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The deadline is looming. The ticking clock is getting louder by the minute as you sit there watching the cursor flash like an indicator on the blank page. You need to write, but the words just aren’t coming. You concentrate harder as if to will the words out of you. But nothing. The cursor goes on flashing. 

Sound familiar? That my friend is an unfortunate case of blank page paralysis. It’s when the stress and pressure of needing to write blocks your creativity and flow and leaves you with, well…nothing. 

In business, we’re told to identify the problem we solve to appeal to the customers we serve. But focusing on the solution to the problem often results in skipping a crucial part of the sales process that makes your pitch more persuasive – letting your customer feel their pain. 

In sales and marketing, we need to let our customers experience the pain and discomfort of the problem before we get them out of it. Why? Great question. Let’s look at the three reasons why discomfort is a key part of your sales process and your customers buying decision. 

Whether you are in a media interview, investor pitch, sales meeting or speaking in front of a crowd, you need to know how to handle questions and get your point across calmly and effectively. 

But how do you get back on topic when a question leads you down a different path? Or when an interviewer has different intentions to you? One way is by using a bridging phrase - but beware not all bridging phrases promise an easy way to cross back over to your key messages.  

With a growing need to innovate and compete to keep our customers' attention, rebranding can seem like a safe and smart option. While it can be in many cases, it is never a decision you should make lightly.

We live in a world that is becoming increasingly connected; yet disconnected at the same time. While it has never been easier to communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world, we lose something when we stay behind the veil of technology – deeper relationships. 

We forget that relationships underpin every business transaction. The deeper the relationship, the more profound and profitable it becomes.

Your customers crave connection – real connection – from the businesses they buy from. They don’t want to interact with a faceless business, hear from general autoresponders or enquire only through a web form. They want a real relationship, a real person – they want you.

With business becoming more global and much of our networking and marketing done online, it can be hard to build a personal relationship with our customers – particularly when we will never meet many of them. But one way to get around this is through an up to date headshot.

As simple as it sounds having a photo on your social media profiles, or even on your email and business card, allows your customer to see and connect with you even though you aren’t in front of them.

In the age of innovation, creativity is essential for your business growth and survival. With creativity ideas are born, problems are solved, industries are disrupted, competitors are overturned and customers are engaged. Without it, you become stuck, stale and predictable. 

Your ability to think creatively and act fast is often the difference between being the disruptor or being the disrupted. 

To ensure you stay ahead of your industry and keep your creative juices flowing here are six ways to overcome creative blocks. 

As research and experience are showing us, customers want more than products and services from brands they buy from; they want a story to tell and be part of. 

While we can often fall into the trap of trying to be the loudest in the marketplace to get attention and stand out from our competitors, the truth is you don't win the heart of your customer by them following your voice; you win it by finding theirs.

To help you break through the noise of a competitive marketplace and win the heart of your customers, here are three ways to build a customer-centric business.

When it comes to building momentum for your startup, a great idea and team will only get you so far. Sooner or later you'll need to find those first few brave souls who are willing to give you a chance - your innovators and early adopters. 

But how do you find them and how do they find you? Here are four tips to help you find your innovators and early adopters and get their attention. 

We all know that marketing and promotion is an essential part of business – but what if it takes you well beyond your comfort zone and seems to conflict with the essence of who you are? 

This is for the shy, humble and introverted entrepreneurs among us, the ones who would rather stay in their office than get out and network, and the ones who feel inauthentic and at times even arrogant when singing their praises. 

Here are four ways you can help build credibility and customer base without feeling like you are bashing, bragging or boring people with your sales message.

Every day we are exposed to thousands of brands and marketing messages. Texts, emails, social media, television, radio, billboards, cars and buses all tell us what we need to be, do, have and buy. As a result, our customers have never been more savvy, or more immune to marketing messages as they are today.

For those of us who play in overcrowded market places or are busy creating new ones, the need to be different and memorable in our marketing has never been more important. Here are three copywriting tricks to help.

When it comes to putting together a successful marketing campaign you need to know your market, but a general overview will only get you so far. To get that intimate voice in your copy where a potential customer wonders “are they reading my mind?” you need to get to know your buyer.

One of the best ways of doing this is to establish buyer personas, avatars that describe the people you want most as your customers. These avatars embody the demographics, characteristics and behaviours of your ideal customers, and give you a single person to direct your blog posts, social media updates, videos and sales copy to.

But where do you start? While ideally you want to interview your ideal customers to get it straight from their mouth, you can also start to establish personas by looking at past customers and who you want to work with. Here are some questions to ask to get you started.

Being an entrepreneur can be an incredibly rewarding and challenging journey. While we can have a great idea, set goals, plan ahead, research our market and promote until the cash cows come home, what we don’t always think about is our own development and frame of mind. 

To keep you in check here are five reminders for start up or start over entrepreneurs.

There is nothing more thrilling than having an idea, bringing it to life and watching customers buy and spread the word. But marketing your startup isn’t always smooth sailing, there are ghastly winds that can blow you right off course. To help here are three startup marketing traps to avoid.

With customers bombarded with so many brands and advertisements each day, it is your job to make your marketing messages more persuasive and relevant to break through the noise.

But where do you start? Here are six tips to help you make your marketing messages more persuasive.

December is often a month of extremes in business. You are either incredibly busy or incredibly quiet; burning with enthusiasm or burning out. Even the extremes can change week-to-week!

So how do you find inspiration, reignite your passion and keep your motivation up as you head into another year? 

Whether you are designing a product, developing a marketing strategy or writing a blog post having a thorough understanding of your target marketing is vital. 

But how do you get clear on who it is you are talking to and targeting? Here are four questions you MUST ask to get to know your customers - and why you need to ask them.

Networking can be an interesting experience. While you meet a lot of different personalities and businesses, two types of people tend to stand out in the crowd, those who are interested in building relationships and those focused on the sale.

While we need sales to survive in business, there is a real danger in making sales your only focus. Could your motives be costing you customers?

It's an age-old question that many business owners struggle to answer. But the truth is if you want your marketing to be as effective as possible you need your target market to be an inch wide and a mile deep. 

When you try to be everything to everyone you risk appearing irrelevant to those customers who you want and need the most. 

Still not sure? Here are four opportunities you open up when you pick a niche. 

Few things can kill your business faster than becoming irrelevant to your customers. The hard fact of business is that change is inevitable, while you can be on trend and meeting needs and wants one day, there is no guarantee that it will be the same the next.

With greater competition, new technology and changing customer demands how do you ensure you stay relevant in the mind of your customers?