* Sally Hendrick
* 00:02hey everybody, this is Sally Hendrick, with the exponential marketing podcast i've got a guest here vicki conley.
* 00:10And we are trying an experiment today, which ought to be interesting, so today our topic is flesh out an idea to market.
* 00:21And we are in clubhouse it's an newer APP as of last year it's improved a lot over the year and we are in that room together but we're also on zoom together recording the podcast because it gives us a better.
* 00:40gives us a better recording, if you will, and we're just going to chat today so vicki welcome, how are you doing.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 00:47hi Thank you Sally and i'm i'm just confused as to why my photo is not showing up on soon, do you know.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 00:56Oh no I don't know but.
* 00:58It doesn't matter, because they will.
* 01:01publish the podcast anyway.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 01:03Oh that's true but it's just it's weird because I mean i've been using zoom for years.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 01:10You know what you may just have to go into zoom.com and see where you went.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 01:14yeah i'll have to check my settings.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 01:16Late yeah.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 01:17at another time I know I was playing with backgrounds, the other day, maybe I said something all right.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 01:24it's always something going on and.
* * Vicki
* 01:26I know I know world and I went.
* 01:28off topic already.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 01:30No, no.
* 01:31This is part of it, this is how we do it right.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 01:34yeah well, thank you, thank you for having me I I appreciate the fact and i'm getting a little horse today I don't know we i'm in Colorado and the fires are we don't have fires here in Colorado but we've had fires all month coming over from.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 01:52Oh.
* * Vicki
* 01:53The West, and I think it's just it gets in the air.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 01:57yeah I guess so that would be kind of like the pollen here, except I.
* 02:01got on or what it's like to experience the fires that just seems dreadful today.
* * Vicki
* 02:06yeah.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 02:07All you know I know.
* 02:09Alright, so the reason why I wanted to talk with you vicki is because you and I have been working together and have known each other, since late 2015 and that's pretty much I mean that's not my entire online career.
* 02:27yeah, but it is the largest chunk of it and you joined my original program that I started in.
* 02:37That allowed me to leave my job after 25 years.
* * Vicki
* 02:41yeah it has been a while hasn't it.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 02:44yeah so I always thought it was very interesting what you're doing you have done many different things, your hands have been all in it and you were at the time, I think you were actually selling stuff on Amazon.
* 03:00And then you told me that you had experience selling things on eBay and you were doing that for a living.
* 03:07And I was like that's pretty cool you know, because it gives you so much flexibility and being able to take care of your family take care of your home travel, which is huge, for you and it's just been a pleasure to see you do whatever it takes to take an idea to market right.
* * Vicki
* 03:27yeah Thank you Thank you yeah and you know I am definitely a serial entrepreneur, and you know and and i'm an early adapter to things like the clubhouse platform and.
* 03:41as just one example, and you know if I have an idea that that makes sense to me I I run with scissors sometimes.
* 03:52I always try to combine it somehow though with you know with a project that i've already got going, you know just just let I can justify my latest new idea, you know there's.
* 04:03I don't like to give up things there's very few things i've given up but that I try to find ways to streamline them, or at least to you know have them lead me to to the next.
* 04:16Next, new idea that i've had but yeah I have sold on eBay for 19 years now, and I think I started in selling on Amazon in 2014 so I was just getting started.
* 04:31In 2015 when I met you, but I go to conferences and and trade shows, and things and I had I had come upon a really good idea.
* 04:42At that at that trade show, I went to in 2014 when I was just getting started with Amazon, and by that Christmas, I think I sold $10,000 in product that month just you know Amazon was hot at that time and.
* 04:57yeah getting getting in and and finding a new product that.
* 05:04You know that that provided value to you know to someone in the in the market and learning how to market it well at that time on Amazon, you really didn't have to learn how to market it you just had a good product and threw it on Amazon, and it would shop.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 05:17Now were you selling hats back then it's.
* * Vicki
* 05:20Nice, I still I still saw hats and in fact yeah I have.
* 05:27I have, I still have quite the inventory that during Christmas time I do Facebook lives on my.
* 05:35On my eBay Facebook page in I do online auctions and I start things at $5 and most times it's like hey i've got 20 of these it's like $5 for anybody that bids it's like that's the type of $5 roxanne it is.
* 05:52yeah so it and then I offer a good deal on shipping just trying to move my inventory because i'm getting more into print on demand, which is going to be our topic of this discussion and and.
