Managing Off-Site Staff for Small Business (101 for Small Business Series)

You'll receive faster results, it costs less, and you'll generate greater input and feedback. Raise Your Prices a. Has your competition raised their prices? Maybe you should too. Higher prices separate you from the crowd, and implies your product is better, an deserves a premium price. BMW does not compete with Yugos. Be careful in this area. The customer must see the value of the higher price. H ow Pricing Affects Your Business. Promote Trends or Current Events a. Can you tie your product or service to the environment, Olympics, World Series?

Gain valuable credibility and interest by association with known groups. Add Personality To Your Business a. A quote from the person pictured conveys friendliness and builds confidence in your company. Responses to seminars and programs are dramatically higher when photos are used. Make sure you put a time limit on promotional materials. For products that increase personal security, personal safety or health, fear can be an effective business-boosting tool. If they don't buy your product now, they will miss something.

A discount, premium free gift, etc. Fear of loss is more powerful than expectation of gain. Use The Media a.

Send letters covering topics related to your business to local publications. Your name and business name will probably be used if your letter is printed. You are holding this information because of an Internet site or a local or national promotion. Make Advertising Last a. Buy ads that last months, not minutes. Yellow Pages Local and Online. Magnetic signs for car or van.

Don't forget the back of your vehicle.

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Put signs on truck tailgates and rear windows. Most customers don't drive alongside your vehicle and copy down the phone or address. They are more apt to do it at a stop sign. If you're printing an expensive color piece, ask the printer to quote the price of his house paper. Design the outside of the brochure to be permanent and the inside for future changes. That way you can print up large quantities 5, or more of the outside only and have the printer keep them on hand. Then as your message changes you only have to print the inside.

You will save by doing a large run in the beginning. You will also save by only printing what you need as your company changes. Examine Promotional Materials a. Make sure business cards, letterheads, brochures and packaging materials are first class. This is not the area to spare expenses. If you can't afford 4 color brochures use 2 or 3 color. Screen is another word for shade darker or tint lighter.

A florist wants red flowers around the borders of his brochure and black ink for the text. You can have some pink flowers and some red flowers with little or no additional cost depending on how your printer handles screens. This process will give the appearance of three colors; red, pink, and black.

Use gray a tint of black and presto, a 4 color brochure red, pink, gray and black for a 2 Color price. It looks expensive but isn't. Make A Memorable Business Card a. Make your business card a mini-brochure. If you need a map, or other information, use the back of the card. Your card is there long after you are gone. What do your competitors cards look like? What message do they convey to you? Give several cards to business associates who might be able to promote your business.

Give a card to everyone you meet, and put one in every letter even bills. Joe Girard, the famous car salesman, used to throw handfuls of business cards, like confetti, out of the upper deck at football games, onto the expensive seats below. On the back of each card was a discount on any car bought the following Monday. Thank customers with a special offer. Thank anyone who refers business to you with a personalized thank you card, phone call, discounts, flowers, dinner or even a commission.

They're important enough for this tiny investment. They'll be proud to leave their card with every customer and every prospect.

Startup company

They'll use the card with friends and relatives and your name will be in many more places. Do What The Winners Do a. Is there a company you admire? Analyze its marketing strategies. Collect advertising that attracts your attention and adapt it to your business. Throw A Party a. Invite clients and friends to your home based business or store, serve refreshments and plan an interesting demonstration of your product or service. Make it EASY for customers to buy or order your products or services. Accept credit cards, checks, eliminate long complicated credit forms, etc.

Let the business editor know something special is happening. They love to cover the unveiling of interesting new products. Be friendly and outgoing. If this is not your personality ask a friend to be a greeter. Give A Gift a. Offer a specialty item that's useful enough to save and that also serves as a reminder of your business. Letter opener, coffee mug, paper weight etc. Look in Yellow Pages under novelties. Three Secrets Of Marketing a. You must be committed. Commit the money and leave it alone. Plant the seeds that will grow later. You must be consistent.

Why does McDonalds advertise every day on every channel? The marketing message must be constantly reinforced. Your customers will forget you if they don't hear from you. You must be confident. Most marketing plans take at least 60 - 90 days to produce even minimum results. Be patient, your efforts will pay off in the long run. Offer customers genuinely useful products or services that make you and your customers happy. Establish A Board Of "Champions" a. Every quarter or so, put up a dozen of these advisers friends, family, business associates whose opinions and judgment you value into a room and allow them to critique every aspect of your business.

For the cost of a nice lunch this "board of advisors" can give you a different look at yourself. Don't be "thin-skinned", they may be hard on you or your product, but that's the purpose. They may see problems that you don't. Grow from the experience. When explaining your product or service to customers, stop every 30 to 45 seconds and ask a question to see if your message is being received. If they ask you to continue or ask to take notes you know you're on the right track.

