What Marketers Can Learn at the Farmers’ Market
08 Jul 2014 Leave a Comment
in Inspirational, Marketing, Marketing TIPS Tags: farmers market, marketing campaigns, relationships, trust
The next stall is similar, except you note that the prices are about 10%-20% higher. Still, you reach out to the farmer behind the counter and start asking questions. What a difference! The farmer comes out from behind the counter and tells you all about the methods he uses to grow and raise his different livestock and crops. He explains what safeguards he has in place to protect the consumer’s health and the experience he has in the field.
The time comes for you to make a purchase. Who are you more likely to buy from? Is it the farmer who just pushed you to buy or the farmer you’ve begun to trust because of his helpfulness, even if he does charge a few cents more? For most people, the answer is going to be the second. When people form bonds with merchants and begin to feel as though they can trust them, they become increasingly likely to buy from those vendors. This same concept should be incorporated into all your marketing campaigns.
Becoming a source of answers and an authority in the industry for potential customers is a critical part of building this relationship. This often involves building plenty of valuablecontent online that customers can turn to when they have questions. Content that adds value helps customers begin to trust a company, their products, and their knowledge of the industry. When a single company has the answers a customer is looking for time and time again, there’s little question who they’ll turn to when they’re ready to make a purchase.
One way to build this kind of relationship is by working to become a regular community figure. Look for events or people you can sponsor to help get your company name in front of potential customers on a regular basis. Being available in person to answer questions for potential customers is one of the best types of marketing.
You should similarly take advantage of networking opportunities and work to establish friendships with many other professionals. As you nurture these relationships, remember that you’re building for the future, too. Even if you don’t get any immediate sales from a contact, they’ll be far more inclined to turn to you in the future if they know you’re someone they can trust.
Taking the time to build relationships with potential customers — by answering their questions, providing them with qualitycontent, and even forming friendships — is a wonderfully easy way to grow your business. People naturally turn to the people they trust in business, so follow the same rules as the helpful farmer in the farmers’ market, and begin to improve your ownmarketing techniques.
Keeping in Touch with Your Customers — Without Annoying Them
15 Apr 2014 Leave a Comment
in Inspirational, Marketing TIPS, offers Tags: Loyalty Programs
When you’re trying to build your business, it’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of the hunt — for new customers, that is. However, as studies from the Harvard Business School show, focusing attention on existing customers and increasing retention rates by just 5% will increase your profits by 25% to 95%!
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes: How many e-mails do you want to receive every day? How many phone calls do you want to take? Sure, persistence is important in cultivating your customer base, but overdoing it can prove counterproductive by annoying the very customers you’re trying to reach. Here’s how to find the right balance.
Make it Personal
Who doesn’t like to receive a personalized card or handwritten note in the mail? There’s a world of difference between sending out an impersonal flyer or form letter and a customized note printed on attractive card stock. Which would you be more likely to open and read?
Send personalized updates on the “regular” occasions — clients’ birthdays, anniversaries, major holidays, and the like — but also consider spicing it up a bit by sending a note or card when they don’t expect it. After all, most businesses send appreciation cards and letters during the winter holidays, so that’s just par for the course. Stand out by also picking a random date to surprise them.
Loyalty Programs
And speaking of dates, choose a day with significance for your customer — like their birthday or the anniversary of their first major purchase from your business — and use that occasion to automatically enroll them in a loyalty program. All you have to do is send an email letting them know you’ve enrolled them into your “VIP” program, or whatever you choose to call it.
Why automatically? Because a key to successful loyalty programs lies in making it as effortless for your customers as possible, without requiring them to take any extra steps or actions.
Artificial Advancement
The other key to successful loyalty programs lies in creating what’s known as “artificial advancement” toward a goal or milestone. A 2006 study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that customers who received punch cards as part of a loyalty program were more likely to become repeat customers if they were given a head start toward reaching a goal. For instance, many coffee shops offer loyalty cards that give a customer a stamp for each coffee drink they buy, then reward them with a free drink once they’ve accrued 10 stamps.
Researchers found that customers were almost three times more likely to use their punch cards — and spend money at a business — if at least two stamps were already present on the card when they first received it. Apparently, customers like to feel that they’re already well on their way to receiving awards!
