Archive for January, 2010
Fitting a Little Exercise into Your Workday is good for Your Small Business
Posted by: | CommentsOkay, I know this might seem off-topic coming from a Practical Marketing Expert. But over the years I’ve learned that if you’re not healthy, chances are your business won’t be either. Plus, oftentimes your best ideas will come when you’re doing something totally unrelated to your business.
So to help you fit a little exercise into your already busy day, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite tricks…
1) Take a short walk during lunch. And if you’re not taking a lunch break you should be. Trust me when I say you’ll actually get more done if you take a 10-15 minute break.
2) Get a pull up bar. I recently got one of those Iron Gym thingies that hangs in your door with no installation. I put it in my office doorway, and every time I walk in or out I stretch, or do a few pull ups, chin ups or leg lifts.
3) If you’re gonna watch TV, work out at the same time. I do lunges, sit ups, push ups, and balance ball and balance board work in front of the tube.
Is Your New Customer Bucket Full of Holes?
Posted by: | CommentsYears ago I was struggling with chronic knee problems. So I went to see yet another specialist to figure out why, even after surgery, I kept tearing the same spot in my meniscus.
Back then you actually got to see the doctor for more than 15 minutes, and we hit it off well. Though overall the visit was uneventful.
After the usual exams and tests, she gave me new exercises to do while using a machine that beeped when certain muscles fired. I thought “Oh boy, more exercises…” and went on my way.
Then two weeks later, I got a call from the doctor checking to see how things were going! I was blown away!!!
Growing up working in my parent’s animal hospital, we always called owners the day after their pets went home from surgery to make sure everything was fine. And they loved the extra touch. But I’d NEVER had a doctor call me—before or since.
Yet this small action always made a big impact.
Now let me ask you…When was the last time you followed up with your past clients or customers?
If you:
- Are pretty sure you sent at least one thank you or holiday
card… - Can’t remember…
- Haven’t ever really followed up at all…
You’re losing business—and money—as a result!
Most entrepreneurs spend most, if not all, of their marketing efforts attracting new clients—and hardly any on following up. That’s like pouring water into a holey bucket.
Because you have to constantly find new customers, get in front of them until they take notice, then convince them to take action. Whereas past clients and customers already know, like and trust you. And those who just bought from you are most likely to buy again (and sooner than you think).
But only if you stay in touch regularly.
If you don’t, they fall out the bottom of your business and you have to start the whole process again.
While it does take some work to get regular follow-up systems in place, the results are worth it. And you only have to do the work once.
Below are six simple and effective ways to follow up, ranging in cost from “nothin’ but your time” to a few hundred a month…Plus tips for automating or outsourcing whenever possible.
Cheapest and easiest
1) Pick up the phone and give ‘em a call –
Check in. See how they’re doing. Ask if they have questions.
Often you can have an employee, a call center, or a Virtual Assistant do this for you. As long as you provide a script, and a list of common questions and answers, they’ll do fine.
2) Write a thank you card –
A handwritten card is always appreciated. Be sure to write them right after your first meeting or sale. Otherwise, you probably won’t do it at all. You can have an assistant write them for you or use an online service like sendoutcards.com to make it easy.
Minimal cost and effort
3) Start a monthly or bi-monthly e-newsletter — Use an email broadcasting service like 1shoppingcart, constantcontact, aweber etc. to deliver your emails so you’re spam compliant. Then pre-write and preset e-newsletters to go out later.
If you’re not a writer, hire someone to write for you. Or, buy prewritten content.
4) Send regular postcards –
Use a simple system like my folks did of creating all follow up cards at the first visit, then filing them in a box by month to be mailed later. Or use an online service like sendoutcards.com to automate it.
A little more, but worth it
5) Send a monthly or bi-monthly print newsletter –
To keep costs low, do a single sheet back/front or an oversized postcard. Then pack it with helpful tips, articles, quotes, etc. Again, you can outsource it all to a Virtual Assistant or buy content, if needed.
6) Have a client appreciation party –
Reserve a room in a bar or restaurant, a pavilion in a park, or use your own home or office if appropriate. Ideally, tie it in with a charity or have a raffle. Then send extra invites and encourage clients to bring friends, coworkers etc.
