Tag Archives | simple marketing plan

It’s Time To Crank Up Your Marketing

By on July 5, 2011 in Blog, Business Success, marketing, Sales Skills

With the start of a new financial year, it’s a great time to decide where you want to take your business in the next 12 months.  For your business to thrive, you must have an effective marketing plan. This can be a difficult thing for solopreneurs to maintain.  Marketing consistently will keep your client pipeline full with ideal clients who value your services and will pay you what you’re worth.  If you want your profits to increase over the next twelve months, you MUST consistently market your business.

It’s always difficult for solopreneurs and small business owners to find the time to work ON their business. As you continue to serve the clients you already have at a high level, it can be easy to get consumed in this and other daily tasks of operating your business. What happens is that consistent marketing can be unintentionally pushed aside.

Imagine you’re riding a bike. The wheels can turn slowly, or you can turn them at a faster pace.  Either way, if you want to move forward, they need to be constantly going around.  It’s the same with your marketing.  If you’ve found that there are times where business is very slow, it’s likely your marketing efforts have become a bit hit and miss.  Good news is, it’s easier than you think to get back on track!

To crank up your marketing systems, I suggest you take a quick assessment of your business and ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Which marketing strategies have been the most effective in attracting ideal clients? – Has it been your regular ezine that has sparked constant enquiries?  Do you get regular comments on your blog? Have you done some guest blogging that has driven traffic to your website? Are there some joint venture projects that have been particularly fruitful? Look at what has worked really well, and see how you can increase your focus in that area.
  2. What’s working well in my business? – Review the activity in your business over the past 6-12 months.  Checking on what is going well and to acknowledge your achievements will boost your confidence and give you the motivation you need to make any adjustments that may be needed.
  3. What can you improve on? – As you look over your marketing you will see aspects that haven’t run as smooth as they could have. Make a list of these and also the reasons why.  It may be that you need assistance or systems in place to change your results here?
  4. What’s keeping me from marketing your business consistently? – It’s time for the truth here! Could it be that you don’t manage your priorities or time as well as you could? Do you need more knowledge on how to implement a particular strategy? Would accountability help you to take more action?  No matter what your answers are, get up, get over it and get on with it! And decide NOW to do things differently from today onwards.
  5. Where am I meeting resistance in relation to marketing my business? – Is there a little voice in your head telling you, “Marketing is too hard”?  Or “I can’t afford to market my services”?  Perhaps the excuse is I’m too busy for marketing”.  Every one of us meets resistance that requires strength to breakthrough.  Whatever your resistance happens to be, two things are for sure:

a. You can ignore it and take action anyway. (Successful people do whatever it takes, even if it feels uncomfortable.)

b. If you push through that resistance and get to the other side – that is where you will find success!

These two affirmations will serve you well for the next time you find yourself meeting with resistance along your path. Acknowledge the moment, but keep moving forward by taking action! Remember you didn’t learn to ride a bike the first time. What we’re looking for here is consistent effort.  Even baby steps will keep the momentum towards your goals.

Once you’ve taken the time to assess your marketing strategy, I would love to hear what you find.

Your Action Plan For The Week:

  1. Set aside half an hour to do the quick assessment above
  2. Give yourself honest answers to work with
  3. Share your results with a trusted or supportive friend, colleague or mentor.
  4. Assign a time to brain dump thoughts on any changes you want to implement in your marketing, and list the results you want to achieve.

What Did You Think?

Let Us Know Your Thoughts on Today’s Post

Post Your Comments Below

Are We Connected on Twitter? | Come Write on My Facebook Page Wall!

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

Successful People Do Whatever It Takes, Even If It’s Uncomfortable

By on June 28, 2011 in Blog, Business Success, mindset

 

 

When solopreneurs are struggling to get new clients, I ask them what they are actively doing to market their business.  Some times I get a dead silence back, or simply a blank stare and shoulder shrug to indicate “nothing much”.  One of the easiest ways to instantly get more clients is to start taking more action to promote your business and your services.  This could be in sales conversations, creating videos, doing a teleseminar, holding an event or even writing that book you’ve always wanted to write.

One of the biggest reasons why people don’t take more action is they are worried about what other people will think of them.  Interestingly, this doesn’t seem to be an issue for a two year old who decides to throw a tantrum in the middle of the supermarket! But as we get older, we begin to get more and more aware of other people’s thoughts. We allow this to stop us from taking the action necessary to get what we want.  Does this sound familiar?  I bet it does, because I know it’s been the case for me too.

