INTRODUCTION

Hanna Hasl-Kelchner:        [00:00:00] How do you promote your business expertise without going over the top or underselling yourself? Now, whether you’re an employee taking your career to the next level or an entrepreneur looking to stand out from the crowd. When we come back, today’s guest is a business connection specialist who’ll answer those questions and more. And she’s even got a free gift for our listeners that she’ll tell us about at the end of the program. So stay tuned.

 

Announcer:   [00:00:30] [Music] This is Business Confidential Now with Hanna Hasl-Kelchner, giving you the inside scoop on how to ignite more business success by doing the right things in the right way.

 

Hanna:         [00:00:45] Welcome to Business Confidential Now. I’m your host, Hanna Hasl-Kelchner, and today I am delighted to welcome Shannon Gronich to the show. Shannon has successfully gotten over $3.2 million worth of free publicity, and she’s known for having a million-dollar Rolodex. That’s right, a Rolodex, and no, I’m not mispronouncing a luxury wristwatch brand. A Rolodex is an old-school hardcopy rotating business card holder and Shannon’s sounds positively awesome.

 

She’s appeared on television, radio and in the press, as well as co-authored a number one bestseller on Amazon called Law of Business Attraction: The Secret of Cooperative Success, and she co-authored that with T Harv Eker who you may know authored Millionaire Mind.

 

Over the years, Shannon has trained and coached thousands of individuals in marketing, event production, business development and personal growth. So I can’t wait to see what tips she has for you about how to promote your business expertise.

 

Welcome to Business Confidential Now, Shannon.

 

Shannon Gronich:   [00:01:55] Thank you. Welcome. Thank you so much for having me.

 

A BUSINESS CONNECTION SPECIALIST TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS EXPERTISE

 

Hanna:         [00:01:59] Well, it’s delightful to have you. You know, I love that you call yourself the business connection specialist. That is a fascinating description. Tell me more about exactly what that means and how you help people.

 

Shannon:      [00:02:12] Wonderful. Well, I love connecting people. I do that through live events or – or I’ve had the opportunity of producing and – and participating in hundreds of events. So, over the years, I’ve just met remarkable people all the way from business to personal growth to even in the – in the political arena or government where we’re making change to make those connections. So I – I love finding out what people are looking for, what they need, maybe where they’re stuck or some of their gaps and – and feel like I, you know, can easily connect them with – with various solutions that I’ve met over the years.

 

HOW TO GET STARTED GETTING FREE PUBLICITY TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS EXPERTISE

 

Hanna:         [00:02:48] Well, let’s talk about these solutions. And you’re a whiz at getting free publicity. What tips do you have for folks that are interested in tapping into that but really don’t have any experience with it? What should they be doing?

 

Shannon:      [00:03:03] That’s a great question. So, if they – if they’re not tapping into it, the first thing is just realizing that there are thousands of dollars of free publicity with their name on it right now. And so just having that first initial yes, it’s out there tends to get people started. The – the – the next thing is just determining what is – what is going to be a good story that you can share, and I like to look at these three areas, one being community giveback. Is there a way that you’re giving back to the community that you could share some news? Is there a human-interest story?

People love hearing about where there’s been maybe a challenge that you’ve overcome, and everybody, I haven’t met anybody that hasn’t had a challenge that they overcome and much like Seabiscuit or Erin Brockovich, these are great stories that people love to hear about how individuals overcome adversity. And then the third one, which everybody can share, is educational pieces. The – the media is often looking for educational pieces and information that they can – that they can share.

 

And so from that, there’s – there’s – you know, once you’ve kind of determined the story, and – and Hanna, I have – I – you know, I – I meet people and they’re – they’re often like, “Well, I don’t know, I don’t think I have a story,” and – and I often challenge people. I’m like, “If we spend some time together, I could come up with 20, 30, 40 stories guaranteed with – with everybody I meet.”