* 06:07i'm trying to find creative ways to move my inventory and and I can focus more on on the clients that can.
* 06:18On my clients that I can offer them a print on demand solution to market to their clients.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 06:25Very cool.
* 06:26And before we get into.
* 06:28That segment of our topic, I wanted to mention the fact that you were doing some things with cruise ships what's going on there.
* * Vicki
* 06:39Okay, well, that was pre.
* user avatar * Unknown Speaker
* 06:43Of course.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 06:44We all know that right and.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 06:46Actually, actually what you're connected there too, because one of the one of the times, I was co organizer of the conference cruise ship, it was for e commerce sellers.
* 06:58uh huh and we were in Fort lauderdale at the same time, you and your family or no was it was Miami.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 07:06yeah.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 07:07The same time you and your family were were there boarding your cruise ship and excuse me, it kind of typical here.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 07:16yeah didn't What did we do we walked around that that.
* 07:20Low or something or What was it.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 07:21I had a car for the day.
* 07:24that's what it was yeah I was in town for the day and I had a car for the day.
* 07:28And so there was like nowhere to park, so we just picked I picked you up at the cruise port and we just drove around, and then we just we went over.
* 07:37To the we went over the bridge I can't remember the name of the place, we were but yeah we got a really good photo of the two of us with with the Miami cruise port in the background we stopped at that little place to it was like a photo photos spot.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 07:52yeah yeah we'll just one of those viewing spots and your daughter was there.
* * Vicki
* 07:56She slammed my daughter was with me yep she was she was kind of always my my assistant, not that I really needed a lot of help, I mean once you get on the like the cruise ship takes care of most everything that's why I really love doing conferences on cruise ships, but.
* 08:12yeah we're just getting started they can't believe they haven't bruised in in out of us, and like 17 months just getting started this month, so we'll see we'll see how things turn out but.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 08:27yeah yeah we.
* * Vicki
* 08:29help people with with that if that's anything someone would like to talk about putting something together.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 08:36So let's go into this talk.
* 08:41You saying some notes that you wrote to me, you said that you personally relate to and love using themed journals.
* 08:52And you've created.
* 08:55A few topics.
* 08:58Tell me a little bit more about that what, what do you what are you doing with journals.
* * Vicki
* 09:02Well i've always i've always liked writing when I was a kid I kept a diary.
* 09:09And, and then you know I kind of got out of the habit of it as an adult you know we all get wrapped up in our own things and never read any more never write any more things like that well in 2014 my husband passed away.
* 09:23and part of that healing process for me, it was very therapeutic able to write in journals and or or well yeah so I bought a journal, a friend of mine had created a journal, and I just thought that was so cool and I.
* 09:43I I think I started doing vision boards that year to one of my books, I wrote is called vision board amplify I have that's a whole nother thing.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 09:52I didn't even know about that.
* * Vicki
* 09:54yeah yeah so she wrote a book called the year of yes, and so I made you know I made that my motto for for that year, it was my euro, yes, I only had to do things that made me happy.
* 10:10And I bought her book, which was a it was like a prompt journal she'd had she had a theme for every every day and I got in the habit, I mean it's definitely habits right I got.
* 10:25sorry about that.
* 10:28i'm going to take a drink here.
* 10:31I got in the hat habit of writing and I didn't do it every day but.
* 10:37I kept it up and then the next year I bought her next book and then I had friends going to these conferences these eBay events and conferences.
* 10:46I had friends that I had they were selling tools and teaching teaching you how to use, you know these ways of creating your own your own books and so.
* 11:00It took me like a year and a half to really, really get into it, I remember that was like seven years ago, well, it was probably that same time frame like 2015 2016 I.
* 11:11Remember pool in Las Vegas that's where the conference was talking to my friend stephanie, who is the organizer of the sea commerce cruise.
* 11:21And just talking about creating coloring books, I think that was the theme back then people were just getting started, and they were made, you know, like the number one seller in Amazon at that time was a coloring book, you know, of all things.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 11:35yeah coloring books, like the adult coloring books.
* * Vicki
* 11:38Yes, yes, adult coloring books that's.
* 11:40yeah first becoming really popular and I just remember sitting at the pool talking about that idea, and so a year and a half later I actually made my first book and it was it's it's completely blank pages it's it was.
* 12:02I created the cover art and I added my branding my logo on front.
* 12:07And yeah composition notebook and.
* 12:11I take it, when I go to meetings and it's just you know it's just cool it's something that has my brand on it, and now I can use it as as a marketing tool.
