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Maribeth Kuzmeski Articles

Written by: Maribeth Kuzmeski

Why do clients really leave you? It may not be what you think… - Click To Read Article
When a client is upset with you…when your spouse is angry at you…when your teenager is ranting about some way you’ve wronged her again… it very often is not what it appears to be. Yet, in our attempt to minimize conflict, we immediately react to the outburst and attempt to fix the problem they describe. But often, the outburst is just the surface wound, there is much more beneath the surface that needs to be tended to first if we ever expect to properly repair the problem.

Upgrading Performance Closes More Sales: Lessons learned from 14 year old hockey players - Click To Read Article
Performing at your highest level is difficult to do over and over again. It’s not your talent that fluctuates. You may alter and upgrade your game plan and knowledge level, but at the end of the day true high-level performance seems to be driven by something other than talent alone. I believe winning at the highest level, closing the biggest or the most sales, is based on the energy you bring – with all other factors being reasonably similar.

Successful Marketing Strategies for The Job Seekers - Click To Read Article
Now you need much more than just an experience-filled resume, a cover letter and crossed fingers to land a great job. In order to get noticed, you need to think like a marketer. It requires looking at yourself as a brand that needs to literally grab attention. Here are 3 quick tips I learned from my friends who went from under-employed to gainfully employed.

Killing Your Competition with (Client) Kindness - Click To Read Article
Five Core Principles for Turning Clients and Prospects into Raving Fans

Do You Have a “Reputation?� - Click To Read Article
When I was growing up, we wanted to avoid being someone with a “reputation.� Today, we want a reputation, but we need it to be positive. However, maintaining one’s reputation is getting harder and harder. As social media and social networking sites continue to flourish, the power of the individual voice is growing greatly. We have to protect our reputations, and have someone (it’s probably you) that is fully in charge of managing our online reputation. It may seem insignificant now, but new things on the horizon will make this a part of any businessperson’s life.

A Picture Says 1,000 Words–Especially on The Internet - Click To Read Article
Remember that our public image and our reputation are not just in our hands to control. Being a key player in your brand and your business means that you must use caution with your online presence. Make sure you know what is out there about you - pictures, reviews, and everything else.

Are you anxious about using social media in your business? - Click To Read Article
Should you be afraid of social media and the changes and consequences it may bring to your business? It opens your business to the scrutiny of the masses, making you instantly accessible and requires a consistent watch. It depends who you are and what business you are in, but in some cases social media can be a little unsettling. Does that mean we should avoid it? Cross our fingers that it blows over as a passing trend? Well, here are some of the more memorable comments I have heard from financial advisors over just the past several weeks about this topic...

“Free� can get your clients going wild! But what’s in it for you? - Click To Read Article
If you create a surprising offer, people will pay attention. If you offer something of real value for free, people will listen (and oftentimes share with others). In fact, “free� can convert price shoppers into loyal clients.

Are Your Client Delight Efforts Misplaced? - Click To Read Article
Doing an excellent job of delivering on a promise of standard, expected, and basic service, according to the article, is much better than trying to over-deliver. The reason: firms rarely can pull off the over the top, unbelievable and unexpected client service that delights. And, most companies lose clients by underperforming on the basic service tenants. So where should we concentrate our efforts?

Network Like It’s Your Job: 12 Ways to Create Job Connections in a Virtual World - Click To Read Article
Busting through the job search barriers can be a huge challenge in today’s faceless, virtual world. The best way to overcome those challenges says Maribeth Kuzmeski is to bypass the whole resume emailing, no response hoopla by making great connections with the people who can put you (and your resume) right in front of the hiring decision makers at your dream job.

Generic Answers Lead to Lost Opportunities - Click To Read Article
If you find yourself constantly resorting to generic answers when people ask you questions about yourself – it’s time to rethink your approach. We can so often drift through our day, not even seeing the opportunities in the conversations with others.

Winning Isn’t Everything… - Click To Read Article
Vince Lombardi famously said “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” or some variation on that theme. Do you think it’s true? Is it really all or nothing? Well, what is true, typically, is that the runner up will not be remembered. Sometimes, our instincts are to minimize the value of winning. We tell ourselves, “It’s ok if we don’t win” or “We’ll get ‘em next time” – but really that’s a justification. Carrying that mentality makes room for failure before we have even tried to win. It is OK to lose. BUT…

People ARE listening! The question is – Are you saying anything worth hearing? - Click To Read Article
Are you communicating something compelling that is short and concise? Does it give anything of value? Or are you becoming a victim of “light listening” as you fail to get to any point in a timely manner?

