| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
10 Tips to Grow Your Business Plain & Simple
"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value." Albert Einstein Recently I heard a statistic that the majority of businesses operate at 60% of their potential. While I was unable to obtain the source of that statistic it seemed rather accurate or maybe even high. The Small Business Association reports that "2/3 of new employer firms survive at least 2 years, and about 1/2 survive at least 4 years." The language they use is almost as scary as the statistics themselves. This article provides tips to help you develop and grow a strong, solid business foundation. 1- Solid Plan with a Clear Simple Vision- Think of the impact you would like your business to have in the world. Think big! You may never reach your vision but the vision itself is so grand that your team gets excited about it. Then back up and look at what would have to happen to get there. Create a solid plan with realistic short and long term goals. 2- Focus on Profitability vs. Revenue- While revenue is important, high revenue doesn't add value if your expenses are just as high. What can you do to create more profit? Possibly develop various streams of income. What expenses could be reduced or eliminated? How can you operate more efficiently? Think profit. 3- Work "in" and "on" your business- Sometimes we get so caught up in daily tasks "in" our business we forget to step back to take a wider look from the outside. Seeing it through a customer's eyes. Noticing how it fits into the community. Preparing the future of the company. On the other hand, we can get so comfortable working "on" our business we forget to step in to talk with customers and experience what the employees face on a daily basis. 4- Automate and Create Systems- What do you need to automate? What system can you put in place that would free up your time or make you more money? What tasks need to be eliminated, systematized, or delegated. What system would help your employees be more effective and provide the best service? Finally, is there a system that needs to be upgraded? Automation and systems help your business be consistent and efficient. 5- Consistent Marketing Plan- Marketing expert Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerilla Marketing has said that "I hate to admit this, but mediocre marketing with commitment works better than brilliant marketing without commitment." It is important to have a marketing plan in place that is consistently and persistently being carried out on a daily basis....not just when you need more customers. 6- Increase Value to Your Customers- Give more than your customers ask for...more than they expect. There are 3 convenience stores by my neighborhood. The first one built I visited regularly and was satisfied. Nothing unique. The second I visited less than a handful of times and had to wait every time to get checked out so haven't been back in years. Every time I get gas at the third store I am greeted over the intercom with a friendly "Hi, how are you today?". When we go inside they are friendly and always provide my kids with a free lollipop. They even added a Post Office inside. Who do you think gets my money on a regular basis and with very little effort or money on their part? The one that gives more than I expect. What added value can you provide that will increase your "Wow" factor? 7- Innovate- React to the customer's needs before they know they need it. Instead of selling what you want, sell what the customer needs. How do you know what they need? Take time to talk to them. At a minimum talk to your best customers and learn from each one you've lost. Find out what they would like and what their challenges are. Stay current on market trends in your industry. 8- Leadership vs. Management- Empower your staff to manage themselves. Do you really want to spend your time problem solving? Train them well. Make sure they know the vision of the company and they are on board because there is a personal win in place for them. The personal win gives the employee motivation to cooperate as part of the team. 9- Well Oiled Machine vs. Chaos- Is each section of your business operating efficiently while working together towards the common goal? Or are the members of your team expending time and energy daily putting out fires. What change can you make to shift your business out of crisis/ problem-solving to operating with ease? 10- Develop YOU! - Take a minute to hold your breathe. As you hold your breathe think about what you really want. See what happens. Unless you are uniquely talented you probably had trouble thinking about what you want....because your needs were not being met. When you take care of yourself... feel strong, healthy, happy, and have time and space in your life...you can focus on what you want and attract more to your business. Take one step at a time and build a strong, solid business. Along the way build lots of reserves...time, money, space, revenue sources, future products, etc. and begin filling the gap to your potential. Today's Dare to Take Action Challenge:Focus on one tip above for one week. What changes can you make? Take action on one, build momentum, and move on. Starting Now! Copyright 2003 © Beth A. Tabak, All rights reserved. Beth Tabak is a Business & Life Coach, columnist, & owner of Starting Now. She is 100% committed to coaching small business owners and professionals to grow beyond limits, and create the business and life they keep thinking about. Free informative classes, resources, ezines, and more at http://www.startingnowcoaching.com .
