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General
Ideas |
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- Make
time for family, exercise and hobbies. This will help to
reduce stress. Stress creates barriers that impact on our
ability to think clearly.
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- Protect
those things that give value to your business. Protection
should not only be seen as a legal process (like patents,
trademarks etc.), but one that involves commitments from
people via company policies and confidentiality agreements.
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- Give
back more than you take. That seems to go against the idea
of making a profit, but there are many ways you can add
extra value into your relationship with customers and your
community. Look for ways you can provide a better value,
even if it is for no other reason than it gives your customers
and neighbours a better shot at succes
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- Always
acknowledge when something nice is done for you with a thank
you letter. A call is not the same and doesn't reflect the
effort you put in.
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- Sometimes
it's not always possible for people inside a company to
come up with the best ideas or solutions on their own. They
may find that they are too close to the issues and don't
have the necessary perspective. There are two ways to deal
with this challenge:
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- Move
the meeting offsite and create a new environment for people
to be creative in.
- Ask
a consultant or facilitator to work with you to offer an
alternative viewpoint.
- Either
way, you will create a new and unique set of circumstances
that may spark the necessary creativity from your team.
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- Say
"thank you." It's one of the oldest, yet underused,
words in our language. Tell customers thanks for calling,
thanks for asking, thanks for buying, and thanks for taking
time do drop by and see our sale. Thank customers for their
complaints. Smile at an irate customer and say, "Sincerely,
I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. Thank you."
You'll be amazed at the positive feedback.
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- Occasionally
give something away to a person you know truly needs it.
All of us meet customers from time to time that we know
really need what we sell but can't afford it. Give them
a good discount or show them how to get the job done cheaper
or for free by doing it a different way. They may never
know that you don't do this with all your customers, but
you will know you made a difference in the life of someone
who really needed you.
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- Engage
in one marketing activity a day. For example - call an ex-client
or business associate. Let it become a routine.
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- Set
specific marketing goals every year. Track and measure success
and review and adjust quarterly
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- Carry
business cards and brochures with you, everyday and everywhere.
You never know when you will need them.
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- Create
a personal nametag or badge with your company name prominently
displayed, and wear it whenever appropriate, especially
at high visibility meetings.
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- Keep
an "ideas" file, and jot down ideas whenever they
come to you. Visit the file monthly and see what you can
realistically use.
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- You
may be operating your business as a solo proprietor in your
basement; but no one needs to know! Image plays a huge part
in business. To be perceived as a small business entity
can sometimes work against you. Create the perception of
a larger business - this could add credibility and increase
the likelihood of being hired.
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- If
you live in an apartment or condominium, use the word suite
rather than apartment to include in your address.
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- With
the advent of voice mail, have someone else record your
message that greets callers. Hearing another voice will
make your callers think that you have employees to help
you in your business.
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- For
correspondence, use three lower case initials typed on each
letter you write. This will give the impression that you
have a secretary or clerk.
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- Join
business or trade organizations; and make sure that you
list the professional credentials to which you belong. Knowing
you belong to a nationwide community of your peers is very
reassuring for your clients.
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- Develop
strategicalliances with other professionals who can complement
your work. As a start-up, you may "ride-on" in
other people's projects (and vice versa), getting a small
percentage of the work, until you develop your credibility
and business history.
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- "Marketing
is an art, not a science." As such, common sense should
never be abandoned in favour of "scientific data"
or in the least, scientific data that flies in the face
of common sense should be questioned. When someone (like
an agency) tells you something that doesn't make sense and
supports it with "market research", dig deeper.
Chances are the research could be flawed or the presenter
has a different agenda.
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- It
is far, far easier to sell more to the customer you have
than to sell a new customer. And yet the average business
spends five times as much money to attract a new customer
than they do on the customer they already have. It was the
Italian philosopher Pareto in the 1800s who said that 80
percent of your business comes from 20 percent of your customers.
It still works today. So stop spending time and money on
the bottom 20 percent. Instead, concentrate on the top 20
percent who spend the most money with you.
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-
Remember
AIDA - it is the truest and simplest idea of marketing
A
= AWARENESS - people need to know about you before they
do anything
I = INTEREST - people need to be interested in what
you're saying before they do anything
D = DESIRE - people need to want what you're selling
before they buy
A = ACTION - finally, people need to act to make a purchase
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Networking
and Word of Mouth |
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- Join
a Chamber of Commerce or other organizations.