Make Contacts Worth Their While
Whether it’s in an e-mail, through a printed newsletter, or on a sales call, providing customers with information they can use adds value to your communications and eliminates the annoyance factor. Offering industry news, community updates, or other data that’s relevant and useful to your customers goes a long way toward transforming the way they perceive your marketing efforts. A professionally written and well-designed direct mail piece sent a few times a year that’s packed with info they can use is always welcome.
If you keep your communications relevant, concise, respectful, useful, and personalized, you’ll never have to worry about being too persistent.
Employee Recognition on a Budget: 5 Ways to Motivate on the Cheap
21 Feb 2014 1 Comment
in Inspirational Tags: Break Time, Perks, recognition, Thanks
Why is Employee Recognition So Important?
It may help to think of employee recognition efforts as an investment in your company’s success. While it’s true that motivated employees work harder and take more pride in their work, empirical evidence also supports the benefits of recognition.
A study of more than 4 million employees found that regular praise and recognition has a positive impact on employee performance, specifically resulting in:
- An increase in individual productivity
- More engagement between colleagues
- Increased employee retention
- A decreased number of on-the-job accidents
- A better safety record
- A greater number of positive comments and loyalty scores from customers
Now that you know how important recognition is, here are a few budget-friendly ways to honor your hard-working employees.
1. Just Say Thanks
A survey by Dr. Bob Nelson, noted author and motivational guru, asked employees to rate their most-desired and least-desired forms of recognition. Guess where “cash or cash substitutes” finished? Near the bottom. You heard that right. Only 42 percent of those surveyed deemed monetary reward as very or extremely important.
So what grabbed the top spot? Ninety-two percent of those surveyed rated “support and involvement” from their supervisor as the most desired motivator. Similarly, “personal praise” took second place with 79 percent describing it as very or extremely important. These statistics underscore the impact an employer can have, even without the backing of a huge budget.
Sometimes, it’s enough just to express your gratitude. Make it public by posting a handwritten note on their office door or wall, sending out a company-wide email, mentioning them in a newsletter, or praising your employee at the beginning of a meeting.
2. Break Time
Maybe you can’t afford to give them a raise, but can you spare an hour here or there? Instituting a recognition program based on off-time shows you care without cutting into payroll too sharply. Consider offering an extra hour at lunch, providing an early dismissal on a day of their choosing, or adding a few extra minutes to breaks every day for a week. If you can afford it, comp time is always appreciated and gives employees the break they need to recharge and come back re-motivated and ready to work.
3. Take ’em to Lunch
Recognize hard work by treating that special honoree to lunch. Find out their favorite eatery and order take-out, or go all out and have a sit-down nosh together.
4. Added Perks
Some incentives come at absolutely no cost to your bottom line, but can make a big difference to an employee. Reserve that prime parking space for them for a week — or a month, if you’re feeling generous. Ask one of the top managers or execs to stop by the employee’s desk and offer a personal “thank you.” Post a congrats message to Facebook or tweet it out — with your employee’s permission, of course.
5. Gifting
If you have a small slush fund available, purchase some small gifts from nearby businesses. What employee wouldn’t love being surprised with a free car wash, movie passes, or a gift card to Starbucks?
Whichever low-budget option you choose, be sure to tailor it to each individual employee. After all, thanking your workers in cookie-cutter style doesn’t exactly scream, “You’re special! I value you as an individual!” With a bit of forethought and planning, you can give morale — and productivity — a boost.
How to Make Networking as Easy as Child’s Play
11 Feb 2014 Leave a Comment
in Inspirational, Marketing Tags: networking, play
Networking is an important aspect of the professional world on many levels. If you own a business, you network to find more clients, meet potential connections, and even find other companies you might collaborate with on a project one day. Those searching for a job have continuously heard how critical networking can be for finding the right fit.
While at the park the other day, two very young girls made eye contact and instantly became friends. Without so much as an introduction, they both stopped their respective games, took off toward the slide, and took turns racing each other around the playground. The mothers remarked how easy it is to find friends when you don’t even have to worry about making small talk. How do kids do it?
They’re confident.
Most little children don’t know too much about rejection just yet. When they approach a new potential friend, they don’t worry about being told ‘no.’ The child is having fun, they know they’re having fun, and they would enjoy it if the other child joined them. If the other child doesn’t want to, however, it really won’t affect the fun the first child is already having.