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Value of a Good Sales Letter! Regardless of how many forms of promotional material you create, the simple yet very important sales letter never goes out of style. As a matter of fact a good sales letter should definitely be included as part of your marketing strategy for it can be the most effective tool over any other promotional material. Marketing Gurus : Do You Need One? Its become fashionable to bash marketing "gurus" nowadays.There are some for whom the prospect of even looking at someone as a "guru" is a sin. Promotional Mugs: Become a Part of the Legendary Coffee Experience When you want someone to like you, associate yourself with something that they love. Take coffee for instance. Fundraising Renewal Letters: Four Goals to Strive For With Each One You Write In the fundraising profession, appeal letters that you mail to existing donors are called renewal letters. They are designed to solicit a gift, but, more important than that, they aim to persuade your current donors to renew their support of your organization. Five Joint Venture Marketing Skills A Small Business Owner Must Have Joint venture marketing is a lucrative way of leveraging the assets of two or more businesses. It is the fastest way for businesses to achieve certain business goals and benefit their clients at the same time. Linking Features & Benefits I'm sure that you've had those Eureka! moments, too. When a piece of information suddenly helped you see or understand something that hadn't been apparent before. Make More Sells With Colors How Colors Effect Our Emotions?One of the most interesting things to me is how colors effect the way we think and feel.They effect us whether we are aware of it or not. 19 Ways To Attract Higher Paying Clients Some people have little difficulty attracting and maintaining clients who have higher discretionary funds to spend for solutions. Others can't get to first base. What You Must Know When Marketing Your Business Marketing is both an art and a science. Anyone who says differently probably isn't doing very well marketing his or her business. Shine a Spotlight on Your Professional Service Firm As a life-long dancer, I know a bit about the importance of good preparation before performance. Before a dancer is ready for the spotlight, she has to master the basics including alignment, strength, flexibility, balance, choreography, and artistry. Marketing With Business Cards Many businesses today overlook the importance of business cards as a very powerful marketing weapon. Their business cards contain just a name, company, address and phone number. 5 Great Ways to Reach Your Target Market There are many ways to reach out and find the people you are trying to attract for your business. Here are just a handful of ways to get you started:1) Attend organization meetingsWhere do people in your target market hang out? Research this, and then plan to attend a meeting or two to mix and mingle. Who are Those People Youre Selling To? If you're in the IT business, that's an important question.Most marketers are keen to profile their prospects. To Be Successful Sell to Wants not Needs My mother used to tell me, tongue in cheek, that I never wanted anything in my life- everything I asked for was something I needed!! Think about it. We say, "I need a new car. Second Dose Of Marketing Vitamins Organizations often get stuck in neutral when it comes to marketing. Sometimes, you just need a kickstart. Use a Guarantee In Your Headline To Increase Trust Sometimes you can use a guarantee effectively in your headline. Doing so often creates increased trust in the reader. Competitive Research and Google It all started out with an email message: "I am starting a new one of a kind company .. D.A.N.C.E. With Me Recently, a client asked what he could do to help my business, but I wasn't ready with the answer. A lot of us probably miss these opportunities because we don't think through what we need and how to respond when someone offers to help promote us. Set Your Business Apart With A Unique Selling Proposition Unless your company has absolutely no competition now or in the forseeable future, you're well advised to find and develop a unique selling proposition (USP) that differentiates your business from all of your competitors.For you to succeed, you have to identify and understand what you or your business does or can start doing for your prospects and customers that provides them with a result that is superior to the competition's. High Response Marketing With Low-Cost Postcards Postcards can drive a huge amount of traffic to your web site, generate a flood of new sales leads or produce a surge in any business activity you want. And you don't have to spend a lot of time or money on them .
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