These are just a few ideas. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do it consistently. So start with one idea. Then once your systems are in place, start doing another one and so on.
I promise, it’ll be easy once you get everything up and running. Best of all, you’ll love the results—and so will your clients.
(Here are links to the services I personally use, in case you’re interested…
- Jim Palmer’s Newsletter Content Service
- 1shoppingcart email autoresponder and/or ecommerce system
- VAs who do terrific newsletter content and/or layout (both print and email):
www.keyadministration.com and bsetc.com)
Have you ever noticed how some small business owners get more done than others? I’m talking about increased productivity that isn’t because of working longer days or multi-tasking to madness, either. You know…those incredible people who have successful businesses and still manage to have a life.
What I’ve learned is that it’s not about how hard they work…It’s about how smartly they work.
There was a time when I was new to running my own business and “working smarter” seemed so pie-in-the-sky. It was something other people somehow pulled off. I wasn’t even convinced it was real. I didn’t have time to stop and think about better managing my time because I was working too hard!
Somehow, it was clear that other entrepreneurs were better at doing things that truly created more efficiency for themselves—in how they completed tasks, achieved goals, arranged their day, got found by potential clients, and so on. So I’ve spent the past eight years learning how to make this happen for myself and my clients.
The thing is, it’s clear working smarter doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Most small business owners have to, well, work at it a bit. But it’s worth the extra effort up front to get more done with less effort later.
Wanna be one of those folks who works smarter instead of harder? Here are some simple tips for you to get started…
- For starters, let’s take multi-tasking. Believe it or not, studies now show that multi-tasking doesn’t increase productivity or speed up the completion time for each task. (Just type ‘Juggling Too Many Tasks Could Make You Stupid’ into a search engine for a great Wall Street Journal article by author Sue Shellenbarger. Or go here: http://208.144.115.170/columnists/workfamily/20030228-workfamily.html)Americans are a distracted bunch, and we have so many more ways now that things compete for our attention. You know the drill—the phone, email, Facebook. You may have a huge sense of busy-ness, but don’t mistake it for true productivity. Basically it ultimately creates a kind of stress response and messes with your memory so you get less accomplished and everything takes more time.
Stop doing it and work on just one task at a time until it’s done.
- Create more hours in a day by staying focused. Be committed to setting aside time for doing work with your phone and email turned off, and your office door closed.Few things come in via email or voice mail (remember that handy tool?) that must be handled right now. A few hours or a day later is typically just fine. So actually schedule time in your day to focus on a project, or time in your week or month to sit in a quiet space and do some planning.
- Stop reinventing the wheel! While for most people the idea of sitting down and creating process docs for the different tasks you do seems like about as much fun as a trip to the orthodontist, it needs to be done—even if you’re a solopreneur.Otherwise you end up wasting time figuring out how to do the same thing each time and your efforts lack consistency. Plus, when you are ready to hire an employee or outsource tasks, those process docs are worth more than their weight in gold.
- Get it off your plate! This is one of my favorite solutions for getting more done with less effort…If you’re really strapped for time, or you have tasks you just can’t stomach doing or are bad at, hire a Virtual Assistant (VA).They can do everything from answering email to setting up social networking profiles to building blogs, creating newsletters, sending holiday cards, and more. Some even specialize in online marketing. I hired my first VA 4 years ago and it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done for my business.
- Turn it down! Not the volume—rather, be more choosy about work that you take on. Juggling as many projects as you can doesn’t inherently mean more success for your small business.Especially in the beginning, it’s easy to take on any and every client or job that comes your way because you need the cash. But it might well end up being just more tiring to take on more work rather than adding significantly to your bottom line. Plus, you want to make sure your more lucrative projects/clients don’t suffer from your diluted attention and efforts.
- Make it happen, even on a budget. If you know you need to put more energy into marketing but you keep putting it because of funds there are some very inexpensive low-hanging fruit to go for.Try putting out press releases online, using social networking sites and doing email marketing. And when is the last time you spruced up your personal bio? Or committed to attending live networking meetings? If you have stuff to say that potential clients might want to hear—have you thought about blogging? You can create a blog for free on WordPress!
