Tips For Identifiying A Home Based Big Money Business
Il y a 17 ans
lundi 27 avril 2009
Small Business Advice: Is Your Marketing Upside-down?
When I first thought of how to market my business, ideas for how to do it were things like.. print a brochure of flier, run an ad, send out some postcards. But I later discovered that's actually upside down and is the last of 3 steps in an effective marketing strategy.
Many marketing efforts fail because they don't follow the right order of things. We often focus on the fancy glossy brochures, and the image we project. I'm not against creating an image, by the way, but for small business owners, image is not the most important thing. We can leave that to giant companies with colossal marketing budgets. They can afford to focus countless dollars on "image-marketing."
As small business owners, our marketing budgets are often limited. So when we implement a marketing strategy, the goal has to be "How can I get my ideal clients to take action, respond, get to know me and my business, and choose to do business with me?"
Logos and fancy brochures may get you some oohs and aahs from friends, family, business acquaintances and even prospects, but they are rarely set up to accomplish the goal of increasing business.
From my experience, here's the most effective order of things for implementing your marketing actions:
1) Who: When you think of marketing your business, the first thing to think about is the profile of the person to whom you are targeting - your target market. Who are they, what's their greatest need in your area of expertise, and how do they express that need. The answers are what you put into your marketing.
2) What: And what you put into your marketing is the message that is specifically tailored to your target audience. That message must resonate so strongly with their problems that they prompted into action. Action that makes them pick up the phone, go to your web site, etc.
3) How: The how is the tool you use to convey the message to your market. The tool or the media is the postcard, the flyer, the ad, etc. If you do not first know your target market, then the message will be weak which then makes the tool/media ineffective. Often people say things like "postcards don't work" when the marketing process actually failed in steps 1 and 2 above.
When you finally get to step 3 where you are choosing the tool to reach your target market, the question to ask is "What action do I want them to take?" And your tool (flier, postcard, ad, etc) must lead them directly into taking that desired action. Don't leave it up to the reader to figure it out. Specifically say things like "Call now for ...." "Click here to..." "Go to for..." Always end with a "call to action."
Key Questions For You:
* How can you get so crystal clear on the profile of your ideal client that you're able to refine your message to their specific problem so that you can then choose the best tool to reach them?
* What's the specific action you want your prospect to take and how can you make that action step crystal clear within your marketing materials?
----------------------------------------------------
And now I'd like to offer you the FREE Audio for solo entrepreneurs "How to Create a Steady Stream of Clients And Cash For Your Small Business" at: http://www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com
Copyright © 2008 Allison Babb International LLC.
Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. She is also the creator of http://www.TheSmallBusinessSuccessMovie.com
Many marketing efforts fail because they don't follow the right order of things. We often focus on the fancy glossy brochures, and the image we project. I'm not against creating an image, by the way, but for small business owners, image is not the most important thing. We can leave that to giant companies with colossal marketing budgets. They can afford to focus countless dollars on "image-marketing."
As small business owners, our marketing budgets are often limited. So when we implement a marketing strategy, the goal has to be "How can I get my ideal clients to take action, respond, get to know me and my business, and choose to do business with me?"
Logos and fancy brochures may get you some oohs and aahs from friends, family, business acquaintances and even prospects, but they are rarely set up to accomplish the goal of increasing business.
From my experience, here's the most effective order of things for implementing your marketing actions:
1) Who: When you think of marketing your business, the first thing to think about is the profile of the person to whom you are targeting - your target market. Who are they, what's their greatest need in your area of expertise, and how do they express that need. The answers are what you put into your marketing.
2) What: And what you put into your marketing is the message that is specifically tailored to your target audience. That message must resonate so strongly with their problems that they prompted into action. Action that makes them pick up the phone, go to your web site, etc.
3) How: The how is the tool you use to convey the message to your market. The tool or the media is the postcard, the flyer, the ad, etc. If you do not first know your target market, then the message will be weak which then makes the tool/media ineffective. Often people say things like "postcards don't work" when the marketing process actually failed in steps 1 and 2 above.
When you finally get to step 3 where you are choosing the tool to reach your target market, the question to ask is "What action do I want them to take?" And your tool (flier, postcard, ad, etc) must lead them directly into taking that desired action. Don't leave it up to the reader to figure it out. Specifically say things like "Call now for ...." "Click here to..." "Go to for..." Always end with a "call to action."
Key Questions For You:
* How can you get so crystal clear on the profile of your ideal client that you're able to refine your message to their specific problem so that you can then choose the best tool to reach them?
* What's the specific action you want your prospect to take and how can you make that action step crystal clear within your marketing materials?
----------------------------------------------------
And now I'd like to offer you the FREE Audio for solo entrepreneurs "How to Create a Steady Stream of Clients And Cash For Your Small Business" at: http://www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com
Copyright © 2008 Allison Babb International LLC.
Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. She is also the creator of http://www.TheSmallBusinessSuccessMovie.com
Small Business Advice on How to Keep Your Customers
Whether the economy is up or down, as self-employed professionals, we all want to be sure we're doing everything to keep our customers. Some of you have shared that your customers are disappearing or just not returning to your business. Some have expressed a concern that their business is viewed as a luxury expense and is the first to go when hard times hit.
