Posted by: SBA Blogger | February 22, 2012

How Networking Secret Yields New Sales

  The other day, I visited my friend Eddie at Le Mer Seafood in Armonk, New York 10504.

Eddie told me that he visited the new steakhouse in town and he saw a former customer who had moved his offices from across the street from his Le Mer Seafood to the nearby office park. The former customer purchased lunch for his entire staff every Friday, but now with the “move” lunch at Le Mer Seafood required a car ride. Too cumbersome.

Eddie greeted the customer; the customer explained the story (the move) and Eddie said, “He would deliver lunch with 1/2 hour’s notice!”

Presto – a $100 order out of the blue.

While I am sure you know the power of networking, here are a few ideas to help you leverage your efforts and win more business:

1. Maintain a list or database of your customers and especially your top customers.
2. Keep in touch with them regularly through letters, emails, postcards, a blog, a newsletter, special coupons, special offers and telephone calls (if appropriate).
3. Even though it may be tiring, show up at the places where your customers go. Woody Allen said, “80% of Life IS Showing Up.”
4. Follow the press in your space: in Armonk, the Chamber of Commerce sends out email announcements.
5. Take a booth at the local parade, carnival or town festival. On a grander scale, this could be a trade show.

Reach out and ring your cash register.

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Posted by: SBA Blogger | February 15, 2012

The Most Important Ingredient for Sales Success

My son Mike, as you may know, is a very accomplished soccer player, top 5% in his grade. Recently, he joined my Sunday game. Ages range from Mike who is the youngest player to Gustavo who’s almost 60. What’s more, half the players are from Peru. Outstanding.

As you can appreciate, the first time young Mike stepped on the soccer field he was a bit anxious. Very Understandable. But once he found his spot and worked his magic, he came into his own and on a relative basis, he was very competitive. After a while, Mike started playing “his” own game, his own style. He even scored two goals.

The key to his success was self-confidence! And that’s the most important ingredient to successful selling – self-confidence!!!

To gain self- confidence as a sales professional, the key is to build your self-confidence.

1. If you are just beginning your career as a sales professional or you haven’t closed a sale in a while, call on your favorite customer.

2. Consider closing a sale with an existing customer. If they already know your product or service, it should be easier to sell them more.

3. Close a sale with the smallest and most popular product or service you offer. Hopefully, this will meet with the least resistance.

4. Set up a sales call with a new prospect and set the goal to showcase your offering, Not to close a sale.

To build your self-confidence, practice your sales pitch and sales technique and take “baby steps” until you are ready to call on the President and boost your sales commissions.

Good luck and send me an email if we can help you brainstorm!

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Posted by: SBA Blogger | February 8, 2012

Customer Service Secret #1: Cause and Effect

  Analyze the cause and effect in your customer interactions and watch your customer loyalty and sales soar!

My nephew, almost 12, went to day camp this summer. He had a great time, although at the end we discovered that his counselors (college age) teased him. For example, they put ice down his shirt. They pressed a slice of pizza against his face. Disgraceful! Custom is to tip the counsellors because they earn a nominal wage without the tips. My nephew told my brother and sister-in-law that he did Not want to give any money to his two counsellors because they abused him. They had the Audacity to tell my nephew that they needed the tips to help pay for college. Unbelievable.

Yes, this treatment and behavior IS egregious and You may think this would never happen in your company, but let’s consider a few scenarios…

1. Your employee has a fight with his/her spouse, partner, children or parents. What kind of mood will the employee be in that day?

2. You hand out Christmas Bonuses and Raises (salary increases) and Jack is annoyed that his raise was a “bit light.”

3. Your employees find out that their healthcare premiums are going up by 15% when their wages increase by only 5%.

And on and on…

Analyze your people carefully. Though this may seem trite, Keep ‘em happy…

Analyze the potential impact your employees have on your customers and the health of your business.

 

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Posted by: SBA Blogger | February 1, 2012

The Extra Gift that Drives Customer Loyalty

  Today I received my new Enterprise Rental Car membership card (Enterprise Plus) (1-866-429-7048). Enterprise Plus is their “frequent flyer” or customer loyalty program.

To my pleasant surprise Enterprise included a “Free Upgrade” on my next rental certificate, coupon or voucher.

Unexpected. Wow.

I don’t know when I’ll need to rent a car, but odds are very high I’ll select Enterprise.

Frankly, I don’t know what benefits I get with their program or how many cars I need to rent before I receive a free day.

BUT, I do understand a Free Upgrade. Plain and Simple. Crystal Clear.

Either I can rent my “normal” car and upgrade or rent the car one level down and drive my “normal” car. The reward is tangible — either savings — money in my pocket or a better car. See it. Your customers will too!