If you need more info on these marketing ideas, or other ways to manage your time and grow your business more easily, I’ve got another terrific resource for you…
While today is the last day of my f*r*e*e* Small Business Success Telesummit 2010, you can still join in for the final four experts. And you can also grab a copy of the audios and/or transcripts so you can listen in on all 12 hour long calls.
Five of the presentations cover information exclusively devoted to helping you run your business more efficiently and drive up your productivity. The other seven are devoted to things you could be doing to spread the word about your business, products or services and help more potential customers find out about what you have to offer.
Here’s a list of all the speakers that joined me for the three-day event:
Social media expert Nancy Marmolejo, PR experts Shannon Cherry, Diane Ennen and Nancy Juetten “The Bio Whisperer”, Time Liberator Susan Lannis, The Tips Booklet Queen Paulette Ensign, Savvy Networker Zita Gustin, Results Coach Leanne Hoagland-Smith, Founder of the HUBstreet social networking site Nancy Fox, New Business Mentor Leah Grant, Internet Marketing Strategist Erin Blaskie, and Practical Marketing Expert Stacy Karacostas. Plus, everyone receives a bonus ebook packed with helpful articles from these experts.
With the help of these amazing experts, you can get the info you need to transform your business without traveling anywhere!
Phone lines for the calls are limited, so get all the deets and nab your spot right away by going here:
http://www.smallbusinesssuccesstelesummit.com/
If you’ve already missed the live event (the last call ends at 2:30 PST Thursday, January 21st), you can get your very own copies of the recorded audios and/or transcripts right here. Or, if you register on the live events page listed above, you’ll be taken to a page with all the purchasing options.
http://www.smallbusinesssuccesstelesummit.com/sales.html#up
Do you have other tips and tricks you use to get more done with less effort? If so, I’d love to know about them. Please do share by leaving a comment…
The Key to Making Your Small Business Stand Out is a Killer USP
Posted by: | CommentsWant people to buy from your small business instead of your competition? Give them a good reason with a killer USP (Unique Selling Proposition)!
In “Reality in Advertising”, Rosser Reeves (inventor of the term USP) explains the three things any USP must have in order to be effective:
1) Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer. Not just words, not just product puffery, not just show-window advertising. Each advertisement must say to each reader: “Buy this product, and you will get this specific benefit.”
2) The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot, or does not, offer. It must be unique—either a uniqueness of the brand or a claim not otherwise made in that particular field of advertising.
3) The proposition must be so strong that it can move the mass millions, i.e., pull over new customers to your product.
In other words, you need to find something you do or offer that’s different from your competition. And it has to be something that benefits your prospects and is important to them. Do that and you make choosing you over the other guy a no-brainer.
The Marketplace Is Changing…Is Your Small Business Ready?
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s the start of 2010. And business as usual isn’t so usual (or busy, or profitable) for many entrepreneurs AND corporations.
The collapsing economy and credit industry, tanking real estate values, and soaring unemployment have had a huge impact on consumer behavior over the last year. Disposable incomes have gone the same way disposable goods are headed.
Gone are the days when you could just charge stuff on your credit card then forget about it. And there’s no guarantee the home you own today is going to be worth a dime tomorrow (so much for borrowing against equity).
We’re seeing a return to frugality as people on ever-tightening budgets cut out the wants in order to pay for the needs. People are even (gasp!) saving money again.
On top of these obvious signs of changing times there’s also been some less than obvious—but just as powerful—changes going on under the surface. And these are having a serious impact on businesses.
1) Women’s buying power is growing. Many of us ladies are in charge of budgets and buying decisions. If we’re not in charge, chances are good we at least have a say in the big purchases. And we don’t like to buy, or be sold to, in the same way men do.
Many women are seriously disenchanted with the over-hyped hard-sell techniques that have become the norm. We want good reasons to buy—and to buy from you. And we want to know we’re really getting what we need and expect.
Yet when we find something that’s truly helpful or wonderful we’re happy to buy it if it isn’t shoved down our throats. And we’ll be the first shout about it from the rooftops too.