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- Join
morning networking clubs
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- Serve
on city or college boards or committees.
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- Hold
an open house for fellow tenants.
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- Stay
in contact with people you meet at conferences or trade
shows.
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- Call
one person on your contact database every day.
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- Bring
your own badge to an event. This way you can control how
large your name is
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- Ask
customers for referrals
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- Make
referrals a part of your deal with clients.
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- Join
discussion databases on the Internet.
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- Have
a 20 second elevator pitch down so you can recite it in
your sleep but not seem canned when you do so. The question
people are really asking when they say "So, what do
you do?" is how do you make money, except that that's
impolite to say.
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- Mail
a brochure and business card to members of organizations
to which you belong.
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Internet
or Website |
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- Why
do many companies fail with their website presence? Research
shows that they "did not have strategic direction to
their web efforts or hadn't refined their e-commerce practices".
Without a strategic direction for the website, how do we
know we're doing the right thing? In order to address this
major strategic/planning web site issue, every company with
a web site (or desiring one) should have a written plan
(including a marketing plan) for their web site, and should
seriously question whether it fits with the rest of the
company's plans.
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- Set
measurable objectives for your website - without these you
have no way of knowing whether the site is successful or
not.
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- Develop
and manage your Internet marketing plan - without it you
can, very quickly, overspend and create a major cash flow
problem
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- Review
your competitor sites before you plan your own - make sure
you have a meaningful way of differentiating yourself from
your competition.
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- Does
your domain name have an appropriate meaning? Should it?
Could it?
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- Plan
how often you will update your site - the more often you
do this, the higher the likelihood of people re-visiting
your site.
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- Here's
a neat trick to understand who is referring customers to
your competitors' websites. By knowing this, you could contact
the referring sites and get them to create a link to your
site as well. If successful, this could counter a current
advantage your competitor may have.
Here's
what you should do:
- Check
your own site first - make a list of the top referrers to
your site
- Check
your competitors' sites and highlight any of the top referrers
that are not on your list
- Contact
these top referring sites (if appropriate) and ask them
to add a link to your site
How
to do it:
- Use
search engine Overture.com
- Type
into the search function the following: linkdomain:thewebsitename.com
(where "thewebsitename.com" is the address of
the site you wish to check on).
- The
list of sites, in order of importance will then be displayed.
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- If
you have Internet presence, make sure that your web site
does not scream "amateur!" Make your site as clean
as possible, with easy navigation and readable fonts. Avoid
using intricate wallpapers as your background that makes
fonts difficult to decipher. Your web site is your "face"
to the rest of the world; how you create it will impact
on the image and credibility that you and your business
projects.
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- A
meaningful electronic signature (on your e-mail) can boost
your business. It can describe an entire business: who the
writer is, what type of services the company offers, the
benefits and positive results clients can expect.
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- Search
Engines - List your site with as many search engines as
possible. Some of the more important one's include Google,
MSN, Yahoo, Excite, Lycos, Mamma, Hot Bot and Overture.
List, not only the main or home page of your web site with
the search engines, but also your additional pages, as long
as they are different and titled accordingly. Doing this,
will dramatically increase the traffic to your site.
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- Make
sure that you plan the site's integration with the rest
of your business - you'll be amazed how the site can affect
different parts of the business.
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- Include
your website address on all your company's materials - it's
the most cost-effective way to promote your site.
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- Create
an area on your website specifically for clients.
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- Consider
the following options as a way of promoting your site:
- Ad
Banners
- Hyperlinks
- Email
newsletters
- Email
signatures
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- Newsgroups
- Search
Engine Registration
- Bulk
Email
- Complementary
Site
- Promotion
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Productivity |
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- Before
you try to encourage improved productivity within your organization,
try some of the ideas out on yourself first. Leading from
the front will always send positive signals to your staff,
and will enable you to sell the productivity ideas from
a first-hand perspective.
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- Turn
your voicemail into a productivity and marketing tool. Managing
voice-mail effectively means knowing how to leave messages
that will result in action and how to deal with messages
you receive. Very often, voice-mail communication that is
clear, concise, and timely, will be even more effective
and productive than 1:1 personal communication. It allows
for the issues to be addressed in a really focused manner.
