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luni, 20 octombrie 2014

Convincing Old-School Clients that Things Have Changed

Posted: 19 Oct 2014 05:21 PM PDT

There's a reason we use the terms "white hat" and "black hat" for SEO: it used to be the Wild West. Black hat tactics were so effective, they were almost necessary to market online. Paying a few thousand dollars to an SEO could get you to rank #1 for almost any term (before you let them go and your competitor paid them the same to outrank you). You only got a few thousand dollars in return for that ranking, though, since there weren't many people shopping online yet.

Fast forward to today: Ranking well on Google is insanely profitable—much more so than it ever was in the early days—and Google's algorithm has advanced dramatically. But former SEOs and people outside our industry still hold on to that idea that a few thousand dollars of "technical SEO" can make them magically rank #1.

So, how do you convince your old school clients things have changed?

The immediate answer

When this comes up in conversation, I have a few trump phrases that usually bring clients around:

"Yeah, that used to be a great tactic, but now it puts you at risk for getting a penalty." (Really, any response that includes the word "penalty" stops clients in their tracks.)
"That makes sense, but Matt Cutts said..." / "Good point, but Google's official blog recommends..."
"I / another coworker / another client / a Mozzer has tried that, and it had disastrous results..."

Basically, acknowledge their idea as valid so you don't insult them, then explain why it won't work in a way that scares the shit out of them by mentioning real repercussions. Or, you know, just persuade them gently with logic.

If you can't persuade/scare the shit out of them, tell them you'll do some research and get back to them. Then do it.

If that doesn't work...

Okay, so you have answers for on-the-spot questions now. They will work anywhere from moderately well to amazingly well, depending on your delivery and the respect you've gained from your client. But the client may ask for more research, or be skeptical of your answer. To be really effective, the right answer has to be coupled with a lot of respect and a logical, well-delivered explanation.

Many of you are probably thinking, "I establish respect by being right / talking professionally / offering a lot of case studies during the sales process." That's the sort of thinking that doesn't earn respect. You gain respect by consistently being:

1. Respectful, even if your clients are wrong

It's embarrassing to be wrong. When your client says, "What meta keywords should we put on this page?" and you chuckle and say, "Gosh, meta keywords haven't been used in so long—I don't even think Google ever used them," your client is going to fight you on it, not because they're particularly invested in the idea of using meta keywords, but because you've made them feel wrong.

So when your client is wrong, start by validating their idea. Then, explain the right solution, not necessarily digging into why their solution is wrong:

Client: What meta keywords should we put on this page?

You: Well, I'm going to put together some keywords to target on this page next week, but making them meta keywords won't make much of a difference. Google doesn't look at them because it's so easy to spam (wouldn't it be nice if they did?). Anyway, when I send you those keywords that we should target, I'll also include what we need to change on the page in order to target them.

Answering like this will keep your conversations positive and your clients open to your ideas, even if your ideas conflict directly with theirs.

2. Honest

You're probably smart enough not to make up client anecdotes or lie about what Matt Cutts has said. Where I usually see dishonesty in consulting is when consultants screw up and their clients call them on it.

It looks bad to be wrong, especially when someone is paying you to be right. It's even worse to be caught in a lie or look dishonest. Here's my mantra: It's not wrong to make an honest mistake. When clients tell you you've done something wrong, consider it a misunderstanding. Explain where you were coming from and why you did what you did briefly, then fix it.

(Note: this obviously doesn't work if you made a stupid mistake. If you made a stupid mistake, apologize and offer to fix it, free of charge. It'll lose you some money up front, but it'll be worth it in the long run.)

3. Direct

This is the best outline for any answer:

Brief answer, in one sentence
Deeper explanation of answer
Information to back it up
Reiteration of brief answer

I can't tell you how many times I've heard another consultant (or myself) not be entirely sure of an answer and ramble on for a couple of minutes before stopping to complete silence from their client. Or know the answer but think it's too complicated and deliver an answer that only confuses their client more.

