Sell It With Sizzle

I'm back....

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 01:25:12 GMT

I've been floating around at sea, contemplating the profession and have returned to life as a librarian. I split my time now between a specialized science library and a college art library in part-time positions.

What I've realize is that my premise that selling your collections -- and housing sell-able collections is more important than ever.

Just this morning I was at a Wendy's listening to people. One needed a class and connection to a Genealogy collection, another a connect to business resources and another group simply needed to know about the Foundation Center.

I submit to you -- the voices of those who need what we have are active, loud and constant.

As librarians, we need to pay attention to people from the reference desk to the check out line. The check out line in the local supermarket.

What people want from us is hardly a mystery. What programs would work -- not a question that merits a survey.

Listen your way to your next programming calendar.

As of 10/14/05 I have left

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 20:59:07 GMT

the library profession to go live on a boat with a chainsaw artist.

Seriously.

I think you can still go through this and sellitwithsizzle.com to get some pretty good ideas.

If I come back to the work, I'll continue this journal.

Meantime, there's a lot of new things to learn. Which was one of the key reasons I always enjoyed the profession -- it provided fuel and skill for my boundless curiousity.

Be well.
Rhonda K. Kitchens

Roll it around on your tongue: Experiential Programming

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 20:13:42 GMT

This is the type of even that gives the user a five senses/emotion/action/interaction tour of your product or service.

For example:
HyPe Gallery – the gallery event that introduced HP printing products and projectors to the engaged, interested audience it sought. On the way - they created an international scene.

Read up an article by an Experiential Marketing guru - Bernd Schmitt, Columbia Business School. For more information, review his book: 'Experiential Marketing : How to Get Customers to Sense, Feel, Think, Act, Relate'

See a how-to article by Diane Armbuster, "Experiential Marketing Comes Alive." Armbuster discusses a 5 part strategy.

A program I think has the great experiental marketing in the library is supporing National Novel Writing Month, where participants write a novel in one month. We have the resources to really connect with a variety of old and new patrons. We could promote writing night marathons, promote use of wireless, demonstrate research/fact finding, provide writing lectures, post a board of progress, create a brainstorming atmosphere and in general provide a month worth of doing what libraries actually do very well.

Three Month Program Development Outline

Fri, 16 Sep 2005 19:50:11 GMT

See more at: Sellitwithsizzle.com

Month One:
Review the “So What” List answering relevant questions about your program.

Also at:
http://www.sellitwithsizzle.com/sowhat.htm

Begin Mailing List, both physical and e-mail addresses.

ARead local papers looking for: Promotion lists, meetings, events, activities and locals in the news. Also keep eye out for reporters/columnists that may have an interest in library program/resource stories

ASearch Gale’s Ready Reference Shelf and other local lists of community organizations.
AIdentify local government entities that may hand out flyers or make referrals

Recommended Reading:

Guerilla marketing for free : 100 no-cost tactics to promote your business and energize your profits / Jay Conrad Levinson.

Design Flyer: Don’t forget the Who, What, When, Why and How
Write Press Releases and PSAs
Recommended Reading: Guerrilla publicity : hundreds of sure-fire

tactics to get maximum sales for minimum dollars / by Jay Conrad
Levinson
Also, University of West Florida’s Advertising/Public Relations

Bibliography
http://www.lib.uwf.edu/eli/Arts/PublicRelations.shtml

Put together a bibliography/handout and use in a in-library display.

Secure space and make a list of technological and other program needs.

Ask for suitable hand-outs from publications, organizations or government groups to supplement program. This activity may also set up a future basis for a partnership or outreach opportunity.

MONTH TWO:

Mail flyers to persons on physical address list.

E-mail press release to e-mail list.

Mail Press Releases and PSAs to local media. Take time to hand sell and personalize information to sources with which you maybe familiar. If you think your program would be make a good topic for a mid-day television, write them and tell them so. Address to individual reporters or section as possible.

Recommended Reading:
Marth’s Florida Guide (listing of Florida's daily newspapers, news services, periodicals, press associations, program managers, radio and television stations, special publications, and weekly newspapers.)

Beginning of Month Three:
Make sure room set-up requirements are still in order.
Think if there are any last minute prospects or opportunities to promote the program. For instance, a meeting you can speak at or a new event listing you missed in your first publicity mailing.

Make copies of handouts after reviewing for any last minute revisions.

Create a handout package including library information, event calendars, hours and other upcoming programs.

DESIGN a simple feedback form for the program if you don’t have a standard one. Ask open ended questions in order to get more feedback and solid leads on where to go from here.

