Category: Sales

A Work in Progress

Hi everyone!

People wonder what I do, how I do it and why (golden circle). My blog provides answers to these questions.

To get you started, here is a profile and business model that I have been developing for BLOX/Blox. Communications.

As BLOX –

  1. I do writing, art and design.
  2. I do it for enjoyment, for education and for the development of my brain.
  3. My work targets a specific niche that caters to creative and technical authors, digital artists and designers who are innovative yet mainstream, and who work passionately and effectively in their particular domains.

As Blox. Communications –

  1. I do branding, marketing and sales.
  2. I do it for guidance, for learning and for the development of my ideal customer/source audience (1000 followers on Instagram by September 2020).
  3. My work targets a specific niche that caters to brand experts, marketers and digital specialists who are innovative yet mainstream, and who work passionately and efficiently in their particular domains.

I’m excited to share this information with you and welcome any comments.

Let’s start!

PROFILE

Blox is an artistic identity that was developed in the early 2000s. Since then, it has become a moniker for Chona’s creative + technical work embodying explorations of (a concept called) Digital Presence. She explores its relationship to topics surrounding the business and execution of art in digital marketing.

It is important to focus on our direct connection to customer needs, emotions and competitive environments. Selling is often an important feature and for success, we should present fluent work for customers to engage with.

As a creative director, Chona dreams of influencing the corporate landscape, impacting HOW and WHY companies use art in digital marketing applications. For the next year or so, she plans to either upgrade her educational background or find a permanent position with an agency open to art, growth and creation.

In order to breed success, I understand that I must learn the ins and outs of working in an ad environment, how to manage marketing clients and how to fit in with the demands of a competitive and ever-changing industry.

 BUSINESS MODEL

This business model creates objective goals for  my work as a digital specialist, social media/brand strategist and creative director focused on Digital Presence. I would like to create projects that incite wonder, plus change. I believe my experience and approach can create long-term impact for clients engaged with today’s latest digital platforms.

I will ask you this about your business:

  1. How did it all begin?
  2. What does your business need help with today?
  3. What is the spirit of your company?
  4. How can we improve your Digital Presence?

GOALS

a) To develop BRAND IDENTITY via transparent, accurate & responsible communication.
b) To promote GROWTH + ATTENTION using state of the art processes and techniques.
c) To cultivate COMPREHENSION of digital presence using a Simpler & Larger approach.

MISSION

Simpler & Larger – To produce work that is easily understood and done, so that businesses can consider a greater capacity.

VALUES

1. INTEGRITY is a choice of being honest; it encompasses consistent standards & ideas that impact a greater picture.
2. TRANSPARENCY is how actions are observable; it brings clarity & accuracy to communication where multiple parties are involved.
3. BELIEF is trust and confidence in our audience and work; it promotes the realities of the digital landscape through careful management of the creative process & its outcomes.

APPROACH

I approach my work with professionalism, courage and open-mindedness. I break it down this way –

I) Be professional; make a statement.
II) Have courage to make large moves; understand the difference between path and journey.
III) Be optimistic; express gratitude – open-mindedness can create a tidal wave effect.

FOCUSES

Communications
Strategy Development
Art Direction
Branding
Advertising
Promotions
Digital Marketing
Design
Research
Social Media
The Customer Journey
Creative Writing
Technical Writing
Campaign Creation
Content Creation
Sales
Adaptive Learning
Analytics
AI

This document is updated regularly, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Hub Concept

Hi everyone! This post applies mainly to web design. Find strength in your structure and harmony in your layout using The Hub Concept.

Composing Experience

The Hub Concept is a compositional structure that creates an effective visual centre of information. By strategically composing numerous content and design elements in a way that reflects the brand’s motives, viewers can become a part of the total, encompassing experience (the experience is a motivating force that captivates the audience).

At VanWhistle Media, this concept was used to develop the website for 360 Integrative Medical Centre. Their modern facility approach focuses on providing customers with an immersive centre of services, so it made sense to parallel  their mission by ensuring that the structure of their website was also, an effective visual centre of information. When used alongside the 3-click rule, The Hub Concept can decrease bounce rate and increase viewer satisfaction (or the motivating forces that captivate your audience).

