Keep it super simple, solos!

I created the KISS Marketing Map™ (KMM) as a product of Better3, my marketing firm, after reading Badass Your Brand by Pia Silva. I remember the first iteration of the KMM was a six-page proposal for a professional keynote speaker whose market was the construction industry.

It was the first proposal I’d ever charged to prepare.

But I will cover productizing your services and getting paid to propose (all in Pia’s book) in other workshops. For now, I want to explain the KMM and why it’s structured the way it is.

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Use my KMM explanation in this workshop to inspire your own approach suited to your business and target audience

Meet the KMM

I explain in the video the value and components of the KMM. However, what I don’t talk about is the value within the KMM. Nearly every new client I acquired did not have a funded marketing strategy. Many thought they had a strategy, but they were merely marketing tactics. I found that by creating a product that not only gave them a strategy, but a clearly defined implementation plan (what to do and when), they would have everything they needed to cross the finish line and get the results they wanted.

And it works brilliantly, for my clients and my business.

In fact, I have clients that are still referring to their KMM to “keep their noses clean” and focused on a consistent message and tactics that win the day. They are less distracted with shiny objects and trendy marketing tactics. When they stay true to their KMM, they get results.

The purpose of the KMM

The main goal of the KMM is to provide a roadmap of who you are, what you do and how you should do it. Because I prepare it objectively and ground it in a blended methodology which combines many different marketing approaches, every KMM is unique to each client and their business.

Through this process, I am able to thoroughly diagnose, expose and lay out a clear implementation plan that my clients can easily follow. It also opens the door for my clients to continue working with me as I implement the KMM for them or work with them as a guide while they implement it themselves.

What’s in the KMM

Here is a breakdown of the parts of the KMM. I’ll share the elements and why I included them and the value they provide my clients.

Part I: Clarify your 1000%

As a solopreneur, it’s important to know who you are and what you’re great at. Often, it’s difficult to capture and express our perceived value. Meaning, we know what we’re basically good at, and we may claim them as “capabilities,” such as, coaching, training, speaking, etc. when really these are intrinsic skills that our clients perceive of us and want. This is really huge when it comes to messaging.

In Part 1, through discovery interviews and assessments, I pull together the top 8-10 qualities about my client that their ideal prospect would respond to. They see themselves in a new light and through their prospect’s eyes, or needs, if you will. I summarize this section with a brand positioning statement that is the underpinning of what makes them unique and helps them understand their niche.

Part II: Identify who you serve

Again, through assessments and interviews—sometimes I interview my client’s clients—I put together the top 8-10 qualities that describe my client’s ideal prospect. I craft these statements in a qualitative fashion that goes well beyond flat and impersonal demographics. Part 2 drills deep into the emotional desires of the prospect and what they hope to experience as a result of finding the perfect fit solution provider, aka, my client.

Based on these clarified qualities, I use Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework to paint a very clear picture for my client about their prospect. The resulting outline becomes the basis for all marketing campaigns and messaging.

Part III: What you do (productization)

The final part of the KMM includes a detailed outline of productization of services and a “salmon-ladder” approach to engagements. This is where Pia Silva’s “Paid to Propose” product is created (more on that in other workshops).

I create a four-tier business model that visually demonstrates how my client can have multiple sources of revenue which is SUPER IMPORTANT for solopreneurs to have in place. I then create messaging, brand positioning and finish with a phased implementation plan.

Everything included inside of the KMM is to fully empower my client to move forward on their own or with my help either as a done-for-you implementer or tactical guide through PappyClub. Depending on the client, they either have staff that can do the tactical portion but still need oversight and creative feedback, or, if they need help, I’m happy to do it for them since it was developed on my methodology.

The result in my business

Adding the KISS Marketing Map to my product line as my lead intro product has yielded many, many new clients as it makes it easy for them to start working with me because of the low price point and high value—they instantly have a guide and can get into action immediately.

In the bigger business engagement picture, the average conversion of a client who invests in a KMM into a Business of YOU™ (BOY) Generator (my implementation product, basically where I build the entire marketing machinery for them) is about 80-85%. BOY Generators represent 60-70% of my monthly revenue.

It took me over ten years to figure this model out. Now I teach it to all of my clients and it has been a game changer for them in their business.🍀

KISS Marketing Map™ overview—a key strategy for solopreneur success