Business Building Secrets For Small Business Owners
Business Building Secrets For Small Business Owners
On one level it would seem correct that your good work should simply be enough. After all that's where you put in your time and spend the majority of your effort. Certainly, in good economic times this strategy has more merit than during tough economic times. In fact during robust periods, many businesses simply live off repeat business from existing clients coupled with the occasional referrals. However, simply relying on word of mouth for all one's new business invariably results in the "feast or famine" business cycles that so many small business owners are painfully aware of.
So why is there such a reluctance to market one's services? Why do so many small business owners embrace marketing only as a last ditch solution, and then quickly abandon their marketing plans once referrals and word of mouth return?
A large part of the problem is that when faced with implementing a marketing program, many small business owners focus on activities rather than systems. For example, a marketing activity might include investing in promotional items, or sending out a postcard or hiring an appointment setting firm to do some cold calling. While there's nothing inherently wrong with any of those activities, they generally do not produce the desired results that one hopes for. The key to getting the phone to ring with eager customers is to think about what needs to occur before and after the marketing activity.
Let's take postcards as an example. These are a time-tested method for generating new prospects. However most small business owners focus far too heavily on the look and image of the card, and pay scant attention to which list they will mail the cards to, or what the call-to-action is. These two items are far more important to the success of a postcard mailing campaign than whether the font is in one size vs. another, or whether the predominate color is red or blue. As the late great directly mail guru Gary Halbert once observed, "If you have extra money to spend on a campaign, invest more money in the quality of the list that you are mailing to."
Of equal importance to the list, is the call-to-action. This means, what do you want people to do once they get the card? There are all sorts of options people have once they get done reading your postcard. Unfortunately only one or two of them are what you really want. So the question becomes, what is the best call to action?
What we have found after 17 years of testing, is that you want the offer to be as easy for someone to accept as humanly possible. This means it needs to be very risk free. That is the precise reason why a call to action of "Please call us for a free consultation or free estimate" does not work particularly well. People are assuming that if they call they will not really get a free consultation, but rather be subjected to a rather aggressive sales pitch. Thus your call to action needs to address this concern.
In the days before websites, a very successful call to action was for someone to call a 1-800 number for more information. The copy on the postcard always pointed out that this was a "recorded" message, thus alleviating the concern that someone was going to try to sell you something the moment you called. Nowadays the easiest approach is to direct people to a page on your website. That page, as I've discussed in other articles, is specifically designed to encourage visitors to give you their contact information in exchange for receiving a free report or article that offers some helpful information about the problem they are facing.
Thus an effective postcard marketing effort depends upon what takes place before the mailing occurs (determining the quality of the list) and what occurs immediately afterwards (determining what the call to action should be and where you want them to go for further information.) While this type of marketing requires a bit more planning and thought, the results will be far greater. That's why small business owners who are successful at getting consistent new business despite the current economic conditions, focus their efforts on developing marketing systems, rather than relying on a single activity.
Business Building Secrets For Small Business Owners - To learn more about this author, visit Mark Satterfield's Website.
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There's an old saying that if you "Build a better mousetrap, they will come." Unfortunately that's the approach many small business owners take when they think about getting new clients.
On one level it would seem correct that your good work should simply be enough. After all that's where you put in your time and spend the majority of your effort. Certainly, in good economic times this strategy has more merit than during tough economic times. In fact during robust periods, many businesses simply live off repeat business from existing clients coupled with the occasional referrals. However, simply relying on word of mouth for all one's new business invariably results in the "feast or famine" business cycles that so many small business owners are painfully aware of.
So why is there such a reluctance to market one's services? Why do so many small business owners embrace marketing only as a last ditch solution, and then quickly abandon their marketing plans once referrals and word of mouth return?
A large part of the problem is that when faced with implementing a marketing program, many small business owners focus on activities rather than systems. For example, a marketing activity might include investing in promotional items, or sending out a postcard or hiring an appointment setting firm to do some cold calling. While there's nothing inherently wrong with any of those activities, they generally do not produce the desired results that one hopes for. The key to getting the phone to ring with eager customers is to think about what needs to occur before and after the marketing activity.
Let's take postcards as an example. These are a time-tested method for generating new prospects. However most small business owners focus far too heavily on the look and image of the card, and pay scant attention to which list they will mail the cards to, or what the call-to-action is. These two items are far more important to the success of a postcard mailing campaign than whether the font is in one size vs. another, or whether the predominate color is red or blue. As the late great directly mail guru Gary Halbert once observed, "If you have extra money to spend on a campaign, invest more money in the quality of the list that you are mailing to."
Of equal importance to the list, is the call-to-action. This means, what do you want people to do once they get the card? There are all sorts of options people have once they get done reading your postcard. Unfortunately only one or two of them are what you really want. So the question becomes, what is the best call to action?
What we have found after 17 years of testing, is that you want the offer to be as easy for someone to accept as humanly possible. This means it needs to be very risk free. That is the precise reason why a call to action of "Please call us for a free consultation or free estimate" does not work particularly well. People are assuming that if they call they will not really get a free consultation, but rather be subjected to a rather aggressive sales pitch. Thus your call to action needs to address this concern.
In the days before websites, a very successful call to action was for someone to call a 1-800 number for more information. The copy on the postcard always pointed out that this was a "recorded" message, thus alleviating the concern that someone was going to try to sell you something the moment you called. Nowadays the easiest approach is to direct people to a page on your website. That page, as I've discussed in other articles, is specifically designed to encourage visitors to give you their contact information in exchange for receiving a free report or article that offers some helpful information about the problem they are facing.
Thus an effective postcard marketing effort depends upon what takes place before the mailing occurs (determining the quality of the list) and what occurs immediately afterwards (determining what the call to action should be and where you want them to go for further information.) While this type of marketing requires a bit more planning and thought, the results will be far greater. That's why small business owners who are successful at getting consistent new business despite the current economic conditions, focus their efforts on developing marketing systems, rather than relying on a single activity.
Business Building Secrets For Small Business Owners - To learn more about this author, visit Mark Satterfield's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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