Manufacturing Loyal Employees: Is it Possible? - Click To Read Article
How do you create loyal, motivated employees if you can't make them stand and cheer? I have observed many firms attempt to create loyalty and an inspiration for hard work amongst their staff. One financial planning firm has actually gone to the extreme in attempting to create a staff of loyal, committed staff people. But what has transpired, instead, is more of an episode of The Office than a truly inspired workforce. The reason: loyalty is not something you can force upon people or manufacture; it is earned through the relationships you establish with your employees.

Why Aren't People Buying From You? - Click To Read Article
The reason most entrepreneurial ventures fail? Quite simply, they overestimate the number of people that will buy what they are selling. As entrepreneurs, how can this doomed fate be avoided?

Planners vs. Actors: How to find a profitable balance between over-thinking and jumping the gun - Click To Read Article
Are you doing without planning or planning without doing? Both quick action and over-planning are problems. In order to have the best-executed strategy that will lead you to your goal, planning and expedient action are both critical. Ask yourself, can I plan more, or should I do more? Somewhere in the middle is probably the right answer.

Messaging is Critical: How's Yours? - Click To Read Article
When someone asks, "What do you do?" how valuable is your answer?

3 Lessons for CEO's from Reality TV Show Undercover Boss - Click To Read Article
When was the last time you operated on the line, did the work of your assistant, or went back out to make sales? You may be amazed by what you could learn. Following are three business lessons I gathered from just a few episodes of the show, Undercover Boss.

Pinpointing BP's Pitfalls: 8 Ways to Reconnect After a Disaster - Click To Read Article
Maribeth Kuzmeski offers advice on how they could have better connected with the public throughout the spill-and explains the lessons you can learn from them. For the past two months, our eyes have been glued to news of the Gulf Coast oil spill. And with each barrel that gushes into the Gulf, our anxiety and frustration rises exponentially. Much of our ire is aimed squarely at BP. With each day that passes, the oil company is buried deeper in a disaster that will surely be difficult to overcome. And according to Maribeth Kuzmeski, what makes the situation worse is how BP has chosen to connect with the media and the public during these critical days-resorting to misleading information, poor communication, and neglect in order to dodge responsibility for the spill.

Winning Needs a Plan, Not Just a Vision - Click To Read Article
Rocky Wirtz, the owner of the Blackhawks for less than 2 years, declared that the team would be a winning franchise again. Then he took action to do something about it. He almost immediately moved to change everything about the team from the players, to home office staff, to media contracts. And just as important as winning the Stanley Cup (Congratulations Blackhawks!), is how he did it. He had a plan that had likely been formulating for years prior to his assumption of the team from his late father, Bill Wirtz. I believe that the plan you lay out to achieve the win should be as strong as your winning idea. It should be tactical, multi-faceted, well thought out, and reviewed with others. Knowing HOW to reach your goals is critical if you realistically expect to reach them.

Rallying a Revolution: What We Can Learn From The Chicago Blackhawks - Click To Read Article
Whether you’re a hockey fan that was rooting on the Flyers or the Blackhawks this week – what the Chicago Blackhawks have done to turn around their franchise in 18 short months is nothing short of staggering. Just think if your business had faltering success… since 1961. Your clients no longer show up, having lost all enthusiasm for you and your brand. It sounds like the perfect opportunity to throw in the towel, call it a day, and cut your losses. But what if you decided that instead of giving up, it was time to reignite the passion that your clients and supporters once had for your business, and reclaim the success you once had? Could you take the lessons taken from the Chicago Blackhawks franchise and rally a revolution around your business?

The Small Business Underdog: How to go head to head with the big dogs of business. - Click To Read Article
The big corporations of the world seem to have endless resources to force smaller companies into submission. They have in-house marketing teams and hire advertising agencies to create marketing collateral, websites, messaging, advertising, direct mail, and email campaigns. They test and retest, conduct quantitative analysis to measure market share, develop new creative messaging, focus on brand development, and more! Small firms, for the most part, have none of these things. So how can small businesses possibly compete, and more importantly, survive, and get the word out? Is it a losing battle from the beginning?

The Biggest Mistake in Marketing - Click To Read Article
The biggest mistake made in marketing -- and a reason that success can be so elusive -- is failing to clearly explain what you are selling. Specifically, the benefits to your consumer. We’re all looking for the answer to one very specific question: What’s in it for me?

Imitating Innovators is Smart Business - Click To Read Article
The truth is, making an innovation better or taking it to market in a more effective way is often what brings greater success than coming up with the innovation itself.

Are You a Problem Solver or a Problem Blamer? - Click To Read Article
I fly a decent amount and have had a lot of good and a lot of bad experiences with the airlines. The biggest issue I have with the airlines, especially my carrier of choice, is not that they make mistakes. I don’t expect any business to be perfect. At issue is how they deal with problems. Too often, their first reaction is to put the problem back with me. The protocol seems to be to assume first that the customer is wrong (blame), and take responsibility much later, if ever. How do you react when there is a problem with your product or service?

