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Digg it UP - 10 steps to promote your business
You may think you don't need to be creative. But creativity can help you do a better job of what you do. Just look at the military. Who would think that stand-up-straight-and-stick-the-gut-in military needed to be creative? All they do is follow orders - or so we think. But the US military was one of the first modern organizations to realize that innovation could help them. They organized an elite team to investigate innovative giants as well as all creative problem solving methods and techniques. They then applied these creativity techniques to "NATO military, intelligence and political problems," getting inventive solutions to new as well as old dilemmas.<
8) Referrals are a valuable and inexpensive way to find new clients. It’s not about being pushy, it’s about building long term business relationships based on trust. Start by asking each of your clients or suppliers for three contacts of other people who might like to find out more about your business. You could offer to reciprocate and provide three useful contacts in return. Make it a regular habit to give referrals as well as ask for them. For an effective referral marketing system, visit 1quickreferral
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Sometimes I use games theory to help the owners of small businesses gain an insight into business behaviour.Often they start by denying any games are invovled and we always have an enlightening discussion. There are three rough groups of games that I usually see played in business:Zero sum - I win, you looseThe Zero Sum game is the common situation where one player's success reduces the returns for the others. Typically this happens anywhere where people compete in a limited market.Recently in my home town, the two resident butchers have been impacted by the arrival of another butcher: a sales increase for any butcher r
2) Networking may seem intimidating but there are ways to make it less scary. Don’t feel you have to sell, sell, sell - the number one rule of networking is to listen. It’s about building relationships - go to a networking event looking for opportunities to help others. Ask questions, gather information, offer contacts and advice – people will remember you for it. Networking PLUS is Business Link’s popular monthly speed-networking event – for details visit the events section on the Business Link website.
3) Business cards need to stand out from the crowd. Get a new batch printed on unusual material – textured card, plastic, wood – or make it an unusual shape. Offer a business tip or special offer on the back. Include your photo on the card – this makes it more personal, easier to remember you and harder to throw away! For excellent free tips on killer business cards see Card Sharks on the Lean Marketing website.
4) The internet is an amazing market place to promote your business – but it’s easy to feel lost or insignificant. Join specialist forums and exchange links with complimentary websites. To reach a targeted audience, join Affinity Trading Network – an active online network for small businesses. You get a full web profile about you and your business, and access to the Trading Boards, providing an effective way to increase your online exposure.
5) Newsletters are a great way to build up a following, sign up potential customers and provide people with a regular reminder about your services. Write a simple one page resource of news, advice and latest offers each month. Run a competition or poll. Promote your customers or suppliers. Use it to build your reputation as a useful hub of up-to-date information. Encourage feedback, keep it enjoyable and personal. To help you build a mailing list, create a newsletter and measure results, look at Mailing Manager
6) Testimonials support your credibility. It’s good practice to ask clients for regular feedback either verbally or in a quick customer satisfaction survey. When you have a happy customer – ask whether you could get a quote from them. Be clear as to how you will use the testimonial – on your website, in your newsletter or letterhead etc. Make sure you accredit the quote explicitly with the name of the client – anonymous testimonials don’t hold much punch. After all, testimonials can also give your clients good publicity.
7) Cold calling can send shivers down your spine! However, it is a highly targeted way to promote your business. Don’t expect to close a deal over the phone – again this is about finding out information as much as selling. Use phone calls as the first step to getting to know your prospective clients better. Don’t make a full pitch but arrange an appointment or ask permission to send on further materials about your business. And remember to speak s-l-o-w-l-y! For a Cold Calling Crash course to get you over your fears and anxieties, take a look at Do Your Own PR.