* 12:22Showing someone how they can get started, you know with with their own version, very simply, you know, I was, I was too embarrassed at the time to actually even put my name on it, as the author, I called it hippie doodles because hippie do is one of my brand names that I sell on Amazon.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 12:39I love that I love that, and you know what.
* * Vicki
* 12:42yeah I was just thinking about the other day I can totally totally recycle that name, you know hippie doodles and caught, you know I can name this new business book idea hippie doodles.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 12:54You absolutely can and I love, how you do that because i've seen various ventures that you've gotten into and I love the names you come up with.
* * Vicki
* 13:04yeah and I always try to combine my ideas together to justify justify what i'm doing so yeah noodles.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 13:14So tell me about the meetings you went to this week, you said something about Chamber of Commerce what's what happened.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 13:21Yes, I went to our local Chamber of Commerce event and.
* 13:29I used I network, a lot both locally and internationally, and I hadn't lately so it's easy to get out of the habit of that well a potential client was having a ribbon cutting ceremony this week.
* 13:45And chamber, so I created a mock up example of a business card book and I created my own business card book at the same time, to use as an example.
* 13:59And set my goal to have it ready and and the event was Wednesday night, and it was a huge success i've i've got a meeting scheduled with the.
* 14:12With the marketing director of it's a roofing company and they actually did my roof, I had some hail damage out here and they.
* 14:19They did my roof, so it was nice to meet all the employees and they all knew my name, because I was a client of theirs, and I could show them this book how I can you know, help them with this and they they've already had a couple of meetings talking about this idea.
* 14:36Excellent yeah and so i've i've got an A we haven't set a date yet, but i'm in communications with their marketing person.
* 14:45To talk to them about doing doing a couple different things you know they they're really not ready, they don't think they're ready for.
* 14:53An entire book right now what they are requesting is like a six page document well the minimum book that I can really create as 24 pages, but it's easy to add blank pages, you know you just add.
* 15:10I have a package i'm putting together that includes like this book belongs to, and a copyright page, and you know there's there's probably a half a dozen pages that they can use.
* 15:24templates that we can put their brand on and add them as the author.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 15:30You know what you could do.
* * Vicki
* 15:32what's that.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 15:32You could add.
* 15:35worksheets for.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 15:37Expenses yep.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 15:38yeah i'd add worksheets for.
* * Vicki
* 15:41You know.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 15:42that's in the repair people contact.
* 15:45list, I mean I would love to be able to just open up a book in my house and go oh here's the plumber we use here's the.
* 15:51roofer that we use my years ago.
* 15:54here's the you know, whatever you could do that for them.
* 15:59Exactly for their marketing.
* * Vicki
* 16:02yep and that was included in the example book that I provided for them.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 16:06yeah I put together a.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 16:0840 page booklet, and the reason I use 40 pages is is the service that I use it's the same cost, whether you use six pages or 40 pages.
* 16:20That, though, yeah so so but six pages, is what they're concerned with so i'm just i'm coming up with some creative ideas for them that you know we can we can use for those hopes churn.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 16:33When i'm of it can some of it can just be imagery.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 16:36And then yeah.
* 16:38Exactly yeah it could be content that they either provide me with or I can take it directly from their website so it's already content that I can repurpose that they're already using so they don't have to put a lot of time and effort into into it, if they choose not to.
* 16:56So yeah and I had and that actually the Chamber of Commerce director.
* 17:04She we were only talking for less than two minutes and I showed her my book and she's she's like would you would you do a presentation on this for the Chamber and it's like heck yeah.
* 17:17So that was that was pretty cool.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 17:19Well, good, and you can get that presentation together and.
* 17:23Yes, really show them how this is going to help their customers stay that they'll stay top of mind with their customers.
* * Vicki
* 17:32yep exactly they can provide something of value for their customers, something that they're going to keep handy at their fingertips and.
* 17:43In a guide for them in in a niche or service or markets that they provide and their brand is right there, along with their favorite call to actions.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 17:54So here's something that i'm looking at in your notes talking about calls to action you've got qr codes that could be utilized on these pages, and you know what I just thought of immediately.
* * Vicki
* 18:07With that.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 18:08If you had a wedding planner that was able to put together all the vendors that yeah the bride needed to contact or different ones that they recommend yeah.
* * Vicki
* 18:22I definitely I have a sponsorship package that I offer for my clients, you know, offering them, you know ways to get started with this.