Business leaders need to adapt this attitude. Are you good at what you do? Do you have something important to bring to the business world? If so, be confident in those skills. Present them to new connections, and offer those folks the chance to work with you. But remember that a refusal is their loss, and don’t let it discourage you. Approach the next potential connection with the same enthusiasm.
They have something concrete in mind.
When children run up to another child on the playground, they don’t agree to play together and then idly stare at each other. Like the two little girls, they race off toward the slide or begin digging in the mud. When one child asks another to play, they already have some great activities to get started with.
When approaching another business professional, know some concrete ways you could help them directly. If you develop a software program, when the conversation turns toward business, discuss their current software situation as well as the needs of the company and how your product or expertise might be able to help.
They aren’t pushy.
Like adults, all kids have different personalities. Sometimes one child is shy or may not want to play with other kids on that particular day. If one child says they don’t want to play, that typically is the end of the discussion. The inquiring child will retreat or find someone else to play with.
Networking professionals must also find this balance. No one appreciates a connection who’s overly pushy, even after they’re told their products or services aren’t needed right now. Professionals also tend to dislike those who seem more interested in making sales instead of making more genuine connections. You should make sure to always handle rejection smoothly and, when at networking events, focus more on meeting people. The sale can always come later.
Networking is undoubtedly an art. It requires confidence, eloquence, and the ability to form connections with other professionals to grow businesses and help people find the perfect position for their talents. Imagining a networking event to be a playground for adults can help you overcome your fears and approach the others in attendance easier and with confidence.
Optimism, Poetry, and the Entrepreneurial Spirit
19 Jul 2013 Leave a Comment
in Inspirational Tags: poetry
Optimism is not a trait born necessarily out of good fortune. Edgar Guest was 11 years old in 1893 when his father lost his job. Barely a year earlier, the family had emigrated from Birmingham, England, to Detroit, Michigan. Now, young Edgar had to take on odd jobs in a still unfamiliar land to help support the family.
In 1895, at age 14, he went to work as a copy boy for theDetroit Free Press. This would prove the beginning of a career that would span more than six decades.
At first, Edgar was able to attend school while working. However, in 1898, when Edgar was 17, his father died. Edgar dropped out of high school and began working full-time to support the family. Later that year, his first poem was published in the paper.
Over the next half century, Edgar Guest would become one of the most prolific writers of his time, publishing more than 11,000 poems, syndicated in more than 300 newspapers and compiled into 20+ volumes. He also hosted a popular radio show in Detroit and later appeared nationally on the NBC-TV show A Guest in Your Home.
In spite of his rough start, Edgar Guest was known for the optimistic outlook captured in his verse. One of his better-known works, “It Couldn’t Be Done,” is a good case in point — and a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit we all share as business leaders. It reads in part:
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.
“How Do You Tackle Your Work?” is another of Guest’s poems that sings the praises of optimism, hard work, and dedication — traits we as entrepreneurs hold dear. Here’s a passage:
You can do as much as you think you can,
But you’ll never accomplish more;
If you’re afraid of yourself, young man,
There’s little for you in store.
For failure comes from the inside first,
It’s there if we only knew it,
And you can win, though you face the worst,
If you feel that you’re going to do it.
The full text of each of these poems is available online, and I encourage you to read both of them. They’re a good reminder — especially when the grind gets tough — of just why we chose this crazy life in the first place.
It Couldn’t Be Done – PoetryFoundation.org
How Do You Tackle Your Work? – Google Books
Introducing: Your Next Sales Super Achiever
18 Jun 2013 Leave a Comment
in Inspirational, Marketing Tags: publish a book, sells, write a book
We all want to increase sales and grow our businesses. We also know that hiring and grooming a sales superstar is one surefire way of achieving those goals. Unfortunately, finding and retaining a sales superstar is a difficult task. Until you find the secret to make that a reality, here’s an alternate path to consider for reaching your sales goals.
Self-publish a book!
You read that correctly. One of the best ways to increase your sales and grow your business is to author and publish your own book. Self-publishing your book allows you to present your points to your target audience in an authoritative way — just like a sales superstar would.
Now, to be clear, we aren’t talking about writing a novel the size of War and Peace. Nor are we talking about writing a prize-winning book. This type of book is written specifically to bring you leads and the types of customers who are looking to buy what you sell.
