Know Your Difference

My Dad Had a Client for 60 Years

Rhonda Page — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 21:00:08 +0000

My Dad was a real estate lawyer until the age of 85. He had his best client for 60 years. At 91, he still advises the family. Talk about client retention! Is this even a possibility in today’s world?

How do you keep a client for 60 years?

My dad truly cared about the business’s success, and they knew it. He learned about investing in Real Estate from them and did well. It was a reciprocal relationship and one of friendship and camaraderie. They invested in things together. They were inclusive and wanted him to do well. They grew together and became successful. There were even fishing trips involved. It was a true partnership that evolved to be a lifelong friendship. The other thing he did was he kept staff for 30 years. He still keeps in touch with the people who worked for him. My son taught him how to use Facebook during the pandemic, and he loved connecting with all the people from his past.

Master Connector

My dad was a networking master. He knows everyone everywhere. He taught me that it’s not what you see; it’s who you know. He’s a very likable guy, and he met so many people along the way who wanted to help him when he needed it. He wanted a particular tenant for his building, and he networked with everyone he knew until he got the proper connection. He was friends with many politicians and learned how to make things happen for his clients. He’d leave no stone unturned to make things happen.

Story Teller

It’s captivating to listen to, full of life and good humor. Even though we’ve heard the stories 50 times, we still love to listen. I tell my kids to pay careful attention. The stuff he talks about is gold for them: how to meet people, build relationships, and make things happen in business. When my son began his Instagram venture, he asked my dad for advice, and he said, “I don’t know what Instagram is, but I’m sure I know a guy who can help”

How do we get back to this level of caring?

You often can’t even speak to a live person on the phone. I live in a small town now and see more good old-fashioned caring around here. They know my name when I go into a shop and often remember what I usually purchase. They appreciate my business, and I want them to do well and prosper. It’s not about getting the cheapest deal. It’s about supporting the community and helping everyone to thrive. What would the world be like if the agenda in business and politics was that everyone thrives? We’ve got a long way to go, and I know that many young people are so discouraged about the state of the world and their future. How did we go so far off the rails?

Modeling after my dad

I’m trying to model after my dad. A few clients have been with me for a long time. We’re friends. We know about each other’s kids and aging parents. We care about each other. We have grown together and partnered on things where we both win. Their businesses continue to grow and thrive, making me so happy. So, I’m doing my best to get back to the way of doing business, as I learned from my dad. Of course, marketing meant lunch or taking someone to a hockey game at the old law firms, and that may have done more than all the posts, emails, and other stuff we’re doing today. I used to laugh about it, but perhaps it was the better way to do things.

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Why a CEO should care about bounce rate

Rhonda Page — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 15:34:29 +0000

I’ve seen this many times. The CEO of an entrepreneurial business spends upwards of $200K a year on marketing and does not see marketing ROI. On the surface, it seems like all the elements are in place. An experienced marketing team, a robust marketing plan, and monthly reports showing increasing numbers. So how do you identify where the problem is?

Start with the marketing plan

I start with the marketing plan. Most look great and are jam-packed with solid initiatives. Google Adwords, Facebook, Instagram, Speaking, etc. Sometimes not all the initiatives are being implemented because of time constraints and sometimes there are too many initiatives for the size of the team. This aside, it’s the marketing reports that can tell the story, but you need to read between the lines.

What to look for in marketing reports

When I go through the reports, I often see Increases in followers and likes on social media as well as increases in traffic to the website – all good. As an FYI, I don’t base much on Facebook or Instagram likes, and in some cases, it’s not where the audience is.

I often go through dozens of pages of Marketing reports before I find the needle in the haystack, Bounce Rate. The bounce rate represents the percentage of visitors who enter a site and then leave rather than continuing to view other pages within the same site. If it’s a high number, your visitor left quickly.

You may be getting traffic to your site through various channels, but if they leave quickly, all the money you’re spending to get them there is not generating leads or getting you new clients. Bounce Rate is important. It’s one of the main stats you want to look at. 26 to 40 percent is excellent, 41 to 55 percent is roughly average. 56 to 70 percent is higher than average, Anything over 70 percent is disappointing.

Why your bounce rate may be high

The obvious reason for me is that nothing is compelling to keep them on the site. It may be the words, the visuals, or both. Nothing is leading them to the next page or to sign-up for a newsletter or lead magnet. The keywords may be getting people to your site, but it’s not compelling enought to stay. How many Websites do you go to and leave within 2 seconds?

The other possibility is that the wrong people are coming to the site. This connects to the target audience. If the marketing team is not clear about who your ideal client is, they may be targeting the wrong demographic, and if the wrong people are coming to the site they will leave quickly.

How Brand Strategy can improve your Bounce Rate

If your bounce rate is high, take a deep dive into your target audience personas and make sure your marketing team understands who they are. Personas are often useful for this. Unfortunately, many of today’s marketers are well trained in marketing strategies but not in branding or brand strategy which is the foundation piece of all marketing. if you are not clear on your ideal client or the message that will speak to them, your marketing dollars may be going out the window. One of my brand mentors taught me many years ago that if you don’t begin with the brand, it’s like building a house beginning on the second floor.

Check out your bounce rate my friends and see if that’s your problem!

The Magic of Thinking Big

Rhonda Page — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 18:06:42 +0000

The other day I was walking through a friend’s house and saw some boxes of books to give away. On the top of the pile was the Magic of Thinking Big. It practically jumped off the pile and said “read me” and so I did.

Here are a few that have jumped out at me so far:

The Magic of Thinking Big was written in 1959 by David Schwartz. If you’re going to read it I must first tell you that the first edition was written in 1959 so some of the language and references are old fashioned but aside from that there are some very interesting ideas apply now more than ever. We hear everywhere the concept of believing you can succeed and you will but David Schwartz has broken it down into action items that lead you to believing you can succeed.

Stop Making excuses

Too old, too young, not smart enough, not tech savvy, not enough time, not enough money etc. What excuses do you make that keep you stuck?

Stop selling yourself short

I found this exercise to be very interesting:

List your 5 best business skills.
Look at each skill and think of a successful person you know that has that has that same skill.
Rate their skill level and rate your skill level.

I listed my personality as my top skill. Then I thought of a businesswoman I know that has been extremely successful – built and sold a billion-dollar company. I thought about her personality and then thought about mine, and I became aware that I have a more dynamic personality than she does. It was a huge revelation. Try this exercise and see what happens. It’s interesting in itself to think about your 5 top skills.

See what can be, not just what is

“Big thinkers train themselves to see not just want is, but what can be”

The book gives an example of a realtor who specializes in rural property. He shows his potential buyer what can be done with the property. He studies the property and creates an entire sales plan around what the farm can be along with all the ideas to generate revenue by purchasing the land. He shows them the possibilities (a poultry farm, a horse farm with riding and collecting revenue from the rides and so on). I love this idea. How can you use it in your business? How can you get potential clients to imagine what’s possible rather than what is? How can you get yourself to imagine what’s possible rather than what is?

So there are 3 new ideas to get you motivated. Try them and let me know how it goes. I’ve had a few big revelations so far and I’m going to keep reading. Stay tuned for more!

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