BREAK THROUGH the NOISE Elisa Southard

Reviews

"Don't delay success another minute. If you want to turn your technical skills into marketing talent, read Break Through the Noise. In no time at all, you'll be out of the office in front of those you want to serve, confident of what to say, when to say it, and have fun doing it."
- Jack Canfield, co-creator Chicken Soup for the Soul®

"If you want to take your business to the next level, then this book will be your best friend. Break Through the Noise doesn't rehash all the old-school marketing rules. It provides a creative, well-thought out, step-by-step approach to promoting your services in a way that fits your personal style."
- Rich Fettke, MCC, author of Extreme Success

"I'll let you in on a little secret. With the powerful ideas on these pages, you'll make marketing through personal contact twice as effective in half the time. Help your clients succeed too. Give it to them as a gift. They'll be glad you did."
- Dottie Walters, CSP, President/CEO Walter's International Speakers Bureau

"Whether you are a sole practitioner or a CEO, the sooner you read Break Through the Noise, the better. These nine simple tools demonstrate exactly how to attract clients through personal contact. Make it required reading for all your employees and vendors, too."
- Kevin Grauman, CEO, The Outsource Group, a past leader on the INC. 500 List of the fastest growing private companies in America

Excerpt

Let's Get Acquainted

"I'm in," Rich Moore said as he looked over at Dave Baker, who was probably thinking about baseball. The happiest years of Dave's young adulthood were spent crouched behind home plate - catcher's mitt on alert. He was no stranger to deciding his next move quickly. He had already made up his mind.

"Me, too."

It was the end of the year, and the two accounting professionals, friends in their youth, partners in their prime, smiled as their plane touched down at San Francisco International Airport. They had just returned from an industry retreat. Now, their New Year's resolution was in place. They would add to their accounting firm something that is commonplace today. At that time, this element was as green as the proverbial eyeshade.

What they reached for was an adventure, regardless of the stage of any business. There were ahead of the curve for the inevitable - formalizing marketing and public relations efforts.

That where I came in. Rich and Dave were accountants for several of my clients. I was ready for a change. And new Year's seemed the perfect time to make one.

The next three years were busy. We restructured proposals; trained in-house staff; launched a newsletter; chaired committees; hosted community meetings; authored articles; and launched, with Dave as chair, one of the most successful, if not the country's first, golf fundraisers to benefit multiple charities. Outreach activities, materials, and participation in the community swelled.

Almost three years to the month after their giving high fives with "I'm in," the firm received the prestigious Pacific Small Business Achievement Award. Looking back, this event culminated our work and led to the start of my professional marketing/public relations practice - with Moore & Baker as my first client.

What I learned from helping these top professionals discover their hidden marketing talents is this: Marketing, the nine-letter word that describes all those messages, materials, and activities that promote your business and stimulate demand for it, should be easy! And fun! And Simple!

Thus, my mission, my raison d'etre, if you will, is to make marketing accessible, simple, and enjoyable for technically oriented professionals.

Since the days I sat at the conference table with Rich and Dave and their team, I've shared marketing messages and techniques with thousands of professionals, from those in private practice and non-profit settings to those in academia and the arts.

For over a decade, I've coached professional one-to-one, spoken at annual conferences, moderated in-house training sessions, and participated in roundtables to entice business owners to dust off marketing projects abandoned in their credenza drawer.

I've schlepped flip charts in the early-morning hours to spread the word to executives, accomplished clients to their initial outreach event, and connected business owners with broad-based contacts. I've witnessed their marketing dreams come alive, as they enhance their communities, and propel their businesses into new levels of income.