market, it will certainly play a major role. It provides what I call “a web of connectivity” with the customers. So as you begin to prepare for 2010 review your overall marketing mix and become part of the future.

Please take a moment and share your thoughts on this subject.

Until next month,

Nyda

Check out the updates on the NC mountain home, click on the link below and the title is Rainbow and More.
http://nydabittmannneville.com/northcarolina_mtn_home.htm

What Are You Doing with 95% of Your Time?

Nyda Bittmann-Neville — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:18:23 +0000

Greetings!

In a recent study 95% of companies’ time is being spent on defensive measures such as cost cutting and a mere 5% on offensive actions like finding new customers or expanding into a new marketing niche, marketing, training and motivating staff.

Since downsizing has left companies with fewer personnel doing more, having to stay closer to the office rather than out prospecting. Marketing and training has probably been put on hold or eliminated totally. On one hand dollars are being saved but on the other hand you are losing awareness and presence in the marketplace and employees are not being challenged and developed. If it continues, by the time the markets start a turn around, you will be spending more to play catch up.

We need to use our time brainstorming about how we can find new customers and expand existing relationships. Invite and involve employees from different areas of the company to identify opportunities and develop strategies. Challenge the group to identify 3-5 ideas and then develop several ways each of the ideas may be accomplished. This activity does several things. One it makes employees feel their ideas are valued; two it promotes synergy among different departments; and three they may come up with some great ideas!

Employees that have been retained with the company are the A and B levels. I doubt if many businesses kept the C level or below par players. The employees need to be motivated, challenged, and developed and it is a great time to ensure the desired culture is illustrated and demonstrated. Take time to increase the quality of customer service, practice effective networking, enhance communications and augment business development. Remember employees are your marketeers. They are the ones that interact with your clients and send the messages of who and what the company is all about. Now is the time to spend time and dollars –this is an investment that will have a high ROI.
Invest more than 5% of your efforts in these areas and you will be out in front of the competition.

Until next month,

Nyda

View my on-air show The Magnolia at www.TheMagnolia.TV, YouTube.com/TheMagnoliaTV, or http://www.nydabittmannneville.com/themagnoliatv.cfm

UPDATED 10.28.09 View the building of the North Carolina mountain house.Click on the link below and check out the recent postings. The title is Rainbow and More! The article in the local newspaper is there now. http://nydabittmannneville.com/northcarolina_mtn_home.htm

Your Personal Eye Chart

Nyda Bittmann-Neville — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:13:00 +0000

The doctor will be in shortly to examine your eyes. While we are waiting, let’s check out your personal eye chart. The top letter on the chart is an E. There are actually five “E’s” that the doctor has asked us to review. They are Endurance, Energy, Engagement, Enthusiasm and Excellence.

Let’s begin with Endurance. These economic times have tested and strained your vision have they not? No matter if you are employed or in transition one thing is for certain, you need to endure. Endurance exercises include any activity that increases heart rate and respiratory rate. This includes walking, jogging, running, biking, rope jumping, and many others. Over time these activities improve the health of the lungs, heart, and blood vessels. Most importantly however, endurance exercises can also delay or prevent many diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. Let’s add this to the prescription to enhance our vision and performance.

The second “E” is Energy. What is your energy level? Do you get up each morning eager to start the day or dread getting out of bed? To improve the position on your eye chart, let’s practice these ten techniques.

Practice deep breathing: Try breathing with your abdominal muscles to improve your energy.
Give yourself a more flexible schedule: Work on tasks when they feel appropriate to your energy level, or pick up something else to do.
Turn on the lights: When you wake up in the morning, turn on all of the lights to trick your body out of bed.
Always eat breakfast: Breakfast will give your body the fuel jumpstart that it needs.
Schedule down time: Regularly give yourself time to recharge and relax.
Spend your energy wisely: Know when your energetic moments are, and don’t waste them on trivial actions.
Stay organized: Avoid losing energy by keeping everything in its systematic place.
Act like you have energy: Trick yourself into feeling more energetic by moving faster, like pacing while you talk on the phone or putting more energy into your voice.
Keep a manageable, even pace: Manage your time and energy more efficiently to avoid burnout.
Take up a hobby: Make a habit of nurturing a hobby, and you’ll always have something energizing to look forward to.

