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How to Manage Your Marketing – The Contact Management System

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Artists MBA, Professional ProgramMarketing is creating an environment in which people feel comfortable enough to buy from you,  over and over again.

Sounds like a great idea, right? But what exactly does that mean in terms of day to day actions?  And how do you systematize creating that environment?

Does this sound familiar?

  • You’ve got a pile of business cards on your desk, but you don’t really know what to do with them.
  • Picking up the phone to make marketing calls is terrifying because you don’t really know who to call or what to say when you get them on the phone
  • You know you promised somebody something, but don’t remember who or what or when
  • A prospective customer/client/fan tells you to call back in three months and you promise to, but you know you won’t remember

These are all symptoms of a poor contact management system (or CRM – Customer Relations Management System)!  There’s nothing wrong with you, it’s the system that is lacking!

In this class you’ll learn:

  • Why you need a Contact Management System (and why your memory isn’t enough!)
  • The Key Components of an effective Contact Management System
  • How your Contact Management System feeds into and energizes your larger Marketing Plan
  • A review of some of the 3rd party apps out there and how to choose the right one for you

Additional Resources for this Class:

Prerequisite Class:

Listen to the Class:

Thank you for your interest. This content is visible to ArtistsMBA Professional, Mastery Program members only. Click here to login.

Ready to get serious? Enroll in the Artists Marketing & Business Academy Professional Program to access these classes today!

Your Tuition ($79 per month) includes all Foundation level classes PLUS the Professional level classes PLUS the Time Management Mastery Course & App.

Read the Class Transcript

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Next Class:

Ready to get serious? Enroll in the Artists Marketing & Business Academy Professional Program to access these classes today!

Your Tuition ($79 per month) includes all Foundation level classes PLUS the Professional level classes PLUS the Time Management Mastery Course & App.


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How to Build Your List with Elizabeth Edwards

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artists-marketing-business-academy-interview-with-expertsList Building might not be the sexy topic that Social Media is however “The List” is a key ingredient to the success of your business.

Independent artist and small labels alike need a large list of raving fans if they want to be successful.

 

In this class, you’ll learn:

  • Why you MUST have “The List”
  • What “The List” is and isn’t
  • How to create “The List”
  • And ways to grow and use The List to build your audience without breaking the bank.

Additional Resources for this Class:

Additional ArtistsMBA Classes on this Topic:

Listen to the Interview:

Thank you for your interest. This content is visible to ArtistsMBA Professional, Mastery Program members only. Click here to login.

Ready to get serious? Enroll in the Artists Marketing & Business Academy Professional Program to access these classes today!

Your Tuition ($79 per month) includes all Foundation level classes PLUS the Professional level classes PLUS the Time Management Mastery Course & App.


Thank you for your interest. This content is visible to ArtistsMBA Foundation Program members only. Click here to login.

Read the Interview Transcript

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Enroll in the Artists Marketing & Business Academy Mastery Lab to access the transcript of this class today


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Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards, Music, create a fanbase
Award winning singer-songwriter and author Elizabeth Edwards has worked for several nationally distributed magazines and media companies in the design, video and music markets. She’s recently released Create A Large List Of Raving Fans – Seven Simple Strategies, a book and marketing course that addresses the needs of independent musicians and small labels with regard to list creation and audience development.

For more about her music visit http://www.elizabethemusic.com/

Mining the Gold from Your Contacts

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Artists MBA, Professional ProgramHave you ever noticed that some people are just good at networking?  They seem to take to it like ducks to water – and then there’s the rest of us who flounder like a fish out of water!

But we also know that success depends on who you know, right?  So we better get good at this networking stuff – sink or swim!

Here at the Artists Marketing & Business Academy, I teach you about relationship marketing.  This class will cover the heart of relationship marketing (pun intended).

Making that initial contact with a prospective client, customer or fan is just the beginning of a long and beautiful and hopefully productive relationship.  Knowing how to turn an initial contact into a relationship  is a key success skill.

In this class you’ll discover:

  • The 3 things to do in that initial contact to set up a successful relationship
  • How to nurture and grow a relationship into a fruitful partnership
  • How to handle rejection without losing your heart or your head

This class will provide you with the skills you need to go out into the world and build your connections and increase your opportunities.

Additional Resources for this Class:

Prerequisite Class:

Listen to the Class:

Thank you for your interest. This content is visible to ArtistsMBA Professional, Mastery Program members only. Click here to login.

Ready to get serious? Enroll in the Artists Marketing & Business Academy Professional Program to access these classes today!

Your Tuition ($79 per month) includes all Foundation level classes PLUS the Professional level classes PLUS the Time Management Mastery Course & App.

Read the Class Transcript

Thank you for your interest. This content is visible to ArtistsMBA Mastery Program members only. Click here to login.

Enroll in the Artists Marketing & Business Academy Mastery Lab to access the transcript of this class today


Thank you for your interest. This content is visible to ArtistsMBA Foundation, Professional Program members only. Click here to login.

Next Class:

Ready to get serious? Enroll in the Artists Marketing & Business Academy Professional Program to access these classes today!