They say everyone has at least one book in them, but no one tells you how to go about writing it. Being an author is on many people’s dream lists, but few go about actually accomplishing the tasks needed to bring a book to life. Perhaps that’s because writing a book seems so overwhelming. “It will take many years.” “I don’t know how to write a book.” “I don’t know what to write about.” These are some of the many excuses that stand in the way of making authorship a reality.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Here are five simple steps to get you going:
- Pick your topic title.
- Make an outline of your main topic and sub-topics.
- Choose three main subjects to write about.
- Think about ways you or your products/services go about solving your customers’ problems. Come up with 10-20 solutions.
- Write about and expand on one of those points one hour every day.
It really can be as simple as that. Within a few weeks, you’ll have the main part of the book finished and ready for editing. Finding nice cover graphics and having it printed is not difficult.
Imagine being able to hand a prospect your own beautifully printed book. Do you think that would establish credibility and open some doors?
Your own self-published book is the ultimate business card — and the sales superstar you can use to grow your business in ways not otherwise possible. What’s more, this kind of sales superstar has no ego and doesn’t call in sick either. There’s at least one book in you. Start writing it today.
See us about design and printing your book today!
http://www.printcopyfactory.com/print-copy-products/on-demand-publishing.html
Your Unique Selling Proposition
28 May 2013 Leave a Comment
in Inspirational, Marketing Tags: Unique Selling proposition, unique value proposition
Or I like to say, Your Unique “Value” Proposition…
What’s a unique selling proposition (USP)? First the Wikipediaexplanation:
“The unique selling proposition (a.k.a. unique selling point, or USP) is a marketing concept that was first proposed as a theory to understand a pattern among successful advertising campaigns of the early 1940s. It states that such campaigns made unique propositions to the customer and that this convinced those buyers to switch brands. The term was invented by Rosser Reeves of Ted Bates & Company. Today the term is used in other fields or just casually to refer to any aspect of an object that differentiates it from similar objects.”
A strong USP can mean the difference between being “just another company” and one that’s unique and memorable in the minds of customers and prospects. To do this, a USP must accomplish three things.
- Each USP must make a strong appeal to the target audience. Not just words, not just product puffery, and not just window advertising. It must say to each reader: “Buy this product, try this service, and you will get this specific benefit.”
- The benefit must be one that the competition either cannot, or does not, offer. In other words, it must be unique.
- The proposition must be strong enough that it can attract new customers to your product or service on its own.
Here are some USPs you might recognize:
- Nike: “Just Do It!”
- Apple: “Think Different.”
- Miller Brewing: “Tastes Great, Less Filling”
- KFC: “Finger Lickin’ Good”
- Subway: “Eat Fresh.”
- Energizer: “It Keeps Going, and Going and Going…”
- Head & Shoulders: “You get rid of dandruff.”
- Domino’s Pizza: “You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less — or it’s free.”
- FedEx: “When your package absolutely, positively has to get there overnight”
- M&M’s: “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand”
- Metropolitan Life: “Get Met. It Pays.”
- Southwest Airlines: “We are the low-fare airline.”
- Walmart: “Always Low Prices. Always.”
Your USP is your unique answer to these questions:
- Why should I listen to you?
- Why should I do business with you instead of anybody and everybody else?
- Why should I do something instead of nothing?
- What can your product do for me that no other product can do?
- What will you guarantee me that nobody else will?
There are two types of USPs: explicit and implicit.
Explicit USP
- The message you lead with
- Clearly stated in your marketing materials
- Involves promises & guarantees
- Aimed at new customers or first-time buyers of a particular product or service
Implicit USP
- What customers love most about you
- Things that keep existing customers coming back to you
- May get mentioned by customers in testimonials & word-of-mouth referrals
- You may go for years and never state it publicly: “We operate with absolute integrity.”
Whether you have a new business or an existing one that needs a stronger USP, here are some ideas to help you come up with a USP that translates to a benefit the customer wants. A strong USP can have some or many of these characteristics.
- Faster service
- More personal service
- Services above and beyond the basics
- Guaranteed on-time completion
- Guaranteed delivery
- Guaranteed friendliness
- Guaranteed live phone support
- Better prices
- Exclusivity (“Ours is the only package that includes ‘x.'”)
