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Are Your Customers Ready, Willing and Able to Buy?

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Are customers ready, willing and able to buy There’s an old saying, customers buy when they are ready, willing and able. Sounds simple but it’s important to recognize this — so you can take the right actions to convert more prospects into paying customers.

Ready is a timing issue. Consider a lawn care company that provides services from May to September. Doing a campaign in October is too early (for next year) and doing one in June may be too late. Know the timing cycles for buying decisions as it relates to your products or services. Then have a way to stay connected until the timing is right and the prospect is ready.

Willing has to do a lot with perceived value. Do your customers understand what you do and why you are the better choice for them? Do they perceive value as it relates to your products or services? Take the time to educate customers on benefits and value. People won’t buy without it.

Able is all about the capacity to pay. Can they afford to buy your products or services now or in the future? If they can, stay connected as time may turn this opportunity into a sale. If not, let it go and move on.

We all want customers who are instantly ready, willing and able to buy. But the reality is that many aren’t. So stay connected – by phone, by email, by mail, in person or even through social media – and move them closer to the sale.

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Can Document Management Save You Time and Money?

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Can Document Management Save You Time & Money? Will we ever see a paperless office? While we may be moving in that direction, most experts agree that we are a long way off. Technology has opened a lot of doors. We can now access anything from anywhere by going to the cloud. Smart phones and tablets make it possible to read, schedule appointments, maintain to-do lists and send communication without touching a piece of paper. But technology isn’t for everyone. So instead of thinking paper-less, it’s time to think less-paper.

Therefore businesses, large and small, have turned to document management to reduce costs and increase productivity. When a client was considering a less-paper system, I reached out to John Calu and Patti Kanner at Atlantic Tomorrows Office to learn more. Here’s what I found.

Benefits of Document Management:

Save Money. Storing paper documents off-site costs money. Keeping them on-site does too. With the cost of office space, do you really want to allocate 5-10% of it to filing and storing paper? You are probably better off using it for other purposes!

Save Time. According to Coopers and Lybrand, a typical office employee spends 15% of their time searching for documents. Finding documents is now quick and easy. No more running to file cabinets, climbing over boxes or going to storage to get what you need.

Customer Service. With documents easily accessible, your staff can quickly and accurately answer questions. In some cases, customers can access information themselves. For example, some accountants use customer portals to grant access to their tax information.

Security. Access can be configured in a variety of ways so staff can retrieve documents they need to perform their job while restricting access to other information. It’s difficult to do this in a paper environment.

Convenience. Because documents are stored electronically, you can access information from home, office or literally anywhere there is an internet connection.

There’s a lot of misconceptions when it comes to document management. No, it is not just for big companies. Technology has made it easy and affordable for small businesses too! No, you don’t have to scan and data enter all your current stuff to implement a document management system. Most businesses take a moving forward approach when getting started and build from there.

If you are considering a ‘Less Paper’ initiative, talk to a reputable provider. A good one will gladly come in, assess and understand YOUR business and develop a solution that meets your budget, business needs, and ROI objectives.

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For new business improvement articles, exclusive tools and insights on entrepreneurship, click here to subscribe to my monthly eNewsletter. When you do, I’ll also send you my free eBook, How to Build Profit Through Leverage.

The Secret to Increased Productivity: Get Organized

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Secret to Productivity - Get Organized As a business owner, it’s impossible not to get overwhelmed or stressed out from time-to-time. Business and family obligations can consume a lot of time. Information overload and technology can be equally distracting. The secret to surviving in today’s fast paced world starts with personal organization.

Get and Stay Organized

Eliminate clutter. A clean and pleasant workspace can help you think clearer, maintain productivity and reduce stress. Have a place to store information you need to work on later and file cabinets for important documents you need to retain. If you spend a lot of time looking for stuff you need to do the task at hand, then it’s time to de-clutter.

Treat time like a budget. You only have so much time on any given day. You likely use a calendar to schedule personal and business appointments. But what about the other tasks or projects you need to complete? Allocate or block off time on your calendar to work on these as well. The simple act of prioritizing your day will give you a sense of purpose and direction – a key to getting more done.

