Tuesday, August 21, 2012

How to get Great Clients




What is a Great Client? Your Great Client is the customer who                                       (fill in the blank)
They could be:

        1. Your biggest client
        2. The client who always pays early or on time
        3. The client who always meets your deadlines.

We all have a different definition of what makes up Great Clients. My question to you is how do you get more of them?

First off, how much time are you spending on the clients that are unreasonable, difficult or have a hard time paying? Start tracking the time that you spend with these clients. Once you see how much time they take up, you will be more willing to move away from them and concentrate on getting more of those great clients that you truly enjoy working with.

Start with figuring out which traits make up your great clients. You can use the 3 examples above to help you get started.

Second, brainstorm on how you can get new great clients just like the ones you currently have.
Do you need to
  1. Change how you’re prospecting leads to get bigger accounts
  2. Set up an automatic payment plan when you first sign the customer up to avoid late payments.
  3. Ask for referrals from your other great clients.

Finally keep perfecting your methods and clients list. You deserve to come to work and look forward to working with your clients. 

If you liked this article you may want to check these out too:

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Time Management - 5 tips and tricks



Productivity is measured by results; however, if something always seems to get in the way of you being effective, the following may be helpful. 
For most of us, routine tasks become obstacles without even knowing it. By streamlining your tasks and setting priorities, you can better manage your time, thus increasing your effectiveness and productivity.

Prioritize Your Day
A to-do list is great, but too often we have more to do than we have time to complete the list in a day. Tasks get delayed, dropped, or add pressure to finish when it is not necessary. Even though you may have a thousand and one things you want to do each day, the reality is you need to complete some tasks, while many other tasks can be delayed. What you need to do is identify those items that require your immediate attention. These should represent your to-do list for that day. By selecting the significant tasks, that is, the need to do and the immediately need to do with realistic time frames for completion of each will start you on the path to effective time management.
At the end of each day evaluate your list, did you complete each task in the time estimated? If more time was required note that for future use, if less time was required, note that as well. If some tasks were not completed, or even started, note this, too, and add them to the next days to-do list. Finally, draft tomorrows task list before you leave the office.
By following this simple procedure, while maintaining a consistent pattern of setting realistic task lists and monitoring your completion rates and time, you will find you will begin to accomplish more, reduce your feelings of inadequacy, and improve your productivity.
Have Stated Objectives for Meetings
To often we go into meetings with employees and clients with no agenda or clearly understood expectations. Before a meeting, identify the purpose of the meeting, points you want discussed, and the result or results you expect to achieve. Write all this down and take your written notes with you into the meeting. As each objective is achieved mark it on your outline. Any changes, modifications, or lack of action should be identified, as well.
Avoid wasting time by starting to list your expectations in order of importance. This will save time and enhance your ability to quickly reach consensus of your key objectives.
Take Time for Yourself
As successful business people, we are typically workaholics; however, to maintain your focus and creativity, you need to step back and give yourself time to reenergize. This means get out of the office, for brief periods of time, and go for a walk. Use such moments to think about something other than your business or work. You will be surprised how often business solutions will pop into your head during these times of reflection. The added bonus is your body will benefit from the reduced pressure and the exercise will do you good.
Have Established Answers for Frequently Asked Questions
When frequently asked the same question by either employees or customers, take note of it and draft a simple, understandable answer that can be used as the standard response. Or, if possible, just come up with a quick answer that can be shared with staff as company policy. Either way, this will avoid having to deal with the same issue directly every time it is raised. This has the further advantage of allowing you to save time for more important issues.
The exception to this approach is when the question identifies a potential or urgent problem. Then, of course, you need to resolve the problem.
A Clean Desk is an Efficient Workplace
I saved my favorite time management tip for last. Stay ahead of your tasks by organizing your desktop, keeping files neat and orderly in designated cabinets, and place on your desk just one task or project at a time. Computers have simplified this with the ability to store large amounts of data by various categories or tasks. Take advantage of the software available to organize your business records, letters, memos, reports, accounts, and projects. Make hard copies of those items that are essential and use a back-up software program for all critical aspects of your work.
Develop a schedule for routine tasks, such as, signing checks, returning phone calls, and answering mail. Set aside specific times of the day to perform these tasks. Make sure others, in your office, know you are not to be disturbed during these times.
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            In the future, other suggestions will be offered to enhance your efficiency. Let me know what time management tricks work for you and any comments you may have concerning my suggestions