8) Referrals are a valuable and inexpensive way to find new clients. It’s not about being pushy, it’s about building long term business relationships based on trust. Start by asking each of your clients or suppliers for three contacts of other people who might like to find out more about your business. You could offer to reciprocate and provide three useful contacts in return. Make it a regular habit to give referrals as well as ask for them. For an effective referral marketing system, visit 1quickreferral
9)
Ah, the technical interview. Nothing like it. Not only does it cause anxiety, but it causes anxiety for several different reasons.How many people will be asking questions? From experience I can tell you there's nothing like walking into a room and seeing nine people on the other side of the table.Second, what will you be asked? You'll sometimes hear people say the questions they were asked in a technical interview were 'easy', which translated means 'they asked me stuff I happened to know'. Sometimes you'll hear people say the questions were 'hard', which translated means 'they asked me stuff I didn't know', or 'they asked me about stuff I've
3) Business cards need to stand out from the crowd. Get a new batch printed on unusual material – textured card, plastic, wood – or make it an unusual shape. Offer a business tip or special offer on the back. Include your photo on the card – this makes it more personal, easier to remember you and harder to throw away! For excellent free tips on killer business cards see Card Sharks on the Lean Marketing website.
4) The internet is an amazing market place to promote your business – but it’s easy to feel lost or insignificant. Join specialist forums and exchange links with complimentary websites. To reach a targeted audience, join Affinity Trading Network – an active online network for small businesses. You get a full web profile about you and your business, and access to the Trading Boards, providing an effective way to increase your online exposure.
5) Newsletters are a great way to build up a following, sign up potential customers and provide people with a regular reminder about your services. Write a simple one page resource of news, advice and latest offers each month. Run a competition or poll. Promote your customers or suppliers. Use it to build your reputation as a useful hub of up-to-date information. Encourage feedback, keep it enjoyable and personal. To help you build a mailing list, create a newsletter and measure results, look at Mailing Manager
6) Testimonials support your credibility. It’s good practice to ask clients for regular feedback either verbally or in a quick customer satisfaction survey. When you have a happy customer – ask whether you could get a quote from them. Be clear as to how you will use the testimonial – on your website, in your newsletter or letterhead etc. Make sure you accredit the quote explicitly with the name of the client – anonymous testimonials don’t hold much punch. After all, testimonials can also give your clients good publicity.
7) Cold calling can send shivers down your spine! However, it is a highly targeted way to promote your business. Don’t expect to close a deal over the phone – again this is about finding out information as much as selling. Use phone calls as the first step to getting to know your prospective clients better. Don’t make a full pitch but arrange an appointment or ask permission to send on further materials about your business. And remember to speak s-l-o-w-l-y! For a Cold Calling Crash course to get you over your fears and anxieties, take a look at Do Your Own PR.
8) Referrals are a valuable and inexpensive way to find new clients. It’s not about being pushy, it’s about building long term business relationships based on trust. Start by asking each of your clients or suppliers for three contacts of other people who might like to find out more about your business. You could offer to reciprocate and provide three useful contacts in return. Make it a regular habit to give referrals as well as ask for them. For an effective referral marketing system, visit 1quickreferral
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In case you haven’t ever read anything by me yet, or in case you haven’t quite “twigged” my angle yet, then the simplest way I could put my overall marketing philosophy, is like this, Think of a spider, and its web, and also imagine a Fox, and his Cunning ways. To define these as strategies, I would say, the spider was “Catchall” type “Fisherman” strategy ( yes I was going to try and use a fishing analogy here but I have heard some before, and well, it just isn’t fit, ) Whereas the Fox, is a highly adaptive species, very clever, and will be able to figure out where to get food in practically any environment. Imagine, A spider-fox, an animal with all the cunni
5) Newsletters are a great way to build up a following, sign up potential customers and provide people with a regular reminder about your services. Write a simple one page resource of news, advice and latest offers each month. Run a competition or poll. Promote your customers or suppliers. Use it to build your reputation as a useful hub of up-to-date information. Encourage feedback, keep it enjoyable and personal. To help you build a mailing list, create a newsletter and measure results, look at Mailing Manager
6) Testimonials support your credibility. It’s good practice to ask clients for regular feedback either verbally or in a quick customer satisfaction survey. When you have a happy customer – ask whether you could get a quote from them. Be clear as to how you will use the testimonial – on your website, in your newsletter or letterhead etc. Make sure you accredit the quote explicitly with the name of the client – anonymous testimonials don’t hold much punch. After all, testimonials can also give your clients good publicity.