For additional help with time management, check out my article, 3 Habits to Help You Take Control of Your Time

Keep a master to-do list. Ideas and tasks that need your attention arise throughout the day. If you don’t write them down, they are often forgotten. Capture tasks, big and small, in one place with due dates as appropriate. It’s the best way to ensure deadlines are met and important tasks are completed. Use the list to schedule the most important tasks first on your calendar.

Plan ahead. Schedule 15 minutes at the end of each day to clean up your desk/office and plan your next day.

5 Additional Tips to Get More Done

Stop multitasking. You may think that multitasking saves you time, but the opposite is true. It tends to cost you both time and quality. To learn more, check out the article, The Myth of Multitasking by Christine Rosen.
Be realistic. Tasks often take longer than we expect. When blocking off time, be realistic in terms of what you can control and accomplish in a certain amount of time.
Kill perfection. Trying to do every task perfectly wastes precious time. Not all tasks are created equal. Give your A+ level of effort to really important projects. Settle for less than perfect on others.
Add accountability. While most business owners are self-motivated and driven, managing a business and yourself may cause you at times to lose sight of your goals or get off track. An easy way to fix this is having someone to remind you of your plans and tasks. Check out 5 Signs You Need Greater Accountability
Enjoy some ME time. No matter how busy you are, take some time each day to do something you enjoy. A small break to read, grab lunch, or take a walk will increase productivity. It allows you to recharge your mind and body – so you can get back to the work you need to do with renewed energy.

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For new business improvement articles, exclusive tools and insights on entrepreneurship, CLICK HERE to subscribe to my monthly eNewsletter. When you do, I’ll also send you my free eBook, How to Build Profit Through Leverage.

Direct Mail: A Perfect Complement to Digital Marketing

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Direct Mail - A Perfect Complement to Digital Marketing While digital marketing, such as email and social media, has the spotlight these days, integrating online and offline strategies is a powerful way to maximize results, attract new business and build existing customer relationships. If you are looking for ways to complement your online efforts, take a fresh look at direct mail. Here’s why.

Direct mail is a direct response medium that is designed to solicit a response or action – call, drop by location or visit your website or social media page. According to consumer data, direct mail is viewed as a trustworthy source for marketing information. In addition, printed pieces leave a deeper impression than those viewed on a computer, tablet or phone screen.

4 Tips to Make Your Direct Mail Pay Off

Targeting. To minimize waste and reach your ideal customers, direct mail allows you to segment at all levels. From simple geography to more complex demographics and lifestyle elements. You have more control over who sees your message and make it unique and compelling for them.

Timing. Your message needs to reach people when the purchase is most likely to happen. This requires a little planning so your marketing hits when decisions are top of mind. For example, a landscaper will likely achieve better response with a spring mailing than one that is done mid-summer. Give some thought to key buying triggers in your business and plan your mailings to arrive early in the process.

Trackability. When set-up properly, you can determine which targets (markets or segments), offers or designs worked best – delivered highest response rates or sales. Using this information allows you to tweak future campaigns to further improve results. Some ways to track results include coding coupons, QR codes to special landing pages, tracking deliveries, or capturing zip codes/locations on phone calls or visits to your business.

Purpose. Use it the right way. Direct mail can be costly if your purpose is to build awareness. In these situations, mass strategies like print ads, TV or radio may work best. Remember, direct mail is a direct response medium – designed to drive sales or other actions from YOUR ideal target.

For some additional direct mail do’s and don’t, check out 10 Tips to Attract More Customers.

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5 Reasons Why Surveys Should Be On Your To-Do List

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Feedback goes a long way toward helping a business get better. But before you put together a focus group, post a few questions on social media or create one of those cutesy ‘tell us what you think’ cards – stop! The information you need is literally a phone call away.

If you really want to improve all areas of your business – from marketing to operations – put a system in place to get continuous feedback (aka research). Surveys are a great tool for business growth. Here’s why.