From a marketing perspective, it's sometimes better to leave
a message and not to talk to a live person - it all depends
on your objectives. It could become a really effective tool,
if you use it wisely.
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Planning |
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- Planning
is a process that cannot be haphazard. It requires structure
so that one "puts first things first" and ensures
that all decisions are made with the ultimate goal in mind.
Use the numerous tools that are available (consultants,
software, books etc), but don't neglect this process. If
you don't plan effectively, your chances of business success
will be dramatically reduced.
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- "If
I had 8 hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend 6 sharpening
my ax" - Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865, Sixteenth President
of the USA). Understand that preparing (planning) for something
will ultimately make it easier to deal with.
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- Budgeting
is part of the planning process. Managing your finances
becomes the ultimate challenge to business. If you don't
plan on how to manage your income and expenses, the surprises
could be quite painful.
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- Understanding
the differences between features and benefits from a customer's
perspective becomes the key element in creating a message
that is likely to be accepted and acted upon. Always "walking
in the customers shoes" will help the seller adapt
their way of thinking and dramatically improve the odds
of a successful sale.
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Image
and Branding |
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- Branding
is an important issue - your brand positions you in the
business. It is the face of the business, and what makes
you unique. Make sure everything you do supports the brand.
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- Image.
Keep all aspects of your marketing focused on one image.
Don't use a high-tech image in one media exposure and a
warm-fuzzy image in the next. Define yourself. Customers
will connect faster and feel confident in you.
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- If
you deal in different languages, don't do simple translations
of slogans - they may mean something totally different in
another language.
Examples:
1.
Coors put its slogan, "Turn it loose," into Spanish,
where it was read as "Suffer from diarrhea." 2.
Clairol introduced the "Mist Stick", a curling
iron, into German only to find out that "mist"
is slang for manure. Not too many people had use for the
"manure stick." 3. Colgate introduced a toothpaste
in France called Cue, the name of a porno magazine. 4. Pepsi's
"Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" translated
into "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave",
in Chinese. 5. When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen
in Mexico, its ads were supposed to have read, "it
won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you". Instead,
the company thought that the word "embarazar"
(to impregnate) meant to embarrass, so the ad read: "It
won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."
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Target
Market |
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- Read
trade publications to track trends.
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- Read
market research studies about your business and market.
The better your knowledge of the market, the easier it will
be to satisfy their needs.
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- Collect
competitors' ads and literature - knowing what they are
doing can give you clues on how to differentiate your business
offering. You will also gain valuable information on their
strategies, tactics, features and benefits.
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- Ask
clients why they hired you and what other services they
need.
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- Ask
ex-clients why they left you.
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- Always
test new products and services by talking to your customers
about them.
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- Don't
try to satisfy too many needs - understand the core business
offering you are best positioned to deliver and focus on
that. Once you start growing you can expand your target
market.
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Marketing
Communications |
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- Develop
a brochure, business cards or a website that promotes your
services. Promote them aggressively.
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- Publish
a newsletter that provides valuable information for customers
and prospects.
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- Give
prospects two business cards - one to keep and one to hand
on to someone else
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- Print
a slogan on invoices, fax cover sheets and letterheads -
this helps people understand what you do.
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- Include
testimonial letters from satisfied clients wherever possible
- positive comments from customers are much more valuable
than your word.
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- Test
new mailing lists - test different types of lists to find
out what works for you.
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- Test,
test, test - everything you do. Use different types of mailing
techniques - should be results oriented, but don't splash
out on a new venture without testing the concept first.
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- Send
letters in coloured envelopes or in strangely shaped boxes
or packages - this way you'll catch the prospect's attention.
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- Include
a reply paid card with your letter - you'll be sure to increase
response if you make it easier for the customer to reply.
Check boxes are easy to understand and to complete.
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- The
most valuable tool in marketing at the lowest cost is a
letter. In fact, the most valuable tool in marketing at
any cost is a letter. Write one business-getting letter
every day.
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- The
best formula for creating headlines in marketing is "New
product offers benefit, benefit, benefit." Use this
to create the headline of your press releases and advertisements,
for envelope teaser copy, and for the beginning lead of
your brochure. Example: "New keyboard offers faster
typing, greater accuracy, and is less tiring."
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- Review
the features of the product or service and ask yourself:
"what benefits will the client get from this?"