By starting with the answer, the client already knows what's coming, so all other information you give after that will naturally support your answer as you go, rather than possibly leading them down the wrong path. Consider these alternatives:

Standard answer:

Client: How much will this increase our rankings?

You: Competition is always a huge part of the equation, so we'll have to look into that. It's easier to rank for, say, "yellow sapphire necklaces" than "blue sapphire necklaces" because there are more blue sapphire necklaces out there. But this is definitely what we should do to increase our rankings.

Direct answer:

Client: How much will this increase our rankings?

You: I don't know, it's not something that we can definitively say in SEO, unfortunately. Competition is a huge part of the equation, so we'll have to look into that. But, regardless, this is the most effective action that we could take to increase our rankings.

The more direct answer admits doubt, but is still much more convincing in the end (though both are vague and obviously top-of-mind examples... just ignore that).

4. Complimentary and inclusive

It's called the Benjamin Franklin Effect: "He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged." (Props to Rob Ousbey for telling me about this.)

When your client has done something right, compliment them on how they've made your job easier since you don't have to fix their mistakes. When your client has done something wrong, let them know what they should do to fix it, but help them share in the work to make the change. It'll make the client feel valued and it'll take a big part of the workload off of you.

5. Proactive

Good project management is the key to effective consulting. When clients don't know what you're working on, they get worried that you're wasting their money. Make sure that you consistently:

Meet; I like to have scheduled meetings once a week
Share a 3-6 month project plan, with dates and deliverables outlined
Ship those deliverables on time
Respond to emails within a day or two, even if the answer is "Great question! I'm prioritizing [other project for the same client right now], can I get back to you in a week or so?"
Follow up with open questions; if a client asks you a question in a meeting you don't know, admit you don't know, say you'll get back to them after you research it, then actually do that

I think that project management is often dropped because it seems so easy that it's de-prioritized. Don't believe that: this may be the most important of the five traits I've listed.

To sum it up: be honest, selfless, and proactive, and your clients are going to love you.

Even if you're a terrible SEO (though try your best to be a good one), clients are going to respect consultants who put their clients' business first, are open and honest about what they're doing and thinking, and get their work done without being micromanaged.

Now that you've earned your client's respect, they will be open to you changing their mind. You just have to give them a reason to.

Nail it with a great argument

When a client says, "Can we rank for 'trucks' by putting the word 'truck' as the alt text to each image on this page?" our mind immediately says, "No, why would you think that?" That's not going to win the argument for you.

The reason we SEOs say "why would you think that?" is because we know the answer. So, teach your client. Start by validating their idea (what did we just learn about clients being wrong?), then explain the right answer, then explain why their answer won't work:

Client: Can we rank for "trucks" by putting the word "truck" as the alt text to each image on this page?

You: Well, that would certainly get "trucks" on the page more often! To really optimize the page for "trucks," though, we'll need to put it in the page title, and a few times in the body of the page. SEO is all about competition, and our competition is doing that. We have to at least match them. Once the page is optimized for "trucks," though, we'll still have to work to get more backlinks and mentions around the web to compete with Wikipedia, which ranks #1 right now for "trucks."

Don't focus too much on their mistake.The more time you spend on the disagreement, the more frustrated your client will get; the more time you spend on your solution, the more impressed they'll be with you.

If that doesn't work, do the research to tell an even better story:

Give examples from other clients. Don't give away too many names, of course, but knowing that you've solved this problem or a problem like it in the past makes clients feel much more confident in you.
If you've never seen this problem before, reach out to your SEO community. One of the best parts of working at Distilled is that when a client off-handedly emails me a question, I can email all Distilled consultants and usually get an answer (or at least an educated guess) within an hour or so. If you work on your own, build a community online, through Moz or another online portal, and ask them.
Forecast the effects of your solution. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not good at this because it can take a long time. But if your client is resistant, it's definitely worth the trouble. Take clients through how you worked out the forecasting so they can see how much they'll gain by working with you.

Once you've got proof behind your argument, restate your position, add your new arguments, and then follow up with your position and what you recommend your client does now. Make sure that you end in an action so there's something concrete for them to focus on.