AFTER: Send thank you notes to
absolutely everyone who helped you out.

Predentation Zen - A blog

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 22:14:00 GMT

Garr Reynolds has a blog on tips, trends and ideas on presentations.

Reynolds is "currently Associate Professor of Management at Kansai Gaidai University where he teaches Marketing, Global Marketing and Multimedia Presentation Design. Garr is active in the Japanese community and can often be found presenting on subjects concerning design, branding, and effective corporate communications."

Find programs ideas in your newspaper

Wed, 07 Sep 2005 16:44:04 GMT

A quick read through a free local weekly paper gives me about 9 ideas for programming, outreach and partnerships.

“Bar Fliers Spark Mother’s Concern” – A mother who participates in the Guardian Ad Litem program believes children should be protected.

“The Carrollwood Area Business Association plans an After Five Networking Event.”

“The Fern Garden Club meets to discuss herbs…”

“Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Tampa Bay meets…”

“Tampa Bay Camera club meets..”

“Lifelink Speakers available….”

“The Academy Barbershop chorus meets…”

“Tampa Bay runners hold…”

“The Bay Area Sleep Diagnostic Center will host…”

Start building a contact list by subject heading. Make your own programming directory based on the resources in your neighborhood.

I really want to do a Veterans program

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 15:55:28 GMT

I've written this organization and they replied thusly:
Your ideas sound really interesting and could add a new dimension to our program...and yours. Keep thinking on it and keep in touch. If I can help or provide additional information, please let me know.

And, visit our website at www.veteransvoices.org

This organization is run by volunteers who go to Veteran's hospitals and record stories told by Veterans. These stories are published in a magazine by the same name.

I want to somehow use this program and turn the stories into blogs.

I haven't figured out a way to make it so. But talking to people and organizations, I will.

This

Wed, 10 Aug 2005 13:43:02 GMT

is a part of my 1-2-3 program recipe. When brainstorming a program idea marry up ideas from the 3 columns to get an idea for a program.

The quote to consider for the day is:
“Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting” --
Christopher Morley

New New York Performer and Program Database for New York

Fri, 05 Aug 2005 13:25:24 GMT

The Performers and Programs Database provides information about performers and program presenters who offer programs appropriate for public libraries in New York State. The resource is also available for searching by others with an interest in programming.

Performers and program presenters are encouraged to sign up. You will be asked to enter contact information for your performance(s) and information about each of the programs that you offer to libraries

What happens to Good Librarians in Bad Libraries?

Thu, 04 Aug 2005 14:48:33 GMT

I wanted to provide some tips and hope for librarians working on programs or library events who have little or no support.

Don't give up.

If you have ideas that have been shot down, altered, stolen, compromised, Co-opted or laughed at; save them. There is no such thing as wasted effort. What fails today, may find a home tomorrow. Many administrations change drastically. The library flavor of the month maybe the gem you have in your notebook...eventually.

If it is a really great idea, take it to another agency. You can volunteer to do it for another agency/association on your own time but make a note of that with your supervisor for review time. You can still get credit for something doing it as an outreach event, particulary if the association/agency specifically requests you. Always talk about your ideas to others. It helps them find a home. It never hurts to read a few good books on networking and sales even as a librarian.

What if you have a publicity department that doesn't really care to focus their efforts on your community? Cultivate your own media contacts. If you're prohibited from doing your own publicity, drop your story idea informally to a reporter you think has an interest or has written/covered similar activities. Read your local papers, spedicifically the small weekly ones diligently.

Drop notices about your program to relevant associations and groups. This also helps turn your program into an outreach event.

Libraries are like any business or organization. There are good and bad people. Things change. Climates shift. Keep faith in yourself and work every avenue you have to promote library services and resources to the people that need the most.

In this you are always win-win. You can always be a Good Librarian, even in a bad place.

This begins my 9 week countdown...

Wed, 03 Aug 2005 20:58:36 GMT

I love programming. Working in an environment which works more against one than with one is disheartening. I work in a place where suggestions are more likely to be met with spite and lectures.

Yet I do go on. As do others. I write down lists of what I would do. I take what shreds of something I have left and try to make the best of the ruins. I will and have sat in a poorly promoted program and set my teeth into it like a starving animal – for whatever crowd I may have.

I’ll always think of a library who sets its programming goals high but acts so low to those with a calling to programming/teaching/promoting library services be entirely the worst example of what this profession is about. I’m not looking to feather my nest, I’m looking to make a difference one risk, one step, one issue at a time.

