Unit of 1 - Marketing as a Unit of 1

by Andrea C. Carrero

This article and sidebar offer an account of the June 11, 2002 Unit of 1 breakfast club meeting. The topic was Marketing as a Unif of 1, presented by Andrea Michalek.

"I'd rather be the captain of my own dinghy than a mate on someone else's yacht."--Mike O'Donnell, founder, iCopyright

Using this quote, Andrea Michalek began her presentation on "Marketing as Unit of 1" at the June 11 monthly meeting at Eastern College in St. Davids, PA. Michalek is president of 1-800-CTO (www.1800cto.com) and co-founder of the Unit of 1 networking group. She also co-founded and maintains two micro-startups: www.topular.com and www.fastpdf.com.

Michalek compiled a list of the top 10 marketing lessons she's learned during her tenure as an entrepreneur, lessons that are valuable to any Unit of 1. Her lessons include:

What's Your Story?

Once you've found your passion, you need to get your pitch set and start generating buzz. Units of 1, she said, have a need to lead. In order to get clients to follow, each Unit of 1 needs to turn his (or her) passion into energy and start spreading the word about the services or products his company offers.

Build a Roadmap

"You need to know where you're going," Michalek said. Create a one-page road map for each project, she explained, that includes marketing goals, sales goals, major milestones, timelines and any other pertinent information. This one-page document should provide a high-level view of all aspects of the project.

Short-Term Wins

When you create base hits rather than swinging for the fences, Michalek said, you create visible short-term wins. These are proof of your accomplishments, she said, and you should actively plan for them. Such wins give you internal and external benefits, she explained. Internally, you create a culture of thriving on success; externally, you show potential clients your ability to execute a project.

Life's a Pitch: Be Prepared

You never know when an opportunity can present itself, she said, so you need to be ready--and able--to pitch at any time. To prepare, Michalek advises Units of 1 to have a mission statement, an elevator pitch, an executive summary and marketing collateral. And be prepared to pitch with only a few minutes to present your case, she said. You can anticipate a lengthy presentation, but the reality may be you only have 20 minutes instead of an hour--or three floors' worth of time in an elevator.

Michalek also advises working backwards when it comes to pitches. How much a person remembers of your pitch varies, she said: after one hour, they'll remember 50 percent of what you said; after one day it drops to 20 percent and after one week, only 10 percent. Given that, Michalek advises focusing on the 10 percent that matters. "Identify your 'must remembers,'" she said.

Get Expert Status--Use PR

Michalek has been quoted in various online and print publications, many of which she has offered to the publications. Call the publications or websites, she said, and ask if they need a quote. Michalek also provides a statement on her own websites advising reporters of her contact information if they are in need of a quote.

Invest in Word of Mouth

All Units of 1 have heard the phrase "underpromise and overdeliver." Michalek suggested going one step further and asking your clients for referrals, letters of recommendation and testimonials. Use them in your marketing materials and press packets, as well as on your website. And, she said, since each Unit of 1 has the ability to set policies for his company, she said to set a policy of outstanding customer service.

Spam Isn't the Answer

Using what Michalek called UCE (unsolicited commercial email) has a wide spectrum of consequences. The best-case scenario, she said, is that you annoy your prospects. The worst case? You can lose your emailing privileges, she said, or get onto the "real-time blackhole list," where network administrators block any and all of your emails into a company. Spam can "take your brand down," she said. "No legitimate business uses spam as a tool for long." Michalek also quoted Seth Godin of Permission Marketing: "For every order you manage to coerce out of someone [with spam], you're burning your brand with 100 others."

Unit of 1 = Strategic Advantage

Because you are the company, Michalek explained, you can compete in ways that the "Big Guys" can't. You can be distinctive, she said, and be memorable. Remember, too, she said, that being a Unit of 1 means one-on-one.

Network, Network, Network

"Buying decisions are based on trust," she said, and people buy from people they know--not from a brochure. It's never too late to start, she advised, and it's equally important to "feed the network" by keeping in contact. Michalek also suggested forming an advisory board for your company and to become a member of other Unit of 1 advisory boards.

Leave a Legacy

And for Michalek, the most important lesson learned is to leave a legacy. "Create the bigger picture," she said, "and make what you do matter."

Andrea C. Carrero is president and founder of Word Technologies Inc. (www.wordtex.com) , which provides custom technical documentation, training and related services. She can be reached at andrea@wordtex.com.