So I was really thrilled as I stood in the middle of a city park and watched two of my friends take a break at the 38 kilometre mark of the Perth Marathon, to take their wedding vows. This took about 30 minutes.  Then they signed the registry, had some photos taken before continuing on their merry way for the final 4 kilometres to the finish line.

For Rob and Zita, running is a big part of their life and a passion they share together.  They ran their first marathon together almost 10 years ago and have often explained the exhilaration they feel each time they complete another one. They knew that getting married would also be an exciting experience. For most people, to do either a marathon OR get married would be quiet sufficient in one day.  Not for this fun loving, sporty couple – they decided to bundle the two events into one!  Rob and Zita’s plans were a complete secret to all the wedding guests until the final moment they arrived at the grassy spot in front of the marriage celebrant.  Rob ran the entire marathon in his waistcoat, bow tie, top hat and finished off nicely with glossy black running shoes. Zita had full makeup, her hair done beautifully, a veil and carried a bouquet of flowers the whole way.

Do you think they got some funny looks along the 42 kilometre track?  Do you think there were people that held their own opinions of their decision to get married this way?  Do you think there would have been people try to talk them out of taking this action if they had know about it? Of course there would have been!  It’s only natural.  The key here is that Rob and Zita had the confidence to go ahead with this seemingly crazy idea anyway – because they wanted the end result – to run a marathon AND be married all in the same day. This might not be what YOU want – but I want this to be a marketing lesson for you to take the action you need to take to get the results you want to get in your small business.

Don’t listen to nay-sayers; don’t share your ideas with people who are non-supportive.  It doesn’t matter what other people might think. In fact, they probably aren’t even thinking anything about you because they’ll be too busy thinking about themselves!  Instead, consider all the people whose lives you know you can make a difference to by sharing your gifts.  What is it you need to do to market your business?  What action steps do you want to take to get more clients and increase your profits? Getting out of your comfort zone is most likely the starting point.  Go ahead; have that sales conversation you’ve been putting off.  Make the video that shares your message. Map out the contents and take the first step to creating a teleseminar.  Whatever it is that you’ve been putting off for fear of what other people think – go ahead and take just one action step to make it happen this week. Be prepared to do whatever it takes to make your business stand out from the crowd and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you will get more clients and be helping more people.

Rather than wait for everything to be perfect, I want to remind you of my favourite saying: “Just take imperfect action”.

Your Action Plan For The Week:

  • List down all the things you’ve been thinking of doing to market your business, but for one reason or another you’ve been delaying taking action.
  • From your list, decide what TWO items you are going to get moving on this week, and what are the action steps you are going to take.

Calculate the income that can be produced from the activities you have listed. Also list the number of people who you may be able to help, if you put get these projects off the ground.  Use these numbers to motivate you to stop thinking about what other people might say, and instead – take action.

 

 

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

How To Have a Full Client Pipeline

By on June 20, 2011 in Blog, Business Success, mindset, productivity

“I need more clients!”  Have you ever made this statement?

“If you build it they will come” is probably one of the biggest myths ever published and believed when it comes to business.

It’s possible that you have the most amazing offer or business. Unless your ideal clients know about it, you will stay as the best kept secret in your industry. The biggest challenge for so many self employed professionals is consistently attracting new and ideal clients into their business.  Unfortunately, they simply underestimate how much exposure they really need to keep a full pipeline of clients. By consistently implementing a few simple steps, you will be well on your way to achieving your business goals.

Clarity, focus and planning are often the root causes of why this struggle to attract ideal clients is an issue. Remember, when you are crystal clear about the vision for your business, it becomes easy for your ideal clients to see it as well. The first thing you need to know is exactly WHO your ideal client is, why you consider them ideal, and what problems they have that you can provide a solution for. It’s tempting to be broad with your responses for fear of ‘losing’ a prospective client.  After all, I’m sure what you do can actually help soooo many people.  The more specific you can be with your focus, the more effective your marketing strategies can be. You will save time and money. Plans without action are useless. So you do need to have a marketing plan outlined so that you’re confident what your actions need to be on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.  This way, you will connect with your ideal clients regularly, rather than your marketing being an ad hoc event.

“But I am already working so hard”  I can almost hear you say.