Practice, practice, practice delivery

You can have the perfect explanation and a great relationship with your client, but if you trip over your own words or confuse your client, you won't be convincing.

Written reports

Edit the paper multiple times. Only include the information that directly leads to an action item, don't include all of the information that they already know, or that just shows you did your homework. That stuff is boring, and will encourage your client to skim, which will often lead to misinterpretations. Next, have a friend who's been in SEO for awhile and knows about this old school stuff edit it. It's hard to know where your descriptions might break down without someone else's perspective.

Verbal presentations

Practice your presentation ahead of time: talk through your recommendations to a friend or coworker. Have them interrupt you, because you will definitely be interrupted when you're talking to your client. Make sure that you're okay with that, that you can have a separate conversation, then jump back in to the report.

For presentations that are brief and over the phone, make sure that you've already sent your client something written. If it's a report, make it clear and to the point (as described above), if it's not, outline the action items in an email or a spreadsheet, so your client has something concrete to look at as you discuss. I've also found clients are able to digest information much better when they've already read it.

For big presentations - the ones that need an accompanying PowerPoint, follow the same advice as I gave in the written report section: Edit to be succinct, and get feedback.

This is pretty much a post on good consulting

I've consulted clients on technical SEO, promotions / outreach, creative, and content strategy-based projects, and I've found that the key to being effective in every one is a) coming up with a good answer, and b) everything discussed in this post. Building respect and communicating effectively is the foundation that supports your answers in almost every relationship, consulting, in house, or even personal. The key to convincing your clients that their black hat, overly white hat, or completely UX-based solutions are wrong is all sort of the same.

So what do you think? What resistance have you come up against in your consulting projects? Share in the comments below!

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Seth's Blog : "Desire is full of endless distances"

"Desire is full of endless distances"

Just one more level on this game, she says. Once I get to level 68, I'll be done.

Just one more tweak to the car, they beg. Once we bump up the mileage, we'll be done.

Just one more lotion, she asks. Once I put that on, my skin will be perfect and I'll be done.

Of course, the result isn't the point. The mileage or the ranking or slightly more alabaster or ebony isn't the point. The point is the longing.

Desire can't be sated, because if it is, the longing disappears and then we've failed, because desire is the state we seek.

We've expanded our desire for ever more human connection into a never-ceasing parade of physical and social desires as well. Amplified by marketers and enabled by commerce, we race down the endless road faster and faster, at greater and greater expense. The worst thing of all would be if we actually arrived at perfect, because if we did, we would extinguish the very thing that drives us.

We want the wanting.

[HT Robert Hass]

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duminică, 19 octombrie 2014

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Challenge to Keynesians "Prove Rising Prices Provide an Overall Economic Benefit"

Posted: 19 Oct 2014 08:33 PM PDT

The ECB has been concerned about falling consumer prices. I propose that's 100% stupid, yet that's the concern.

When the euro declined vs. the US dollar, the ECB was happy that inflation would inch back up. The fear now is that falling oil prices will take away the alleged gain of a falling euro.

With that backdrop, credit the Financial Times for the absurd headline of the week: Eurozone Fails to Benefit from Weak Currency as Oil Price Slides.

Pity the policy makers given the job of rescuing the eurozone from deflation.

The unorthodox steps the European Central Bank has taken since June – including a programme of private-sector asset purchases – have caused a steep fall in the euro. The single currency is down 8.4 per cent against the dollar and 4.75 per cent on a trade-weighted basis from its peaks this year.

The weaker exchange rate will ease pressure on the ECB in its fight to raise inflation back to its target of just below 2 per cent. Mario Draghi, the central bank's president, has said the currency's earlier strength explains 0.4 percentage points of the fall in inflation since 2012. In that year, prices were growing 2.7 per cent a year.

But just as this depreciation is starting to fuel inflation, the ECB must contend with a fall in oil prices that all but wipes out the effect of a sliding currency. A weaker euro should swiftly raise the cost of imported energy. Instead, Brent crude has fallen 9 per cent in euro terms this month alone. This is the main reason why eurozone inflation fell again in September to 0.3 per cent, a five-year low – a figure confirmed by data on Thursday.

