This issue of Frictionless is about 1,600 words -- a six-minute read designed to help sales executives, marketers, and content creators Unleash the Power of Questions. Identify and resolve customer pain points so you can develop effective sales strategies and write stronger case studies, RFP responses, op-eds, speeches, and website content. And if you don't have the bandwidth, I can help. Original thoughts, plus I subscribe to 80+ newsletters and Google Alerts, so you don’t have to.
Quick Note: I will be sending out a short survey over the next week to get your feedback on this newsletter, but I'd also love to set up 15-minute calls with some of you to better understand your needs. If you're interested, click here to set up a time that's convenient for you.
As the editor of a pretty good business paper that was struggling financially in the early part of the pandemic, I did not endear myself to the publisher with my view of sponsored content. Also known as "pay-to-play," sponsored content is basically letting advertisers write a column that promotes their business (or themselves) and puts them in front of a paywall while real articles written by actual journalists and columns screened by actual editors are hidden behind the paywall.
For editors, it gets worse if your publisher forces your overworked reporters (or you) to write the articles for the advertiser. Trust me, most reporters and editors are not fans of this practice, and as a consultant, I ask prospective clients who want me to write sponsored content whether we're going to take it seriously. Some do, but I have passed on the project on more than one occasion.
For example, Forbes sells memberships in its Forbes Councils, which the magazine's website concedes are invitation-only and "provides exclusive opportunities to publish on Forbes.com, setting you apart as a bold voice in your industry. You have the power to craft the narrative around yourself and your company." And yes, being on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list is part of the sponsored-content category.
This scathing article in the Columbia Journalism Review shows this decision has many minefields.
If money is going to change hands, those articles are paid media (an ad), not earned (material written about you or your business that you haven't paid for or created yourself). While many readers may not be able to tell the difference, it's still an ad. Before spending the money, ask yourself these questions:
What do you think? Have you used sponsored content and did it meet your expectations? Just hit Reply on this newsletter.
Boise, Idaho-based Kyle Morck publishes unReactive - a bi-weekly newsletter focused on helping marketers build a strategic mindset. He is also the VP of Strategy at Reynolds+Myers, where he helps clients throw convention out the window and find new ways to navigate the world of B2B marketing. Kyle started in marketing through the Arts world. He worked with internationally renowned nonprofit dance companies in both an executive and artistic capacity, with work featured in publications including the New York Times, The Washington Post, Dance Magazine, and Slate. As a filmmaker, Kyle has directed one feature-length film, a handful of narrative short films, and more than 50 short dance films.
Nathan Barry, the founder and CEO of ConvertKit, reinforced some advice from David Nihill's article, 1 Trick to Finish Your Next Talk in Style, about not ending a speech with Q&A:
"Let’s say you do want to take some questions. Great! A good way to control the ending is to prepare three main takeaways to deliver at the very end and have them ready to go. Announce you’ll be taking some questions and will then leave them with a final thought. That way, they know questions won’t be the final thing, and if you do get an awkward question, it won't be the last thing that rings in everybody’s ears.
After answering questions, bring things to a close by leaving them with your three main takeaways. This will also result in ending things with solid applause instead of whatever lackluster clapping might’ve followed an “okay, any more questions…? No? Okay, thanks for having me.”
Control your ending. Never end on Q&A.
In less than two minutes, Tamsen Webster talks about framing your idea as the answer to an urgent question your audience is currently asking. There's a video, a blog post, and a transcript all in the same file,
Ask your sales team what questions they hear most often from prospects/customers and then check to see if you've answered them on your website. If you haven't -- and you've resolved those questions through work you've done for clients -- you should consider creating a case study that focuses on the problem they have (rather than patting yourself on the back). Here’s an ungated link to a template that will help you ask the right questions to write more effective case studies. Or you could call someone like me with experience interviewing business leaders and asking the right questions.
Whenever you complete a project -- or if it went off the rails -- you need to take the time to bring the stakeholders together and figure out what happened and what you learned. I created a post-mortem during my time at Bank of America and am sharing it on my website for free. One thing we found was that the people who were involved in the project shouldn't facilitate the discussion. If that's the case, give me a call. If you use it, please let me know how it went.
I welcome your comments or suggestions for future issues. Drop me a note here. If you found this on LinkedIn or had it forwarded to you, you can subscribe by clicking the button below.
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My weekly Frictionless newsletter coaches readers to ask better questions so they can resolve customer pain points. It is designed to help salespeople who can't figure out what they need to close the deal, communications teams struggling to develop a more compelling corporate story, and corporate leaders who want to be seen as industry leaders.I'm an experienced ghostwriter and award-winning business journalist who supports executives and teams who have lots of knowledge but a scarcity of time & resources to answer the questions their customers and prospects have. My tagline is "Answer Their Questions. Close More Deals." I subscribe to 80+ newsletters and Google Alerts so you don't have to.
STARTING LINE Good morning (assuming you opened this as soon as you saw it)...I'd like to ask a favor. When you've finished reading, I'd really appreciate it if you'd : Forward this email to someone who might benefit from its emphasis on asking better questions. This newsletter is designed to help salespeople who just aren't figuring out what they need to close the deal, communications teams struggling to develop a more compelling corporate story, and corporate leaders who can't figure out...
STARTING LINE Good morning (assuming you opened this as soon as you saw it)...I'd like to ask a favor. When you've finished reading, I'd really appreciate it if you'd : Forward this email to someone who might benefit from its emphasis on asking better questions. This newsletter is designed to help salespeople who just aren't figuring out what they need to close the deal, communications teams struggling to develop a more compelling corporate story, and corporate leaders who can't figure out...
STARTING LINE Over time, small-to-mid-sized companies accumulate much of what I call "brand garbage." There are remnants of logos, outdated posts, abandoned products and services, and messaging that applied five or ten years ago but no longer. Your website has become less intuitive for the visitor/customer. You get focused on other things to the point where you don't pay attention to answering your prospects' questions. Your case studies are old. You don't even know when a prospect stops...