* 18:32You know, like joint venturing with their vendors and providers and nonprofits also if there's nonprofits that have sponsors, we can work with the sponsors on helping to pay for the costs of getting the book started.
* 18:47pleasantly also discount for nonprofits.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 18:51yeah well oh.
* * Vicki
* 18:54Exactly exactly.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 18:56they're always.
* 18:59Remember, they do have money, though, so.
* 19:01So don't get beyond your means.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 19:04Yes, yes and and if a product that I could provide helps them to raise more money than it makes me worth.
* 19:11The the service, I can offer.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 19:14love it The other thing you could probably do with the Chamber is to get them familiar with qr codes, because I think.
* 19:22Even though they've been around a while some people just aren't used to the whole digital thing.
* 19:27And you could just bring that up is one of your slides and say like Look how easy, this is to be able to do, but then again the pandemic has made it so restaurants.
* 19:38Yes, our menus on there.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 19:41Yes, it has, and in fact there again is a perfect example of how i've been an early adapter on things, the year in.
* 19:51I created my company market for mobile which I still I still haven't killed the one yet and that's where I you know incorporate my qr codes i've been making qr codes since 2012 and they just they just never really caught on because we understand how they worked, but with with the.
* 20:14pandemic happening and yeah the restaurants, the restaurants are training our clients, how to use qr codes for us and there they can be so helpful and so valuable and.
* 20:29You know, you know it's a pain in the butt to have to go in and type a website address into your phone where, if you could just open your camera scan that code click the link boom you're there it's so easy.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 20:42Very cool.
* 20:43Well, you know what.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 20:45was just gonna say there's a client that they spell their name differently, they have a hyphen in there and they say they're.
* 20:51There, people are always having a hard time finding their Facebook page so when they created their book they made sure that on the front page they put a qr code to their Facebook page so.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 21:04yeah well why not.
* 21:06I mean you could do you could do that, for all your social media.
* * Vicki
* 21:09Anything exactly it's just a graphic and it's easy to insert a graphic into a book.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 21:14yeah that's fun and plus you get to get back to holding something in your hand, most people will throw away a business card, they will lose a business card it.
* 21:25doesn't necessarily service as well, these days, because business cards are not as prevalent, but if you've got a bigger book that's going to take up space it's not going to get.
* 21:36lost in SAC or lost in someone's purse it's going to be noticed, and if that person is truly a prospect of your you know your clients, then.
* 21:50they're going to be like Oh, I need to keep this book I need to refer to this book and it becomes a resource for them and other parts of their lives.
* 22:01Then that clients always going to be top of mind for them, you know, whenever they need a new roof, for they need what or whoever you're working with I think that's just so cool.
* * Vicki
* 22:11Right or you know word of mouth marketing they may have a friend over, and you know their friend talks about you know this project, and they can be like oh hey look, you need to call these people, you know.
* 22:23And you know it helped me with this and that.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 22:26yeah exactly and if people are doing digital marketing with this think about.
* 22:33Maybe you or someone else anybody having one of your clients books at home, and then they talk to a friend and they show them the book and then there's a resource inside there with a qr code and that friend can just.
* 22:48scan the.
* 22:49barcode and take it with them, and if they actually click and open something up guess what they can track.
* 22:57yeah.
* 22:58If you if you have tracking in place for your website, of course.
* 23:02Exactly but yeah.
* 23:06So very cool um anything that you want to mention before we wrap up.
* 23:14Like a.
* 23:15story, we were taught that i've noticed something he talked about a local gym in Colorado.
* * Vicki
* 23:19yeah yeah and that's that's actually the client that has the hyphen in their name and their clients were having a hard time finding.
* 23:28Oh, finding their low there's finding themselves on Facebook, they have a 30 or they have a quarterly challenge that they offer their membership in the gym, and so they used to hand out.
* 23:40pdfs on stapled pieces of paper and so they've they've created this guide and a little six by nine book that fits into a gym bag, Nice and easy, and you know their clients love it and they are not my clients so i'm not sure whether they give them this book or whether they sell it.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 24:00But.
* * Vicki
* 24:01You know it's they can they can offer the PDF for no charge and and sell the book for 10 bucks or something just to you know make their money back and and it's a quarterly book, so they can.
* 24:13update it with you know after the initial setup they can you know work, work on a on a program to update their books seasonally and then having have new content every time and without that much added expense.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 24:31that's cool that's cool and one of the things I want to relay this to just the marketing formula is that when you tell success stories of businesses or clients that you've had or.