I know. And that’s why the strategies that really take your business to the next level need to leverage things you already have:

Once you’ve got clarity on your ideal client (I even give my ideal client a name!) and what they need, it’s time for the action to begin.  Here are three simple strategies that I’m using that are working for me that you can use to attract ideal clients to your business NOW:

  1. Powerful Partnerships – Teaming up with someone you may currently regard as your competitor can in fact create a triple win situation (you, your JV partner and your clients/subscribers) and is a great way to get more clients. There are other professionals who service your ideal client before and after you. For example, if you are a graphic designer, it’s possible that people like virtual assistants, web designers, and business coaches all connect with your ideal prospects too.  This is great!  You have enormous opportunity to get in front of your ideal prospects if you leverage of these networks in a partnership arrangement by cross promoting each other’s services.
  2. Reconnect with previous clients – Studies have shown that it’s much easier to re-engage an existing client than a new one.   This is where your low-hanging fruit is!  Right NOW you have a great opportunity to reconnect with past clients and catch up with them.  Have a chat about what’s going on, whether they are meeting their expectations and goals on their own and offer to help support them to the next level of success. It would be a good idea to create a special package or incentive to acknowledge their commitment to you in the past and encourage them to take on your services once more.
  3. Networking – You must go fishing in the right pond!  The fish you are after is your ideal client. This means targeted, focused networking is an excellent way to get in front of a large group of your ideal clients that have already been gathered in one place.  A mistake many solopreneurs make is to go randomly attending networking events just because they can.  This can also be a huge waste of your time – and remember, your time is precious.  When you are confident in who your ideal prospect is, you can research exactly where this type of person ‘hangs’ out and only spend your time at events where they are congregating in large numbers.  When you show up, your intention is to be helpful, an informed resource, friendly and listening to how you can solve your prospects problems more than talking heaps about yourself.  A key to successful networking is QUICK follow up. Actually mark into your diary within the following 24 hours to do this.

Consistency in your marketing is much easier when you know where you are going and what you want. When you can almost taste your success, you’ll be prepared to put in whatever time is takes and come up with loads of creative ideas. Having clarity on your next step will grow your enthusiasm to a point where you become energized by your marketing efforts.  Other people pick up on this high energy – and you will attract others who want the same for themselves!

Implementation is the key – so which of these strategies will you action in your business this week?

Your Action Plan For The Week:

  • Revisit the qualities you want in your ideal client and their profile. Brainstorm everywhere you can think of that they hang out – for both their personal and professional needs, and both online and offline.   Pick out one or two key networking events where you can position yourself as a useful resource and increase visibility.
  • Gather all the information about your past clients. When did they last use your service?  (In fact I always recommend you keep this information about your past clients well maintained right from the start.) Block out a time to call and reconnect with them. Create a special re-enrolment offer.
  • Create a list of who has your ideal prospects before you and after you. Schedule time to meet with these potential joint venture partners to discuss how you can work together to serve each other’s community in a win, win, win situation.

 

Read full story • Comments { 2 }
How Much Do You Really Want It?

How Much Do You Really Want It?

By on June 13, 2011 in Blog, Business Success, mindset

How Much Do You Really Want It?

How Much Do You Really Want It?

Have you ever wanted something so badly but you couldn’t have it?

You wanted this thing so much it felt like something was tearing you up inside. Your desire was so strong that it hurt because you weren’t able to have what it was you wanted so desperately. Perhaps it was a house you had your eye on, or a prize in a competition, or holiday. Maybe there’s been a special someone you dreamed of being with that you never could.

Whatever it was for you that gave you that desperate aching in the pit of your stomach, this is the same feeling, the same irresistible longing that is necessary for you to own so that you reach your goals.

Many people say they want life to be different. They say they are serious about their dreams, their future and their possible lifestyle. But realistically very few possess this burning desire to achieve.  Successful people do whatever it takes, even if it’s uncomfortable. If this desire, this burning need to get your message out and help more people is missing, success will be hard to achieve.

So what IS the BIG reason you do what you do?

Let your answer sink in for a moment. Feel the power of the meaning of success for you.

It’s this feeling that you should start each day with. This is the feeling you must have constantly to achieve success.

Why?  Because let me tell you this: Success is NOT without its roadblocks and obstacles. You will meet with resistance. You will have people telling you ‘it’s crazy’. There WILL be times when you feel like throwing in the towel because it all feels too hard. These are the times when you must feel that burning desire inside.

Recently there were some activities that I was meeting resistance on. During a call with my mentor this week, it allowed me to re-ignite with the BIG reason I do what I do. I am so passionate about people being the best they can be and creating the life they dream of. I know this is possible for every one of you.  Is it always easy?  Heck no! But I would do it all again in a heartbeat.  This ride is exhilarating and fun.

