The Scalable Marketing Machine Podcast

Ep. 43: Pre-launch Series Product Market Fit

During most of my 20’s, I was an expat living and working in Shanghai. During that time, I had a jewelry business sourcing pearls and designing custom pieces. I worked in that business for over 5 years. I had a blast.

We followed a path many entrepreneurs follow: we saw an opportunity (having access to inexpensive pearls) and thought that would equal a successful business. We were wrong. 

My partner and I toiled away launching new collections and trying to gain traction.  But it never worked.

Why?

It’s because we never really understood who we were selling to and why.

What we did do was create a beautiful logo, built a cute website, designed tons of collections, executed photoshoots, networked… we made just enough money to re-invest, but we never grew. 

 

I started wondering, “Is there a real way to make money with this business?” and “When would it be possible to quit our jobs?” 

 

Product-Market Fit was one of the pieces missing from our equation.  Maybe you’re experiencing the same?  

 

Take a listen! 👇🏻

Ep. 42: My Story

We are already deep into the 2nd season of the Marketing for Startups Podcast and I realized that I haven’t shared much with you about who I am and why I’m here talking about marketing. 

 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s just that sometimes it is hard for me to speak about myself, and the passion I have around my work just takes all my attention and energy. 

 

That said, it can be helpful to give some context about me and my experience and share the why behind the podcast.

 

👋 Hi, I’m Victoria Hajjar, but my friends and family call me Tori.

I grew up in New Jersey and studied at Fordham University in NYC. After university, I started my career in New York, working for a big corporation. At the same time, I started my first entrepreneurial venture: Cocktails with a Twist. I’ll never forget the meetings building the brand, budgeting, and all the fun around it. The world opened to me. 

 

After that, I worked in banking, I moved to Beijing, I moved to Shanghai, I started businesses, I  learned the craft of marketing working with founders and investors across multiple sectors including hospitality, tech, and e-commerce.

Then I grew my passion for helping women build startups because of what I know to be true: women in entrepreneurship will change the world. 

 

Take a listen.👇🏽

Ep. 41: The Magic of Intention

The Magic of Intention

 

I was staring at a mountain of student debt. It was the first time I have even really looked at it in 10 years. I felt so much shame. I didn't even know my interest rate. How could I be so ignorant?
 

When I hit 30, I started really thinking about my finances and my future. For the whole of my 20's I skirted by. I traveled the world. I really enjoyed life. Then I got pregnant with my first son and everything changed. I needed stability, I needed a path. But I was scared.
 

I dug into every book I could find about finances. Suzie Orman was a lifesaver. I really needed to start at the basics. I felt so dumb, but I didn't let it stop me. I found the courage to make a plan. I switched my mindset to truly believe I could clear my debt. It was 30K, more money than I've ever had at one time or saved. 
 

I gave myself 1 year to clear it. 
 

If I were going to make it, I knew I had to be aggressive. I wrote out my plan. I signed the promise to myself. I made it visible. I put the targets on the fridge so I was reminded multiple times per day. A BIG red number. I updated that number whenever a payment was made. I visualized the number going to zero every day. 
 

6 months later, I was debt-free.
 

It wasn't a miracle, it was an intentional, radical focus. Discipline and a strong desire to move the needle.
 

Accomplishing this goal changed my life. It showed me how powerful it is to make a plan and stick to it. When you are so focused that nothing else matters.
 

I was broke, pregnant, struggling to launch my business, and yet... I decided to do it, and I did.  Once I committed to the plan, new opportunities opened up. New clients. Unexpected checks in the mail. The universe meets you where you are. So get where you want to be.

Take a listen. 🎧 

 

Victoria is a Marketing Mentor to early-stage founders. She has built compelling brands around the globe and has worked as a marketing director across several verticals.  She is passionate about helping women think BIGGER about their businesses and giving them the tools to grow.  She'd love to connect on LinkedIn or email her at hello@ugliboss.com.

Ep. 40: Discipline and Consistency

Marketing for Startups Podcast is back!

After a summer hiatus, I am thrilled to launch season two of the Marketing for Startups Podcast. Today I'm talking about the importance of discipline and consistency in your life and business.

