Posts Tagged ‘growth’

Should Have a Business Plan?

Jul 25, 2007 business, small business marketing

Absolutely. Good post on why you should have a (simple) business plan.

How to Treat Your Clients Well

May 28, 2007 business, marketing, small business marketing

Ok, so I’ve posted about bad customer service…but what level of customer service should we expect (or provide if you own a business)? Here are two examples:

Old Navy

My wife used to work at Old Navy. They had a store policy (I’m not sure if it’s everywhere or just in our store) that they can’t tell customers that the store is closing. That’s right, it could be 11:30 at night and if you’re in there shopping, the most they can do is approach you and ask, “Can I help you find anything today?” There are no announcements over the P.A. system reminding you that they appreciate your business but only when it’s convenient for them. “Now wait a minute, isn’t that lame for the employees?” Yes. But Old Navy isn’t in business to serve themselves, they’re in business to serve their customers. Any company that forgets that, has another thing coming.

Lands’ End

I bought a messenger bag from Lands’ End. After about 3 months of carrying books in it (imagine that), it tore. More specifically, the fabric began to tear where the strap joins it. I checked out the Lands’ End website and it said all their products are “Guaranteed. Period.” So, I called them up. A woman answered (not a computer). I explained my situation and asked what options I had.

She explained that I had three options. (1) I could return the bag for a full refund, (2) I could exchange the bag for a product of equal or lesser value, or (3) I could return the bag for credit. Now these were all great options but I still really liked my bag. I asked if there was an option to have it repaired. After about 5 seconds of researching, she told me, “Sure, we can repair it if you’d like.” She then emailed me a label that I could use to ship my bag back to them (at their cost). They repaired the back and returned it to me (again at their cost) in no time.

What did all of this cost them? Shipping both directions, and the time for someone to repair my bag. What did they get out of it? A customer for life.

Conclusion

Companies spend inordinate amounts of money trying to differentiate themselves. They come up with unique logos, crazy television commercials. Viral internet videos. But they don’t do something very basic…astound their existing customers. Do this and your customers will do your marketing for you.

Tags: Buzz Marketing, growth

How to Treat Your Clients Like Crap

May 21, 2007 business, marketing, small business marketing

My wife and I are pretty patient people. We don’t easily get upset. We aren’t picky eaters. We seldom argue. But we have decided that we will never go back to Blockbuster Video.

“Why” you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s because they treat their customers like crap. You’re thinking, “Wait a minute, I’ve been in there plenty of times and I never noticed anything wrong.” Here’s why…because you’re used to getting treated like that gum on the bottom of your shoe. We’ve become so used to mediocre service, that it has become acceptable…even normal. We’ve become so used to shopping at WalMart that we don’t remember what it’s like to go into a store that actually has helpful salespeople.

A Bad Example

Here’s what irked me. A couple of summers ago, my wife and I were temporarily living across the country. We didn’t have family or friends nearby so we often resorted to renting movies. The problem was that I didn’t usually get home from working until about 10 PM and the local store closed at 11 so by the time we chatted about our day, decided what to do, and then made it to the store, it was about 10:40.

We would walk into the store excited to find just the right movie only to be reminded by the associate at the cash register that, “We’re closing in 20 minutes!” (As if I had somehow missed the big sign right next to the door handle that said, “Open ‘till 11 PM”). This wouldn’t have been too bad except that every two minutes, another associate would approach us and repeat, “We’re closing in 18 minutes.” I’d think to myself, “Wow, really? How weird, that’s the same time the girl at the cash register said you’d be closing.” To add to this frustration, if we happened to arrive at 10:55, the doors would already be closed. “Wait I thought the store was open ‘till 11. Maybe you should change the sign to read, ‘Open ‘till 10:55’.”

After two or three nights of this, we got fed up. We decided that we’d go somewhere where we were appreciated as customers. Hollywood video was just another block away, open ‘till midnight and we never once heard anyone say, “We’re closing in X minutes.”