The Hub Concept can be applied to other areas of advertising and digital marketing. For example: billboard/banner design or social media post formats.

Just Like School

Always think of building fortitude (through strength in your structure and harmony in your layout) with determination. The key is to apply your original ideas in their fullest state. You need to make notes mentally or physically, so that you can remember what your original intention was. Then, research and find connections. Clarify your original ideas, don’t change them necessarily, make practical and structured edits, so that the real (fullest) idea can come into fruition.

Determination builds character and so it will do the same for your website. Don’t think about making things the same as others; think about defining your business’ identity through formatting and careful, structured planning. The Hub Concept represents the full evolution of your content and design elements working together, with integrity + synergy.

Then, you arrive at the next level, acquiring a Simpler & Larger capacity. The way it feels is that things should start to roll off your shoulders and you will probably feel more calm and relaxed. We don’t need to feel pressure or anxious at all. It will come together naturally. Even during the next stage of criticism. The power of The Hub Concept is that, it is all there – explanation and  information. We don’t fall, we slide down! Hear what they have to say, and believe me, room will remain.

Do you have other examples of this idea put to work? Let’s hear about it! 

 

 

Digital Presence

Hi everyone! Let’s get right to it!

Digital  presence. As marketers, we want to talk about it. We want our clients to be aware, so they can be responsible for their own success. We want to give them a model to follow so that they can apply their ideas, optimize process and make streamlined business decisions more effectively. One way to understand how this can work, is to follow a simple model that outlines four core digital marketing services + concepts, working alongside a digital marketing strategy (Digital Presence Business Model).

Here’s a brief synopsis –

The Digital Presence Business Model simplifies the functionality of four core digital marketing services. When I developed this model for VanWhistle Media, the four core services used were – web development, social media management, SEO and branding. Following another model called Simpler & Larger, we connect the services to a few simple ideas as a way to keep a primary focus. Simpler & Larger is a basic notion that work should be easily understood and done, so that the business can consider a greater capacity. The harmony between concept and functionality makes it easier to apply the services each step of the way. And used together, the services become intact, stable and strong. Your brand’s core attributes will become more refined and you will begin to see fluidity and consistency throughout your total business approach.

image

The 4 core services and their core concepts are:

  1. Web Development – IDENTITY (analytical, logical, objective); left-brained; efficiency
  2. Social Media Management – IMAGE (intuitive, thoughtful, subjective); right-brained; passion
  3. Branding – CORE (central, definite, overall); heart; innovation
  4. Search Engine Optimization – FOOTPRINT (forward thinking, capacity, evolution); brain; mainstream

I am currently using a variation of this model to explore social media as a tool to establish/solidify brand strategy/identity. Using the brain, we can equalize the impressions we create based on our personalities and emotional predispositions. This is in development, but if you would like to hear more about it let me know! Also, check it out on my Instagram account – @chona_canlas.

Sensory Marketing

Hi everyone! Do you think about what you’re doing when you dive into a pool? Most of us are probably counting down or counting in (up people). Let’s explore sensory marketing!

Per @AlisteMarketing, sensory marketing is a method of selling products. It is a form of marketing that influences our perception of brands using multi-sensory experiences to establish positive emotional connections. 

For example, in web development and social media management you can combine the IDEA of audial, visual and tactile cues (think of ‘3D forms’ that impart tangibility and distinctive qualities to your content and design) to produce a highly memorable experience. This will help build anticipation of the service and/or product you are representing.

I say idea because the future of branding will remove all literal association. It won’t be required in our digital age. With the concept and on the other end, a way to serve it up, born is a style of marketing that encroaches art. This won’t be fear-based and cannot be avoided by the mainstream. Marketers will simply use the most base and recognized forms of digitization to attract a target audience.

So to expand, our senses make it REAL. As in, AI. A sense is a cue to uncover a more elaborate idea. For example, I smell cinnamon.  I am now picturing Cinnabon. Drive by. What’s more powerful? Seeing a Cinnabon sign or smelling their cinnamon? Our senses tell us what we want and what we don’t need.

Again, this is attached to our personal experience. What we didn’t have growing up. What we had too much of as a child. The ultimate irony with sensory marketing is that it removes attachment to the branding experience, but we still invest in the product! This is ubiquity — there; not based on want, but desire.

Bottoms up!