Keeping in mind that customer reward programs help build customer loyalty, which you know:

1. Make the bonuses and rewards interesting and appealing to your customers and target customers.

2. Make it easy to win something, even if it’s a nominal gift. The key is that the bonus, gift or premium is meaningful to your customers. In other words, give your customers a million reasons to come back and become repeat customers.

3. Make the bonus Fun. People love more fun today. Life is just too stressful.

4. Make the reward easy to visualize, simple to understand. People crave simplicity today.

We’ll be reviewing customer loyalty programs in upcoming posts.

Speaking of customer loyalty, to obtain your bonus copy of our Disappearing Rare Book Mystery Game, send your receipt or other proof of purchase from any of our eBooks or the welcome email that you joined Small Business Advisors along with a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) to Small Business Advisors, Inc., PO Box 758, Armonk, NY 10504-0758 USA. Enjoy.

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Posted by: SBA Blogger | January 25, 2012

New Business Success Secret #1: Hit the GO Button

  The Best Way to Expand Your Business is to Get into the market and test your products and services ASAP.

Don’t make the classic entrepreneur’s mistake and wait too long to enter your market. Or it’s likely you’ll likely refine yourself out of the market and miss the boat. In other words your target market may move away from you.

Find out the actual [likely] demand for your products and services, and Then assess the quality and relevancy of your offering or proposed offering. Adapt based on market feedback!

One of our clients has been developing a particular type of software – a Web 2.0-based online entertainment portal. Sounds very exciting to us, Except the founder has been developing this software for 4 1/2 years. His beta test worked very well and his Relatively Small focus group of 7 people loved the product. What else would you expect (though the gang did make some recommendations for refinements and enhancements).

BUT, the founder has yet to launch the platform and therefore has No realistic sense of how many people will join. Yahoo is in this space and so we know there’s a viable market, but we can’t really assess how many people will adopt my client’s product. He’s sunk his life savings into this venture, even mortgaged his house and tapped his retirement accounts. This case may be or sound a bit extreme But it’s true.

Either way, don’t fall in love with your products and services.
-Let the market decide.
-Conduct tests.
-Launch your products and services as soon as you can or at least begin the marketing process as Early as you can.
-Get candid and relevant feedback
-Then adapt and upgrade your offering smartly, wisely, eagerly and quickly.

Please contact the Small Business Advisor so we can help you be more successful. I look forward to hearing from you and helping you grow your business.

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Posted by: SBA Blogger | January 18, 2012

Blog Marketing Secret #1

  Internet marketing pros and pundits today almost always urge us to Blog, at least Three times every week.

We would probably all agree that blogs are a Very important way to establish one’s business on the Web and attract customers across the globe. In addition, if you’re like us it’s more than likely that you’re overloaded–pressed for time–working on building your business and making money. As a result it’s likely you don’t have a ton of free time to write blog posts.

That’s where The Small Business Advisor can help You succeed and establish your Spot on the Internet.

Top Celebrities work with ghost writers to write books. Why not you!

The Small Business Advisor’s premium-perfect Ghost Blog Writing Service is right on target, professional, unique, innovative and cost-effective. Just let us know your themes, mission, target market and desired spin (slant) and we’ll do all the rest. You can give us some topics and subjects to get started or we can do it all.

Our professional staff of researchers and writers will articulate your message, capture your tone and establish your voice in your marketplace. While you grow your business, we’ll handle all the work and effort, happily! Fresh, customized blogposts, handcrafted Especially for You.

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Posted by: SBA Blogger | January 11, 2012

The Crucial Customer Message: Remind Your Customers

  Be sure to Remind Your Customers About Your Product/Service Offering – Especially your Old & Cold (Existing) Customers.

This may seem like a simple and routine tactic but I can’t count how many of my [new] clients who overlook this easy yet powerful sales and marketing strategy.

Never assume that your customers are familiar with Your Entire line of products and services.

And, I write ‘Entire’ on purpose;

How many products and services do you offer?
1 or 2? 4? 8? 15? 159? 1,500?

How many products and services do your typical customers purchase?
How many products and services do they see?

By reminding and informing your customers about your offering Every Now and Again, you’re providing useful information. And you’ll help unclutter their minds and make your offering stand out.

Don’t overdo it, but don’t be bashful either.

You Never know when your customer (buyer) is ready to buy or when they become Open to you and your message/offering. Often, a correspondence will trigger some thoughts, ideas and needs. And ring your cash register.