Your Tuition ($79 per month) includes all Foundation level classes PLUS the Professional level classes PLUS the Time Management Mastery Course & App.


Thank you for your interest. This content is visible to ArtistsMBA Foundation Program members only. Click here to login.

Debra Russell Recommends ReverbNation

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Debra Russell recommends, music business, marketing, web 2.0, reverbnationI’ve been hearing nothing but great buzz about ReverbNation as a one stop shop for contact management and social networking for your music business. Here’s what they say on their website:

ReverbNation.com is a Music 2.0 company that is responding to the changing music business paradigm.

We provide innovative marketing solutions that musicians need to compete, cooperate, and differentiate in an increasingly noisy online environment. Unlike typical “closed” communities, artists use ReverbNation as their home base for approaching marketing and promotion across the Internet as a whole — be it via social networks, blogs, or the artist’s homepage. Tools like TunePaks, FanReach, and Widgets give the artist the power to spread their music and information virtually anywhere. Real-time stats then provide a 360-degree view of how the music is spreading, who is listening, and which fans are actually passing it on to their friends and posting it on their pages. For more information on what ReverbNation can do for artists, click here.

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3×5 Contact Management System

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Back in the good old days, before such things as computerized contact management systems, salesmen created a physical contact management system.  I learned this system many years ago, while working in the Network Marketing world.  For those of you who prefer the tactile sensation of a physical contact management system, but are finding that just having an address book or a notebook or a pile of papers isn’t working for you, try this:

Supplies (links go to the Amazon.com site for purchase):

  • Index Cards (3×5 or 4×6)
  • 2 Index card file boxes (also 3×5 or 4×6)
  • 3 sets of dividers (size appropriate to the cards you choose):

Set one box up with the numbers in front and the months in back appropriate to the current date.
e.g. – Today is May 8th.  You would have May, 8, 9, 10….31, June, 1-7, July, Aug…..
As each day passes, you put that number tab divider into the next month.

The second box is set up with the A-Z tabs.

For each contact, you make up 2 cards.  One card just has name, address, phone number, and basic information and that card is filed in the second box alphabetically. (For easy access by name).

The second card is an ongoing tracking of every interaction you have with that person.  So let’s say you meet someone at a networking meeting on 5/1.  You make your first call with them today 5/8 to gauge interest in your services.  They are going on vacation next week for 2 weeks.  They are interested but could you call them back after 5/21.

You make a note of all the pertinent details on the card under 5/8 (where are they going on vacation, any personal details they mention, the fact that they are interested, etc.).  You also make a note on the card “5/21 f/u call to pursue booking a gig (or whatever).”   Then you file that card behind the #21 divider.  If a contact says, call me back after the summer, you file their card behind the September tab.  Always noting what the next action is on the card.  Assume that you have no short term memory.  Write everything down.  Any information they give you about themselves, their circumstances, what they’re looking for, everything gets written down.

Each day you check that day’s divider and take any actions scheduled for that day.  Every contact should have a future action scheduled unless they have unequivocally said, “No thank you.”  Then you can decide to either toss the card (if they were a jerk about it), or clip it to their alphabetically filed 2nd card.  You never know when they may call you in the future or send you a referral.

In this way, nothing ever falls through the cracks.  Even if you only work your business 3 days a week, you just check the actions for the days preceding.  Any calls you didn’t get to today, immediately re-file under a future date.

This system can be modified for 3 ring binders or accordion files.  Whatever works for you.  What’s nice about the index card is that it is incredibly portable.  What’s challenging is the lack of space for copious notes.  You can also get creative using colors.  For example, venue owners could be one color, agents/managers another color, fellow artists yet a third color.  Whatever makes you happy, helps keep you organized and supports you in taking action!

Debra Recommends Google Apps for Business

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Debra Russell recommends, google, web 2.0, cloud sourcing, calendar, emailGoogle Applications is a web 2.0 solution for email, calendar and more.  I’ve been using it for my business for about 9 months now and I’ve been very happy so far.  I was using Microsoft Outlook, but when I would search for an email it would literally take 5-10 minutes.  And with Google, without getting rid of any of my 10,000+ emails, it takes me under 5 seconds to find an email.

Since I run a great deal of my business via email, I can’t delete them.  I need the record of those interactions.  Using Google’s tremendous search capability and incredibly generous free storage capability has solved this problem for me.

And like all things Google, they are always improving the system.  Is it perfect?  No.  But, I can access my email, my calendar and documents, my task list, from any internet portal.  And now that I’m traveling so much as a Speaker, this has become incredibly important.

Not tech savvy?  For a few bucks, you can have an expert get you up and running on Google Apps in no time!  Let me refer you to my good friend Adam Schwartz at Computer Courage, here in the bay area.  You can also check the Google Apps Support Page for a provider near you.

Oh, by the way, Google Apps is free….

Find out more about Google Apps

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Debra Recommends CardScan

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Debra Russell recommends, contact management, sales and marketing, CRM

I have been using a CardScan scanner since 2003, and it’s saved me literally hundreds of hours. I gather business cards where ever I go. And these cards used to sit in piles on my desk. Now, in a jif, I scan them into a database, add them to my newsletter list – and they become part of my network, instead of part of the chaos on my desk.