"The drop in oil prices is a problem for the ECB," says Marco Valli, an economist at UniCredit, adding, however, that the situation would have been far worse without the single currency's fall.

"The impact on inflation is already visible and significant – if you still had the euro at 1.40 to the dollar, eurozone inflation would probably be zero."

Pity the Keynesian Fools

Financial Times writers Delphine Strauss and Claire Jones say "pity the policy makers." I say pity the fools who believe the thesis of their article.

There is absolutely no benefit to rising consumer prices. Things are even worse if prices rise but wages don't.

The very essence of rising standard of living is more goods at lower prices thanks to innovation and rising productivity. And there is no reason to believe wages will rise (or keep up with prices) if prices do rise.

Challenge to Keynesians

I challenge Strauss and Jones (or anyone else but especially Keynesians and Monetarists) to prove rising prices provide an overall economic benefit.

Sure, those with first access to money benefit (the banks, the already wealthy, and government bodies via taxation). But that is at the expense of everyone else.

The absurd underlying notion behind the battle cry for inflation is that if prices fall people will stop buying things and the economy will collapse.

Reality Check Questions

If price of food drops will people stop eating?
If the price of gasoline drops will people stop driving?
If price of airline tickets drop will people stop flying?
If the handle on your frying pan falls off or your blow-dryer breaks, will you delay making another purchase because you can get it cheaper next month?
If computers, printers, TVs, and other electronic devices will be cheaper next year, then cheaper again the following year, will people delay purchasing electronic devices as long as prices decline?
If your coat is worn out, are you inclined to wait another year if there are discounts now, but you expect even bigger discounts a year from now?
Will people delay medical procedures in expectation of falling prices?
If deflation theory is accurate, why are there huge lines at stores when prices drop the most?

Bonus Question

If falling prices stop people from buying things, how are any computers, flat screen TVs, monitors, etc., ever sold, in light of the fact that quality improves and prices decline every year?

Deflationary Spiral Nonsense

I have discussed this many times before, most recently in Deflationary Spiral Nonsense; Keynesian Theory vs. Practice; Eurozone Policymakers Concerned About Falling Prices

The idea that falling prices are bad for the economy is ridiculous. Taking out insurance against falling prices is even more absurd.

Ask any consumer if he wants lower gas prices, lower food prices, lower hotel prices, lower computer prices, or lower prices on any consumer items and the answer will be yes.

Keynesian Theory vs. Practice

Keynesian theory says consumers will delay purchases if prices are falling. In practice, all things being equal, it's precisely the opposite.

If consumers think prices are too high, they will wait for bargains. It happens every year at Christmas and all year long on discretionary items not in immediate need.

Asset Deflation vs. Consumer Price Deflation

What central bankers should fear is falling asset prices, more specifically, loans made on assets in an asset bubble.

The irony is central banks create asset inflation by fighting something everyone on the planet should welcome.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Nonperforming Spanish Loans Near All-Time High as Overall Credit Shrinks

Posted: 19 Oct 2014 09:25 AM PDT

Huky Guru posted a couple of interesting charts on his blog today about shrinking credit but rising percentage of nonperforming Spanish bank loans: NPLs of banks rebounded to 16.59%. Seven points higher than in the 1994 crisis.

Spanish Bank Shrinking Credit

Nonperforming Loans

The "real" numbers are normalized to account for a change in methodology. Today's number is just off the all-Time high of 16.73 percent in January of 2014. The "official" high was 13.62% in December of 2013.

Both sets of numbers are "far above the crisis in 1994, when nonperforming loans peaked at 9.15%."

The above charts provide further evidence the recovery in Spain is imaginary.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

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Seth's Blog : "Google it!"

"Google it!"

The job is no longer to recite facts, to read the bio out loud, to explain something better found or watched online.

No, the job is to personally and passionately make us care enough to look up the facts for ourselves.

When you introduce a concept, or a speaker, or an opportunity, skip the reading of facts. Instead, make a passionate pitch that drives inquiry. In the audience, in your employees, in your customers...