- it's this benefit list that should be highlighted
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- Quantify
benefits. The reader must weigh the cost of your service
against the benefits they will reap. Help them decide with
numbers, i.e., "Increase productivity by 300%."
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- The
most valuable single sheet of paper you can create in marketing
is a press release. You should be sending press releases
every month. Make sure you're sending it to the right person
and in their preferred format.
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- Follow
up serious inquiries and sales leads with more than one
piece of mail. Take your time writing. No one will ever
know the one-page letter they received took you three weeks
to write. Just make sure when you send it, it's perfect.
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- When
you start to write any business communication, always write
your objective first. Figure out and state in writing what
you are trying to accomplish. For example, an ad objective
may be to generate maximum direct orders, or get as many
leads as possible. This gives your writing more focus.
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- If
you'd really like a response from a personal letter, include
a return envelope with a live stamp on it. It'll increase
your response or it'll drive them nuts.
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-
In a direct mail solicitation, don't be afraid to ask for
the order - several times. If the recipient doesn't call
or send an order, the piece fails. For best results, be
very explicit and tell the reader exactly what you want
him to do - twice in the body copy, and again in the PS.
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- Properly
written direct mail with a follow-up phone call can be one
of the most effective, low-cost techniques for getting new
clients and new business from old clients.
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- Reinforce
the letter with a brochure. Present your benefits in a different
way, but tell the entire story a second time. The most interested
readers will get to both.
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-
Don't split the message. Tell the whole story in your letter
and in the brochure. Always make it easy for the reader
to learn the benefits of your offer at a glance without
having to refer to another mailing component or a reverse
side.
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- Delete
needless copy. Don't "set the stage" for your
sell copy. Don't give a history of your company (unless
a clear benefit is involved). Don't use humour; it distracts
from the purchasing decision. Stick to benefits; don't lead
with an attention-getting, but irrelevant story about hockey.
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- Keep
it positive. Either ignore objections to your service, or
somehow phrase your response to the objection as a benefit.
If your service solves a problem, make sure the problem
seems "solvable". For example, don't emphasize
your hourly, daily or project rate; instead feature the
profit, convenience or time saved by your service.
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- Tell
the reader what to do. "Read how our service benefits
you." "Call, write or send for more information."
Make it easy to respond. Use a self-addressed, postage-free
reply card or return envelope. Use a toll-free number.
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- Ask
for the order right away. If the reader goes no further
than the beginning of the letter, he still knows exactly
what to do.
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- Offer
a free gift. This often increases response, and is usually
worth the expense.
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- Use
testimonials whenever possible. Be sure to include the person's
name and affiliation. This is where you can say outright
how wonderful your service is.
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- Use
attention-getting graphic devices. Keep the reader alert
and stimulated to read further. Use capital letters, a second
color, indented paragraphs, handwritten notes, underlining
and boldface type and text boxes.
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- Ask
for action from the start. Don't build up to it. Request
the specific action you want at the beginning. Rephrase
it from time to time. Be very direct at the end, and repeat
it in the P.S.
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- Use
a P.S. This is often the first thing that people read, and
they read on if it interests them. So make it intriguing.
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- Keep
it personal. Your letter should look like a personal type
written letter from you to the reader. Use handwritten notes
in the margins to emphasize key points, and use a signature
in a second color (blue is often used here, to simulate
handwriting in ink).
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- Keep
your paragraphs short - no more than 6 or 7 lines. Break
up long copy with graphic devices (indented paragraphs,
etc.).
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- Be
sure it's easy to read. Use typefaces that are proven easy
to read. Avoid using too many different typefaces. Make
it look inviting.
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- Ask
for an immediate response - "Reserve your meeting time
today!" "Supplies (your report, booklet or other
premiums) are limited!", "offer expires February
28". Only use a deadline if it is genuine.
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- Articles
- Provide tips, shortcuts, advice, and any additional helpful
information to editors of ezines and magazines.
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- Clear
communication within a company is key - This relates not
only to risk management but to marketing as well. People
are truly effective when they have all the information,
and it is incumbent on everyone in the company to share
knowledge and experiences with everyone else. Marketing
plans only become effective when the results of implementation
are reported back by the sales team. Early adjustments to
sales and marketing programs will only make them more effective.
Make sure everyone in your team feels that their views and
opinions are respected.
