This tip is around how to build a stronger, more sincere relationship with the prospect while pitching?

And after managing a myriad of reviews over the years, I’ve seen sincere and disingenuous methods of developing a relationship.

Let’s start with the fact that I do not like the word: “chemistry.” It’s not about chemistry. It is about compatibility. Chemistry is fleeting. Compatibility is enduring. But what makes two people or two teams compatible and how to you build that compatible relationship while pitching?

Well – think about the last time you had to hire someone. Sure, you look at credentials and experience, and accomplishments. But I will go out on a limb and say that if you had two comparable candidates, you most likely chose the one that you felt more comfortable with, sent a thank you note, and felt that they simply liked YOU.

The fact is people genuinely like people who like them. With that said, you would be able to build stronger relationships with your prospective client if you genuinely liked the brand steward or stewards. BUT… you cannot fake it. So, what do you do?

There is a simple tip which is to find a heartfelt reason to admire each person on the client team. Thanks to social media you can do a little research to see if you can find something about them that you truly admire and respect. It instantly changes your view of that person and it is the foundation for a deeper relationship. Again, you cannot fake it because people can smell it from a mile away.

When pitching, we all know that you must love the brand for emotional reasons in order to really help push that brand to the next level. And again, not something you can easily fake. But it shouldn’t stop with the brand. You also need to truly like the brand stewards for their admirable qualities or you will not be able to have a long-term and successful relationship.

In the end, people hire people and we are a people business first. Why do you think so many clients say the same line in the end when making that crucial final decision – who would you rather have a beer with at the end of the day?

So – even though you can’t craft chemistry, you can genuinely admire a person for their accomplishments or something specific about them which is the start of building a stronger relationship while pitching.

There you have it. That’s my counsel on this topic and I hope it helps. Look out for more of my new biz quick tips shared exclusively with AAR premium agency members…

And yes, due to the ongoing lockdown in NYC, I’ve decided to work on Long Island while taking in some Vitamin D. I hope summer 2020 is a hot one, at least in new biz.

 

I know you’re receiving two smAARt Lead emails in one week but both are worth sharing with you… I am focused on quality and not quantity so it’s not often that you will receive multiple smAARt Leads per week.

This is just a quick and topline insight into the fitness category. The spend in this sector continues to increase across the industry within the past month, particularly in TV which is no surprise given the environment.

There is a new leader who has been dominating airings over the past couple of weeks: HeadSpace.

Others that are part of the six-pack include: Beachbody, FitBit, Nordic Track and Mirror.

As a group, the TV spend is ~$27M over the last 30 days.

What can you do to help?

First, flex those brain cells and do a bit more digging on the consumer purchase journey in this sector then share those insights with these top brands or others to start building the relationship muscle.

Second, stop selling and start supporting as much as you possibly can.

Remember, don’t stalk! Don’t hound. Don’t sent a myriad of messages about yourself. What do you do?

Build trust fast by offering ideas to help with their operations, manufacturing and distribution dilemmas. Share your expertise and show how it’s relevant. Just… don’t… sell!

Prospect smAARt, pitch with passion and most importantly, with purpose.

I trust you had a pleasant Memorial Day weekend.

As a valued agency partner in the AAR family, I appreciate the trust you place in AAR Partners and our program to help you with your agency growth and new business efforts.

In the wake of COVID-19, this is a time of near-universal uncertainty. Nobody can authoritatively declare what the coming years, months, or even days have in store. As we know, society, culture, and business are in a state of flux.

But here are a few takeaways based on their rigorous analyses and research conducted by futurists:

A hitch in global trade could inspire a localism movement in various sectors like tourism, shipping, and production.

We might see an uptick in 3-D printing and other self-sufficiency tools.

The crisis could accelerate the intersection of AI and biology.

Educational content on immersive platforms (VR, MR, XR) is poised for growth.

Which industries might struggle in the coming years?

We’re going to see consolidation across a lot of industries. Hospitality and airlines are particularly problematic.