Just last week a friend married the love of his life after being on his own for well over 40 years. If he had given up on finding love, he would never have found the girl of his dreams.  I had another friend who had an idea for a business and 4 years went by until she found the missing piece and the money started flowing her way.

Both these people would have eventually given up if it had not been for their burning desire to achieve.

You have choices…. You can stay right where you are now (or worse) or you can decide to create a business that is prosperous and fulfilling.

For now, how much do you want it, whatever “it” means to you?

Do you merely wish you had it?

Or are you prepared to do whatever it takes to get it?

Let’s chat! You can share your current marketing challenges, and we’ll go over several options for a simple action plan that you can follow.

All you have to do is send me an email at fay@theaussiebusinesscoach.com for details.  Let’s talk soon !

 

 

Read full story • Comments { 2 }
lazy marketing

Did You Get Lazy in Marketing? (If You Want More Clients, Do What You USED To Do)

By on June 6, 2011 in Blog, Business Planning, Business Success, marketing, productivity

lazy marketing

I’m going to be open and vulnerable here.  I’ve really let my fitness slide over the past 18 months while my business has been growing so much.  After our holidays, I decided “That’s it!” I wanted to get help to get me back into great shape. So I was thrilled to find that Mark, my favourite personal trainer had moved back into town while we had been away. I went straight down there and signed up! And I’m proud to say that my health and fitness has once more taken its rightful place at the top of my priorities.

While I was huffing and puffing my way through my workout this morning, Mark was telling me all the things he was doing to promote his new business and get the word out. And I got to give him some great tips on how to get more new clients that he hadn’t even thought about.

I began to see how keen and enthusiastic Mark was to do WHATEVER it takes to get out there in a big way. To tell the community about his awesome services, in a super excited kind of way.

What tends to happen to most people after being in business for themselves for a few years is they become lazy in marketing.  They rest on their laurels, and then often stop doing what they used to do to attract clients. Networking takes a back seat (like my fitness!); introductory offers stop; some no longer look for speaking opportunities like they used to.  As money starts to tighten, the marketing slows down too, and then confusion sets in as they discover their client pipeline is empty.

Oh, there’s always great excuses as to why these things aren’t happening. I’ll hear “I’ve tried that once and things are different now, it won’t work again,” or “I’m not interested in doing that any more,” or perhaps “That sounds too much like hard work.”  Someone I spoke to last week in fact was even beginning to wonder if she shouldn’t just give up, and return to employment.

While these excuses hang around, the well dries up and they are very thirsty!!! (This is NOT a fun feeling!  This is the beginning of worry, stress, financial strain and sleepless nights.)  Next, fear appears and they scurry for NEW ideas to use, or get attracted to the latest and greatest ‘thing’ that is the rage. Ever done that?   Always looking for new, exciting ways to reinvent the wheel, while ignoring the proven strategies behind.

I’m not saying new ideas aren’t good, but ignoring the tried and true, proven strategies is simply asking for trouble.  The new ideas don’t always create quick results. There is a learning curve that takes time to get new systems in place.

So rather than spending loads of money creating BRAND new strategies, often, by going back to what’s proven to work really well in the past is just the trick. It’s about going back to Marketing 101.  The very things we cover in our Marketing Action Plan.

Why reinvent the wheel when all the hard work has been done for you already, and it’s proven to work?

There’s two places you can be on this: You either have EXCUSES or you have RESULTS.

So, I would ask you:

  • What USED to work for you to get new clients, that you been UNWILLING to do recently?
  • Are there things you did regularly at the beginning that you no longer do now?
  • Where have you dropped the ball and become a little lazy?
  • In the early days, what was your best way to get new clients?
  • Are you doing this now?
  • Are you WILLING to do this now?


If you need to boost your client load now, then stop everything and take a look at your Marketing Action Plan. Which pieces of the plan are you implementing regularly and thoroughly? Has the consistency of your marketing slipped?

It’s time to start with the foundations again. And, it’s time to recommit. The funny thing is, when you recommit and reconnect with your clients, and you start doing these things again, they WORK. Then what you discover is, you start getting more clients, the bank account starts to get fat, and you begin to LIKE doing these things again. How FUN your marketing begins to be again.  This changes your whole demeanor. And, clients will instantly become magnetically attracted to you as a result. THEN, after the foundation is well and truly in place, new stuff can start to be added in. Have a go. It always works for me and my clients.