Here’s why it’s so important to keep your customers informed about your business, products and services:

–They may have forgotten
–You may have expanded or changed direction
–Businesses change
–Times change
–Circumstances change

–Employees come, employees go
–People’s needs change
–Buyers (customers) quit; new ones arrive
–Companies merge or are spun off, etc.; they create divisions and enter and exit markets
–Maybe you signed this customer years back and have had little interaction since.

Can You Really afford not to keep your customers informed about your offering?

Assuming that your products and services are of High Quality, Your customers will likely appreciate the ‘heads up.’

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Posted by: SBA Blogger | January 9, 2012

Arthur VanDam

You’ve reached:

Arthur VanDam
President
Small Business Advisors, Inc.
Hewlett, NY 11557 USA

You can reach me by phone at 516-374-1387 and email at ArthurVanDam1@gmail.com

I look forward to connecting with you. Thank You,

Arthur

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Posted by: SBA Blogger | January 4, 2012

Customer Service Revisited: The Little Things That Count

  The other day, my toilet broke and I visited a nearby hardware store.
I explained my problem to the owner who said “You’ll find replacement parts in Aisle 8.” Lovely.

His tone [to me] was somewhat stern and definitive – in other words, “I’m not accompanying You to Aisle 8. . . You can find Aisle 8 and the items you want – do it yourself .”

Off I went. I did in fact find the parts I needed in Aisle #8. Although I bought the wrong part so had to return again. Joyous.

Why didn’t this proprietor (small business owner) accompany me to Aisle 8 and take the time to explain the parts and selection? True I didn’t bring the broken part with me so I had to guess which part I needed, but So What! Who knew there are 47 different varieties of toilet stoppers and floats?

I visited This hardware store because it was closer to my house than Home Depot or Lowe’s.
For me, This store is the Hardware Store of last resort.

If the owner had made me feel welcomed, that he cared about me and my problem I’d probably buy more things there. But since he made me feel like he was doing me a favor by stocking the items I needed, Forget It.

Look in the mirror and analyze Your customer’s experience. Make a realistic assessment.

Is the same old, same old working for you?
What can you do to improve, enhance the customer experience and build customer loyalty?

Consider using “Mystery Shoppers.” These people will pose as shoppers and visit your office, store or premises and make a purchase. They will interact with your employees, rate your customer service quality and describe the customer experience. This will give you excellent insight into the typical customer experience. Then you can explore ways to improve.

 

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Posted by: SBA Blogger | December 28, 2011

Crucial Customer Message Issues

  Here’s a new example about The Crucial Customer Message…

There’s an old story about Henry Ford (founder of Ford Motor Company) who played golf with his friends.

One day, Henry mentioned that he had purchased a big life insurance policy.

His golfing buddy exclaimed, “Henry, we’ve played golf regularly for several years now, And you bought the insurance policy from my competitor.”

Henry replied, “I had No idea you offer insurance. I would have preferred to purchase the policy from you.”

Ouch!

Btw, That’s why we like Ezines (or Email Magazines) so much.

Ezines give you an excellent opportunity to keep in touch with your customers, leads and prospects, and let interested people know what you’re doing.

In this post, we also illustrate the Crucial Customer Message:

We buy auto and homeowner’s insurance for years.

–Did You Know That. . . State Farm Insurance offers Certificates of Deposit (CDs)?

We didn’t.

Okay, so you don’t care; and actually we won’t lose sleep over this either;

But, we happened to discover to this ‘New’ offering by accident.

We were working on a marketing program for our longstanding State Farm insurance Agent Rose.
As we were discussing the business and creating a forecast, she told me that they want her to sell 4 CDs every month.

I stopped taking notes and blurted out, “Since when do you offer CDs?” and by the way, the interest rate was very attractive.

The funny thing is I typically call the office (telephone) to pay my auto insurance bill by credit card.

So, At Least Twice a Year the agents have a Perfect opportunity to describe their CDs and ask for the sale.

But Rose’s colleagues Wasted this Outstanding Opportunity Several Times Now. I did ultimately buy a CD though…but who knows how many other CDs I (or their other clients) would have purchased from State Farm, if they had only floated the idea…

And the employees earn a $25 bonus for each new CD they close.

Again, Explain Your Offering often enough so Your Customers are familiar with your line of products and services.

I actually AM interested in investing in CDs now, and I had NO idea that State Farm offered this product.

I can’t recall whether:

1) I ever heard that they offer CDs, or

2) I had heard and forgotten, or

3) I had received their brochure and

a) Put it aside to read later; or

b) Read it and forgot about it; or

c) Tossed their brochure into the trash.

Either way, they lost a sale.

Never Assume that Your Existing Customers Know or Remember Exactly What You Do.

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