Entertainment — especially studios and production — is in a bad spot. The current US business model for entertainment is predicated on live, unscripted entertainment [i.e., reality shows]. They are significantly less expensive to produce. These shows require bringing people together in close spaces. Without the unscripted shows, the financial models for some of our entertainment companies won’t make sense in the near term.

What should entrepreneurs be focusing on right now to make the world a better place in the coming months/years?

Focus on areas of distress — people or businesses that need something, or places where there is existential risk. Then, figure out what the next-order implications of that risk are. Figure out how to mitigate that risk and solve a future problem today.

Just as an example, it’s highly unlikely that anybody is going to go back to a movie theater and have a great experience any time soon. The reason for that is liability. If you’re a movie theater chain and allow people to sit next to each other without signing waivers and someone gets sick, you’re going to get sued.

Instead, it is time to relaunch a modern drive-in theater that takes advantage of digital tools and services and meets the needs of consumers today. There are distressed drive-in theaters all over the country. That’s the kind of thing where you’re able to make a future market.

Are there industries that don’t exist today that you think might emerge from this? Where are the opportunities for growth?

The whole production side of VR is about to take off. Most attention has been focused on the hardware. Second, we’ll see a major push forward in the private space industry.

Where are the unseen opportunities, post-COVID-19?

Virtual reality will get a boost from online platforms. Creative thinking around hybrid opportunities for meeting, and anything that starts with “tele” — telemedicine and the like.

There is an opportunity for tourism to revive itself in a local sense.

The legal industry has an opportunity for a refresh. Courts and law might be pushed into innovations that they were not ready to consider but may not have a choice.

Life, as we know it, has changed forever. But catastrophe is a catalyst for change. And change brings new and improved. So… we’re not heading for new norms, but rather better beginnings.

Stay well and remember to pitch with passion!

So we’re well into this “new norm” or virtual meeting world since the coronavirus pandemic has turned our worlds upside down only one month ago. Our “in real life” meetings have quickly gone virtual but as we’ve quickly learned, it doesn’t mean productive and engaging meetings can’t happen.

In fact, they can be more valuable than traditional face-to-face meetings. Beyond the fact that they’re inexpensive ways to get people together – think: no travel costs and readily available technology – they’re also great opportunities to build engagement, trust and candor among teams.

Technology is full speed ahead on re-shaping our relationships and how we collaborate… and virtual is not the enemy of the physical meetings if some key rules and processes are still applied.

BEFORE THE MEETING:

1. Set the Room. Just the way you set up the room for an in-person final pitch meeting, you must check the technology on both sides at least 30 minutes prior to the start time. Be sure you have a strong internet connection; check the visual and sound quality. If you are using WIFI (or don’t have a strong connection) do NOT use the computer for the audio connection. Often the audio is broken or garbled and as a result, the other participants can’t understand much of what is being said. Use a land line for the audio connection instead.

2. Check your Surroundings. Aside from technology, check your background and make sure you have a professional setting or a clean background with nothing distracting in the background. Again, this is similar to the way you would dress a conference room for a final presentation. With that said, a touch of real life is acceptable during this unprecedented event since everyone is working from home…And it can even help to humanize the meeting a bit too.

3. Map out the Meeting. Give each attendee time on the agenda. Along with collaborative problem solving, giving each person time on the agenda fosters greater collaboration and helps get input from all the team members. It’s simple: In advance of the session, prepare a detailed agenda to be shared with all participants. If appropriate, have team members write up an issue they’ve been struggling with and add it to the agenda as discussion topics. Each team member then gets a few minutes on the agenda to discuss his or her issue. The group then goes around the meeting so everyone gets a chance to either ask a question about it or pass. Then, you move on to the next issue. It’s a very effective use of a collaboration technique that could easily be managed in a virtual environment.