Effective leaders understand the need for consistency and discipline to achieve their goals. And while it’s not always easy, the more you practice, the easier it gets. Just like habits (exercising, eating healthier, meditating, etc), the more often you do them, the easier they become. 

 

Why is consistency important for business?

Being consistent in your actions helps you gain momentum. Too often, Startups are scrambling to produce results which usually creates tension between founders and teams. This is because when you don't stick to the plan it becomes a very uncomfortable place for your team.

 

Discipline and consistency go hand in hand

It takes discipline to stick to the plan and implement a solid cadence with your team. This means regular meetings, sticking to an agenda, measuring what matters, and holding your team accountable for their metrics.

 

Consistency will help you improve your performance, and discipline will help you stay on track to the goals that you set. Give six months to stick to the goals you set and be sure to collect data. Don’t change tactics until you have sufficient data to understand your next move and why.

 

Don’t forget to take the time to reflect on how consistent and disciplined you have been in your life and in your business in the past.  Let that motivate you to move forward. If you drop off, be quick to re-establish a schedule that will support pushing through the goals you have for your business. You’ve got this!

Ep 39: What is a Go-To-Market Strategy?

Creating a Go-to-Market Strategy is an essential step in building a business, and yet, one that many founders feel resistant about doing. Crafting an intentional Go-to-Market strategy early on in your business is a sure fire way to gain traction quickly. This is because it gives you the opportunity to iterate and strengthen your brand and your business in an intentional way that doesn't confuse your audience.

 

Today on the podcast, I am cover the basics of how to create a Go-to-Market strategy and offering my thoughts on why you should "always be launching" your product or service.

 

Resources: Download a FREE copy of the Go-to-Market Template 

Create you Marketing Funnel: Client Value Journey

Ep 38: End Marketing Overwhelm | Part 6: Advocate

We've done it!  We have reached the last episode in this 6-part series about the Client Value Journey. Today we are talking about how to get referrals and social proof from your existing clients.  This is such an important step and one that should not be skipped.

How to Create Raving Fans

As you know from the previous episode (#37), delighting customers is the key to creating a sustainable business. What you sell and how you make your customers feel when they use your product or service will determine the success of your business. Everything you build is for your customers and we want to make sure they are happy.

That said, once we've delivered that amazing experience, it's time to put our customers to work for us.  Help encourage past clients to spread the love by sharing reviews and referring friends to your business. 

 

5 Tips for Getting Referrals from your Customers

1. Ask at the right moment for reviews: Timing is everything. Ask immediately after delivery when the excitement is fresh in their mind.
2. Give them an out: Are clients shy to give a testimonial or review online? Maybe they'd be interested in participating in a case study or simply filling out a survey. Any insights you can glean from past clients is valuable marketing intel.
3. Offer Reward Program: The give and get model is really effective. You can offer an incentive for referring your brand to friends through discounts for both parties.
4. Partner up with complimentary brands: Can offer even more value through your partner network? Since clients just bought your thing, maybe they'd be interested in leaving you a review if you offered them a reward with from complimentary partner brand. Think outside the box. You can turn this into a whole joint campaign. That would make for both an advocate and aware strategy!
5. Change the conversation: Bring customers behind-the-scenes. Make them feel like insiders and that their opinion matters.  You can use them as market research for new products or services-- and by extension, create excitement for them to share through their own communities. 

Close the Flywheel 

Although the Client Value Journey may feel like a funnel, it's more like a flywheel.  You want to constantly be reaching new audience via word-of-mouth. The reason word-of-mouth audience is so valuable is because these are warmed prospects. It take much less work to convert warm leads into sales than cold ones. How will you make sure your flywheel is closed?

 

Look at the Data

In concluding this series, it want to leave with an important message about metrics. The brilliance of using a marketing system like the Client Value Journey comes from the ability to track and measure its performance. As you create your customer journey, be conscious of setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each stage. This way, you'll be able to assess the health of your marketing funnel and diagnose exactly what tactic needs to be improved.

 

Need help creating your Client Value Journey? I create and manage sales-focused marketing strategies. Let's schedule your free 30 min strategy session where I'll share tangible, tactical advice on how you can create or improve your marketing plan. Book Now.

