increased revenue

Some great tips and ideas to think about as you roll out your marketing plans for 2012

By writeminded on February 22, 2012

Do you ever ask your customers how they would best like to be contacted by you? How frequently? Have you ever asked what types of information can you provide to them that gives value to your relationship? Offer them an incentive to respond to a survey for a free prize and you may show your customers you respect the value of their tie and promise not to bother them with information that is not relevant. The customer now dictates the relationship and when they are ready to buy. If you provide too much information and marketing at too high of a frequency they will shut down. If you don’t give them enough they will not “know” you which will never lead to like and trust and eventually try and buy which is what marketing is all about.

Do you send text messages to your customers? People value the email but the text message can be very powerful as well, appear personalized and will usually evoke a response. Ask them a question and see if they respond, they will. Ask them to tell you their greatest concern when using your product or service or how can you improve your product or service – you may be surprised but you will get responses and valuable feedback that should help you refocus your marketing initiatives and messages. Offer them a 10% discount when they do respond or a thank you for responding. Younger generations are using the phone and use email less and less. They are a mobile culture and work better within a mobile framework.

How many times do you Google your competition? Do you look to see where they are weak? Is there any internet geography they are missing from (no YouTube Videos but heavy presence in Facebook) where you can fill the void and create content that fills that void?

Do you attend many network events? How is that working for you? Have you ever thought of creating an event that centers on you and the types of people you want to do business with? It’s a great idea. You are the host. Everyone talks to the host. Give and you shall receive. Being known as a “Connector” is a sure sign of networking success and part of the Duct Tape Marketing System of people getting to know, like and trust you. If you have it in your place of business people get to know you and your operation. Donate the proceeds to charity and also gain the reputation of Philanthropy.

Do you give referrals? Everyone talks about it but it really is the least used tactic to gain warm referrals and easier to convert business. Why is it so hard to reward employees who can actively seek these? They become an extension of your sales force. Create contests – the winner of the most referrals gets a trip to Hawaii. It may be the best money you ever spent and cost a lot less than commissions would. Contest get everyone involved and it becomes fun yet at the same time look at how it’s helping the pipeline!

When was the last time you asked a satisfied customer for a testimonial? If you did where is it now – hanging on your wall? It serves a much better purpose if it’s emailed to your clients and prospects – look what people are saying about us! or even posted on your website. Video testimony is powerful and generates more unique content for your company. Content is king – the more you have the more the search engines like it and move you higher in the organic rankings.

Finally your marketing message – is it focused? Is it clear? Does it communicate your strategy? What makes you different from your competitors? Does your ideal client see it and does it resonate with them? The fact is simple is still best. One message across multiple mediums is how the social media space is leveraged and should be used as any good set of tools should be.

Time to Plan and Get Ready for the Fall!

By marketsimplicity on August 22, 2011

I always look at the summer in two ways. First it’s extremely important as a business owner to take down time and relax. Mental freshness is sometimes the biggest roadblock for business innovation. Sometimes rest can be regenerative in terms of your creativity skills thus the benefits of taking a break.

The second benefit of the summer is it gives you a chance to refocus on the last three business development months. I say three months because unless you are well into the sales cycle or get lucky enough to find those people who realize it’s use it or lose it in terms of budget, you only really have thru Thanksgiving in terms of getting buyers attention. Holidays work well for B-to-C but here we are specifically referring to the B-To-B market.

Many business owners and decision makers also look at the last part of the year the same way so if they are going to reach their milestones they need to get moving and in terms of your product or service so the timing is good to get their attention.

Planning what you’re going to do is the best place to start. How much do you have to spend to get what result? That is the place to start. Focus on the activities that will generate the revenue you need to reach your goal in the shortest time. In my case it was going back to basics in terms of traditional marketing methods such as Trade Shows and Direct Mail.

With that being said do not forget the marketing system or machine that you are hopefully trying to build (If not you should get In touch with me so I can show you how!). The system should have a clear strategy as well as s tactics necessary to achieve the strategy. The system always needs to be fed. Social media and other passive methods tend to collect the feeder you need to produce the desired result of a buyer so don’t neglect them.