Now, if you’re struggling with what to do to fill your business right from the start, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and dependable. The Client Building Blueprint Home Study System avoids the “Shiny Bright Objects” and instead gives you piece by piece, the most important things to do so that you consistently build your community and constantly get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, and very easy to follow. So, you complete each step of the system before you move on to the next one.  There are tools, templates, scripts and examples are handed to you on a golden plate. Easy. You can get it here: Client Building Blueprint

Read full story • Comments { 1 }

Use Client Feedback for Small Business Success

By on May 17, 2011 in Business Planning, Business Success, marketing, Sales Skills

Imagine you spend time creating a program that you feel is just what your clients need only to find that no one buys or registers interest. You can’t understand why… it’s everything you know they need.  The thing is – it’s not about what your customers need, but rather what they want.   This is a critical factor in making sure you continue to keep your existing clients happy, and how you will attract new clients.

You might ask, “How do I know what they want?” There is no point guessing or trying to figure it out on your own, that’s for sure. This can be expensive and disheartening.  One of the easiest ways to find out what your clients want is by doing a survey or asking for feedback. Or in other words – simply ask!!

While I have been away these past weeks, I’ve been amazed and impressed with how many times I was asked to provide feedback on the service I received. This happened in our hotel in Kota Kinabulu (Malaysia) and again in several of the large stores I went shopping in while in Chicago. (A girl can’t be in Chicago without doing at least a little shopping!)  The Americans do generally tend to provide more personal attention because they rely on receiving tips as part of their income. Nevertheless, I was impressed with the way companies in both countries were striving to improve how they could better serve their clients by asking them what they wanted, what they liked and what thought should be improved.

The way we do business today is changing. It’s more and more important to remember that you are not your customer. This means that what you believe will be a great program, product or service, may in fact be a total flop if it isn’t exactly what your clients want. Or, it could be the small, simple changes to the way you do things will keep clients happier for longer.

By getting client feedback here’s what can happen:

You will know exactly where to invest your time and effort when creating new products and programs. I’m sure you all have heard of someone who still has a garage full of books or CD products they produced for their clients before asking them what they really wanted.

It becomes very easy to mirror exactly the language your clients use in their comments to you. You can then go ahead and create a sales page, or email series, and be speaking the exact words that will resonate with your ideal client. In fact, they’ll think you’ve been reading their mind. This will make a huge difference in your small business success.

Feedback is the breakfast of champions. A champion athlete won’t get better results if they ignore the tiny and often smallest changes that help to improve their performance. Unfortunately some small business professionals prefer to keep their head in the sand and see feedback as criticism. They get upset, shake their head in disbelief and generally dismiss with offence, any constructive comments they might receive about their clients’ business experience.  Don’t let this be you!

Be open to comment and constantly ask your clients how you can be of better service to them. You will be respected for your efforts. This alone will make you stand out from the crowd and you will get more clients.

As well as the more formal surveys or feedback forms, today you are fortunate to have the ability to ask clients to quickly jump over and leave you comments or feedback on Facebook. This is quick, easy and informal. It’s a great place for you to really take notice of what your clients are saying to you. You can easily ask questions each day as you post.  Things like:

“Who else has trouble with……”    “What would you most like to hear about ….”  “I’m thinking of teaching a class about X – what do you think?…. “

Client Building Action Steps:

  • Commit to asking at least ONE question to your audience on your Facebook page every week and look carefully at the language they come back to you with.
  • Decide on one other way you will get feedback from your existing clients. What questions will you ask, what service will you use (Survey Monkey is really easy!).
  • Get excited because your clients will have told you what product or program you need to create next!

Oh, and one last action step:  Pop below now and share with me what your biggest challenge in business is right now…

 

 

Read full story • Comments { 1 }
Hungry

Are You Hungry And Teachable?

By on February 7, 2011 in Business Planning, Business Success, marketing, mindset, productivity

Hungry

Are you hungry and teachable?

If you’re going to make money, you have to have a plan for a business model and get more clients. It really is that simple! I don’t want that to sound  harsh, but I do want to tell it to you straight!

So many of you have longer visions of making big money goals – and that’s a good thing, but you can’t forget about making some cash now!

It has astounded me lately how many people I have talked to who say “Yes, I want to make some money.”. Then as the conversation goes on a little further, I ask them what they have specifically planned to create cash coming in each day.  “Oh, I’m trying to get more clients to my website..”,  “Well, I’m trying to put the word out there a bit more each day…”, “I’m going on Facebook as much as I can….”.

I’m sorry – but this is just not specific enough!

It could be time for you to revisit the reason WHY you are in business in the first place.  Then, because of your reason WHY, what are your money goals?  When you know what your money goal is, and let’s say it’s $50 000 for your first year, then that means you need to be creating $200.00 per day, consistently.  That’s $1000 per week (allowing for a few weeks holidays) which is $200 for 5 days of the week.