Definitions

Hi everyone! Coming up with a unique definition can be tough. In order to understand Daisy’s story, we need to understand the conceptual terms that are presented. Can you help me define these ideas more accurately?

A Day –

Alive – a subsidized program enabling all citizens of mankind to partake in new technologies. The only side step is that it can be forced, unwelcomed and misunderstood to the point where confusion may set in counterparts. Return to Artha for renewed vitality

A Moment – You’re driving, the radio is on, a song plays and your entire Being is rushed with feeling. The feelings are so intense that you quiver and cry. You must get back to to Artha or suffer the consequences of emotionality

A Tree –

Always-always – A cutting edge technology in fabric that allows the human brain to decide between wool or cotton. A necessary sensory experience due to global warming

Animal characters – Filburt (beaver), Stan (antilope), Shady and Slime (frogs), the falcon,

Artha – Relatable to ego; meaning, sense, goal, purpose or essence; a place

Baby Bear – Baby Romel (in spirit)

Banana split second – That indulgent minute when you awake and everything feels perfect

Being – Relatable to id; associated with fire and the power of transformation; a lustrous gem

Bling –

Blueberry – A retro blue Ty bear stuffie, sewn together with black thread; his beady eyes are made of wind-blown agate, a mystical find these days in Chon

Daisy – Our existential hero

Dream – Ignorance; created by Alice for Daisy

Each Other -Chona (Each) and Romel (Other); the reason for everything; relational goal

Food – cherry scone, hot drink of lemonade, ham and cheese biscuit, ham and cheese sandwich, ham and cheese omelette, French macarons, sandwich, fruit salad, barbecued pork chop muffins, star anise, sweet lemons, grass seed, bread, Earl Grey, 3% milk, taro cream buns, Nanö, Dreamsicles, bright green granny smith apple, gum, solid steel jelly beans,

Free –

Gods – Alice from Wonderland, Judge Judy, Linz, Indigo (Paradise Colours)

Human characters – Daisy, Cherry

Life –

Locations – Chon, Elevententeen, Life Space, Nike outlet

Manipura – Relatable to superego; the totality of currency, the conscience plus the ideal self; an animal

Others –

Outsiders –

Seventeen – Dilettante, youngest version of Chona

Space – Where Daisy lives at times

Spaces – Diet, exercise, sex, sleep

Spiritual characters – A Day, A Tree, The Need, The Pause

States – Manipura, Artha, Being

Theories – Fever,

Toys –

Tree characters – Jared, Paul

Wide Awake –

Wishful Thinking

Hi everyone!

This is a play about 3 personalities. It is set in a prison in space. They are trapped there in the future, trying to return home, which is Calgary, AB, Canada.

ABOUT CHONA FE

I thought long and hard about the reasons why I left. Did it have to do with change? I changed her, she wasn’t me. I was in reverse there, trying to prove myself when there was no need. Show them that I can be left-brained, I thought over and over again.

ABOUT BLOX

I gave up something very important – the ability to procreate. I think they were listening, but no one would make the sun shine. I became used to a large company running this way. It was amazing, the work I did.

ABOUT DAISY

She’s dressing for tomorrow, frantically preparing for what could be the start of something amazing. As soon as I’m free, I will quickly realize what reality is, she thinks.

CHONA FE & BLOX – Ask us what we’re doing.

DAISY – Ask me what I do for work.

(silence in the prison; they sit on their cold beds, dressed in yellow and grey stripes, holding their heads down in agony)

(Daisy exits)

(ChonaBLOX enters; she is their savior, a creative entity with powers to change reality)

*

(back in town, ChonaBLOX is working; it is present day)

How would we portray the above? Have you attempted to write about your life story before? What was your experience? Positive outcomes? Negative? And on a side note, can we just say how scary writing can actually be? 

The Sales Process

Hi everyone! Follow along, let’s begin!

BE ASSERTIVE.

An assertive approach is confident and direct. Assertive people know what they want and aren’t afraid to ask for it. They also respect the feelings and needs of others and are prepared to negotiate solutions that are acceptable to all parties. Once you’ve secured the first meeting (book same week, reply to email/call same day), arrive on time and with a smile on your face.

REPRESENT YOUR COMPANY.