The only reason people don't look it up is that they don't care, not that they're unable. So, your job is to get them to care enough.

[You can even send them to DuckDuckGo, if you can handle three syllables.]

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sâmbătă, 18 octombrie 2014

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

FBI Director Warns Google and Apple "If You Don't Decrypt Phones, We'll Do It For You"

Posted: 18 Oct 2014 10:45 AM PDT

The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution is crystal clear in meaning.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

FBI Director, James Comey, an Obama appointment, does not give a damn what the Constitution says.

In a recent speech, Comey warns If Apple and Google Won't Decrypt Phones, We'll Force Them To

Everyone is stoked that the latest versions of iOS and Android will (finally) encrypt all the information on your smartphone by default. Except, of course, the FBI: Today, its director spent an hour attacking the companies and the very idea of encryption, even suggesting that Congress should pass a law banning the practice of default encryption.

It's of course no secret that James Comey and the FBI hate the prospect of "going dark," the idea that law enforcement simply doesn't have the technical capability to track criminals (and the average person) because of all those goddamn apps, encryption, wifi network switching, and different carriers.

"Encryption isn't just a technical feature; it's a marketing pitch … it's the equivalent of a closet that can't be opened. A safe that can't be cracked. And my question is, at what cost?" Comey said. "Both companies [Apple and Google] are run by good people, responding to what they perceive is a market demand. But the place they are leading us is one we shouldn't go to without careful thought and debate."

Safe That Cannot be Cracked

A safe that cannot be cracked and a door that cannot be opened except by the rightful owner is precisely what everyone should want. It's what the Constitution explicitly states. Instead, Comey wants the right to read your papers and search your effects.

"Perhaps it's time to suggest that the post-Snowden pendulum has swung too far in one direction—in a direction of fear and mistrust," claims Comey.

Excuse me, but what pendulum is Comey talking about?

The privacy pendulum has not budged an inch in the right direction. Not one new privacy law has been passed or even discussed.

To prove how much above the law these law-enforcement jackasses are, one Pentagon official stated "I would love to put a bullet in Snowden's head".

No one threatening to kill Snowden has been censured.

For blatant disrespect of the US Constitution, Comey ought to be fired, but there's nary a peep from Obama.

I suggest we need a cultural change from the top down starting with a president who understands and respects the Constitution.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Seth's Blog : Famous to the family

Famous to the family

There is famous and there is famous to the family. Cousin Aaron is famous to my family. Or, to be less literal, the family of people like us might understand that Satya the milliner or perhaps Sarma Melngailis or Peter Olotka are famous.

And famous to the family is precisely the goal of just about all marketing now. You don't need to be Nike or Apple or GE. You need to be famous to the small circle of people you are hoping will admire and trust you. Your shoe store needs to be famous to the 300 shoe shoppers in your town. Your retail consulting practice needs to be famous to 100 people at ten major corporations. Your Wordpress consulting practice needs to be famous to 650 veterinarians or chiropractors. Famous the way George Clooney and George Washington are famous, but to fewer people.

By famous, I means admired, trusted, given the benefit of the doubt. By famous, I mean seen as irreplaceable or best in the world.

Here's how to tell if you're famous: If I ask someone in your community to name the person who is known for X, will they name you? If I ask about which store or freelancer is the best place, hands down, to get Y, will they name you? If we played 20 questions, could I guess you?

Being famous to the family is far more efficient than being famous to everyone. It takes focus, though.

Famous to the family (of boardgame fans) is the key to making my friend Peter's Cosmic Encounter Kickstarter hit its goal. Or Ramon Ray's new magazine getting traction. Famous to the family is what this IndieGogo needs in order to change kids' lives. And failing to be famous to the family is precisely why most Kickstarters fail.

[HT to me, I wrote something about this three and a half years ago, but I forgot, and so did most people I talk about this with, so here it is again.]

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luni, 20 octombrie 2014

Convincing Old-School Clients that Things Have Changed

Convincing Old-School Clients that Things Have Changed

The immediate answer