 

Hanna:         [00:04:22] Well, that sounds great. And – and I’m – I’m sure we have stories and some we might be a little embarrassed about [Laughter] to make publicity, but not all good publicity is – is good necessarily. So, I mean, let’s – I mean, I’d like to tackle this on – on two levels. One is for someone who’s in a career, who is looking to take the next step in their career and maybe would like to tap into some publicity and do it in a tasteful manner. What kind of things could they be talking about? Let’s – let’s prime the pump a little bit for them.

 

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS EXPERTISE TO ADVANCE YOUR CAREER

 

Shannon:      [00:05:00] Perfect. That’s great. So, one of the things if somebody is in their career and – and – and that is – is really I like to ask the question is what is the problem that you’re solving? What’s the challenge that you – that you’re seeing? What are the questions that people are asking you? So any time you can share information on that, that is – that is great for your readers.

 

The other thing is, is – is there something that they’re – that they’re passionate about within their work, maybe in their career? You know, they’re working and they love what they’re doing but they see that the – the organization might be missing some cause piece or – or some part of giving back. I love, you know, cause marketing, making a difference, giving back to the community.

 

WAYS TO CONNECT WITH MEDIA TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS EXPERTISE

So, maybe there’s pieces that they can either connect with HARO, HARO.com, Help A Reporter Out; these are news, radio, blog writers, TV, all of them will actually go there and post stories that they’re looking for. So I find often there’s a wide range of things that they could share. So, it’s really getting in touch in your career. What are those things that you’re passionate about or what are the problems that you see that – that you might be able to share those solutions for?

 

Hanna:         [00:06:09] I like that you mentioned HARO because it’s not like somebody is necessarily looking for an individual to write an article. They may be looking for someone that they could quote, which is a great way to promote your business expertise.

 

Shannon:      [00:06:24] You know, I’ve been able to help clients get booked on Bloomberg, featured in books and – and all – all types of things, you know, just being a part of HARO.

 

Hanna:         [00:06:34] Excellent, excellent. And that – that website again, let’s – let’s give the – our listeners that again.

 

Shannon:      [00:06:40] H-A-R-O which stands for Help A Reporter Out dot-com.

 

Hanna:         [00:06:45] Dot-com. Okay. Com, not org. All right, very good. Very good. Now, what’s the best way for somebody to establish their credentials with like a reporter?

 

HOW TO USE A POWER BIO TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS EXPERTISE

 

Shannon:      [00:06:59] Well, I believe that everybody – this is – and this is interesting, Hanna, because this is one of the most challenging pieces that people have is talking about themselves. But creating your power bio or I call your expert power bio is essential, whether you’re in a career or you’re in a business.

 

That bio is what people get to see about you and your past and what you’ve accomplished and how you’ve made an impact in the world. And so, I find having that and submitting that, I actually use my bio with proposals, with everything I do. I think that it is essential and – and for me, what happened was just I wasn’t really using my bio, and I – I – once I started using it, I started getting higher paid clients, started – you know, it was easier for people to intro-introduce me. And then I found that I didn’t have to talk about myself. It was like I could just easily share, “Send me your bio so I can get to know you. And – and here’s mine.”

 

So, I really think that the – the, you know, the major piece of what we do anywhere in the world is – is having that what I call expert power bio together and being okay with bragging. I mean, a lot of people might be humble or – or – or nervous about sharing certain things or they disconnect their past to their present.

 

And so, you know, I’ve found that I haven’t met anybody where they did something in their past and we – we can always create a way to where that can have an impact on what they’re doing now.

 

HOW A POWER BIO DIFFERS FROM A LINKEDIN BIO

 

Hanna:         [00:08:30] Well, this power bio is intriguing. How does that differ from let’s say what somebody has on LinkedIn?

 

Shannon:      [00:08:39] So LinkedIn, and I have a great friend who does LinkedIn and I’m sure you have some great podcasts where you’ve interviewed – you’ve interviewed some amazing people. So, LinkedIn, you know, at least what I’ve been advised is a little more personal. You want to write it as if you’re talking to the person. So you would use first person. If you look at mine, I – I haven’t followed that rule yet [Laughter] but I’ve been – I’ve been told that.