- Superior quality
- Convenience
- A better promise or guarantee of results
Your USP should be unique, useful, simple, and memorable. A well-thought-out USP can help you position your company in a powerful and strategic way. It’s never too late to strengthen your USP. Start today. Consider taking my marketing class, which you will discover the complete picture of your marketing, branding, and the full circle. Call today for more information and talk to Becky… (360) 738-4931.
Should you focus on the process or the outcome?
01 Mar 2013 Leave a Comment
in Inspirational Tags: economic dull drums, loosing clients, turnover
focus on production process or the outcome?
If the economic doldrums still have you down, take action with these quick, simple, yet very effective “kick in the pants” steps for a fast turnaround.
It’s no secret that you must have a process for continually bringing qualified leads into your sales funnel. This is the lifeblood of your business.
Some things are out of your control. Businesses close, move, and change ownership. Any of these could lead to the loss of a client you thought would never leave. To prepare for these moments, you must have processes in place to bring in new prospects to replace the ones you lose.
Preparing for client turnover is something you control. Whether you have an existing process, need to dust off an old one, or are creating a brand new procedure from scratch, your client-generation plan must have goals.
Base your goals on the process, not just the outcome. What does this mean? Simply put, you can’t control how many leads will end up hiring you, but you can control how many of these prospects you reach.
Commit to a plan that will help you uncover prospects well-suited for the products and services you sell. Don’t rely on any one single platform or marketing tool to spread your message. Instead, use multiple channels, including print, email, social media, and the Internet, to bolster your communication and lead funnel process. If you commit to the process, the outcomes will take care of themselves.
Be encouraged. Take action. Businesses are waiting for the kinds of solutions you offer. You just need to let them know that yours are the ones they’re after.
There is No I in This TEAM
28 Dec 2012 Leave a Comment
in Inspirational Tags: expertise, successful business, TEAM
Creating a team that is not only on the same page, but desires to be.
You may be surprised to learn that Richard Branson, the famous and sometimes brash entrepreneur, when speaking about his many companies or successful ventures, rarely mentions “I” and always refers instead to “we.” Why? Because he knows that his success has been due in large part to a team, each of whom brought a certain strength to turn the vision into reality.
There are three essential characteristics of any successful business:
- A Product or Service — You must be able to make or provide a fantastic product or service.
- Marketing — You must have a great story and be able to sell your story to the market.
- Financial Management — You must be a smart money manager and reinvest the cash wisely.
Since each of these skills requires a vastly different mindset, no single person can do all of these with any degree of high expertise.
The most successful businesses have all three of these skills spread among their team. The long-term success and viability of your business depends on these three areas. Therefore, it is vital that you have the best-qualified hires for each skill.
Whether you’re a micro business or a global brand, the success and growth of your venture depends not only on making the correct hire but also on getting out of the way and letting the experts manage what you hired them to do. Both of these skills are critical to the long-term success of your company. One does not work well without the other.
Your company may not be the size of Richard Branson’s companies, but the lessons of hiring the best possible candidates and giving them the necessary space to manage their parts of the business are lessons that apply to all successful enterprises.
Defining Values, Mission, Vision, & Goals
21 Dec 2012 Leave a Comment
in Inspirational Tags: goals, mission, team building, values, vision, year end stuff
With the end of the year nearing, we at Print & Copy Factory and all staff members, will be revisiting that time-honored tradition of planning for the new year.We have done this as a tradition for 20 years now, and find that not only for professionally – but for each employee, creating these goals for themselves, we have found to be a very powerful team building exercise – as a commitment to their lives.
As part of the planning, we need to define what we want to accomplish. In order for our plan to be complete and comprehensive, we need to start with four elements:
- Values
- Mission
- Vision
- Goals
Many people have a tough time determining what values, mission, vision, and goals really are. Everyone knows they should have them, but most of us aren’t sure what each of these elements actually is or how they differ from one another.
Let’s end the confusion today!
Values are the qualities you stand for.
Mission is how you intend to change the world around you.
Vision is how you see yourself or your business in one year, two years, five years, or even longer down the road.
Goals are the outcomes you want to achieve over the next week, month, quarter, or year.
That’s it!
Of course, you could write whole books about each of these topics, but that’s all you need to start with. Complete these four objectives, and you’ll be well on your way to making your dreams a reality.