2) People really are thinking greener. It doesn’t take long to realize that buying something used, keeping items longer, and repairing versus replacing is often better for the environment—and your wallet. Or that organic food and gardening is good for body and soul.
Businesses that support this new ethos—from consignment shops to makers of green and recycled products—are likely doing fine right now.
3) Building relationships is critical. Most everyone wants to make sure they’re spending their money wisely on items that will last or have lasting value. And they don’t want to be taken advantage of. That means prospects really do want to know, like and trust you before they buy from you.
So it’s more important than ever to work on building deeper relationships with your community of prospects and clients.
As a marketer (and if you own a business you’re a marketer) you need to consider how these changes are going to affect your business. And what you need to do to make sure your business keeps thriving in the days ahead.
If clients and sales aren’t coming in the way you’d like, I highly suggest you ask yourself the following questions. Then use your answers to help you change your business for the better.
1) What is the single, biggest problem my ideal client has right now that I can help solve?
Once you know that answer, focus on that first and foremost—whether you’re looking at your mission statement or your next product, sale or promotion.
2) What is the one thing/feature/benefit that makes me different from my competition and is of great value to my ideal client?
If you don’t know the answer then you probably aren’t giving people a good enough reason to buy from you instead of the other guy. Study your competition to figure this out, then highlight your competitive advantage in everything you do.
3) What could I be doing to market my business that I’m not doing because I don’t have the time, money or know how?
Most online marketing is either easier to do or cheaper to hire out than you think (Virtual Assistants are the bomb for this kind of work!). It’s a terrific way to build relationships. And the bang for the buck is huge if you go forth with a solid strategy.
Nowadays you need a Website for sure, and a blog is ideal. From there options are endless including: podcasting, videos, social networking, social bookmarking, micro-blogging and more. Of course, never forget the power of greeting cards, print newsletters and direct mail.
4) How can I streamline my delivery, offer more value, or provide my products or services in a new way in order to better serve my ideal client?
Make it easier to want, buy or consume what you sell and more people will. Simple as that.
Entrepreneurs can Get the Latest Information on How to Better Market and Grow Their Small Businesses—Both Online and Off—By Attending (Via Phone) this FREE, Three-Day Telesummit Event. Featuring 12 Expert Speakers Plus Live Q & A to Make Sure Attendees Questions are Answered, this Event is Designed to Give Small Business Owners the Jump-Start They Need to Achieve Their 2010 Goals.
Entrepreneurs everywhere looking to jump-start their small business growth are invited to attend a free, three-day teleseminar event featuring 12 expert speakers Jan. 19th – 21st at no charge. Topics include using social media and other online tools for marketing, creating a more compelling personal bio, mastering in-person networking, how to market your expertise using tips booklets, time-management techniques and more. Registrants can attend from anywhere via phone. The hour-long calls are live and include time for audience Q&A with the experts.
Speakers scheduled for the three-day event include social media expert Nancy Marmolejo, PR experts Shannon Cherry, Diane Ennen and Nancy Juetten “The Bio Whisperer”, Time Liberator Susan Lannis, The Tips Booklet Queen Paulette Ensign, Savvy Networker Zita Gustin, Results Coach Leanne Hoagland-Smith, Founder of HUBstreet social networking site Nancy Fox, New Business Mentor Leah Grant, Internet Marketing Strategist Erin Blaskie, and Practical Marketing Expert Stacy Karacostas. Plus, everyone who registers receives a bonus ebook packed with helpful articles from these experts.
Stacy Karacostas is hosting this event in an effort to give more small business owners the information they need to grow and better run their businesses in 2010 and beyond.
Karacostas, the owner of Seattle-based Success Stream Sales and Marketing Solutions, specializes in helping small business owners take the stress, struggle and confusion out of marketing. She regularly hosts monthly teleseminars interviewing a range of experts on topics important to small business success such as how to attract new customers, podcasting and Internet radio, online video, bookkeeping basics, Facebook marketing, and other current topics.