The third “E” is Engagement. Become an engaging person in conversation with others. Practice using more open ended questions and focused listening. Explore different topics to broaden your perspective. These pills will help the effectiveness of your interactions with others.

The fourth “E” is Enthusiasm which produces energy. Positive energy moves you forward and lifts you higher. Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation and a pinch of creativity. Let’s plan to add that to the new pills you will take daily.

And the last “E” on the personal eye chart is Excellence. Striving for excellence in everything you do creates a label that is stamped on you. In order to seek excellence we must be energetic, enduring, engaging, and enthusiastic.

As your doctor, please have the prescription filled and get started so you can see clearly. Enjoy your “Es”.

Until next month,

Nyda

Save the date of October 3rd for a one-of-a-kind event, the National Book Tour and Women’s Conference will be in Orlando at the Gaylord Palms and is presented by the Professional Woman Network. This will be a dynamic day that you will not want to miss! visit www.NydaBittmannNeville.com or www.pwnbooks.com for details, registration and sponsorship opportunities. Other cities on the tour include Louisville, Atlanta, DC and LA! I will sharing the highlights of the tour and conference on Twitter, follow me at Twitter.com/nydatnb

View my ALL NEW on-air show The Magnolia at www.TheMagnolia.TV, YouTube.com/TheMagnoliaTV, or http://www.nydabittmannneville.com/themagnoliatv.cfm

Visit www.NydaBittmannNeville.com/blog to view my blog focused on image, brand, and business culture which posts the first Friday of each monthly….sign up to receive it.

UPDATED 8.12.09 View the building of the North Carolina mountain house. Click on the link below and check out the recent postings. The title is At Last! The article in the local newspaper is there now.

http://nydabittmannneville.com/northcarolina_mtn_home.htm

Is Your Business Grabbing Attention in the Marketplace?

Nyda Bittmann-Neville — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:34:10 +0000

Greetings!

Consumers are bombarded with so many pieces of information being marketed from businesses, all vying for their attention. Buy my product or service is being yelled in so many different ways and different venues.

How can your company stand out? Your business logo and its design and color are critical.

Recently published consumer research survey results indicated your logo is the way to grab attention. Why, because consumers do not have time to read a lot of information to find out about you, your company, your product or service. Your goal is to make a convincing impression thus eliminating decision making—when the need is for your product or service, you want your company to immediately enter the minds of the consumers, and then they buy.

Your business logo or corporate concept should be able to grab attention with the design and color, say what you do, how you do it, both currently and in the future. Are the colors in the color palette of your logo or corporate concept targeted to your audience? Do they represent your industry? Is your tagline saying what you do and how you do it? Is your logo or corporate concept current, does it speak to the future, or is it outdated?

Your logo must look good in every medium. For example, an airline must ensure its logo looks good on a huge airplane, a ticket jacket, an employee uniform and its website…and the list goes on.

Think about your logo—does it meet these objectives? If so, that is great! If not, you may wish to step back and evaluate it.

There are several reasons to change, adjust or enhance your logo.
1. If the logo is out of date, your company will be perceived as such—and you do not want to appear to be your father’s Buick.
2. Your business model has changed.
3. A merger or acquisition has taken place.With the increased importance of grabbing attention in the marketplace and the short time in which to make a connection with your audience, make sure your logo can do the job.

Until next month,

Nyda

P. S. Check out the new format for the NC Mountain blog, I think you will really like it! I will be updating it again soon. At last….. http://www.nydabittmannneville.com/nc_test.htm

Join me as I blog and twit about my upcoming National Book Tour and Women’s Conference hosted by the Professional Woman Network. The tour begins in Louisville May 16^th, followed by Atlanta, DC, LA and Orlando. To find out details and register for this one-of-a-kind event, click on www.NydaBittmannNeville.com and you will see the tour.

How Are You Perceived?

Nyda Bittmann-Neville — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:17:35 +0000

In the playground that I refer to as the workplace, brand has always been influential, now it is more important than ever. In today’s economic environment, it takes more than just walking into the job search with an impressive resume’. It takes you standing out among the crowd. And it is a crowd today with most jobs having hundreds, if not thousands, of applications. So the question becomes, what is your brand and does it differentiate you in the marketplace?