Like our Tips
Here are other articles that you may find helpful
Spending Time Wisely
Power of Full Engagement
Make the Most of your Work Hours


Monday, August 6, 2012

HOW WELL DO YOU HANDLE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS?

Amazing, as it may seem, customer complaints can be a major sales opportunity. How you deal with customer anger with a sales clerk, frustration with a product, or the irritation of a faulty billing system can influence future sales and customers’ attitudes about your business. Your approach to customer complaints will play a significant role in determining how successful you are in retaining and growing your business.

Here are five steps to a successful resolution of customer complaints:

1.    Understanding the problem . . . I have found that the best way to approach a customer with a problem is to ask as many questions as possible to clearly understand the issues and concerns. This approach has the added benefit of demonstrating your level of interest in their complaint and offers me a non-combative way to deal with what can be an emotional situation.
2.    Communicating your desire to correct the problem . . . After I come to understand the customer’s concerns or issues, I express my sincere interest in finding a reasonable, mutually agreeable solution to the problem. This is, typically, achieved by spelling out the steps I am prepared to take to resolve what appears to be the best way to correct a troubling situation.
3.    Identifying specific, satisfactory solutions . . . Once you have indicated a possible solution to a problem, it is important to try to get the customer to accept the proposed solution as a mutually agreed decision. This is a critical step and is essential in building strong customer relations.
4.    Achieving a positive resolution to the problem . . . This step affirms a fundamental approach to business in that solutions must reflect a “win, win” attitude to be really successful. Customers will react positively to you and your business if they believe you are trying to meet them halfway in resolving issues.
5.    Making sure a similar problem is avoided in the future . . . Solving a customer’s problem is not finished until you have corrected the cause, and this can take many forms of corrective action. It may be as simple as explaining to employees or sales staff the correct way to deal with an issue, or it may be as complex as changing a manufacturing procedure. Whatever caused the problem, in the first place, needs to be dealt with and a procedure put in place to assure its recurrence is avoided in the future.
I hope these ideas prove useful in your business, and I would appreciate learning about approaches you have found to be successful in dealing with customer.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

5 Simple Ideas to Find New Clients




Finding new clients for your business can be the most difficult, but one of the most important things you can do as a business owner. The burning question on my clients’ minds is where to look and what to do. Here are a few easy and even fun ways of finding new clients:

1. Targeted Mailing – Not all targeted mailings has to be expensive! There are many options out there to help you target your clients while staying within budget. If you wanted to do something a little fancier, the United States Post Office just introduced a new product called “Every Door Direct Mail”. The service allows you to send out postcards to targeted local neighborhoods.

2. Network – You could take advantage of your local chamber’s events, join a networking group or get involved with your alumni from your university. Attending meetings will give you a chance to meet other local business owners who may buy from you or become a referral source for your business

3. Involve Friends and Family – Word of mouth advertising will always be your least expensive and strongest form of advertising.  Make sure to let them know the type of clients you are looking for your business.

4. Go Online – Have a strong online presence whether it’s a website, social media or a blog, Your website can be your best sales person night and day. A blog allows you to give informative information to your current and potential clients, which causes you to stand apart from your competition while social media allows you to connect with your fans and followers on a daily bases. All these methods together provide you a way to stay in front of your consumers as well as a way to find new clients

5. Free Samples – Everyone loves getting something for free! Depending on what your product or service is giving a free sample could be a great way to introduce your self to new clients

Keep in mind that the key is to have a diverse plan and what worked ten years ago may not work today. Have Fun and Enjoy the process

We would love to hear from you!
What ways do you find new clients?