So how do your keep your customers on board with you? Here are 5 ideas you may want to think about:
Stay in touch:
Your business should have some consistent method of following up with prospects, clients and customers. If your customers haven't heard from you in months, out of sight, out of mind. Customers need to know that you're there and that you have something valuable to offer them. And speaking of valuable...
Ask them what they want:
If you are not providing what your customers want, they won't stick around very long. And the best way I know to deliver the best products, services, and value is to ask customers and clients what they want and to do so regularly. The needs of our clients and customers change over time. If you asked years ago, you may be way behind really understanding their needs.
What used to be of high interest years ago may have shifted to something new. If you never ask, you never have the opportunity to create something new, tweak your offerings, and remain valuable in the eyes of your clients.
Listen for objections:
When you ask them what they want, listen carefully for objections they share. Too often, we rush to convince customers that their objections are not that important and that they should buy from us anyway. But if it wasn't important, they wouldn't share it. So instead look for the opportunity in the objections. Is it time to offer a payment plan to make payments easier, is it time to add another offering at a lower price point because of economic times, is it time to start offering something new/different to better match their needs?
Listen carefully, take notes, spend time genuinely trying to understand how your business can be of greater value to your clients. You don't have to change your entire business, but a little tweaking wouldn't hurt. That said, sometimes and overhaul may very well be in order.
Create what they want:
Sometimes as entrepreneurs, we are busy creating what WE think is cool and innovative because we have a nonstop supply of ideas. Idea-generation is our gift. However, we should become focused on what our clients and customers want and create that. The other side of this is the myth of "Build it and they will come." Not so. It is not wise to build something then try to find people to buy it. Ask people what they want first.
Ask them for feedback on your product/service: After you have delivered your products and services, don't skip the step of asking what your clients thought of it. You'll never know what opportunities you may be missing if you never ask for feedback. Paying attention to feedback on your existing products and services will give you plenty of ideas for how to keep your customers.
Customers stick around when they get great service, great products, and great results from working with you. But you can't deliver all that greatness unless you're asking them what they want and what they think about your products and services.
Key Questions & Actions:
* Have you asked your customers and clients what they want?
* When was the last time you asked? Have things changed? Is it time to ask again?
* Is it time to do a mini survey to get into some discovery of what will really make them stick around?
----------------------------------------------------
And now I'd like to offer you the FREE Audio for solo entrepreneurs "How to Create a Steady Stream of Clients And Cash For Your Small Business" at: http://www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com
Copyright © 2008 Allison Babb International LLC.
Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. She is also the creator of http://www.TheSmallBusinessSuccessMovie.com
So how do your keep your customers on board with you? Here are 5 ideas you may want to think about:
Stay in touch:
Your business should have some consistent method of following up with prospects, clients and customers. If your customers haven't heard from you in months, out of sight, out of mind. Customers need to know that you're there and that you have something valuable to offer them. And speaking of valuable...
Ask them what they want:
If you are not providing what your customers want, they won't stick around very long. And the best way I know to deliver the best products, services, and value is to ask customers and clients what they want and to do so regularly. The needs of our clients and customers change over time. If you asked years ago, you may be way behind really understanding their needs.
What used to be of high interest years ago may have shifted to something new. If you never ask, you never have the opportunity to create something new, tweak your offerings, and remain valuable in the eyes of your clients.
Listen for objections:
When you ask them what they want, listen carefully for objections they share. Too often, we rush to convince customers that their objections are not that important and that they should buy from us anyway. But if it wasn't important, they wouldn't share it. So instead look for the opportunity in the objections. Is it time to offer a payment plan to make payments easier, is it time to add another offering at a lower price point because of economic times, is it time to start offering something new/different to better match their needs?
Listen carefully, take notes, spend time genuinely trying to understand how your business can be of greater value to your clients. You don't have to change your entire business, but a little tweaking wouldn't hurt. That said, sometimes and overhaul may very well be in order.
Create what they want:
Sometimes as entrepreneurs, we are busy creating what WE think is cool and innovative because we have a nonstop supply of ideas. Idea-generation is our gift. However, we should become focused on what our clients and customers want and create that. The other side of this is the myth of "Build it and they will come." Not so. It is not wise to build something then try to find people to buy it. Ask people what they want first.
Ask them for feedback on your product/service: After you have delivered your products and services, don't skip the step of asking what your clients thought of it. You'll never know what opportunities you may be missing if you never ask for feedback. Paying attention to feedback on your existing products and services will give you plenty of ideas for how to keep your customers.
Customers stick around when they get great service, great products, and great results from working with you. But you can't deliver all that greatness unless you're asking them what they want and what they think about your products and services.
Key Questions & Actions:
* Have you asked your customers and clients what they want?
* When was the last time you asked? Have things changed? Is it time to ask again?
* Is it time to do a mini survey to get into some discovery of what will really make them stick around?
