Next Level Group

While advertising is a great way to “get your name out there”, it is generally a more impersonal way to connect with your potential clients.  Marketing, on the other hand, is personal and generally involves some form of personal contact.  I am going to share many different ways to market your business that cost virtually nothing (but time!)

Great Marketing Tip for today – Always, always, always, carry business cards

About 40% of the professionals I run into either do not have a business card with them, have run out, etc.  Business cards are necessary for effective marketing.  Depending on the type of business you are in, you may consider putting your photograph on your business card.  People will be able to “put the face with the name” when they look at your card several weeks or months after meeting you.  Additionally, people are less likely to throw away something with someone’s face on it.

Do you have a vision for your business?  Have you written it out?  Your vision for the business is different from the mission statement in that it is your dream for the business.

Your vision is not shared with everyone.  The people who are interested in and excited about your vision are:

1.  Your family

2.  Your employees (make sure your employees and what you want for            their future is in your vision)

3.  Your banker

4.  Your strategic business partners

5.  Anyone else who may view your business plan

The key word is “dream”.  You wouldn’t tell just anyone about the strange dream you had last night (hopefully!)  Dreams are shared with people who are close to us; those we have allowed to get close to us. It is the same with your vision.  Believe it or not, there are people out there who don’t want you to succeed.  If those people are family and friends, you may not want to share your vision with them and, in some cases, you may even “fire” these people from the business-part of your life.  Share your vision and dreams with those who care and who are rooting for your success!

Stop and take a look at your business from someone else’s point of view.

Do you know what your customers/prospects think they are buying when they pull into your parking lot, walk through your doors, meet an employee, look over your materials, visit your website, see your advertising, meet you in person, call you on the phone, etc.?  What “feeling” are they going to walk away with after the sale?  After all, it is the “feeling” that they are really buying.  How good are you at predicting what those “feelings” will be and how your product (the business) as well as your merchandise will fulfill them?

Ask yourself: “What do I want my customers/prospects to feel when they have an encounter with my business?  What is the most important need that my product (the business) fulfills for them?  Why should they buy from me (what do I offer them that no one else does?)”

Identifying with your customer is not only important, it is crucial for the sustainment and growth of your business.

In my last blog, I mentioned the home theater business owner and how he or she is marketing by networking and meeting people at events.  I do want you to consider the possibility that this business owner did not make a good impression on you or others in the group.  This action could set back good marketing efforts tremendously.

What might the result be of making a poor impression on someone you have just met with regard to your business?

Remember, it is difficult to recover from making a bad impression and you will rarely receive a second chance to do so.  Do not forget that you and your business are the product and the marketing of each is crucial to your business success.

Let us say that you are interested in having a home theater set-up installed in your family room or den.  You belong to a networking group or have met someone at a Chamber of Commerce meeting who owns a company that offers this type of service.  Would your first thought be to contact this person, whom you have met and maybe had a conversation with, or to search on-line or in the telephone book for someone?

Most people will answer this question affirming that they would first contact the person they know.  Why?  They have:

1.   Met him or her personally

2.   Shook his or her hand

3.   Looked in his or her eyes while speaking with them

4.   Listened to a brief description of his or her business

5.   Watched how others in the group reacted to this person

6.   Possibly heard how they serviced someone else in the group

7.   May have had an opportunity to ask questions and gather information and specifics about the nature of the business

Think of every time you meet someone and he or she has asked you what you do (referring to your work.)  This could be many personal “hits” and marketing at its best.

Consider the word “value”.  I want to ask you a few questions as it relates to “value” in your business.

• What about your business do you consider a “value” to your customers?

• Take each item you mentioned above, and explain what about it is and can be “valuable” to your customers.

*  –

*  –

*  –

*  –

• How do you communicate those values to prospects or future clients?

In considering areas of your business in which you may not be providing value, please answer the following questions:

• What are some examples of “value” that you can begin providing right now that you are not currently?

• How do you intend to incorporate these items into your business?

Great job!  When you take the time to look at your business through your customer’s eyes, you may see and think of “value” in a new light.

Never, never, never forget that you and your business are the product. Focusing on this mindset alone can result in tremendous change and growth in the way you conduct business.  Now that’s real value!