I plan to give notice at my current job in 9 weeks whether or not I’ve secured another place of employment. I’m done. And in being done, I no longer have anything to fear but my own inaction.

In these weeks I want to explore a variety of issues within my narrow little box. I’m going to scrap a little. I’m going to dream a little. I’m going to tell you how tough it is to run like a blindfolded stallion in a field of bees.

I'm also going to further detail and create on "cyber-paper" a plan for the following programming issues I see a lot of opportunity in:

1) Government web sites. I began as a Government Document librarian and remain faithful to the cause of getting information to the people. As so much information, forms and documents are put on the web, librarians need to be more proactive in securing training from government entities, doing online tutorials for self-training, producing programs for both internal/external/outreach audiences and trying to find out ways to be helpful to populations who are often facing harsh issues of technological literacy.

2) Singles. Work on solid, fun, information/book based talk-worthy programs with a lot of heart. Single householders showed up as the majority in the last census.

3) Blogs for the elderly. Produce a program that teaches older persons or persons working with older persons how to blog so as to save their lives in cyberspace for a wider audience than they could ever have imagined. This takes storytelling past the mashed potatoes on Sunday to people who can connect with real lives, real experiences and the warmth of the human.

I've updated my

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 16:10:03 GMT

"Free Money for Artists/Writers" Powerpoint on my site, Sellitwithsizzle.com

July! Its a great time to plan for October Library Programs

Mon, 11 Jul 2005 16:27:22 GMT

If you don't put together a yearly programming schedule ( recommended), most library programs benefit from at the very least a 3 month planning schedule.

October is National Cookie month. Why not try a “build a better cookie” program demonstrating library holdings and showing recipe sites from a variety of angles. If you want to make it sweeter, run a cookie contest judged by a local celeb complete with a bibliography handout for the event.

October is also dental hygiene month. Work with the local version of the American Dental association to put together a great program on the best possible smile. If the ADA doesn’t have enough freebies, contact larger companies of toothbrushes, floss and dental products so you can have some things to handout for the event. “Brush up on brushing” “Ten Tips To A Better Smile”

It is also National Medical Librarians Month. Contact a local medical librarian and ask her/him to come in and talk about good, useful and safe online medical information sites. This is a win win program where the medical librarian gets to give her/his institution a human face and you get a program from someone who knows the topic well.

Update the Book Discussion Group

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 17:48:22 GMT

by teaching people how to run their own book discussion groups.
* Teach Catalog use by demonstrating how to find materials
* Introduce reader's advisory resources/literary criticism in print and online. Make sure to include genre fiction. ( NoveList and MagillOnLiterature Plus )
* Create a multi-week class or long day that will include live discussion
practice using short stories or poems
* Provide bibliography including such books as: Nancy Pearl's Book Lust or So Many Books So Little Time by Sara Nelson
* Provide bibliography including online sources.
* Provide bibliography that includes suggested book discussion group topics such as:
State ( Florida - http://faculty.mccfl.edu/Jonesj/Flbib/Flbibindex.html )
True Crime
Women Writers
No Happy Endings
* Use the class as an opportunity for outreach. Suggest it to a Leads or business group and help them select topical business books of interest. Look at the book discussion model set up by the magazine Fast Company and consider beginning your own version. Go do a poetry discussion at an assisted living facility. Gather some single women together and help them launch a modern fiction reading group.
* Definitely do publicity on the class, explain the popularity of the book discussion group and provide reporters with a chance to write up a great feature that demonstrates the library's continuing relevancy in the community.

Materials for a program I am working on...

Sat, 18 Jun 2005 14:52:12 GMT

"Free Money for Artists and Writers" in August...

Powerpoint

Annotated Bibliography/Suggest resources handout.

Program Ideas and Explanations for thinking out of the box for a technology program...

Wed, 15 Jun 2005 20:11:15 GMT

Rhonda's Program Ideas...

EXAMPLES...

Adult Education: Over 50% of students are over 25, how are you reaching them?

Announcement: Promote new features on old products and old products you should feature

Bootcamp: Take the new focus from a talk show or a magazine covers and turn it into a product or service feature

Contest: Use a give-away to build a mailing list for related programs. Introduce a competition for a “user’s guide” to a new or old product. Provide a competition for “at home” use of Excel. Orchestrate an animation contest for teens. Promote online products with scavenger hunt style event.

Demo: Demonstration. Could be for a class, a group or impromptu. Brief, hands-on or part of a Media Event.

Exhibition: Online craft/art fair/museum: Set up a gallery of art, history or cultural interest. Young Adult animation or art projects. Put local oral history projects online.