Wednesday, July 11, 2012

40/40/20 Golden Rule to Marketing Success



Have you ever asked your self “Why is my Ad not working?” Many of my clients have and I like to share this little secrete with them and now with you. The 40-40-20 rule has been used since the 1960’s to build the worlds best marketing campaigns. It’s simple straight to the point, and tells you what you need to know to get the most out of your advertising budget: Here is the Formula

40% Audience
40% Offer
20% Design

Audience = 40% 
            A target market can be a specific neighborhood, income, or age of the home. Deciding who is your target market is very important to your direct mail success. Mailing to the right people who are more likely to buy your product or service is the best way to spend you advertising dollars.

Offer = 40%
             A strong offer goes a long way to getting people to call or come through your doors. Add an
             expiration date to cause a since of urgency and get your potential customers to call or come in
             sooner versis later.

Design = 20%
            A well-designed ad is non cluttered, but is easy to read and gets your point across in 3 seconds are less. Everything from the design to the paper and print quality is an extension of your business image and should all be taken into consideration.

When you consider these 3 factors as a whole, you will reealize one will not be able to work with out
the others. Each factor should all be taken into consideration when putting together a marketing piece.

Feel free to let us know how you have used the 40-40-20 rule in your advertising.
We also love and encourage any questions that you may have

Monday, June 25, 2012

How to Design an Effective Coupon Ad that Works

Coupon advertising provides a very small amount of space to give the information that motivates customers to use your services or products. To attract customers, you need to provide the right information, in the right format, over a sufficient period of time. Whether you design your own coupon ad or have one of our advertising specialists  prepare it for you, make sure you study the copy, artwork, and offer carefully.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself that will help you decide if your ad is ready for publication:
  1. Does your ad should have a specific message that tells about your product or service? Is it concise and to the point? Can you remove words that aren't needed?
  2. Is what you're saying in the ad reasonable, factual, and believable?
  3. Is the offer good enough to entice someone to act? Would you use this coupon?
  4. Have you set up a system to track your returned coupons? It can be as simple as a small code in the disclaimer, or changing colors for different advertising products.
Direct mail advertising works best when you have simple message, a believable statement of fact about your product or service, a specific offer for that product or service, and once you know the ad is working for you, a consistent, repeatable campaign to keep your name, offer, and information before a target audience in a specific area.
I know we have presented these suggestions in the past, but they should be repeated as often as possible. This approach works and, if you use them, you will find a greater degree of success in your direct mail advertising. Let us know any methods or approaches to direct mail advertising that have worked for you.

Monday, June 18, 2012

How to Sell to Anyone

If you read this far you most likely have an interest in selling a product or service. So, the first thing you need to understand is not everyone knows they have a use for your product or service. Selling is best achieved by knowing what your prospective customers needs. This is achieved, usually, by asking questions that leads to understanding what problems need to be resolved, or filling a gap in a persons life. In other words, for some people they know something is missing and your product or service may help them. While, on the other hand, some people may not have a clue as to how your product or service could improve their life.

The five basic rules of selling to anyone:
  1. Know your potential customer’s wants
  2. Know your potential customer’s needs
  3. Know your potential customer’s beliefs
  4. Know the value your potential customer places on 1, 2, and 3 above
  5. Know your potential customer’s urgency to acquire or use your product/service


The only way you can successfully sell a product or service to a potential customer is by asking questions. Here is the key to selling: asking specific questions, listening carefully to the answers of such questions, and offering helpful, meaningful options. The active involvement of your interest in another person’s situation is essential in formulating a positive environment that meets the needs of a potential customer.

Thus, to sell to anyone, you must believe in your product or service, be very familiar with its benefits and limitations, and capable of presenting it in such a way that others are convinced in your sincerity and honesty.

This does not mean that sales will occur every time, but following these basic principles will increase your potential for selling to anyone.