So,  now the questions are:

  • What are you doing today to build your list?
  • What do you need to do this week to get more clients?
  • What are you doing this week to get this cash coming in the door?

When you can confidently answer these questions, you will know exactly what you need to be doing day by day to achieve your goals.

“But Fay, I just don’t know the answer to these things.”

That’s ok!  Perhaps you’ve not had your own business before.  Maybe you’ve been in business, but this time it seems different and things are not going as well as they once did.

All you need is the right information!

Imagine if you were building a new house and threw some bricks on top of each other and popped in a window or two here and there. You aren’t even concerned as to whether some of the walls are brick and some are iron – anything will do.  Then the day comes when it is finished and you realize that the finished product is not anything like you had hoped for. In fact, with the first strong wind you almost lose the whole house.  Would you really spend so little time, energy and money on something so important?

No!!  I would think that you would get expert advice right from the start.  Get your home up and built by people who know what they are doing.  This way you end up with a home that will provide you with comfort and joy for a long time.  It will serve the specific purpose you intended.

Why is it that people have a different attitude with their business?

Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Think about this quote for a second and ask yourself, does this apply to the way you run your small business?   “Oh, I’ll just try to get a bit more business and then get some help…”,  “I’ll just start to make some money, and then ……”,  “I’ll just…”,  “I’ll just……”, “I’ll just……”

Is this making you cash every day?

Maybe your goal is only $100 extra per day?  Getting cash into your pocket is about doing the right things every day. You have to create that formula for your distinct business.

Some of you think that money is just going to walk in the door or drop into the internet.  You’ve got to have a model. You’ve got to have a plan to execute if you are going to stay in business and make money.

So, my first question to you is “Do you want to make money in business?” – yes or no?

The next question (and the answer to determine your level of success), “Are you willing to be teachable?”

This weeks action plan:

  1. List at least three levels of your product or service that you have to offer your prospects
  2. Make a list of people you are going to personally call on the telephone and “check in” with to see if you can be of service to them
  3. If you haven’t already, create your business model and simple marketing plan for 2011

What Did You Think?

Let us know your thoughts on today’s issue.
Post your comments below.

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

Attract New Clients With Dynamic Ezines

By on February 1, 2011 in Branding, Business Success, marketing

Dynamic Ezines

Creating Dynamic Ezines

When you first go into business you might think that the majority of your time will be spent doing work for clients. However you will quickly realize what you will really spend MOST of your time doing….

That’s right…marketing yourself.

You need to GET new clients!

I doesn’t take long to work out that marketing is more important than mastery.

Spending time at networking events, one-on-one meetings and lunches are all great ways to get the word out about your business.  Most of the time people are happy to hear about your services, but may not want you at that time.  To have this one-to-one style of marketing is exhausting.

Have you ever experienced that?

It can get very frustrating.  Bills need paying – you need clients and you need them fast.

If you’ve not heard it before, one of the rules of marketing is 7-10 rule.  This means that a prospect has to see or hear your message 7 to 10 times before they’ll even take action. But too often, people will give up on delivering their message long before then.

So the fortune is in the follow-up!

So what is the best way to follow up that makes great use of your time?

I bet you know that even if you speak to folks in person and get their email addresses, you can’t just sell them on your services every week.  They’d soon get ticked off, and you wouldn’t make any new clients that way.

You don’t want to be seen as a pest!  You want to be seen as a resource and someone who gives them value.

A regular ezine does just the job!  (Call it e-newsletter, etip, email newsletter – they are all the same.)

It contains your message. Sharing your tips with the world.  And, then you will see…business starting to come in!  Little by little, bit by bit, your word gets spread and people start to contact you for your knowledge and expertise.   I know you can see the immense value in that.

Your ezine is often an under rated source of new clients.  It MUST form part of your small business marketing plan.  Here are some top success tips on how your ezine can boost business:

Use a good email service:  many people start out by sending their ezine via their regular email such as Outlook.  The problems with this are that you have a high likelihood of being registered as spam.  You will get an incredible number of bounce backs which means your message is not getting to your market.

I love using a simple but effective system such as AWeber.  It is inexpensive (around $19/month) and you can get a trial period.  You can either create your own template using your branding (I got my web designer to do mine) or use one of the one’s already available within Aweber.  Once you have uploaded your content, you can select who receives your ezine, and pre-schedule it for a certain day and time.  I love it!