 

So this is written in third person. I love having people include numbers or stats. Often we can share maybe who you’ve learned from or studied with or spoke with or – you know, with – with you, Hanna, you – you know, listing the number of years of podcasts or how many you’ve interviewed. So, it’s that time to really brag about what you’ve – what you’ve accomplished or who you’ve played with.

 

Hanna:         [00:09:28] How long should it be? Because I…

 

Shannon:      [00:09:29] In third person.

 

Hanna:         [00:09:30] Yes, in third person. Because I can imagine that people that are introverts that don’t like to brag about themselves to begin with, they’re like, “Okay, I did X, Y, Z,” and – and that doesn’t tell you a whole lot. And then you’ve got the people that start with, “Well, in kindergarten, I got the award for the – the best show and tell,” and you’re like, “Oh my God, how long is this going to take?”

 

[Laughter] you know, right? So – so, what’s a good length then? And, you know, you – you mentioned some of the highlights to include, which I love that the idea about numbers and, you know, maybe who you’ve studied with. If it’s somebody that is prominent in the field, that certainly makes a lot of sense, or places that you’ve worked.

 

But, you know, what is a good length? Are we talking one page, a half a page, two paragraphs, three pages? Tell me.

 

Shannon:      [00:10:19] [Laughter] So when I – when we work with people, we – we make a long one first and it can be five to six paragraphs. And, you know, like the last paragraphs, usually a few sentences, that’s just to get the baseline. So, if you were to look in my file right now, you would see that I have about 15 bios, but it’s pulled out in pieces from that long bio.

 

So if somebody wants to talk about raising capital, then I can pull out from that first one and use that shorter bio. So you always want to share what you – you know, what people are asking for. You don’t want to give too much, but when I’m doing a proposal or I’m speaking or, you know, somewhere where I’m kind of pitching myself, right, or, you know, you want people to know who you are, then I do send the longer one.

 

But no more than a page, you know, no more than a – than a – you know, if it’s on a Word document, no more than a – than a page.

 

MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN TRYING TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS EXPERTISE

 

Hanna:         [00:11:11] Very good. Very good. We got some guidelines here. I like that. That’s very helpful. Now, whether you’re trying to get the attention of a reporter through HARO or some other media outlet, in your experience, what are some big boo-boos that people make in trying to get somebody’s attention?

 

Shannon:      [00:11:34] They don’t pick up the phone. They don’t make a call. They don’t follow up. They – they think that just sending out something is – is that – that people should pick it up, and – and so that’s the first mistake. It’s like there – there’s – there’s got to be that – that personal touch, that connection, that – that follow-up. The second thing would be also expecting a no.

 

So a lot of times people, they get a no and they give up. And that to me, it’s just like, “No, not right now,” and – and one of my favorite stories is – is I – I keep going until they print. Like it’s not a no until they – until they print. And I remember, you know, submitting it, “No, we didn’t – you know, we’re not looking for something like this,” so I kind of changed it a little bit and, “No, it’s not the right department. No, we didn’t get it.” And – and so I followed up 13 times, and it was like that night I was saying, “Oh, darn, I didn’t – you know, I didn’t get this one in.”

 

And not even 30 minutes later, I got a call from the editor and they had one solid page remnant and they did a full entire page on this story. So, it’s that – that place of – of not giving up. And then I have a third one if I could share that real quick, Hanna.

 

Hanna:         [00:12:47] Yeah, please.

 

Shannon:      [00:12:48] It’s talking too much. So when you get on with the media, you got to be really mindful of with – if they ask a question, especially if it’s like in a, you know, written interview, pause and stop. Be really mindful of – don’t firehose them.