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Product
or Service |
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- Always
try to create something unique about your products or services
- this need not be real, so long as it is perceived to be
valuable by your clients. This will set you apart from competitors
and prevent direct comparison. It could also enable you
to charge more. Create a new product, service or technique.
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- Offer
a simpler/cheaper/smaller version of your service.
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- Offer
a fancier/more expensive/bigger version of your service.
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- Continually
update your products or services.
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- Offer
'Added Value' to your product or service - the customer
gains some additional advantage without having to pay for
it (or pay very little, compared with its value to the customer).
Adding perceived value is a way of enhancing what you are
offering, without necessarily adding to your costs. It can
also help to differentiate your products from those of your
competitors. This makes direct price comparisons more difficult
for prospective customers, and can increase your profit
margins. Examples:
- Guarantees:
The cost is usually very small, but they can go a long way
towards gaining customer confidence.
- Delivery:
Deliver faster - you may even be able to charge for it.
- Service:
Very important to customers, and a major way to retain customer
loyalty.
- Credit:
Can add value to some customers. But make sure that your
own finances will not be damaged.
- Packaging
& presentation: Professional packaging enhances the
perceived value of the product.
- Quality
assurance: International standards, such as ISO accreditation
can be of value.
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Pricing
and Payment |
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|
- Check
prices against your competition.
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- Establish
credit card payment options for your clients - if it will
make a difference.
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- Give
regular clients a discount - or added value.
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- Look
for opportunities to barter - offer discounts to association
members in exchange for promotion on their website or in
their publications or materials.
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- Give
discounts for quick payment.
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- Offer
financing or installment plans.
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- Remain
flexible with your credit terms - understand exactly why
you are discounting your services (or not).
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Sales |
|
|
- Deal
with the things that are important to you, the seller, right
up-front. If you don't receive satisfactory answers to those
issues, then you're wasting your time in the selling process,
and you should move on to other potential prospects. Make
sure you have an upfront contract that defines future outcomes.
By doing this YOU have control of the sales process, and
NOT the buyer.
While
this process is counter-intuitive to traditional selling,
it will certainly enable you, as the seller, to spend
your time more appropriately on prospects that are more
likely to become customer
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- Building
the foundation upon which a decision is made is as much
a part of selling, as the selling process itself. That foundation
building process is called marketing. It is a crucial part
of the overall selling process that develops the environment
that makes selling easier, or in many instances, possible.
Make
sure that your marketing and selling efforts are in alignment.
If they aren't, the process of selling could be as tough
for you as it is for a fish to swim upstream. Just ask the
fish: doesn't he find it easier to swim WITH the current?
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- Give
your sales literature to your accountant, lawyer, banker
etc. They could become an extension to your sales force.
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- Follow-up
on direct mailings, faxes etc with a friendly phone call.
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- Extend
your hours of operation. Being available when competitors
aren't could help.
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- Upsell
a product during the ordering process - you can upsell anything
related to your product, or cross sell something that is
unrelated.
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- Continually
remind clients of products and services that they aren't
buying - they may have a new need or may have forgotten
that you offer specific services.
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- Call
or email ex-clients - you could reactivate them just by
staying in touch.
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- Timing
is everything - the more you're in customer's face the more
likelihood that it will be the "right" time.
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- Take
orders over the Internet - or in ways that your competitors
don't.
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Resources
and Information |
|
|
- Read
newspapers and business journals for new business openings
and for personal appointments and promotions made by companies.
Send your business literature to appropriate the people.
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- Subscribe
to email newsletters or other trade publications.
|
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- Hold
a monthly marketing meeting with employees - make them feel
part of the decision making process. They are also one of
the best sources of ideas and information at your fingertips.
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- Bookmark
useful sites on the Internet - and make an appointment with
yourself to review them monthly.
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- Join
organizations or associations related to your profession.
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- Attend
seminars and trade shows.
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Media
Relations and Press Releases |
|
|
- Create
and maintain a media list so that press releases are easily
sent to the right people at the right address.
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- Send
timely and newsworthy press releases as often as possible.
Make sure they are newsworthy, otherwise the media will
tune out next time they receive something from you.
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- Write
articles for targeted, appropriate media
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- Submit
expert "tips" to newsletters and newspapers -
this free information can be valuable in gaining you free
publicity.
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- Write
a monthly column for local press, business journals or trade
publications.