10 Questions Great Connectors Ask at Networking Events - Click To Read Article
Getting people to open up to you is a great first step, but then, to make a stronger connection you need to keep them talking. So what are the right questions to ask to get others to open up? Here are 10 questions great connectors ask at networking events.

10 Best Opening Lines to Make a Connection - Click To Read Article
I’ve asked many successful connectors – What do you say to open conversations with others? Are there magic words you use that make strangers open up and actually want to talk with you? What do you say to allow people to connect with you? The key is to help them connect with you, and in turn, you with them. You want to listen, not necessarily talk. To do that, you can control the conversation for as long as you want by asking good questions, paying attention by listening, and really separating yourself from others.

The Detrimental Business Relationship: Are You Putting Yourself at Risk? - Click To Read Article
It is enticing to take on new clients quickly that seem to have everything that you want, especially the willingness and ability to buy. But what if, in your haste to sign on this great new client, you don’t properly assess how this person will act as a client (it goes the same for business partners, alliances, and friends). Have you taken into consideration not only your short-term benefits, but also the long lasting impact this relationship could carry on you and your company?

Are You Working in the Red Zone, or Just Working? - Click To Read Article
What is worth the effort in your business? Where does your productivity and focus pay off the most? Of course, the activities that produce the greatest results are not the easiest. The biggest successes often come when we are in the difficult, magnified, and critical “red zone.�

Are Your Rules Made To Be Broken? - Click To Read Article
Sometimes the rules and regulations that are created are so ridiculous that it seems that they can’t possibly have been designed to follow. It makes you wonder if some rules really were just meant to be broken, even in our own businesses.

3 Simple Ways to get RESULTS at your next event - Click To Read Article
Event marketing is hardly a sure thing for attracting new referrals and new business. You may be able to get the crowds through the door, but what are they there for? Even with its challenges, however, event marketing is still one of the best ways to gather potentially interested individuals for a specific purpose - the scheduled event. But there are three simple things that may significantly improve the results of your next event.

A Response! A Response! - Click To Read Article
That's what we're looking for in our marketing - isn't it? A Response! We want people to read our direct mail, see our advertisements, attend our seminars - and then respond immediately.

Nine No-Fail Ways to Boost Referrals for Your Business - Click To Read Article
Why referrals should be the foundation for all your selling efforts - especially in our challenging economy.

Five Easy Secrets for Delighting Your Clients - Click To Read Article
Want to increase your business by leaps and bounds? Then go the extra mile and give your clients a rich, compelling experience.

Winning at the NEW “Mommy Track”: Seven Ways to Use Smart Connecting Skills to Become a Mompreneurial Maven - Click To Read Article
As the economy struggles and household incomes fall, “mompreneurs” are picking up the slack. How can these busy, busy women win the constant battle for time? It’s all about making connections-and here are a few tips on doing just that.

The ABCs of Raising Kid “Connectors”: Five Lessons in Connecting That Will Set Your Kids Up for Success Now and in the Future - Click To Read Article
There is a very important skill that your kids probably aren’t being taught in school. In fact, it’s probably not even on your Parenting 101 radar. That skill is the ability to truly connect with others. It's a skill you must address, and one that will play a huge role in a child’s long-term success in life.

Connecting Through Conflict: Five Ways Great Connectors Turn Angry Clients into Happy Ones…and How You Can Too! - Click To Read Article
It’s easy to connect with clients when things are going well. But when conflict arises, well, that’s when “connectors” truly earn their stripes. Here’s how to transform customer frustration into a stronger business relationship-one that lasts a long, long time.

The Good News in Uncertain Times: Marketing Strategies are Working! - Click To Read Article
Advisors and agents have tried for years to develop successful prospect generating strategies. Some strategies have worked and others have produced disappointing results. Today, it seems everything we’ve known is changing as it relates to marketing. And that’s good news for those who want to grow their business!

The Business Blitz: Your Winning Strategy for a Sluggish Economy - Click To Read Article
What business lessons have you learned from football season? Haven't really thought about it, you say? Well, here are some pigskin principles especially for financial services professionals.

The Art of Memorable Speaking - Click To Read Article
If you want your audience to retain your message, you’d better make sure you frame it in a memorable way. Here are a few of the principles I’ve discovered, often through trial and error, during my years of public speaking.

Red Zone Marketing® Seminar Tips - Click To Read Article
Hosting an educational event or seminar can serve to target your clients needs, provide a solution to a problem they may be experiencing, furnish answers to questions they may have, and build credibility.

Provoking The Sale To Close - Click To Read Article
How advisors are moving away from solution-based and product-focused selling methods.

Eight Great Ways to Win All the Financial Services Business You Want - Click To Read Article
Financial advisors, you know who you are and what you do. But try looking at yourself through the eyes of a potential client.





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