* 24:43People you've heard about around a concept, an idea that you've come up with those stories are going to be what sells the idea.
* 24:53And as long as you have identified some sort of pain point like Oh, the business cards get lost or oh people aren't using my my preferred vendors and makes things more difficult when i'm trying to do this job or people.
* 25:12You know, whatever the pain point may be with someone as long as you can point that out for them so that they can help solve their own clients problems, and this is B2B right because you're doing.
* 25:24you're a marketing tool for a business.
* 25:26You have to sew up, you have to think about what helps their clients, the most and if you know that those pain points and then you can tell stories around that that are success stories.
* 25:40Then, the last thing is to talk about the solution which, in your case is this book that you're talking about that you've started creating and I just love that whole concept.
* * Vicki
* 25:54Thank you, thank you and and you can't you can't put a story on a business card, so this.
* 26:00You know and i'm not saying to eliminate business cards completely they you know they still serve their purpose but for your if you have a high ticket item, and you have VIP clients, maybe clients, you want to impress.
* 26:14At this, this is a perfect perfect solution for them, and before we wrap up I I reached out to a couple of potential clients before our talk this afternoon and and I heard back from one of them.
* 26:30And I asked him what what issues that he had with his business because he's really growing fast and if I would have just reached out to him cold.
* 26:43You know I probably would have pitched him on the wrong idea, because I have reached out to him cold in the past, and I, you know.
* 26:50But it never really went any farther so I asked him what his pain point was with his marketing and his business that I was launching a new idea and I wanted to see if there was anything that I could help him with with that.
* 27:02And he's his quote was he says i'm really struggling getting my name out there to hire employees right now.
* 27:10Otherwise devil, so he has tons of customers, he has a security firm in Kansas city and he's like the largest security firm in Kansas city, right now, but you know he needs to have.
* 27:21You know, good employees, so you know off the top of my head i'm thinking that he could create a journal for for the job seekers that are out there, offering tips on finding a good employer and then, including pages of what makes his security company, a good employer.
* 27:39uh huh and that's also content that you know, would make would be good for customers so it's you know content that could easily easily be repurposed.
* 27:50Once they you know, once they have employees filled and they're ready to grow their business again so that's that's kind of what I came up with.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 27:59Because, and you know what you wouldn't have done that, and you would have walked in the door, with the wrong idea.
* 28:04exactly he had known that that was what was top of mind for you.
* * Vicki
* 28:08So now, I have an idea to pitch to him and all that you know next week in our Roundtable meeting if if we're getting started on that.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 28:17Excellent well, we may have to talk again.
* 28:21Anything else you want to add before we go.
* * Vicki
* 28:24Oh just you know I I just again, to thank you for this opportunity um you know we've you and I we've collaborated on some of my ideas, out of the box marketing projects in the past.
* 28:38And you know I just I love, how you guidance support your students and I just I appreciate you giving giving me this opportunity to share my new business card book idea.
* 28:50And you know, I do have, I do have a website setup at biz card book calm and if you'd like to get on my if anyone that's out there listening, would like to get on my list.
* 29:05As soon as I have author copies of my book come in, should be within a week or so i'm going to offer them free to anyone that's listening I just I just asked for a small $5 donation for shipping and handling and.
* 29:22I get a drink again.
* * Sally Hendrick
* 29:24don't worry i'll cut that out.
* * Vicki
* 29:27yeah.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 29:28it's a media auditing.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 29:30yeah and, and this is one way how i'm using my book as a lead magnet to finally grow my email list, which is something that I think that's the that's the initial topic that drew me to you in New York in 2015.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 29:47Well, excellent i'm so glad that this has come together and I can't wait to help you through it, when you have questions and I look forward to seeing you in class in the next week or so okay.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 29:59Yes, thank you, oh Oh, and I should also add, you know, since we're on clubhouse I forget that we're on clubhouse also.
* 30:07Six months ago I wrote a book called Welcome to the club about getting started with what House so that's I also have that offer available for the same the same deals.
* user avatar * Sally Hendrick
* 30:18Well we'll have to get that in your menu on your website so that when people are.
* 30:23isn't isn't around they can find that too.
* 30:26Exactly all right well great.
* 30:29Okay, thank you very much vicki and i'll see you next time.
* user avatar * Vicki
* 30:33Okay, thanks Sally take care.
* user avatar * Unknown Speaker
* 30:36Okay.