What Customer Surveys Help You Accomplish

Stay in contact with your customers. A phone call asking for feedback demonstrates you care and value your customers. You get information, they feel appreciated. It’s a win-win.

Learn from your mistakes. No matter how good you are, mistakes will happen. But most customers won’t bother to tell you – unless you ask. We can only learn and fix mistakes we know about!

Identify possible problems. Many big problems, the kind that cost you customers and profits, start off as smaller issues that were unidentified or ignored along the way. Flagging problems early saves you time, money and your reputation.

Get testimonials, online reviews and referrals. The best time to ask for these is when customers are singing your praises. You may even uncover some gems you didn’t expect to find. Sometimes these are little things we take for granted – but customers don’t and they notice.

Quantify your quality. If you build scoring within your surveys, you now have the ability to track improvements and support claims – in your marketing and sales. Others may claim great service, on-time delivery or quality – you can back yours up with metrics that matter.

While written surveys are certainly better than doing nothing, oral or phone surveys work best for three reasons. First, since they are conversational, people tend to open up and reveal more information. Second, they leave less to interpretation. Not sure what they mean? Ask another question for clarification. Third, the tone of the message is often more telling than the words. It’s not what you say, but how you say it. This is lost on written and online surveys.

Over the years, I have done surveys and tracking with plenty of clients in all different industries. They work. Put them on your priority list and you too will see performance improvements in all areas of your business.

Still Operating Without a Plan for Your Success?

Check out my Ultimate Action Planning Guide. Developed specifically for small business owners, this easy-to-follow workbook provides step-by-step instructions, templates, examples and proven ways to build more sales and profit. Click here to learn more.

A Lesson For Winning In Sports and Business

Posted on by Joan Nowak

Lessons for Winning in Sports and Business Sports have a way of teaching us valuable life lessons. Growing up it taught me to work as part of a team, win or lose with dignity and never give up or stop trying. While my playing days are behind me, I am still a big sports fan — and yes, I do prefer the teams in Philly!

So when the Philadelphia 76ers opened their season with a win over the world champion Miami Heat another lesson emerged. No, they are not the next world champions. The media had reasons to explain the Miami loss – back-to-back games, missing key player, etc.

But one broadcaster put it best when he said “Youth has no boundaries.” Despite being a 12 point underdog, someone forgot to tell the young players on the 76ers that they were going to lose. They executed, avoided a lot of mistakes and did not quit when they got behind. They didn’t let others expectations hold them back.

Winning in business is no different. You need to execute your game plan, avoid killer mistakes, and keep trying – even when faced with obstacles. Most of all, you need to believe you can! To believe in yourself and the team that surrounds you.

Don’t let years of experience or maybe mediocre results hold you back. Tomorrow is a new day.

5 Reminders to Avoid Self-Sabotage

Fail Forward. Mistakes happen. Learn from them and move on. Nothing positive comes from dwelling on it.

Dream Big. If you fall a little short, you are still far better off than most people who think small.

Avoid Pessimistic People. Nothing zaps a positive attitude more than people who complain, whine or only see the negative in every situation.

Be Grateful. Appreciate the small successes and bigger ones will follow.

Use Positive Self-Talk. Sounds corny, but what we tell ourselves about ourselves is often more powerful than what others say about us.

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Email and Social Media: Better Together

Posted on by Joan Nowak

With all the attention on social media, have you given up on email marketing to build relationships and grow? Do you view them as an either-or strategy for your business? If so, you might want to re-think this When they work together, the combination is far more effective. Here’s why.

It’s all about the customer! Some prefer email, some prefer social media – and yes, some prefer both so they can choose each week or month. By eliminating one of the channels of communication, you may actually do more harm than good.

Why Together is Better

Subscribers vs. Likes or Contacts. With permission based email, subscribers choose to receive your emails – and will continue on your list if you deliver quality content that meets or exceeds their expectations. Not all social media contacts or likes actually receive your feeds – so building up those likes on your business page may give you a false sense of delivery. According to Facebook, about 15% of your ‘likes’ receive them. They need to opt-in for this, it’s not automatic. By doing both you reach more people using the channel they prefer.