“I love doing monthly teleseminar interviews because they’re a terrific way to help small business owners get the info they need to really thrive. And my community loves the info other experts bring to the table. This Telesummit will concentrate a ton of great information—from business basics, to outsourcing, to the latest in online marketing—into three consecutive days. The goal is to help entrepreneurs harness the energy of a brand-new year and get the info they need to achieve their business resolutions” Stacy said.
The Telesummit details, schedule, speaker bios, and registration are available online at http://www.smallbusinesssuccesstelesummit.com
Registration is free and open to everyone!
Get FREE Marketing Advice
Posted by: | CommentsGet more F.R.E.E. marketing advice from me!
Did you know you can get your specific sales, marketing can copywriting questions answered by me right here in this newsletter?
Well, you can! I want to write about the topics most important to you, so I LOVE answering your questions.
Just comment or contact me at stacy@success-stream.com with your question. If I can answer it I will. If not, I’ll do my best to refer you to someone who can.
Lay it on me…Try to stump me…I’m here to help!
Repetition is Critical to Effective Marketing
Posted by: | CommentsA while back I was driving through the little commercial district in my neighborhood, when it happened again…
I suddenly noticed what appeared to be a nice, new print shop. It had a big, brightly painted sign and a pretty good sized storefront too. But when I mentioned it to my husband, he just laughed and said “Where have you been? That shop has been in this neighborhood as long as we have.”
Sometimes it seems hard to believe that I can drive down the same road a few times a week–or even every day–and never notice something so obvious. Of course, with the amount of information we are bombarded with daily, it really isn’t so surprising. Some things are just bound to catch your eye, or your attention, better than others.
Now think about how this affects your marketing or advertising efforts…
Recent statistics show that a potential customer has to see your ad an average of 7-8 times before they even notice it. That’s right–7-8 times just to notice your ad is there.
Then about another 7-8 times before they might think about taking action.
So you have to get your message in front of your audience an average of 15 times before they might even think about getting in touch–assuming of course that you’re getting in front of the right people. And that’s a tough pill to swallow for most small businesses. Why?
Because we live in a world that is driven by a need for instant gratification.
From drive-thrus, to credit cards, diet pills and cold medicine, the majority of Americans insist on getting results right away–or at least really darn quick. But there is nothing fast, exciting or sexy about putting your name and message in front of someone over and over again.
The result? Most small business marketing campaigns are developed and executed with an eye towards getting customers in the door right now. And most fail miserably.
I’ve seen clients place a $1000 ad two times, then quit when they didn’t get any response. Or spend their entire marketing budget on a half-page Yellow Pages Ad that brings in a handful of clients at best. Then there was the client who insisted direct mail would not work for them. But when they tried it, they’d sent out just one letter.
What did all of these strategies have in common? They didn’t get in front of their customers enough times to even get noticed–let alone drive sales.
If you really want your marketing and sales campaigns to be wildly successful, you can’t be focused on getting instant results. And you can’t be changing your tactics, brand or message constantly.
Instead, think of marketing your business as being a lot like growing a garden…
Once you plant the seeds, you have to keep watering regularly or the plants just won’t grow. And you can’t expect to have ripe vegetables tomorrow.
It has often been said that a mediocre marketing campaign executed on a regular basis is 100 times more effective than a fantastic campaign executed once or twice.
Successful Real Estate agents are pros at this. Basically, they start mailing post cards, newsletters, etc. to a select group of folks on a regular basis. And they keep it up for months–or even years–at a time.
They know eventually someone on their mailing list is likely to need their services. And whose name is that person going to remember??? The one they’ve been seeing twice a month for the past year–of course!
So the next time you’re planning your marketing, think like a farmer. And keep these few simple rules in mind…
- It’s better to take out 10 small ads than one big one
- One sales letter or postcard by itself–no matter how well
written–rarely gets stellar results
- Choose repeatable ways to stay in front of your customers like
newsletters, greeting cards, or magazine articles
- Monthly is good, bi-weekly is better, weekly is best
- Mixing and matching leads to better results (use a postcard to drive business to your Website. Or combine email, direct mail and classified ads to promote your new service. The options are endless.)