In my last blog post, I talked about putting on “fresh eyes” when regarding the portions of your business of which the customer has contact.  Consider how you feel about these new areas and how you would feel/respond to a business that had similar challenges.  Then, if anything needs attending to – DO IT!  Your customers will notice and your profit margin will grow.

Other parts of your business that may need attention:

*Your employees:

• Unsmiling
• Unfriendly
• Not helpful
• “it’s just a job” attitude
• Badly or underdressed

*Your materials:

• Poorly printed
• Spelling errors and mistakes
• Looks like they have been copied too many times
• Little thought put into them
• Not user friendly

*Meeting with you:

• Are you on time?
• Does your visual image fit the prospect/customer’s visual image of you?
  • Are you dressed appropriately for your job?
  • Are you well-groomed?
  • Are your clothes in good condition?
  • Did you check your breath?
• Are you enthusiastic about meeting with him or her and can they tell it?
• Are you knowledgeable about your product?

You get the picture.  Customer service is more than just a face-to-face interaction; it also involves the customer’s perception of everything about your business and how it affects them.  Would you rather do business with a company that had little or none of the above challenges or one that you perceived “simply didn’t care”?  Don’t lose customers because you just aren’t paying attention!

Put yourself in the shoes of your customers.  From their point-of-view, are there areas of your business that they may not consider enough of a value to continue doing business with you?  What, other than an owner or employee with an indifferent attitude will assist in losing customers?

Often, a business owner is so focused on working in or running the business, that he or she may lose the ability to place themselves in their customer’s place.  Below are a few physical areas that may be overlooked:

* Parking

• No available spaces
• No defined spaces
• Potholes in the parking area
• Trash on the ground
• Unattractive, obtrusive, or no landscaping

* The appearance of the exterior building:

• Peeling or faded paint
• Dirty-looking
• Broken or missing items (cracked glass, a flag pole with no flag on it, etc.)
• Dirty fingerprints on the door
• Unkempt landscaping

* The lobby or waiting area:

• An empty reception desk
• A funny smell
• Out-of-date magazines
• Uncomfortable (or not enough) chairs
• Not clean or picked up

Next time you walk into your business, put on “fresh eyes” – the kind that have never visited your location before.  NOTICE the physical aspects of your business, and how you would feel/respond to a business that looked the same.  Then, if anything needs attending to – DO IT! Your customers will notice and your profit margin will grow.

When I think of a lack of customer service, the first thing that pops into my mind is working with someone at a business who just doesn’t care about their job.  Generally, those employees are not striving to meet your expectations, let alone exceed them, on a daily basis.  Why?  Because to them, “it’s just a job.”

Have you ever heard someone say, “It’s just a job,” before?  Have you ever said (or thought) it?  I have heard that phrase many times and the people who say it usually don’t like what they are doing, or worse, don’t like (or respect) their employer and feel that they are not respected. Later this year, we will tackle employee issues.

Today, I want to plant the seed that a poor or indifferent attitude is the number one (#1) way to lose customers.  Your customers/clients want to feel acknowledged, respected and appreciated.  Are you and your employees living up to your customer’s expectations?

In the next few weeks, we will take a look at other ways you can lose a customer – or worse, never get them in the first place.

So – if you and the business is the product, what are you selling?

To illustrate – Sam or Sally consumer can purchase a greeting card (merchandise or service) from you or someone else.  HOWEVER, they are only able to have the pleasure of doing business with you when they walk into your business.

Think about it.  If you and the person down the street, sell the same merchandise or service, how does the consumer decide who gets his or her business?

The answer is that you must set yourself and your business apart from others similar.

How do you do that?  You could have an extra clean store or office, have brighter display lights, offer great customer service, or more parking spaces.  But wait – the business down the street just changed their light bulbs and put fresh magazines out to read.  Now they are competing with you!

Here, in this blog, I offer you a simple, yet effective, secret weapon. Are you ready?  Exceed your customer’s expectations.  At minimum, always meet them.

Have you heard the story of the woman who said to her husband, one morning, “do you love me?”  The husband responds, “Of course.  I told you I loved you on our wedding day and if that ever changes, I’ll let you know.”

Tell your customers you love and appreciate them by considering what their expectations of you may be and developing a plan to meet and exceed them every time.