Targeted vs. Mass Distribution. Email marketing is typically more targeted if you allow for various list options at sign-up. Social media has the potential for mass distribution through search engines and sharing. Most email marketing programs allow for expanded reach through simple or automatic sharing on social media and friend forwarding. Depending on your purpose, they can complement each other and improve your marketing efforts.

Amount of Content. Email marketing allows you to provide more information to encourage subscribers to act – in most cases, visit a landing page. Social media is designed to be brief; it’s a tickler to entice people to click for more information like a blog post or offer. When used together properly, they can draw more visitors to your website or business.

Quality of Content. Consistently poor content is a killer regardless of the channels you use. Think helpful and relevant to build relationships and eventually sales! Email marketing tends to work best with unique content at a regular frequency – determined by you and your subscribers! Social media requires a lot more posting to be effective. But by design, social media allows you to combine your unique content while sharing helpful tips and ideas from others. You are not under the gun to create ALL the content you use on social media. This can be a time-saver if done right.

Reporting. A good email system provides plenty of information down to the subscriber or contact level which can be a valuable learning and improvement tool. While some social platforms provide sharing, click and reach data, you have difficulty finding your advocates – those who viewed and shared posts on your Facebook business page? But using what you learn through email marketing can help you improve the other.

Video, Surveys and Events. All are very popular today – and both platforms allow for use of them. Whether you utilize email, social media or both will depend on your goals and who you want to reach.

Looking to re-start your email marketing efforts? Then check out my article, 7 Ways to Build Relationships with Email Marketing, for some tips and ideas.

As an advocate for integrated marketing – using a variety of methods to get the word out – I recommend you use both email and social media within your marketing mix. They build off each other and work together to drive traffic to your website so prospects can learn more about your company or offers and take the actions you want to make them a customer!

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It’s Time to Get Back Out There

Posted on by Joan Nowak

While September may not be the official half-way point, for many businesses it feels that way. The kids are back at school and the slow-down many experience during the summer months is behind you. Ready to refocus and finish the year strong?

Then it’s time to get back out there! To re-connect with customers and prospects in your pipeline. And maybe start some new relationships.

5 Ways to Reconnect With Customers

Network. Most chambers, business associations and other groups see a slow down during the summer – but start up strong in September. It’s a great way to connect and develop new relationships with business owners, prospects, and potential alliances. Check out some local groups and events – and get out there.

Reach out to customers. For most businesses, 80% of revenue (and even more of the profit) comes from the top 25% of your customers. When was the last time you spoke to them? Check in with them, set up a meeting (not a sales pitch), grab lunch, or go play a round of golf.

Pick up the Phone. How many unconverted leads are in your database? Prospects you spoke to earlier in the year – but haven’t yet become customers. Maybe the timing was not quite right. Why not pick up the phone and give them a call. They may just be ready to say yes!

Research. Looking for reasons to connect? Need some feedback or new ideas to help with your year-end planning? Now is a great time to put a survey out there – to customers, vendors, alliances and/or employees. Remember, innovative ideas come from a variety of sources – but only if you ask.

Promote. Why not run a special at your store, online or through your ‘social’ network? Looking for ideas? Check out Holiday Insights for wacky holidays. Did you know that September is Self-Improvement, Baby-Safety and National Courtesy Month (to name just a few) – plus 30 bizarre holidays that may inspire you.

You have four months left. Make them count, make them productive, make them profitable!

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For new business improvement articles, exclusive tools and insights on entrepreneurship, click here to subscribe to my monthly eNewsletter. When you do, I’ll also send you my free eBook, How to Build Profit Through Leverage.

How to Put Substance Behind Your USP – for Better Results

Posted on by Joan Nowak

A strong USP can make a big difference in your marketing and on your bottom line. While it differentiates you from your competition, it also insures you don’t compete on price alone – a key to more profitable sales.