Position yourself as knowledgeable and prepared. You must have a firm grasp of your services and an educated idea of the client’s needs. Use the first meeting to gather ideas and take notes. Summarize the client’s words and confirm your interpretation is correct.

CONFIRM BUDGET.

It is better to establish this right from the get-go. If possible, provide a verbal offer based on the parties’ negotiations. Provide a price sheet. Some helpful questions – Our services cost this much, does that work for you? If not, what works with your budget? Always position value over price. This is an investment because or I am showing you evidence based on. You can combine any previous positive experiences with relevant statistics/straight numbers and use Ahrefs for an SEO case. Then, wrap up by providing vital closing points, scheduling your next meeting and confirming proposal hand-off.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS.

From the beginning to the end of the cycle, you are creating connections with members of your community and potential customers. Try to understand where they are coming from. Show empathy. Everyone is affected by bad weather. Everyone has a bad day. Try to relate to them as if they were your friend.

Some other bad/good vibes – She just came in and shoved brochures in my face. She wasn’t prepared and looked tired …or was it actually… She gracefully entered, looked around, then walked over with a smile carrying some interesting papers. She explained her situation with ease and apologized for not being completely ready. My daughter kept me up all night! Being honest matters immensely!

Just like any strong friendship, you need to dedicate time and effort for the sale and relationship to develop successfully. The proof is always in the pudding (end result), but you still need to commit 100% along the way. A door to door visit may be brief, but it also demonstrates your energy, candor and confidence. A short, but powerful phone call shows commitment and integrity. Lead with your voice, tone and language. Also, take note of what you’re wearing (literally, mentally and spiritually). People are checking you out!

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, DO AND DO AGAIN!

The sales cycle is often repetitive and can be lonesome. Believe in yourself, be extra creative and don’t worry. There are always other fish in the sea. You MUST fish however. Each day matters! Every touchpoint counts, no matter the brevity or weight, but treat each opportunity as your last. Don’t get down on ideas that aren’t ready. Instead, use the mere fact that they exist as a way to uplift your pursuits to greater and bigger things! He didn’t reply. Well, I’m going to contact this company instead. THEN. DO IT. He didn’t seem that interested. Well, why? Maybe I can present it this way. You can create openings and the universe responds, but you will need to take action to reap a reward!

BUILDING RAPPORT.

From the beginning to the end of the cycle, you are creating reasons to be in contact. Always enter and exit harmoniously. If you know there is a need, understand it and quickly establish your intention and validate awareness. Don’t be pushy; utilize messaging (i.e.: email) to set a rhythm. Maintain a sense of harmony throughout your interactions. You want to ensure you’re both on the same side of the coin, otherwise differences (minor – your mood, timing OR major – opinions, culture, phase of development, objections) will build walls, making it harder for you to breakthrough.

Be empathetic and create a reason to bond. Friendly and to the point text messages, substantive emails and smart phone calls. However, limit the amount. Pay close attention to things that don’t relate directly to the sale. Thoughtful comments and gestures are welcome, but maybe avoid ‘hugs’ (until they’ve been your client for at least 2 years). Your verbal and nonverbal cues are tools for establishing rapport and should be used strategically and effortlessly. What could be awkward for you, is thoughtful to them, but potentially vice versa.

THE PHONE CALL IS ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO GO.

Closing throughout the sales cycle is about competence. How hard will you work. Will you push until then end. From the beginning to the end of the cycle, you are envisioning the satisfaction of all parties. When will it happen, how will it happen, what will their reaction be, what small or large moves can I make to move us closer to winning? Things also occur naturally. If there are delays, the best approach is to ask more targeted questions and to use a timeline. Simplify the offer, the budget or the project’s scope. And, gosh darnit, pick up the phone and call them instead. No one does this, because it is hard.

STILL DISCOVERING.

Many owners are still in the Discovery Stage. You might have to do some extra leg work to help them recognize their needs first before expecting them to jump onto an amazing proposal you spent hours, days or weeks putting together. For questions, make them as unique as possible and avoid close-ended questions at this point. You should know each other well enough by now, that open-ended questions will work to your advantage. We want to establish finality, so confirm project duration, budget cost and start date.

Don’t walk away! Raise your hands up in the air! Did you like the pace of this post? That’s how fast sales works!