For Dummies Way: Micro-specific, targeted view of explaining subject at hand in the most jargon-free, easy way possible. Examples: “straight-talking” “plain-english” “sensible.” Promote to your community… Word for Blockheads, Barely Know Series…

Others...Rhonda's Program Ideas...

A Different Drummer: The One with the Loudest Drum

Fri, 10 Jun 2005 20:37:01 GMT

Henry DeVries of the New Client Marketing Institute researched how to find new clients. His research demonstrated the best ways to get new people interested in your product or service was:

Small scale seminar
Giving speeches
Getting published
Networking in a proactive way
Participating in organizations

Take your top 5 reference questions and see how you can turn them into opportunities on each of these levels.

For instance the "Do you have a simple will form?" can be turned into a small scale seminar inviting local lawyers to speak on wills. Give speeches to community groups on "10 Free Legal Forms You Can Find @Your Library." Write up a press release or quick story for a local newspaper on the same topic. Go to a local legal associations meeting and introduce yourself to 10 people taking time to exchange business cards, write 3 people and ask them how you could help them...and find out how they could help you. Be visible in your community via a cross section of organizations, handing out a flyer of the library's legal resources at meetings.

Include a small disclaimer as necessary.

It is time to plan for a September Seminar...4 weeks:4 Programs:1 Anchoring Idea

Wed, 08 Jun 2005 00:43:13 GMT

College Savings Month -- invite financial planners, local college financial aid advisers, bank loan officers and college representatives to do a seminar on college planning, financiing and scholarships. Round out the month with preparing for college tests using premium products you may have such as Tutor.com or Learning Express. Ideas for name, "Four Weeks To College" with weekly events.

Self Improvement Month -- invite organizing professionals, life coaches, alternative health professionals, personal coaches or nutritionists. Round it out with annotated bibliographies of books, tapes, DVDs and other available materials.

Leads Groups -- You're Surrounded by them...

Tue, 31 May 2005 22:38:50 GMT

are you talking to them?

Most libraries have a plethora of prospecting friendly databases to share with the local business community.

Leads Groups meet sometimes weekly and monthly.

How do these ideas marry?

Into a easy, friendly, win-win outreach opportunity. In these meetings, floor time is brief so a PowerPoint with screen shots and a powerful, enthusiastic attitude work well. This is an example of one I use off my website Sellitwithsizzle.com.

A bibliography and working knowledge of the "sales giants" take on sales round out a good program.

Additionally, this program always gets people talking and you'll usually get some interested phone calls from prospects who want to talk about your resources.

All win-win.

This program is also a great one for people looking to begin new businesses -- a business owner is usually an "accidental salesperson." It works well with Rotary Clubs, Chambers of Commerce and other business groups. Make sure your local economic development councils know what you're up to and let them know your library is active agent in economic support in the community.

Below are some books to review when putting together this program...if you want to use them in a bibliography, credit my annotations, but take the list. It is a sound one put together with great care.

------

The New Strategic Selling: The Unique Sales System Proven Successful By the World’s Best Companies by Stephen E. Heiman. A “more you know, the less you hear NO” approach. Very detailed sales plan.

How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling by Frank
Bettger. A warm, even nostalgic work on developing sales style while maintaining integrity, passion and courage.

The Greatest Salesman in the World Part II: The End of the Story by Og Mandino. Features the Ten Vows of Success from the father of the inspirational parable.

SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham. Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff. A result of Huthwaite Corporations 12-year, million dollar research into sales performance.

Close The Deal: Smart Moves for Selling, 120 Checklists for Sales Success by Sam Deep. Strong package of sells tips from buyer motivation, rapport building to the post-sell.

Knock Your Socks Off Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer. A light, easy look at principles of consultative selling.

Secrets of Question Based Selling: How the Most Powerful Tool in Business Can Double your Sales Results by Thomas A. Freese. Considered a fresh, detailed look for the salesperson well past “Selling 101,” this book has a formula for getting a 95% return call rate from voice mail messages beginning on page 95.

Cold Calling Techniques ( That Really Work!) by Stephan Schiffman. Basic business-to-business sales. Tips on getting more call backs.

No Condition is Permanent: 10 Master Strategies to Help You Move from Fear & Doubt to Action by Rene Godefroy.

Godefroy came to America with $5, 2 shirts, tattered pants and batter briefcase. This book details how he became a success.

Customer Centered Selling: Eight Step to Success from the World’s Best Sales Force by Robert L. Jolles. Advocates addressing customer's problems and decision-making process in order to influence buying behavior. Presents clearly delineated selling system.