7) Cold calling can send shivers down your spine! However, it is a highly targeted way to promote your business. Don’t expect to close a deal over the phone – again this is about finding out information as much as selling. Use phone calls as the first step to getting to know your prospective clients better. Don’t make a full pitch but arrange an appointment or ask permission to send on further materials about your business. And remember to speak s-l-o-w-l-y! For a Cold Calling Crash course to get you over your fears and anxieties, take a look at Do Your Own PR.
8) Referrals are a valuable and inexpensive way to find new clients. It’s not about being pushy, it’s about building long term business relationships based on trust. Start by asking each of your clients or suppliers for three contacts of other people who might like to find out more about your business. You could offer to reciprocate and provide three useful contacts in return. Make it a regular habit to give referrals as well as ask for them. For an effective referral marketing system, visit 1quickreferral
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Years ago I used to focus on the worst members of the audience. The ones who crossed their arms and legs, never smiled, hardly said a word or took a single note throughout the day. I felt the need to ‘win them over’ to prove my ability as a speaker and a trainer.I’ve learned something over the years: Some people do not want to be won over – and that’s OK.Now I focus on the audience members who do respond with smiling, nodding, taking notes, asking questions and laughing along with my stories. This gives me a lot more energy when I work, and also makes those participants feel appreciated.And guess what? By the end of my presentations, most of
6) Testimonials support your credibility. It’s good practice to ask clients for regular feedback either verbally or in a quick customer satisfaction survey. When you have a happy customer – ask whether you could get a quote from them. Be clear as to how you will use the testimonial – on your website, in your newsletter or letterhead etc. Make sure you accredit the quote explicitly with the name of the client – anonymous testimonials don’t hold much punch. After all, testimonials can also give your clients good publicity.
7) Cold calling can send shivers down your spine! However, it is a highly targeted way to promote your business. Don’t expect to close a deal over the phone – again this is about finding out information as much as selling. Use phone calls as the first step to getting to know your prospective clients better. Don’t make a full pitch but arrange an appointment or ask permission to send on further materials about your business. And remember to speak s-l-o-w-l-y! For a Cold Calling Crash course to get you over your fears and anxieties, take a look at Do Your Own PR.
8) Referrals are a valuable and inexpensive way to find new clients. It’s not about being pushy, it’s about building long term business relationships based on trust. Start by asking each of your clients or suppliers for three contacts of other people who might like to find out more about your business. You could offer to reciprocate and provide three useful contacts in return. Make it a regular habit to give referrals as well as ask for them. For an effective referral marketing system, visit 1quickreferral
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Who is a great manager? Well, this question can have many answers but anyone running a management training program or management training course will tell you that – A great manager is a great communicator. This does not mean however, that all the other skills that a manager possesses are redundant. That is not what it means. But, unless you are a good communicator you cannot be a good manager.Management training programs and management training courses will point out that good communication skills are of paramount importance to a manager. A manager has to be a great communicator if he wants to become a great manager. A great manager is one who has a visi
8) Referrals are a valuable and inexpensive way to find new clients. It’s not about being pushy, it’s about building long term business relationships based on trust. Start by asking each of your clients or suppliers for three contacts of other people who might like to find out more about your business. You could offer to reciprocate and provide three useful contacts in return. Make it a regular habit to give referrals as well as ask for them. For an effective referral marketing system, visit 1quickreferral
9) Press releases must be targeted. There is little point sending round a generic press release to hundreds of newspapers. Start by focusing on five publications ideal for your target market. Read back editions thoroughly – understand what kind of stories they like to publish and the style of language they use. Find a relevant news hook and tailor your press release specifically for each publication. The first paragraph is key and must provide the who, what, where, when and why of your story. For excellent tips on writing press releases visit Bizhelp24 .
10) Patience and persistence are the most important tools to promote your small businesses! If you try each of the strategies above and build them into a regular marketing plan, you will certainly boost your profile, without a doubt!
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