 

 

Ep 37: End Marketing Overwhelm | Part 5: Delight

Welcome to week 5 of this 6-part series on how to end overwhelm in your Marketing department. Today we are speaking about the Delight phase.

The delight phase is, perhaps, the most important step of the Client Value Journey.  This is the moment that the client actually interacts with your product or service.  You've converted the lead and got them to purchase with you. Congratulations!

However, this is not the end of the rainbow. In fact, the work has just begun. Today we are talking about how to ensure that your customers are over-the-moon with excitement to have your product or be working with you. 

 

Delivery is Key

For those who have a product-based business, this means paying special care to how your product is delivered.  How you package your item matters.  It also greatly influences how the value of your product is perceived. 

What is the shipping process? How long does it take? What is the unboxing experience? Receiving a package in the mail feels like a fun surprise every time.  In what ways are you playing into and enhancing that moment for your customers? 

For service-based businesses, what is your on-boarding process like? Every email, demo scheduling tool, and interaction with your app or software is part of the marketing process too. Pay attention to every detail to avoid frustration or friction. 

Listen on for more tips and ideas on how to enhance the user experience.

 

Ugli Ventures

Marketing Mentor & Fractional CMO for Startups

www.ugliventures.com

Ep 36: End Marketing Overwhelm | Part 4:Invite

Let’s stop marketing overwhelm and set you up for success.

The foundation of your marketing strategy is the Client Value Journey.  Today we have reached the Invite stage, which is the 4th step of this 6-part series. Each week I have been breaking down the Client Value Journey and offering tips and insights to help you craft your own winning marketing program.

Today we are going to chat about the Invite phase. This is when you actually Invite clients and customers to make the purchase with you.  It is an essential part of the buyer's journey and one that we cannot skip.

You may feel resistance to implementing a solid invite strategy- maybe it is because you are experience resistance to selling in general or feeling discouraged because what you've done in the past hasn't yielded results.  Both are common problems. 

No one wants to feel “sales-y” or annoying to customers.  However, by skipping this phase, you are probably struggling to reach your revenue goals. 

We need to ask for the sales. If you’ve worked the Client Value Journey system, by the time you are inviting potential clients to purchase from you— you have already established a good relationship with them. They will be expecting and welcoming to your sales communication.

Sales is nothing more than helping people. It’s time to reframe our idea about selling and start inviting clients to take the next step with us in a way that feels authentic in relation to our brand. 

Listen on!

Ep 35: End Marketing Overwhelm | Part 3: Nurture

If you’ve ever thought to yourself “what should I blog about” or “what do I need to share over social media” then this episode is for you.

When we think about Marketing, we tend to focus on “Nurture” stage activities. Blogging and Social Media are examples of nurture marketing.  But what is the problem?  Founders tend to believe that these nurture activities are going to lead to sales.  But that isn’t necessarily the purpose of the nurture phase.  We nurture our contacts in order to build a “like, know, and trust” factor.  We are warming them up for sales.

If you have a sales team in your business, it is so important that you are performing an effective nurture program to help turn cold prospects into warm leads.  This makes selling a lot easier for everyone.

So how do you craft a winning “nurture” strategy?  In today’s episode, you’ll hear all about it.  I’m offering my best advice, favorite examples, and lots of inspiration to get you started. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Ep 34: End Marketing Overwhelm | Part 2: Engage

Last week, I started this six-part series breaking down each stage of the Client Value Journey. This idea was born out of the frustration I've heard from Founders in regards to marketing. For those of you that are feeling overwhelmed when thinking about sales and marketing, listen on:

Part 1 was all about the Awareness phase which is the first step in the Client Value Journey. It's the way you reach new audiences and keep your marketing pipeline full.  If you didn't get a chance to listen to that episode, I recommend going back and listening.  It is episode 33-- it's a good one.

 

Today, we are focusing on the second part of the Client Value Journey: Engage.  This is a critical step. It is the part where you are exchanging something of value for an email address. Getting the email address (or another piece of contact information) is key to building a relationship and selling. 

Listen on to today's episode for examples and inspiration on how to implement an effective "engage" strategy for your business.