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- Write
a monthly column for local press, business journals or trade
publications
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- Take
the editor of an important trade publication to lunch -
make sure you have enough meaningful information to share
with him.
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- Forward
news releases to the editors of any online ezines, as well
as offline magazines, most of which will have web sites
as well. You can also locate most of these through search
engines by searching on the term, "ezines."
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- Search
for "news sites," "news posts," or any
related term on the Internet. What you are seeking are sites
that allow posting of news releases and notices regarding
your business, products, services, information, ventures,
etc. These are very detailed and instructional on how to
get your information posted within them.
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- There
are also databanks, whereby, you can list your articles
for other publishers and editors to freely use with the
condition that they maintain your byline with your article
to ensure credit to you. One such databank is at www.ideamarketers.com.
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- Media
Selection. No one can afford to be everywhere. But you've
got to concentrate enough to make an impact. KNOW your market.
Know your customers. Know the media. Or use an objective
Marketing Consultant.
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- Use
Canada Newswire - it's not cheap but it's the easiest way
to send news releases to targeted media.
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- Get
public relations or media training - or read up on it. It
will help you in your dealings with the media.
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- Have
a publicity photo taken of yourself - include it in your
press release.
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- Publish
an article - and circulate reprints of it.
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Customer
Service and Customer Relations |
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- Return
phone calls promptly - it shows efficiency and respect.
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- Be
on time for meetings - respect your customer or prospects
time.
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- Provide
added value - it shouldn't cost you much but will probably
be significantly appreciated by your customer, especially
if it wasn't expected.
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- Ask
your clients how you can serve them better - eliciting their
opinion will be valued.
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- Set
up fax on demand or automated e-mail response for customer
inquiries that are easy to respond to.
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- Send
clients a "tip of the week". It should add value
to the relationship and should not overburden them with
excessive reading.
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- Hold
a FREE seminar at your office (or at the client's office)
- this should be an added value service.
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- Hold
a "paid for" seminar for your client if it helps
to educate them significantly.
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- Send
hand-written thank you notes.
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- Thank
clients at year-end with gifts or luncheons.
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- Photocopy
interesting articles and send them to the client, together
with your business card.
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- Purchase
your clients gift subscriptions to their favourite professional
magazines as thanks for business sent.
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- Create
an area on your website specifically for clients.
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Advertising
and Promotion |
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- Get
a memorable 1-800 number - for example 1-800-Salesman
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- Advertise
in targeted media
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- Advertise
before and during peak selling periods
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- Create
an advertising campaign - don't rely on a once off ad to
create all the business you need.
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- Put
yourself in your potential customer's shoes when deciding
where to advertise - ask yourself: "where would I be
looking for this product or services?"
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- Track
your advertising results - you'll need to know what worked
for you so that you can refine your plan next time round.
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- Promote
your business jointly with other professionals via co-operative
mailers.
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- Cross-promote
when you can. It is always very efficient to have others
promote your product or service. If you come across an organization
that you have some synergy with, discuss the potential for
a joint marketing campaign with them. For example, lawnmowers
that recycled the grass. Supplier approached the local government
to see if they could use their recycling program to promote
their product, and they agreed. They utilized the government's
materials distribution to insert a brochure about their
product's recycling capabilities. The local dealers realized
increased interest due to this different channel of communication/promotion.
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- Advertise
in a specialty directory or Yellow Pages.
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- An
ad in the Classifieds could help to kick-start your business
- it could also be the most appropriate place to advertise
specific products and services.
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- Distribute
advertising specialties like pens, mugs etc - this will
maintain top of mind awareness.
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- Advertise
on other media such as billboards, magazines, newspapers,
TV, radio, websites etc - if you can afford it.
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- Put
a sign outside your office.
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- Paint
your car with your company name and telephone number.
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- Develop
a bumper sticker, and give it to friends.
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- Sponsor
community activities.
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Special
Events |
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- Exhibit
at a trade show or conference.
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- Sponsor
an open house at your premises
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- Give
a speech or volunteer at an organization or at a career
day at a high school, college or university.
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- Teach
a class at a college.
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- Volunteer
at a Non-profit organization.
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- Donate
your product or service to a charity
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- Appear
on a panel at a professional seminar.
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- Publish
a book or articles for a newspaper or trade journal.
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- Produce
and distribute an educational CD-Rom or Video
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