----------------------------------------------------
And now I'd like to offer you the FREE Audio for solo entrepreneurs "How to Create a Steady Stream of Clients And Cash For Your Small Business" at: http://www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com
Copyright © 2008 Allison Babb International LLC.
Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. She is also the creator of http://www.TheSmallBusinessSuccessMovie.com
Small Business Advice: Is Your Product or Service Enticing
One question I often get from small business owners is "How do I get people to buy my stuff?" I'll admit the phrase "getting people to buy" makes me squirm a bit as it seems to suggest pushing products on potential customers when the opposite should be true.
Customers should be attracted to what you offer and should be coming your way checking out your products and services.One thing to keep in mind is that people buy when they're ready to buy and not necessarily when you're ready to sell. That said, there are a few things that make products and services enticing.
Ask before creating
First, it is a mistake to create a product or service before asking potential clients what they want. "Build it and they will come" only works in the movies. :-) Many self-employed people make this mistake (myself included in my early days). Now this doesn't mean you have to launch into a giant market research project. It can be as simple as getting 10-20 people who may qualify as your ideal client and having a quick teleseminar, Q&A, etc. It can even be a simple email survey using www.surveymonkey.com.
Your goal is to find out the real problems you can solve for people in your area of expertise and focus your product or service on what you hear. Resist the urge to create something you're passionate about. Instead, ask your potential clients what would be valuable to them. The answers may at times surprise you. When you create what people ask for, the end result is naturally enticing.
Generalists are less enticing
When you query your clients and customers for the problems they're having in your area of expertise, be prepared to hear some things aren't necessarily the focus of your business. It's important to stay focused. If you try to address all of the problems for everyone, you dilute the power of your product or service. Your goal is to stay specialized and niched. You want to be an expert in your field and if you try to be all things to all people, you dilute your expertise.
Expertise is enticing. You won't go to a general doctor for a heart problem. You'll seek out a heart specialist. And so it is in business. You want to position yourself as the expert in your field and narrowing your focus builds your expertise and makes your product/service more attractive. So think about your #1 area of expertise and stick to it. Resist the urge to be all things to all people. Generalists are less attractive.
Results sell
When you talk or write about your product our service, the features aren't what's important to prospects. Focus on describing the results people will achieve with your product/service. Tune into channel WIIFM (what's in it for me) and tell potential customers exactly what they'll experience with your product. What problem will go away? What are they likely to achieve? How soon will they achieve it? When your product description is results-focused, it becomes far more enticing to your potential buyer.
----------------------------------------------------
And now I'd like to offer you the FREE Audio for solo entrepreneurs "How to Create a Steady Stream of Clients And Cash For Your Small Business" at: http://www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com
Copyright © 2008 Allison Babb International LLC.
Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. She is also the creator of http://www.TheSmallBusinessSuccessMovie.com
Customers should be attracted to what you offer and should be coming your way checking out your products and services.One thing to keep in mind is that people buy when they're ready to buy and not necessarily when you're ready to sell. That said, there are a few things that make products and services enticing.
Ask before creating
First, it is a mistake to create a product or service before asking potential clients what they want. "Build it and they will come" only works in the movies. :-) Many self-employed people make this mistake (myself included in my early days). Now this doesn't mean you have to launch into a giant market research project. It can be as simple as getting 10-20 people who may qualify as your ideal client and having a quick teleseminar, Q&A, etc. It can even be a simple email survey using www.surveymonkey.com.
Your goal is to find out the real problems you can solve for people in your area of expertise and focus your product or service on what you hear. Resist the urge to create something you're passionate about. Instead, ask your potential clients what would be valuable to them. The answers may at times surprise you. When you create what people ask for, the end result is naturally enticing.
Generalists are less enticing
When you query your clients and customers for the problems they're having in your area of expertise, be prepared to hear some things aren't necessarily the focus of your business. It's important to stay focused. If you try to address all of the problems for everyone, you dilute the power of your product or service. Your goal is to stay specialized and niched. You want to be an expert in your field and if you try to be all things to all people, you dilute your expertise.
Expertise is enticing. You won't go to a general doctor for a heart problem. You'll seek out a heart specialist. And so it is in business. You want to position yourself as the expert in your field and narrowing your focus builds your expertise and makes your product/service more attractive. So think about your #1 area of expertise and stick to it. Resist the urge to be all things to all people. Generalists are less attractive.
Results sell
When you talk or write about your product our service, the features aren't what's important to prospects. Focus on describing the results people will achieve with your product/service. Tune into channel WIIFM (what's in it for me) and tell potential customers exactly what they'll experience with your product. What problem will go away? What are they likely to achieve? How soon will they achieve it? When your product description is results-focused, it becomes far more enticing to your potential buyer.
----------------------------------------------------
And now I'd like to offer you the FREE Audio for solo entrepreneurs "How to Create a Steady Stream of Clients And Cash For Your Small Business" at: http://www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com
Copyright © 2008 Allison Babb International LLC.
Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. She is also the creator of http://www.TheSmallBusinessSuccessMovie.com
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