 

HOW TO REDIRECT A QUESTION YOU DON’T WANT TO ANSWER IN AN INTERVIEW

 

I’ve – I’ve gotten people in front of the media and they’re ready to do an article and then the person kind of talks their way out of it. So we just got to really pay attention to what they’re asking and – and answer it quickly, clearly and concisely. And if they ask you a question, you know, let’s say you’re live on TV or live on the radio and it’s something that you – you know, you’re like, “Whoa. I don’t want to go in this direction,” you know, just say, “Thank you. That’s a great question. What I’d love to share is this,” and just share what – you know, what can relate to that and – and – and be a value to that but – but take control of that interview.

 

Hanna:         [00:13:37] So that good redirect. That takes practice.

 

Shannon:      [00:13:42] [Laughter] It – it does. And it’s so funny. I learned that from one of my – my dear friends, Jill Lublin, and I remember her telling me this and I’m like, “I’ve never had to use that.” I’m going, “Who? Why would you use that?”

 

And I remember flying home from meeting with her and I thought, “Ooh, this was destiny helping me here,” and I got into the TV station and I got on and the first question, I – I couldn’t believe the guy asked it. I don’t know if he had a bad day. [Laughter] I have no idea what happened. But it was – it was really beautiful that I had that tool of “Wow, that’s a great question. What I’d like to share is this.”

 

Hanna:         [00:14:15] [Laughter] You know, it reminds me of an – an old Peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown is cramming for a test and he knows all the facts and data about Greenland; the population, its exports, how many acres, just on and on, Greenland. He gets to the test and what is the question? Write an essay about Iceland.

 

So he writes, “Iceland, not to be confused with Greenland which has boom, boom, boom, boom,” then he goes down to this. So… [Laughter]

 

Shannon:      [00:14:42] [Laughter] Oh, that’s a great one.

 

Hanna:         [00:14:46] [Laughter] So yes, so the ability to redirect is very powerful. I mean – and I’m sure if you – if you ever watch, I’m talking to listeners now, cable news and, you know, why is it that some of these people don’t answer a question directly? [Laughter] It’s not like they’re deaf and they didn’t hear it. They don’t want to answer it. They want to go on their little – little jaunt so… But – but they do it in a graceful way to – to still showcase…

 

Shannon:      [00:15:10] Yes.

 

HOW MEDIA TRAINING CAN HELP PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS EXPERTISE

 

Hanna:         [00:15:11] …your business expertise. I think that is the skill that people can practice. And when it comes to practice, what are your thoughts about people doing media training?

 

Shannon:      [00:15:22] Oh, I think – I think it’s great. I think media training is great. And – and how I tell a lot of people is – is to just, you know, go to Radio Guest List and apply and just go – go do it. And so yes, media training is wonderful. Speaking training is wonderful. Toastmasters is – is dynamite. I have to say the – the most challenging for people is usually those first one to three events, [Laughter] speaking gigs or – or interviews, and then after that, it – it just seems to be a lot easier.

 

And there’s ways to prepare when you do media training or when you’re – when you’re working on this to help set the host up and yourself up for – for success.

 

HOW YOU AS A BUSINESS OWNER CAN PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS EXPERTISE

 

Hanna:         [00:16:02] It does get better. That’s true. That’s very true. Now, you know, we’ve talked about individuals trying to showcase their business expertise. How does it differ for businesses, especially small businesses? You know, so many people have – have taken the leap into entrepreneurship and it’s different than corporate world as it’s different in a lot of ways. So, how can somebody showcase their business expertise for their business?

 

Shannon:      [00:16:33] That’s a great question. So the one thing is, you know, the – the power bio. That – having that in place and being comfortable with – with sharing that and including that in – in everything you do whether it’s brochures or articles or any of those pieces. The other piece is, is find those areas that you are an expert and share that.