In my case the long term continues to get fed by more Belly to Belly in person contact such as Speaking Engagements and Networking. A grass roots campaign of getting out and talking to the people adds this other leg to my campaign without any pressure. It’s strictly getting out to people, exchanging business cards, educating them and hoping that when they need you (and of course you have to stay in front of them for this to happen) they immediately think of you as the one to go to in their mind. They know you, they like you and they have been looking for a reason to do business with you. They trust you because they read your blogs and hear you speak. They visit your web site and find its content useful and timely. Occasionally you tweet something useful for them to go look at or research. You add value to the relationship.

I feel strongly about the Duct Tape Marketing approach that people need to Know, Like and Trust you before they Try, Buy and Repeat from you. So how to you get them to know. Like and trust you? My planning usually happens during a quiet time on a lazy summer Sunday or Thursday evening at a Coffee Shop. Either way you need to find your time, find your place and plan your fall campaign season now!

7 Steps for Marketing Success: Step 6

By marketsimplicity on April 26, 2011

Step 6: Make Selling a System

Often times, the quickest way to make an impact on an organization’s marketing results is to go to work on the lead conversion or sales process.

The lack of any semblance of a systematic approach to selling is the biggest weakness for most small businesses. The focus of marketing is almost always on generating more leads. While leads are certainly important, the obsession with generating them consumes a significant amount of time and money.

Installing a sales system, one that everyone involved in selling in the organization operates, is the fastest way to improve overall marketing results. (We’re assuming you’ve also narrowly defined your ideal client, created a significant way to differentiate your business, and are consistently building trust through educational content.)

The end result for most businesses we work with is that we dramatically reduced the number of leads they are chasing (decreased expense) while also dramatically increasing the number leads they are converting to customers (increased revenue.)

If you’re moving prospects logically through Marketing Hourglass^TM you will notice that by the time they get serious about a buying decision, they’ve already sold themselves. This approach almost makes selling a non-issue and delivers stunningly high conversion rates.

Below are the essential ingredients needed to operate your lead conversion system:

Discovery: You must have a planned response when a lead asks for more information. I know this sounds obvious, but few businesses do more than react. In order to move prospects, you must have a call to action, education plan, and filter that helps qualify and direct leads to the next step. This is a significant step and one that can help you stop chasing the wrong leads while also giving you an opportunity to create a unique experience. Interrupt the norm for your industry here and you’ll help further cement how you’re different.
Presentation: Once a prospect determines it needs to know more about your specific offerings, either by way of a demo or sales call, it’s important that you have a set way to present your organization. This is a point where many sales folks go out and try to answer the questions that prospects have. The problem with this approach is most prospects don’t know what questions they should have; so it’s really up to you to start adding value in the relationship by presenting what you know is useful, while also discovering their unique challenges. This is part scripted, part art, but it should be practiced consistently across the organization.
Nurturing: Depending upon the buying habits of your ideal customer or sales cycle for your particular industry, you will need a systematic approach for keeping leads that are starting an information seeking process warm as they move towards a buying decision. This is a place where technology can certainly help you make automated contacts via email or snail mail. Creating planned education events, such as online seminars and peer-to-peer panel discussions, is also another very effective way to nurture leads and continue to educate.
Transaction: For many in selling, the game ends when the customer says yes. Your lead conversion system must be created in a way that delivers the same experience once a prospect becomes a customer as was delivered throughout the courting period. The best way to do this is through a planned orientation process where you continue the educational approach by teaching the customer how to get the most from what they’ve agreed to buy. This can be through a simple training video or a more elaborate new customer process, but this important step leads to a smooth transition from prospect to customer and often sets the tone for additional purchases and referrals.
Review: Your selling system won’t be complete until you create a process that allows you to measure and communicate the results your customers are experiencing. One of the best ways to do this is through some form of a planned results review process. By setting the expectation for this process up front you send a very strong signal that results matter, but you also get the opportunity to address issues that didn’t go as expected, as well as collect client success stories and testimonials from your happiest clients.

See our previous post: 7 Steps for Marketing Success: Step 5

Time to Plan and Get Ready for the Fall!

7 Steps for Marketing Success: Step 6

Step 6: Make Selling a System

WE ARE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS.

We get what it's like to not sleep at night worrying about how to grow a business.

By implementing a marketing system based on outcomes and transparency, we can help you grow your business and increase profitability.

MEMBERSHIPS AND ORGANIZATIONS

increased revenue

Step 6: Make Selling a System

WE ARE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS.

We get what it's like to not sleep at night worrying about how to grow a business.

By implementing a marketing system based on outcomes and transparency, we can help you grow your business and increase profitability.

Our Location

Follow Us