- Frequency and consistency are critical to success
- Better done than perfect
- Commit to any new strategy for a minimum of 3-6 months
When you focus on marketing and growing your business over time, you reap a much bigger harvest in the end. So just stay positive, and stay active. It will pay off!
Need help marketing your small business so customers keep banging down your door? Check out all the helpful resources here: http://www.success-stream.com/products.htm
If You Want to Grow Your Small Business, You’ve got to Attend Events!
Posted by: | CommentsMy first few years in business, like most new entrepreneurs I was nose to the grindstone all the time. The problem with that is an awful lot can pass you by when you’re so focused on working, working, working. And these days, thanks to the Internet and the economy things are changing at an incredibly fast pace.
People everywhere are changing their priorities and their buying habits. While at the same time, new tools and technology make it easier to get your message and marketing out there. Unless you pull yourself out from behind your business periodically to see what’s new, chances are good you’re going to be left behind. That means your business is likely to suffer.
I’ve found one of the best ways to combat this problem is to regularly attend conferences, events and workshops outside of my industry. Because, while reading about the latest and greatest online or in books is great, nothing substitutes for meeting and talking with other people. Or hearing experts speak live about what they’re doing and what’s new.
Since I attended my first big seminar event back in 2006 my business has been completely transformed. I’ve changed my marketing, started creating my own products, help workshops, and even launched a membership site. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t learned how to do it by hearing other experts explain the nuts and bolts. As a result, I’ve made a commitment to attend at least one or two big live events each year.
But let’s face it, shelling out a few grand and taking a week off work to go to a conference or seminar isn’t always in the cards. So the next best thing is to attend live Webinars and teleseminars. These events let you get most of the benefits of an in-person event (sans the networking of course) without all the hassle and expense. And the best ones even let you ask questions live…Something you rarely get to do a big conference.
That’s why, this year, I’ve brought together a stellar lineup of small business experts for a FREE 3-day “Small Business Success Telesummit”. It’s all done by phone, so you can attend every session, or just one or two, from the comfort of your own home or office.
Topics include everything from using social media and other online tools for marketing, creating a more compelling personal bio, mastering in-person networking, how to market your expertise using tips booklets, time-management techniques, outsourcing secrets and more. I’ve even convinced all the speakers to stick around for live Q & A segment at the end of each call.
Here’s a list of all the amazing speakers scheduled for the three-day event:
social media expert Nancy Marmolejo, PR experts Shannon Cherry, Diane Ennen and Nancy Juetten, Time Liberator Susan Lannis, The Tips Booklet Queen Paulette Ensign, Savvy Networker Zita Gustin, Results Coach Leanne Hoagland-Smith, Founder of HUBstreet social networking site Nancy Fox, New Business Mentor Leah Grant, Internet Marketing Strategist Erin Blaskie, and me, Practical Marketing Expert Stacy Karacostas. Plus, everyone who registers receives a bonus ebook packed with helpful articles from these experts.
Now you can get the info you need to transform your business without spending a penny!
So what are you waiting for? While the event is totally free to attend live, phone lines for the calls are limited. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level go here and register for the Telesummit right away:
http://www.smallbusinesssuccesstelesummit.com/
What’s the biggest ah-ha moment you’ve had listening in on a teleseminar or attending a live event? Please do share by leaving a comment below…
The Easiest Way to Make Killer Marketing Videos for Your Website or Use Online
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’ve been thinking about using video to market your business, congratulations! It’s a great idea!! And it doesn’t have to be
complicated or expensive.
Just do what I did and grab a Flip mino video camera. These nifty devices are a no-brainer to use. But the real benefit
lies in the built in editing and uploading software.
I’ve taught total technophobes how to create, edit and upload a video in 15 minutes flat using the Flip. And since they cost just over a $100 it’s a seriously worthwhile and affordable investment that sure beats spending hours trying to do the same thing with your old video camera (trust me on that one).
“WARNING! You could end up spending WAY too much for a Website that does nothing to make sales or grow your business!!”
Learn:
If you can plan a vacation road trip, you can write a highly effective small business marketing plan with this e-book!
Discover:
Ready to jump-start your small business sales?