Click the link above to buy now.

Debra Recommends Constant Contact – Email Marketing

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Debra Russell recommends, email marketing, newsletter, build your list, Constant Contact’s leading email marketing and online survey tools—supported by its expert personal coaching and support—help all types of small businesses and organizations create professional-looking email newsletters and insightful online surveys and begin a dialogue with their customers. Today, more than 200,000 customers worldwide trust Constant Contact to help them connect with their audience.

You can try Constant Contact’s quick, easy, and affordable email marketing and online survey products FREE for 60 days. You don’t even need to give them a credit card.

When you become a Constant Contact customer, you and I will each receive a $30 credit to our Constant Contact account! It’s their way of thanking customers for spreading the word about Constant Contact.

Try Constant Contact Now (Affiliate Link)

For someone who is serious about email marketing – aWeber is a more sophisticated tool. But for those of us who just want to get information out quickly without a lot of technology – I find Constant Contact to do the job nicely. And CC is what I use personally.

Debra Recommends USPS Media Mail

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Debra Russell recommends, Media Mail, fulfillment, music business, Contact Management, Email MarketingSend your printed or recorded material using this service. Media Mail® service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Media Mail can not contain advertising except for incidental announcements of books.  The maximum weight for Media Mail is 70 lbs.

  • There are presorted rates available for bulk quantities of Media Mail (minimum quantity is 300 pieces).
  • A barcode discount is available for Media Mail.
  • Rates are based on weight and size.

While you won’t save much if you are mailing individual CD’s, this is very cost effective for bulk mailing like getting your product to Amazon or CD Baby for third party fulfillment.

Media Mail

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The Art of Outsourcing – An interview with Tiamo De Vettori

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Artists MBA, Professional ProgramThis month we interviewed the LA Music Awards’ Male Singer/Songwriter of the Year, Tiamo De Vettori, on The Art of Outsourcing – how to get volunteers to enthusiastically do the things that you don’t like to do.

He also touched on cross promotion – how to minimize your work and multiply your fan base, and on creative ways to make money in the music industry (and other arts fields).

Additional Resources for this Interview:

Additional ArtistsMBA Classes on this Topic

Listen to the Interview:

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Read the Interview Transcript

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Debra Russell, Artists Marketing and Business Academy, Tiamo de Vettori, outsourcing, music business, music promotion, relationship building, team building, Contact Management, Time Management, OrganizationTiamo De Vettori

For music fans who want to feel connected, inspired, uplifted, and part of something bigger, we’ve found the artist for you. Often described as a cross between Jason Mraz and John Mayer, motivational acoustic-pop singer/songwriter, Tiamo De Vettori, was recently named L.A. Music Award’s “Male Singer/Songwriter of the Year” & San Diego Music Award’s “Best Songwriter”. Tiamo has been featured on FOX, CBS, NBC, and MSNBC and recently performed on stage at the Jimmy Kimmel Show. With a powerful voice, captivating stage presence, compelling lyrics, and melodies impossible not to sing along to, fans around the world have gravitated to Tiamo’s positive vibe and love for life.

Something that makes Tiamo so unique is that he is also a motivational speaker who combines his on-stage charisma with his inspriring personal stories, orginal songs, and acoustic guitar. Tiamo has performed and spoken to over 32,000 people around the country at seminars, trainings, colleges, and conferences, and has shared the stage with best-selling authors and speakers such as T. Harv Eker, Les Brown, Lisa Nichols, and Dan Millman. Tiamo has moved audiences since he was seven years old. During his childhood, he had the extremely rare opportunity to perform and tour the world with his Italian father, Franco De Vettori, an international opera singer.

Despite growing up on stage, Tiamo’s career as a singer/songwriter didn’t quite materialize until he intuitively hopped on a Greyhound bus headed for Virginia…just a few days after graduating from the University of Arizona. Shortly after, a close friend who had read Tiamo’s poetry and heard him sing, insisted that he explore the combination of songwriting and performing. Needing a friendly push, Tiamo had a hard time turning down his friend’s eventual offer to buy him a guitar as long as he kept one promise to his friend — get the guitar, let it sit in your living room, and as Tiamo’s friend put it, “the songs will just flow out of you”. Surely enough, Tiamo looked at his new guitar one rainy night, picked it up, and without any previous guitar experience, “accidentally” wrote his first song.

Tiamo has climbed to #4 and #18 on the Australian top 40 radio charts and is receiving radio play in 12 countries including the U.S. Aside from his international success, Tiamo can be found performing at some of the most popular venues in his home town of San Diego such as the highly celebrated Humphrey’s by the Bay, large college campuses including the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University, and other highly regarded venues such as the House of Blues, the Belly Up and Hard Rock Cafe. He has also performed live on San Diego’s most-watched morning news shows, News Channel 8 and News Channel 10, and and has been featured on some of Southern California’s most popular radio stations such as KPRI 102.1 FM.

With the international release of his CD entitled “Back to Love”, a vision of creating positive change in the music industry, and a gravitating persona, you can’t help but cheer on this modest, rising star.