Never assume any of the following:. Take Little Bites a. Eskimos eat whales, and tiny termites eat mighty houses the same way Starting a company or introducing a new product is a monumental task if you approach it as a done deal. General Motors didn't start at its present size, its doors opened on the first day of business with no customers just like yours. Good management, a good product properly positioned, and a "never give up" attitude. In the September , issue of Success magazine is the story of Herb Vest.

He started a company that was against CPA regulations in every state. He financed his business with personal credit cards. The bank repossessed his car. But he never gave up. This is the kind of determination, drive and attitude it takes to be successful Do you have that kind of determination, drive and attitude?

See 38 - Use the Public Library a. The library has more information on business than anyone can possibly read. The librarians will research and find the information you need. A real time saver. Look the books over for two weeks and buy the ones you want to add to your business library. Make it easy for your customers to complain about your business. Call them after the sale. Send a post card "Was everything OK? If your product has a problem how will you know about it? Isn't it better to get complaint feedback right away rather than wait until you have hundreds of unhappy customers.

If you continue to work on an ad, brochure, mailer long enough, eventually you will get it perfect. If you have a new business or product, the important thing is getting some kind of message out there. You need customers or clients and you need them fast. Every day you delay the better chance your competition has to reach your customers. Your materials will go through several evolutionary changes over the years and you will never be totally happy with them. Start A "Swipe File.

Don't copy them exactly, but many good ideas can come from what the guy down the street is doing. And if they're doing something, so should you. Just because issues are important within an organization they do not automatically have relevance to your customers. This is a by-product of "fuzzy-thinking" and the problem points to managers that lack experience. When you consider any project look at it from the customers point of view, not the company. The rule is "take care of the customer and he'll take care of the company". Instead of the business tips you expected, you will get an extra 13 you didn't expect.

What small thing can you do for your customers that will surprise them without additional cost to the company? Good service generally goes unnoticed, and does not receive a comment. Exceptional service does; so does exceptionally poor service. Avoid the customer service trap of trying to be all things to all people. You should provide a level of service that you can maintain consistently and profitably. Don't try to WOW them. If you do, how are you going to WOW them the next time? Or the time after that?? How to get first time customers to come back. Talk to your suppliers and salespeople who call on you, they know more about your competition than anyone else.

Sometimes in the course of casual conversation they may, unknowingly, give you important information about your competition's future plans. If your competition is a public company, buy stock. As a stockholder you will receive all their annual and quarterly reports. If you can serve some subgroup of that market effectively you may be able to capture a loyal and lucrative customer base.

Demographics are the breakdown of the area you live in or plan on servicing. How many Whites, Blacks, Hispanic etc. What are the income levels? Number of homeowners, etc. This is important information because if the area can't afford or doesn't want your product then you're out of business before you even start.

Demographic information is available from the following: These are not the only sources. Subscribe To Industry Magazines a. Keep up with changing events in your industry by subscribing to trade magazines. Many of these magazines do surveys of their subscribers that answer questions such as:. How much should I spend on marketing, advertising, insurance, etc. How much should I charge for my product? What is the most successful advertising medium to promote my product?

TV, Radio, Direct Mail? For More Look for the "Encyclopedia of Periodicals" at your local library. A complete listing of trade magazines and newsletters. No matter what the state of the economy is people are always starting businesses. People are still running successful businesses every day of the year. Look for magazines that deal with positive business messages. There are plenty of them out there. Here are a couple to start with:. Success - Positive messages to keep your spirits up. Entrepreneur - The Small Business Authority. These are available at most grocery stores, newsstands and the library.

Most industries have organizations that support that industry. Your local video store may be a member of the V. Video Software Dealers Association. I wonder where we can find a list of these organizations? Talking to people in the same industry can give you a good idea of what to try and not try in business promotion. There is always someone at these meetings who can help you succeed. The organization exists to benefit your business or product.

Many organizations have conventions that are closed to the general public. Conventions are a gold mine of good information. Offer a better deal for a shorter time. You will still drain off a lot of his customers on a busy sale day and you will be perceived as a better place to do business. Planning Your Ad Budget Strategy.

Track Your Clients Special Needs a. Create a form to keep track of clients requests for special services and products and whether you can meet these requests. By studying these forms periodically, you can track interest in new products or services that you should offer. Print your company name, address, and fax number on all materials including, packing slips and invoices.

Customers who have to search for your number may come across your competitor's number first.