Personal brand is about the person. The clearer you are about your destination, the easier it will be to communicate why others should pay attention. In addition to showcasing your own blend of expertise and experience, your personal brand should communicate the qualities and values you want to be know for—-being cutting-edge, innovative, honest, a team player.

You may be asking how do I describe my brand….how am I perceived by others? I suggest that you conduct an internal and external test. Write down how you would describe yourself based on qualities and values you possess. Then ask both personal and professional contacts if they see you as the type to thrive under high pressure situations, spark interest in others about your ideas, and serve as an effective manager/leader. Be prepared to accept the answers and do not get defensive and try to respond. Simply say thank you. Then analyze the comments you have received against your own description. Is there a correlation or a disconnect? Are there changes to be made to enhance your brand or is the perception of you by others what you want.

Today people are becoming more involved in social marketing and networking. Remember that every way you communicate, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others says a lot about you. Make sure that every “touch point” or point in which others see, hear, or interact with you, is supportive of the brand you desire. Everything must be consistent in order to create and develop a strong brand.

Effective personal branding serves as career protection in uncertain times. It is also a critical tool for reinventing yourself because you can leverage the reputation and skill set you already have to prove you have the ability to do the job you want.

So, how are you perceived?

Nyda

P. S. Check out the new format for the NC Mountain blog, I think you will really like it! I will be updating it again soon. We are getting close to the grand finale’. http://www.nydabittmannneville.com/nc_test.htm

Join me as I blog about my upcoming National Book Tour and Women’s Conference hosted by the Professional Woman Network. The tour begins in Louisville May 16^th, followed by Atlanta, DC, LA and Orlando. To find out details and register for this one-of-a-kind event, click on www.NydaBittmannNeville.com and you will see the tour.

Image and Brand analysis is on special….now is a great time to evaluate…please email or call me to set an appointment.

Change…like the waves on the beach

Nyda Bittmann-Neville — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:49:02 +0000

Greetings!

How many of you enjoy a day at the beach? It is one of my favorite places to relax, rid myself of stress, reflect, and rejuvenate. Smelling the sea air, feeling the sand between my toes, enjoying the vitamin D from the sun, and watching the endless comings and goings of the waves. Ahhhhh yes!

One way to think about change is that change is like waves on the beach. Just like change, waves are relentless and can be powerful, and there are only three things you can do with a wave: let it knock you down, survive it or ride it.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these three ways to handle change.

We let the waves of change knock us down when we take the dead roach approach to change - flat on our back, feet in the air and just out of control. What a visual!

You can tell you are taking this approach when you say things such as:

“I’m so stressed out!”

“I can’t take this!”

“This isn’t fair!”

“Why does this always have to happen to me?”

Doesn’t surviving change sound like a good thing to want to do? Though in a few cases it’s really the only thing you can do, it really isn’t the optimal approach to take. I don’t know about you, but merely surviving doesn’t sound like a very compelling way to live.

If you’re thinking or saying these things, you’ve probably settled on merely surviving:

“How can I get through this?”

“What’s the worst that could happen here?”

“I don’t know if I can take this.”

“What can I do to get by?”

The problem with taking a survival approach is that you just merely get by. When you’re ready to do more than just get by, it’s time to begin managing change.

Riding the waves of change means seeing things from a different point of view, rather than looking out at the waves you are looking toward land from the sea. Think of riding the waves as the process of making change work for you.

Here are some questions to ask to begin to learn how to thrive on change:

How can I make this work for me?

What’s good about this?

What does this change allow me to do that I couldn’t do before?

What positive things might this change force me to do?

Change is inevitable. How we handle it is optional. Make the choice to ride the waves and you’re likely to create a compelling life for yourself.

How are you riding the waves?

Nyda

By the way, check the NC Mountain Home updated 4.2.09 the title is The Mailbox if Almost Ready! www.helloworld.com/nydatnb and click on the icon of blogs.

The National Book Tour and Women’s Conference hosted by the Professional Woman Network will begin May 16th in Louisville and will end in Orlando October 3rd. Register today for this great event at www.PWNBooks.com Come, bring a friend for half price, sponsorship packages are also available.