I don’t’ use it myself, but hear good things too about Mailchimp.  This is a no cost service, with some limitations.  I could be an ideal service if you are just starting out.

Track and Measure!  It’s important to know what is working and what’s not.  By using an email service, you can track all sorts of statistics.  Ones that I like to check regularly are: how many people open your email and what your ‘click through’ rate is.  Industry standards say that an open rate of 30% or above is good, and a click through rate of 3-5% is average.   Can see why when I get an open rate of 100% I’m very happy?  When you analyze what people are reading and interested in, this allows you to fine tune your marketing strategies so you can attract more clients.

Be seen as a valuable resource: What I hear people say when I tell them to start their own ezine is “Everybody already gets so many emails; I don’t want to add another one to their inbox.”  This is a fair comment. However, it is important to remember that you have your prospects email address in the first place because they have an interest in what you offer.  You are right – we don’t want to be seen as a pest. So, you MUST provide valuable information and resources in your ezine in order to keep people on your list.

To effectively do this, hang out where your prospects are.  What are they saying is frustrating them?  What are their main concerns? What are they currently talking about?  It’s easy to get answers to these now that we can connect to Facebook and other social media.  Blogs and forums are also a great place to hear what your prospects are saying.  Then, all you have to do is write your feature article about these very issues, and hey presto!  You are a welcome guest with valuable information on helping your prospect solve their problem.

An effective way to promote your services or products: Instead of simply saying how great you are, an ezine lets you SHOW how great you are by sharing your expertise with your prospects.  You’re giving people a TASTE of you, and educating them on why they NEED your product or services.

You can easily share the experiences of other clients that have used your products or services.  This provides incredibly powerful social proof to the benefits of working with you. It also allows you to get your message in front of your audience many times in a ‘soft’ way for those that need to see it the 7-10 times before taking action.  By showcasing your knowledge and skills, you will attract more clients, as well as media and other opportunities.

Be regular and consistent:  Many people ask  “What is the best day or time to send out my ezine?”.  My answer to them is “When you can guarantee you will be consistent.”

Consistency is the key to business success and a good marketing plan.  If you have a prospect that joins your list and then does not hear anything from you for 6 weeks, then they get 3 emails in that one week. Then nothing again for about 5 weeks.  They are not going to be very interested in what you do say by then and will very quickly hit the DELETE button. You want to be sending something to your prospects at least once every week. This habit will keep you ‘top of mind’ for your prospects when they do decide they are ready to work with you. An ezine is an effortless way to build your list and to STAY IN TOUCH with your clients and prospects regularly.

Build your list: If you write a valuable ezine, your readers will pass it on to friends and colleagues all over the world. It becomes an ideal way to capture the email addresses of new visitors to your web that can soon become new clients.

Your Action Plan For The Week:

1.      Decide which email service you are going to use.  Look at all your statistics this week and then track them to help you decide how you need to change your message or focus.

2.      Visit blogs, forums, social media, digg.com etc regularly and LISTEN to what your prospects are saying. Use this as the base for your article content.

3.      Decide what day of the week and time you send your ezine.  Schedule this into your calendar and work every week to meet this commitment.

What Did You Think?

Let us know your thoughts on today’s issue.
Post your comments below.

Remember – sharing is caring…

Read full story • Comments { 0 }

New Experiment in Time Management

By on January 14, 2011 in Business Success, productivity

I have been invited to do a presentation in early March to over 350 members of a National Organisation on the topic of Time Management and Managing Work Flow. So as my mind began to sift through just how I do manage my self and what my ‘systems’ are for working, I also began to think about a few new ideas. **Note – I don’t believe you can manage ‘time’, but you can manage your ‘self’.

AT the moment I’m going through a re-vamping, refining, and re-evaluating phase as my business continues to grow. I thought it might be useful to you if I shared some ideas I’m trying out.  While I have many systems already in place for managing work flow that I’m sold on, what I am sharing with you right now are EXPERIMENTAL.  If they prove successful, I’ll have more to say here in the future about them.