Inside Secrets of Outstanding Salespeople: The Fast Track to High Performance Selling by C. Conrad Elnes. Important tips on understanding your customer including such useful information as when to break, maintain and increase eye gaze during an interaction.

On Selling by Mark H. McCormack. By the author of “What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School.

You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar by David H. Sandler.
The Sandler Sales Institutes’s 7-Step System For Successful Selling. Addresses issues of human nature to promote a scheme of low pressure selling.

Sales Prospecting for Dummies by ToHopkins. Super complete tightly written book with facts, tips and techniques.

The Sales Advantage: How to Get It, Keep It & Sell More Than Ever by Dale Carnegie and Associates, Inc. Good for the beginning sales person and new business owner. Advocates & demonstrates setting up a selling process and sticking to it.

Hardball Selling: How to Turn the Pressure on, Without Turning Your Customer Off) by Robert L. Shook. Takes the approach of motivating and helping the buyer along the sales process finishing with the “nice” guys.

10 Steps to Sales Success By Tim Breithaupt. You have only 1,760 selling hours a year — manage them better. Includes a chapter on prospecting including 22 ideas of where to find business.

Soft Sell: The New Art of Selling by Tim Connor. Sell yourself as a resource. Connor discusses making yourself a total package and includes a reading list for both professional, personal and spiritual growth.

Stop Whining! Start Selling! Profit Producing Strategies for Explosive Sales Results by Jeff Blackman. Short bursts of substantive information intertwined with humor and observation. A portable seminar.

Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales, New & Updated Edition by Bob Burg. This book has sold over 100,000 and remains a business/sales boosting classic.

The Power Principle: Influence with Honor by Blaine Lee. Teaches core principles of influencing other’s behavior with honor.

How to Succeed in Business by Breaking All the Rules: A Plan for
Entrepreneurs by Dan S. Kennedy. Shares some traditions well worth breaking. For instance, getting rid of a customer maybe more profitable than maintaining that a “customer is always right.” Kennedy is also not positive about “positive thinking.”

By the Numbers: Using Facts and Figures to Get Your Projects, Plans and Ideas Approved by Joseph McLeary and others. Particularly helpful with “see-mores,” this book gives some different ways to visually package your good ideas, services or products.

How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds—or Less by Milo Frank. Tips on finding your hook in 30 seconds and more. Learn to present and package yourself to appeal to an individual’s average attention span.

Winning Through Intimidation by Roger J. Ringer. A business classic referred to by most books on this list. Written in 1974, it remains a solid gem.

Say It With Charts:The Executives Guide to Visual Communication by Gene Zelany. How and when to use charts to express different relationships.

Life is a Series of Presentations: 8 Ways to Punch Up Your People Skills at Work, at Home, Anytime, Anywhere by Tony Jeary. Includes “the single word that will convince 93 percent of your listeners every time.”

What's the most active type of group in your community?

Thu, 26 May 2005 13:36:21 GMT

Take time to go through the meeting and events listings in the newspapers of your community. Not just the big dailies, but the weekly, business, trade and alternative papers as well. Begin a list of these actively meeting and actively working groups.

Now, next to the names on the list write down the library products and services that could serve them. Maybe a business leads group could use an intro to ReferenceUSA. A group dedicated to raising money could benefit from some demo of Foundation Center products or other online guides. Try to think of what each group needs and wants to accomplish and imagine all the ways your library can assist them in making it so.

Now pick up the phone and pitch these "free, life time guaranteed refresher course" products as the center piece for their next meeting.

Pair Up a Program: Creating an online legacy

Tue, 24 May 2005 21:53:29 GMT

Take a technology resource/service and mix it up with a traditional program.

A blog and journaling class. This is a program with heart, soul and a sneaky heap of information literacy. Pitch it to a young, old or intergnerational crowd. Find a captive audience in a senior or community center with a computer lab. Pitch it to a local Veteran's group. Locate a reporter who finds the "ahh!" in it and you've got yourself a sweetheart of an event.

( See: "Guerrilla publicity : hundreds of sure-fire tactics to get maximum sales for minimum dollars / by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman, and Jill Lublin with Mark Steisel" for publicity tips that really work with very little investment. )

The following books are suggested:
Living to Tell the Tale: A Guide to Writing Memoir by Jane Taylor McDonnell
Legacy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing Personal History by Linda Spence
To Our Children's Children Book by Bob Greene

Free online blogs:
Livejournal.com
Blogger