4. Build Camaraderie. If your meeting is a virtual pitch, remember that the pitch started prior to the final meeting. The final meeting is a culmination of the entire process and building camaraderie is key. How? Send materials 48-hours in advance of the meeting that helps to build the relationship. For example, send a single-sheet overview showcasing the agency team but don’t stop with headshots, names and titles! Consider including:

a. A few lines detailing relevant experience (meaning why they were specifically chosen for this prospect/project).

b. A quote directly from that team member as to why they are passionate about working on this brand or project.

c. A link to their linked-in page so the client team can learn more about the professional background of that agency team member (and everyone should have a complete profile)

d. A very brief personal anecdote detailing why they’re a great fit for the account, other than proper professional experience. A few years back, an agency team member told a very personal story that was directly relevant to the brand that the agency was pitching… it was so powerful and sincere that it tipped them into being awarded the business.

e. A link on the one-sheet with a 90-second “culture video” or “sprit of the agency.”

DURING THE MEETING:

1. Connect people. People interact better when they are comfortable with each other, which affords a greater degree of candor and mutual interest. The job for the leader of the session, particularly when people may not know each other, is to make them feel connected so you can have a productive meeting. How? Do a personal-professional check-in at the beginning of each meeting. Have team members take one minute and go around to introduce themselves and talk about what’s going on in their lives personally and professionally… and again, try to make it relevant to the business or brand.

2. Ban mute and multitasking. Would you hit mute in a physical meeting and walk out of the room? Of course not. So why is a virtual meeting any different? Aside from the leader of the call muting to avoiding background noise, you should not hit mute for sidebar conversations or any other reason. As for multi-tasking – do NOT do it. It is considered rude to look at your phone during a face-to-face meeting and there have been stories where agencies have gotten eliminated from the review process because of it. It is 100 times worse to be looking at your phone or any other distractive device when you’re on camera!

3. Engage Participants through Participation. One of the secrets to a top TED Talk is to be memorable. How? One easy answer to create audience participation. The same applies to the virtual world. In a virtual meeting, you need to stop regularly to take everyone’s temperature. This also helps you to “read the room” in a virtual setting.

a. Incorporate real-time polls or 1-question surveys. Show the results. Body polls are the easiest to do virtually by asking a question and having participants respond with a thumb’s up or down.

b. Another simple way is to encourage all participants to use a chat window to add to the discussion and be involved in the meeting.

c. Scribes or sketch note takers are also a great (and fun) way to capture key meeting points and keep all participants on point and engaged.

d. Stories are the all-time mother of engaging audiences. Keep them brief and bridge them to the topic of discussion but use them to evoke emotion. The idea is to be sure participants don’t fall trap into “watching a meeting.”

AFTER THE MEETING:

1. Summarize. The way you would conclude a physical meeting with a recap and next steps, the same applies in the virtual world. There are visual ways to quickly do this by using a virtual white board and summarizing all vital points in writing so everyone is on the same page during the meeting but afterward, share a meeting report via email (or other means) capturing all vital points and next steps.

THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MEETING:

1. Posture is Power – watch your body language. If you look disengaged, other participants will immediately disengage.

2. Smile with your eyes – maintain “lens” contact and look alive.

3. Enunciate and speak slower than normal. There can be a lag or break in connection or sound quality and speaking clearly and slowly will offset any issues.

4. Don’t be scripted – just the way you have your talking points for a physical presentation, the same applies virtually. Don’t write a script.

5. Be animated – use voice modulation and look alive at all times.

6. Talk to a person – you may have a group on the video session but be sure to talk to a person by integrating individual names throughout the discussion to be more engaging.

7. KISS – keep the presentation deck tight and concise… keep the slides simple and clean!

The best thing we can do as an industry is to continue with business as usual in the face of an unusual situation. Use the vast tech tools at our fingertips but add an element of human touch to it and remember that much of the “IRL” rules apply virtually too!

Stay healthy during this challenging time – and remember, we’re all in this together so let’s be sure to help one another.

Pitch with Passion and Purpose,

Lisa~

Welcome to WFH week #8? #9? #10? I lost count!

No matter what week, AAR Partners is constantly and consciously keeping an ear out for smAARt leads to help you to help brands. And there is an opportunity that is something to bark about….

As weeks of social distancing turn into months, people are experiencing an increasing sense of isolation and loneliness, as well as stress over losing their jobs and other financial uncertainties. Those fears appear to be transferring to man’s best friend. Increasing search interest in anti-anxiety pet beds indicates that animals are just as anxious as we are.