Startup company - Wikipedia

Learn More About Your Customers a. Learn more about customers than just the business they're in. Pay attention to local newspapers and let customers know you read about them. Be An Expert a. Offer seminars, establishing your company as an expert on the subject.

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Seminars help cement relations with current customers, attract prospects, and increase your company's exposure. Write Sales Letters a. With e-mail, fax machines and cellular phones most of us don't write letters any more. But they are an effective means of communication and unlike phone calls, almost always reach the intended audience. Letters enhance a company's professional image, help avoid misunderstandings and often make a sale.

Write letters explaining your company's services, detailing how your company helped another well-known client or thanking a customer for an order. Hand write "Personal" on the outside for better response. Listen To Your Customers Pay attention to questions new customers ask you. The may be telling you about an unpleasant experience they had with a previous company. If they ask about service, exchanges, return policies, etc. Have an employee meeting and go over some of the phrases that might be "red flags" to watch for.

Armed with that knowledge you can let these customers know that you will solve the problem with no hassles or problems. Every office uses these little "sticky notes" and they stick them to everything. With Personalized Post-It notes everyone from the CEO to the receptionist will see your company name almost every day. If they have a problem you can solve, your name and number are right there stuck to the page. Assign customers a category such as "A", "B", "C", "D", etc. Include profitability, time spent handling orders and special requests.

You'll quickly realize that some high-volume accounts are not contributing significantly to the bottom line. Develop a plan to inform all employees who the most profitable customers are and who should receive the best efforts of the company. It's a matter of perception Would you buy Pennzoil Cake Mix? Because we perceive Pennzoil to be a motor oil. They could make the best cake mix in the world and it would still be a very tough sell for most people. If you're confident in your vision, don't worry about your competition. Failure is simply failing to persevere.

Whatever you are doing, if you are getting any kind of results, persevere. Tips For Magazine Advertising. Also see 55 a. A two-page spread attracts about one-quarter more than a one-page ad. People respond better to illustrations or photos showing the product in use rather than those that show the product just sitting there. Should you use your limited advertising budget to create larger, more visible ads that restrict you to advertising less frequently, or smaller, less visible ads that you can then afford to run more frequently?

Most people even those who are likely candidates for your products typically don't respond to ads the first time they see them. When emotion and reason come into conflict, emotion always wins! While people like to believe they react rationally to offers, etc. Have you ever bought a CD just to get one song? Have you ever considered the color when buying a car? The best sales force?

The best customer service? If you only measure yourself versus your competition, you'll only be as good or a little better than they are. But is that who you're competing against?

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Your customer is experiencing those best in-class processes from someone and they are measuring your delivery against those some ones. People buy from other people more happily than from faceless corporations. In the marketplace, as in theater, there is indeed a factor at work called "the willing suspension of disbelief. Who stands behind our pancakes? Our angel food cakes? It's all myth but the myths are comforting. Because a two-time buyer is twice as likely to buy again as a one-time buyer. Turn the page of any catalog and the first thing you look at is the upper left hand corner of the spread.

That's where to place your best seller, your bread and butter, right? Well, what if your best seller is a visual dog? What if, for instance, your mainstay is black shoes? Kill the rule, raise another flag. Put a pair of wild socks in the upper left for stopping power and direct your reader to the old tried and true elsewhere on the spread. In your ads, brochures, mailings etc. Get On The Ball Be ready to be where your customer wants you, when your customer wants you, with what your customer wants. Just-in-time marketing is crucial as people become spoiled by hour, seven-day-a-week customized products and services.

Beware Of The Negative Make sure you deal with all your customers in good faith and with integrity. Negative word of mouth, especially on computer bulletin boards and systems like the Internet, can cripple your business even more than positive public relations can help it. It's sometimes better to focus on a smaller market one nobody is serving because they're all off catering to the bigger trend.

Check sites that might appeal to your target audience and see why people are going there. If you are selling to senior citizens for example you might look at;.

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Direct Mail Pick up any business book, by any author, and they will tell you there is no other way to sell a product that is cheaper and more successful than direct mail. Forty-six per cent of all Americans have purchased something by direct mail.

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Employee Management for Small Business. Description Finding and keeping good employees is crucial to the success of every business, but it's not easy. This book will show small-business owners how to develop a human resources plan tailored to their needs. From hiring and orientation to developing company policies and negotiating employment contracts, this book covers the essentials of employee management. Like all the books in the for Small Business series, each topic in the book is explained in simple language and is illustrated with real-world examples, checklists, and forms.

Whether a business has 1 or employees, the third edition of Employee Management for Small Business provides the tools and knowledge required to take an active and positive approach to maintaining an effective human resources plan. The Best Books of Check out the top books of the year on our page Best Books of Product details Format Paperback pages Dimensions x x