Tags: Buzz Marketing, growth

Getting Customers

May 5, 2007 business, marketing, small business marketing

Every now and then we get into a rut. Business is slow and we can’t seem to think of a way to break free. But, to paraphrase my friend Carolyn, “at the end of the day…the only thing that matters is getting new customers.”

It’s true, you can spend entire days ordering inventory, sending invoices, calling suppliers and customers, organizing your desk, and putting out various brushfires but if you haven’t generated any more business, you’re not really making any progress.

This is not by any means intended to be a comprehensive post about how to get new clients. Instead, I just wanted to point out a valuable post that Carolyn made over at the Hundred Dollar Business blog called, “42 Ways To Get Customers!”

Her list offers some ideas that might spark your creativity again. It’ll remind you of things you could be doing but aren’t. So go on, check it out. Then come back here and tell me your thoughts.

Tags: growth

Do you have a purple cow?

Apr 17, 2007 business, marketing, small business marketing

Have you ever stopped by the side of the road to take a picture of a cow? Probably not. Would you stop if you saw a purple cow? I just watched a pretty entertaining video by marketing guru Seth Godin that describes how to use this “purple cow” syndrome to improve your marketing performance.

Historically, marketers have focused on getting the attention of the general majority of consumers. The problem is, these people are so inundated with marketing that they ignore nearly every attempt to pique their curiosity. Seriously, think about the billboards you passed on the way to work this morning. What were they for? What were the phone numbers they asked you to call? Do you remember any of the commercials you heard on the radio?

Seth explains that if you want to get people’s attention now, you need to have a purple cow. For example…have you ever seen an ad for LinkedIn? I haven’t. I don’t think they advertise. They don’t have to. Their members do it for them. They’ve developed a unique solution to a common problem and their customers tell their friends about it.

Watch the video and then come back here and post your comments. Tell us about other companies (that you’re familiar with) who have successfully utilized the “purple cow” philosophy.

Tags: Buzz Marketing, growth, viral marketing

Out of the Box Marketing

Mar 15, 2007 business, small business marketing

Yesterday I had the opportunity to do some consulting for a local landscaping company. Their business is growing but they felt they could do more. They’re a relatively small operation and don’t have a lot of money to spend so we needed to work on ideas that cost very little if anything at all. I worked with them to come up with some simple, inexpensive ways to generate quality leads. These are specific to the landscaping industry but can be tweaked for all sorts of companies. Here’s what we came up with.

6 Cheap ‘n Easy Steps to Grow Your Clientbase

Start weaning themselves of phone book advertising. Phone book ads can cost several thousand dollars every month and aren’t as targeted as they could be. (You’re thinking, “But people the landscaping ad when they look up landscapers so it’s targeted.” But consider that you’re paying for your ad to appear in the books of thousands of people who will never look up “landscaping”.) Instead, they’ll start investing their marketing dollars into online advertising (Google ads, Yahoo ads, etc.). The benefits are twofold.

That their ad will only appear for people who are explicitly looking for their services.
They still only pay when someone actually clicks on their ad, showing real interest in their service.

Add a photo gallery to their website. Now that they’ll be sending people to their website, they want to make sure the site is ready for visitors. Imagine hearing about a huge furniture sale only to arrive at the showroom and find out they don’t have anything for you to see. Who’s going to pay for a handiwork type service before they know if you’re any good?
Publish a periodic communication. This could be in the form of an email, a newsfeed, a (news)letter, it really doesn’t matter what medium it’s in (right now) – just do something to get your name if front of your target audience’s faces.
Post a small, modest sign in the yards of current clients that says something to the effect of, “Another Landscape Masterpiece by (Your Company) – 555.1212.” Ok, some of your customers may not want you to put a sign in their yard, and that’s understandable. Entice them by telling them they’ll get a free month of service for every person they refer who becomes a customer.
Advertise to people who’ve actually seen your work. Instead of trying to convince people that you do quality work, just find the people who have already seen what you do and remind them that it was you. For example: every time you finish a job, leave door-knob hangars on the nearest 40 houses (10 in each direction, both sides of the street). Something like, “You may have noticed how great you’re neighbor’s yard looks these days…” ought to do the trick.
Partner with a similar company. Typically, the kinds of people who buy landscaping services, also buy: satellite tv, security systems, etc. Partner with these kinds of companies for mutual growth. If they don’t want to share customer lists with you, give them a coupon that they can give to their new subscribers. This adds value to their offering, (“We’ll give you free installation AND one free month of landscaping service,”) and gets you in front of just the right kind of customer. Offer to do the same for their company and soon you’ll be raking in the leads.