  1. Shorter Emails.  If you receive a tonne of email, you know what it’s like to feel overloaded by it.  This is a personal policy that all email responses regardless of recipient or subject will be not much longer than three sentences, or even less.  It’s also okay to ‘finish’ your email conversation without a whole heap of back and forth ‘ok’s', ‘that’s great’ type of replies. It’s not about being rude, but being respectful of everyone’s time, and being more efficient.
  2. Fifteen Minute Meetings.  Similar to the above, but a little less regimented.  Many meetings can actually be made for 15-30 minutes or less.  When I have a scheduled coaching call of 30 minutes, we get straight to the point, discuss what needs doing, any problems, and off we go….. Next.  It’s not that I care any less but rather that I value my time and my client’s time too much.  If the same call is scheduled for 45 or 60 minutes it does not necessarily mean that a whole lot more gets discussed or any more progress is made. Take note of your meeting lengths and see how much more invigorating it is when they are short, yet the productivity remains high.  If your meetings are not related to a specific coaching session, but more administrative, try for 15 minutes tops.
  3. Free Day.  I used to cheat really badly on this, but I am improving!  A “free day” is one in which there is NO business activity  of any kind: no emails, no blogs, no phone calls, no reading articles, no meetings….NOTHING (maybe a little Facebook for fun!). Right now I have at least one scheduled FREE day per week.  The purpose is to allow for real refreshing, rejuvenation, and creativity to flow.  My goal is to eventually reach 3 FREE DAY per week.  This does not mean that I’ll be spending 3 days doing nothing… these days will be filled with family time, spiritual and charitable ventures, and recreation.

Any additional time I get from implementing these strategies will mean I can spend more time on a simple marketing plan that will allow continued business growth.

I’ll let you know how the experiment goes!  Leave me your comments on how you manage your ‘time’ or what your biggest time wasters are.

Read full story • Comments { 5 }

Time or Money. Getting It Right

By on January 11, 2011 in Business Planning, Business Success, marketing, productivity

Want To Grow But Unsure Of What To Work On First?

The very thing that stops most people in their tracks when they are looking for business success is overwhelm and procrastination with what to do next to grow their business.

When the idea of starting your own business came to you, I bet you were excited and a little anxious. But you just knew that you could make a ‘go’ of it.  What does ‘making a go of it’ mean to you?  Does that mean you have some extra cash to buy yourself some treats or take the kids on holidays?  Does it mean luxury overseas trips?  It is different for everyone, and that’s ok.  What is not okay though is when you get ‘stuck’ and begin to face the fear that things are not turning out how you wanted them to. And worse still, you keep allowing this to be your reality.

Has your business idea become a monster?

You may have heard me say before; I believe business monsters are created in two different ways.

Monster A: Let’s say you get a website, your have your business cards and maybe some flyers. Whether your focus is online or offline, your door is ‘open for business’. Days go by, weeks go by, maybe even months go by and you realize that you are not attracting clients like you thought you would.  It’s about now that you need to justify to your family why you are still hanging onto this business idea.  The money you had set aside for this business idea is slowly diminishing and people are starting to ask you “how much longer”…

Monster B: “Hectic and Time Consuming” shouldn’t be the first words you use to describe your business!   “Yes, but…” I hear from clients all the time.” I want to build my business but I’m already worn out!  I’m working six and seven days a week.  I have no time to myself.  I constantly have to work to keep up with the clients I have to get the money I want to be earning.  I’ve got lots of great ideas but I don’t know how to bring them together and I don’t have the time to focus on anything else right now.”

I can appreciate these words.  All the time I see business owners with unfinished dreams because they are frustrated and burned out.

If your business sounds like either of these business monsters it’s because you are not focusing on what your business needs most right now.

It’s either Time or Money.

You may have heard it said “a confused customer does nothing”.  Well, the same can be said for you when you are all alone, trying to figure out what it is that you need to do next to grow your business.

With so much information so easily available, it’s no wonder that it’s a major problem when you get distracted with all sorts of ‘shiny bright objects’ that are promoting the latest trends, gadgets or ideas.

It’s common for you to be feeling guilty about how little income you are bringing in.  You really do want to be contributing to the household income more than you are but it just doesn’t seem to be happening. You need to get more clients in the door!  It’s money driven activities that you must spend your time on.  This usually means marketing, or sales.  Or it could be a combination of both.

Once you are implementing a good, simple marketing plan, very quickly you will get more clients and the cash will start to flow.

You can then invest these funds to buy yourself more time. Things like technology, systems, team help, coaching.  When you invest in these time saving strategies, you’re business success will start to soar.  This in turn will return you more money. You will be astounded how quickly this cycle begins to take momentum and become unstoppable.

Before you know it, you will have the business success you are dreaming of.  It’s just a matter of knowing what the current motivating factor is within your business right now, and taking focused action to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Check regularly what the most important motivating factor is within your business; time or money. Too many people don’t do this process and they wonder why they don’t get the success that they know they should be getting.

What Did You Think? Please leave us a comment!
Read full story • Comments { 1 }
Wordpress SEO Plugin by SEOPressor