Whether your USP is built around quality, convenience or something else, it’s more powerful when you put some substance behind your claims. Here’s how a former client and business owner in Marlton, NJ used this strategy to build his reputation and profit.

Business Spotlight on Rhino Global Solutions

As a global source for packaging, printing and displays, Rhino Global Solutions has been providing consistent and dependable quality for companies seeking a production advantage overseas for more than a decade. According to owner, Jerry Smith here are some the keys to building a strong, compelling USP — and giving it the punch it needs to help you stand out.

Talk to Customers. Understanding the real issues or concerns is a key to developing a strong positioning and USP. Don’t assume it’s just one thing such as price, quality, service, etc. It may be a combination. In talking with prospects and customers, Jerry learned that most companies won’t sacrifice quality for savings – so his company had to deliver on multiple levels.

Look for Niche Markets. Larger companies were utilizing overseas production and being served by larger competitors. But the small and mid-size market was under-served. This gap offered opportunities for Rhino Global Solutions if they could overcome perceived risks and uncertainty relating to quality. What gaps exist in your industry – and how can you fill them?

Build Systems to Support Your USP. Your USP is a promise to customers; it’s what they can expect when they do business with you. So it can’t be left to chance. Systems that are repeatable by others ensure consistent, reliable delivery – whether you are there or not. As a plus, good systems ensure efficiency that contributes to the bottom line and allows for sustainable growth and profit.

Back Up Quality Claims. Many businesses will claim quality excellence. Did you ever hear one say they did not provide quality products or services? So it’s not enough to claim it – you need to own it. The best way to do this is to back up your claims with actions or measurements. Rhino Global Solutions uses a Quality Assurance Program and Guarantee to put some power behind their claims. Their program is built around four elements: communication, job performance, supplier selection and reporting.

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Business Incubators: Helping Entrepreneurs and Local Communities

Posted on by Joan Nowak

According to the National Business Incubation Association, there are over 1,250 business incubators in the United States, up from only 12 in 1980, and an estimated 7,000 worldwide. While 32% of US incubators are sponsored by academic institutions, over 40% are sponsored by economic development organizations and government entities. Great news for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses who want to capitalize.

Not sure what a business incubator is and how you can benefit? While incubators come in many shapes and sizes, the majority are focused on economic development and serve a range of early-stage companies, technology businesses and niche markets such as sciences or manufacturing. And yes, there is certainly a lot of misunderstanding.

I recently sat down with Frank Keith, Founder of the Incubator at BCC, to help shed some light on this topic. Based on our discussion, the following Q&A’s should provide a little clarification.

How do incubators differ from co-working or ready-to-use office space?

While incubators do provide physical work space such as professional offices, conference rooms, and labs, they provide an environment focused on creating financially viable businesses. As a result, they combine low-market rent, shared resources, support services, networking opportunities, and business development services. And through client diversity, they promote idea exchange and knowledge sharing that benefits all the entrepreneurs within the incubator.

What are some of the resources and support services?

While these will vary by incubator, most provide access to business resources such as legal, licensing and patents, training and development, marketing, mentoring and raising capital.

What type of company should consider locating in a business incubator?

This will vary by incubator and/or state. In NJ, business incubation is designed to support companies with high-growth potential – and includes entrepreneurs who (a) have developed a business plan, (b) have been legally organized (c) currently maintain home business with need to expand to a professional environment (d) need conference space, graded technology and/or professional resource connections and (e) have sufficient funds to support the efforts of the enterprise for at least one year.

When are companies expected to ‘graduate’ out of the Incubators?

The first three years of any start-up are typically most critical so companies normally take advantage of the low-market rent and business services for 3-5 years. Once the company is self-sufficient and can contribute to the economic growth in the area, new entrepreneurs take their place.

For the serious entrepreneur or small business owner, a business incubator may be the perfect option to help you create a financially viable business – one that supports your dreams and contributes to the economic growth in your community. Check them out in your local area — and schedule a tour.

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