Try these out. Tell me what you think. What works? Doesn’t work? What other ideas do you have?

Tags: growth, landscaping, prospecting

Ready To Trash Your Website?

Oct 10, 2006 business, marketing, small business marketing, web design

Ready To Trash Your Website?

Do you really need your website? Is it truly an asset, or is it just another expense? If it’s just a liability, are you ready to get rid of it? Let’s face it…no business really wants a website. After all, a website is just another expense that any smart business owner would rather avoid…and I applaud him for it. I don’t even think every business needs to have a website. “Stop wasting your money!”

So now you’re asking, “Why is he saying this? After all…he builds websites.” Well, to an extent that is true. I spend some of my time building websites. But that’s not really what I do.

Just Another Expense

You see, the fact is that most businesses out there already have a website, and some of them are pretty good. However, most of them end up as another expense that the business just can’t afford. It doesn’t generate revenue, it doesn’t bring in any business, it hardly even has any traffic. If this is the situation your business is in…GET OUT! Stop pouring your precious capital down the drain! Shut your site down forever….or convert it into an asset.

Can You Turn It An Asset?

A well designed and well marketed website can be an extremely valuable asset to your company. But you must treat it as such. Simply creating a website will not bring in more business, no matter how pretty it is. Most website designers are just that, designers. They have no idea how to make your site successful, (most don’t even know how to tell if a site is successful,) they just come up with attractive designs, then build them.

Any Twelve Year Old can Create A Website

These days, almost anyone can create a website. Just hire a local teenager. He’ll download some open-source software or buy a template and get going. But be aware, by the time he’s finished with your website, you’ll have spent much more time and money than you anticipated and the site will be a homely-looking, cash burning expense.

How To Choose The Right Website Developer

When looking for a developer, find one that knows how to monitor your site’s success and make the adjustments necessary to make your site even more successful. This means using a combination of analytics tools, online advertising, a content management system, graphic design, and more.

Tip: Ask your website developer for your website statistics…and let me know what you find out.

You need a developer who can execute all of these critical website creation tasks: 1) conception; 2) design; 3) creation; 4) maintenance; and, 5) optimization. If your website developer does all of these tasks – and does them WELL – only then will you have the valuable partner that your business needs to thrive in the competitive world of online marketing. He will be able to help lift your business to the next level.

3 Requirements for Turning Your Website Into An Asset

An Online Marketing Strategy. To be successful online, you need to have an online marketing strategy.
- How will you send traffic to your site? brochures? letterhead? business cards? online advertising?
- Do you have a budget for generating site traffic?
- How will you want the website to compliment your other business activities?
Specific Purpose. Decide on a particular purpose for your website.
- Is your site’s primary purpose to generate leads? serve as a brochure? sell a product?
- Look at the sites of your competitors. What do you like? What don’t you like?
A Competent Developer. A competent developer is one who:
- understands your business’ needs
- understands your customers
- knows how to monitor your site’s success (traffic patterns, user data, etc.)
- knows how to use the information gathered above to adjust your website for your particular visitors. If your designer just wants to jump in and start designing, step away slowly. Make sure they adequately understand your needs so they can develop a customized solution.

Tags: growth

Google It!

