Developing your Marketing List Your marketing list will be the central point of your marketing strategy. A marketing list should be so much more than a bunch of names in a notebook or on a spreadsheet – it’s pivotal to the growth of your business. For many small business owners their marketing list comprises of a bunch of names and email addresses that they have pulled together (often over a long period of time) from sales and even from research on the internet or local publications. They then send regular emails out with details of promotions and upcoming events etc which unfortunately often end up either ignored or in a spam folder. Marketing of this type rarely works. The Continuum of Behaviour Before reading any further, it’s important that you understand The Continuum of Behaviour. The decision to purchase is nearly always affected by the continuum of behaviour whether someone …
How do I find my niche?
How to Find Your Niche So you’ve decided you want to start a business of your own but aren’t 100% sure what your business should ‘be’? Don’t worry – you’re in the right place! First of all – what IS a niche? Wikipedia tells us: A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focused. The market niche defines as the product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that is intended to impact. It is also a small market segment. In more simplistic terms – a niche is either a product or service being offered to a specific group or groups of consumers. But how do you work out what your niche should be? And how do you know that you can build a profitable business around it? That’s a good question and …
I’m a small business…do I REALLY need a business plan?
I get it – you’re a small business. Business plans are for big companies aren’t they? Actually no – business plans are for ALL companies. Running a small business can feel incredibly overwhelming at times can’t it! If you’re a small business owner then chances are that it’s all on you….even if you have a few employees, you no doubt feel the weight of the responsibility of the company rests entirely on your shoulders! There’s so MUCH to do that it seems impossible to focus on any one particular thing…and then you can feel that you’re getting no-where fast. It’s even harder if you have a family, another job or other commitments as well. Sound familiar? The answer?…yup…your business plan… It doesn’t have to be war and peace! A complete plan could fit on a single A4 page if you have a hobby business. Simply put, this critical document defines who …
Handling Objections
Handling Objections Don’t be frightened of objections – this is a completely natural part of the process and should be expected. Your client isn’t being negative – 9 times out of 10 they are actually just asking for more information or a bit more time. At the same time, when they are giving an objection it’s a critical time to listen to what they are saying. Knowing how to handle objections when a potential customer is genuinely interested in….or doesn’t understand and would benefit from…your product/service is one thing – pushing and pushing someone who is clearly not interested at this time is both fruitless and will give you no chance of getting their business in the future. It’s just as important to know when it’s time to back off. Here are some of the most common objections and how to respond. ‘It’s too expensive = ‘Tell me why …
The Importance of Having a Business Plan
The Importance of Having a Business Plan I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve referenced business planning when working with clients. As you may be wondering what all the fuss is about I thought I’d put together this article to focus entirely on the reason a business plan is so damn important. When I asked my college professor what all the big deal with business planning was he relayed to me a scene from Alice in Wonderland and it really stuck with me (not least because I’ve always loved Alice in Wonderland). “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” asked Alice “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” said the Cat “I don’t much care where-” said Alice “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go” said the Cat Without a plan you are guiding a …
An Introduction to Social Media
An Introduction to Social Media Love it or loathe it, social media is a big part of life these days and unfortunately it therefore also has a place in the marketing strategy for your business even if you don’t use it personally. It probably doesn’t seem that long ago since email and broadband was introduced – it really wasn’t THAT long ago! Now we have social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+, Bebo, Pinterest…..the list seems endless! I’m not even going to bother quoting any stats on here as by the time you’ve read this sentence the data will be out of date! There are so MANY social media sites, how are you supposed to know what is used for what and which would be better for your business and reaching your customers? You need to consider what type of business you have, and what type …
Top Sales Tips
Top Sales Tips Here are a few of the best sales tips I’ve picked up along the way that hopefully you’ll find helpful: When talking to a customer, don’t ask questions that they can answer with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. You’ll get a lot more information from them this way. It’s not what you say – it’s what your customer believes. Don’t ever make a phone call or send out a communication without an end goal. Don’t bother trying to sell a product or service that you can’t get passionate about or don’t believe that you’re offering a quality product or service that will truly benefit your customers. Don’t be late – EVER Stay standing when greeting a customer – or stand as they enter the room. ALWAYS shake hands standing up with a nice firm, purposeful handshake. Ensure that every sales call starts with letting the customer …