So whether that be with video – video or press releases or, you know, articles, really find those areas and – and share those. And I’m big on – you know, people stand out when they avoid talking bad about others. [Laughter] So, for me, I love experts that just show their expertise. It’s okay to do a comparison. You know, “Hey, this is one of the things that we do different, or here’s some of the things that are strengths,” but really avoiding talking – don’t use that strategy of talking bad about other people as a way to get ahead. It – you know, a lot of people from – me for example, I just – I – I – I – it’s not attractive.

 

Hanna:         [00:17:32] Yeah, definitely. Because –

 

Shannon:      [00:17:33] I hope it’s okay I said that.

 

Hanna:         [00:17:34] No, I – I think that’s very valid because think about it, if somebody is going talk ill about a Competitor X, they’ll talk ill about you too. So, you know, it just – it just – civility goes a lot further, let’s put it that way. There’s – there’s nice ways to point out differences and set yourself apart, as you just mentioned. So, you know, “We do things differently.” You know, “Unlike such and such, we do this and we – we – it works for us.” So that’s – that’s really, really good.

 

HOW A BUSINESS CAN START PROMOTING THEIR BUSINESS EXPERTISE

 

If somebody wanted to start promoting their business expertise, what’s one small thing they could do in order to get started? Whether it’s an individual – I mean besides th-the power bio. You know, that exercise is – is really I don’t want to say powerful ‘cause I’m just repeating myself [Laughter] but – but it-it’s a really meaningful exercise to – to really go back and do some data mining in your career or your business life about the good things that have happened and how they connect. It’s like a big jigsaw puzzle.

 

So, I would imagine that helps people zero in on the – the good things that they have to offer and how they are different. But besides the power bio, so let’s say you’ve got that in place, now what?

 

Shannon:      [00:19:00] Yes, so I would start compiling your media kit. Two things. I would start compiling your media kit. That would be crafting a press release, getting your company material together, your brochure, business cards, those pieces. Make sure if you have an order form or a list of the things that you – that you do, that those are – you know, those are already in place. You want to be ready.

 

There’s nothing worse than sitting on the phone and somebody says, “Hey, send me this,” and you don’t have those pieces together. So you want to be ready.

 

The next thing is, I love telling people to get started with that Radio Guest List. There’s also SpeakerTunity, there’s – there’s a lot of organizations where you can get a – a list and apply and send them your information, answer a few questions and get booked. And so these services can be really powerful. And again, if somebody doesn’t have a big budget or they just want to get their feet wet, radioguestlist.com or SpeakerTunity are some great places that you can – you can apply.

 

Hanna:         [00:19:55] I know we kind of teased our listeners a little bit in the beginning by saying that there might be a gift that you would have for them. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

 

SHANNON’S GIFT TO LISTENERS

 

Shannon:      [00:20:06] Yes. Thank you so much for letting me give a gift. That just says so much for you as a host and – and what – that you love your – your audience. So, I wrote a book on – on how I went out and got millions of dollars in free press, and it has templates, it has power words that you can use. It has the – the key elements of the expert power bio. And so I would love to give that away for free. If people go to mediamagicbook.com, they can – they can access that book and those resources. And it’s like a workbook.

 

It’s really something that, you know, I’ve had people contact me and then they fill in the blanks of various things. It takes you through step by step in developing that media kit.

 

Hanna:         [00:20:50] Excellent. Well, Shannon, this has really been great. And I’m sure if we talked a little bit longer, we [Laughter] could cover a whole lot more, but – but I’m afraid our time is winding down.

 

So if you’re listening and you’d like to contact Shannon, learn more about her work and how to promote your business expertise, we’re going to have that information in the show notes at businessconfidentialradio.com, along with the link to her special gift, the Media Magic Book.

 

And if you know someone who could benefit from Shannon’s advice or someone who wants to take their career or business to the next level, please tell them about today’s episode. Share the link to the show and leave a positive review on your podcast app so that other people can hear about it and see it too. Or, this is a great link, lovethepodcast.com/BusinessConfidential.

 

So yes, you have been listening to Business Confidential Now with Hanna Hasl-Kelchner. Have a great day and an even better tomorrow.