Aug 24, 2006 business, marketing, small business marketing

It seems like everywhere you go these days, everyone’s talking about Google. From “Hey did you hear about Google’s latest toy?” to “Let me Google it and get back to you.” And whether you’re a business person, a mom, a student, or a puppy (ok, maybe not a puppy)…you’ve probably used their service to find a website, an address, a product, a stock quote, the latest news, or even to check your email.

“Great, but how does that apply to my business?”

Well, if you’ve ever done a search on Google, you’ve probably noticed those links at the top and along the right side of your search results. These are the “Sponsored Links”. Basically Google charges advertisers to have their ads appear in those spaces. Now the reason you’ll want your ads to appear there, is because…people click on them. And not just anyone clicks on them, qualified, interested people click on them.

It’s like having a billboard on the highway – but the sign is free, and you only pay when someone sees it and contacts you!

As a business owner, you know the value of being in the right place at the right time and it’s no different with marketing. When your potential customers are searching for your product, they’re expressing a direct interest in it. Whether they’re ready to buy it now or just want information, you can put yourself right in their path instead of hoping they’ll stumble across you some other way.

There’s another benefit to this too…if someone is searching for a product or service you don’t provide, you’re ad won’t appear. Why would you want this? Because you’ll save money by not advertising to people that aren’t ready for you. Its a benefit that newspaper, radio, TV, and magazines can’t match!

“But don’t people just ignore the ads?”

Normally, yes. See, with other forms of advertising, over 90% of ads are of no interest to the viewer. For that reason, we’ve become accustomed to ignoring them…but the nature of targeted ads makes them more interesting to the customer. They know that the ad is a solution to the exact problem facing them.

“But I don’t use Google.”

Here’s the most beautiful part…it doesn’t matter. According to comScore Media Metrix, over 80% of internet users are still exposed to Google ads on a regular basis. That’s because these ads appear not only in regular search results but also on map pages, blogs, news pages, shopping pages, email pages, and much more throughout the internet. Some of the internet’s most popular sites display Google ads relevant to the individual page’s content. These companies include AOL, Netscape, EarthLink, NYTimes.com, About.com, Business.com, Ask.com, and many more!

Of course, advertising can be set up through other search engines as well, including Yahoo!, and MSN. Though these networks don’t have the reach that Google does, they’re not to be ignored. Each has it’s own advantages and is working hard to compete for your business.

“I’ll bet it’s expensive.”

Not really. Google uses a bidding system similar to EBay’s to determine how much to charge for each slot. They also analyze and rate the ads that are submitted. They then calculate an ad’s quality against the bid and determine where the ad will appear and how often. This helps ensure that the ad-space goes to the most relevant ads and not necessarily to the highest bidder.

In the end, clicks can cost as little as $.05 each (depending on keywords selected). Sound like a lot? When you compare that to the cost of advertising in traditional media, such as newspaper, radio, magazines, and TV, (often several hundred dollars per occurrence to reach a whole lot of people who aren’t interested anyway) it’s easy to see the advantages.

“How do I get started?”

Admittedly, getting everything up and running can be a bit complex; especially when you have work you need to get done. I recommend contacting a reliable online marketing company that can take care of the whole process for you. It may cost a little more upfront, but their experience will help you to get the most clicks for your budget.

They’ll set up your account, develop a customized ad-campaign, and then maintain the campaign for you so you don’t need to spend time every day, adjusting bids, etc. Plus, if they really understand your website, they’ll be able to suggest changes to improve the overall visitor experience.

If you’re interesting in giving it a shot on your own, visit http://adwords.google.com. It takes a few minutes to create an account and then you can begin building your campaign.

Consider the advantages:

Reach only those who are interested in what you offer, at the exact moment they’re looking for it
Set your own monthly budget
Target customers in your particular city or state
Pay only when your ads are clicked
No long-term commitment
(Get a 100% satisfaction guarantee when you sign up with StarPointe)

Learn more about StarPointe’s search marketing services.

Tags: growth, prospecting