Google Searches:

• Dog calming bed: 22.2k searches/month
• Calming bed for dogs: 6.6k searches/month
• Anti-anxiety dog bed: 2.4k searches/month
• Calming cat bed: 1.6k searches/month

The Opportunity – Anti-Anxiety Beds and Products: Calming pet beds are gaining popularity on Amazon, according to JungleScout. Search interest in “calming dog bed” has increased by 49% over the last 90 days to 11k searches per month. Suppliers such as Nova Microdermabrasion and Focus Pet making are making $80k and $70k per month, respectively, in revenue from their calming dog beds.

Focus Pet currently moves about 1.8k calming dog beds per month, and its $47.99 medium-sized bed accounts for 60% of total sales. With FBA fulfillment fees ($5.01), referral fees ($7.20), and an estimated procurement cost of ~$6.60, per unit profit margin is ~60%, which translates to ~$42k in total profit per month on all of its beds.

Beds are not the only anti-anxiety products that pet parents are buying to calm their pooches. A plethora of products are designed to ease pet anxiety, a trend that may continue as dog moms and dads start returning to work in coming months. These include, for example: anxiety jackets, calming collars, pheromone-diffusers, aromatherapy wipes, stress-reducing music and Bluetooth speakers, and calming gel paw patches.

Other Pet Furniture Niches: The global pet furniture market was valued at $2.1B in 2018, 33% of which was attributed to beds and sofas. The pet furniture market is expanding, with bed products in particular becoming fragmented. Google searches for different pet bed niches demonstrate this:

• Cool dog beds: 12.1k searches/month
• Dog hammock: 8.1k searches/month
• Unique dog beds: 2.9k searches/month
• Orthopedic dog beds: 2.8k searches/month
• Designer dog beds: 2.4k searches/month
• Modern dog beds: 2.4k searches/month

Similar to the apparel industry, pet furniture can be differentiated according to price strategy, ranging from budget, to value, to luxury. Tuft and Paw, for example, sells ultra-modern cat beds that cost up to $999 a pop. There are approximately 58k monthly visits to the company’s website, a 51% increase in traffic compared to previous months, according to SimilarWeb.

Some other furniture trends that may make it to the mainstream over the coming months include dual-purpose space-saving pet furniture, abstract architectural pet beds, and antimicrobial pet mattresses.

Pet Supplements: Philadelphia-based start-up Because Animals, which sells supplements for dogs and cats that promote coat, immune, and digestive wellness, has experienced a surge in sales in the last few weeks. The company’s sales in the first week of April reportedly exceeded total sales for March.

According to JungleScout, animal supplements are big business, with some individual products bringing in as much as $150k per month in sales. CBD-based products for pets, including oil, shampoo, supplements, and treats, have also been getting a lot of attention in recent years, although interest appears to be slowing down and was largely unaffected by the pandemic.

Services: Pet products have proven to be the most resilient part of the industry when compared to non-medical services such as boarding, walking, and sitting. This segment is forecast to drop by 47% over the next year to $5.5B. Despite this, there are still opportunities. Search interest in “mobile pet grooming”, for instance, has soared worldwide as people are desperately trying to access these services without having to leave their homes.

The pet products space is becoming increasingly busy. Searches like “best dog food” (100k searches/month), and “healthy dog food” (15k searches/month) are flooded with low-quality listicles, highlighting the opportunity to build information hubs and pet owner communities. There is a gap in the market to provide information, support, and associated services to help pet owners combat specific issues such as “dog anxiety” (27k searches/month) and “dog diabetes” (27k searches/month).

What can you do to help?

First, do a bit more digging on anti-anxiety products for pets and you may become “man’s best friend” by helping man’s best friend!

Second, stop selling and start supporting as much as you possibly can.

Remember, don’t stalk! Don’t hound. Don’t sent a myriad of messages about yourself. What do you do?

Build trust fast by offering ideas to help with their operations, manufacturing and distribution dilemmas. Share your expertise and show how it’s relevant. Just… don’t… sell!

Prospect smAARt, pitch with passion and most importantly, with purpose.

Stay well,

L~