In the book Free Agent Nation, as well as in most public opinion surveys, the biggest downside of self employment identified by most people is having to market themselves.
Whilst that’s not good news for you (and probably great news for businesses like mine) it’s completely understandable. But it can be a bit limiting.
Take this web site as an example. Ever since I put this blog on so I could update each day, it’s become increasingly popular (at least x 10 more visitors each day). And the overwhelming feedback I get is it helps that it’s more personal.
A web site we manage starting selling more product when we added profiles on the staff members.
We completed a lot of research for a resort site we manage and found that the visitors wanted names, photos and direct email addresses for the reception staff – the reason? They said it makes it more personal.
Personalising your business could make it more successful. People like to know who they are dealing with. Market yourself and your business will grow more.
Hope you have a good day.
BTW, here’s a pic of me and a close friend. You’ll personally see why I get such great Christmas gifts.
Brendon
I know I’ve mentioned in these articles before about asking the ‘golden’ question.
That question is “Why should the customer do business with you?”
It’s an incredibly valuable question. Figure that one out and you’ll have a terrific business.
But I have another big question you should ask! And, as usual, I’m going to give you the answer in a story.
“What would you give us?”
A few years ago we finished a web site for a client. He was a delightful client and at the end of the project I asked him this question:
“What would you give us on a scale of 1 to 10 taking into account design, service, meeting deadlines, ease to work with, quality…….the entire experience?”
He was very happy with our service and the final product and he said we were great.
He gave us a 9 out of 10!
That’s great, right??
No, it’s not. It’s okay. But not great. If you have happy clients you could well fail.
You see your customers won’t come back to you if you are okay. I remember reading a study somewhere a couple of years ago that showed that if a business was rated above-average it had the same percentage of repeat customers and referred customers as an ‘average ‘ business. Only when the business was ranked ‘Excellent’ did the repeat customer rate increase and did the referred customer rate go through the roof.
This is what I said to our client
“Mmmm, we want a 10! What do we have to do to get a 10?”
I can’t really remember what he said, but they were a few minor things and we quickly did what he suggested. I went back to the client and said:
“Now would you give us a 10?!”
Nope! He had thought of a few more things whilst I was away dealing with the other issues! We quickly took care of his last concerns and he happily gave us a 10.
Now that’s what we want! And we want that as a business because we know that delighted clients will tell others about us. Satisfied clients probably won’t. And word of mouth referrals are the best way for most service businesses to grow their business.
Fast forward a month or two- (2) and I received a telephone call from a relative of the client who gave us the 10. He’d rung to say that he had been referred to us by our delighted client. (I love it when a plan comes together!)
He then proceeded to recount how impressed he was when his relative had detailed the “Out of 10” story!
We have since completed four- (4) (yep, 4!) web sites as a direct result of us asking that very simple question:
“What would you give us on a scale of 1 to 10?”
You don’t want happy clients!
Happy clients are just okay. But that’s all. You need absolutely delighted and overjoyed clients. They must want to shout your praises from the rooftops! That’s the way to really build your business.
And there is one- (1) easy way to get delighted clients. Ask them what you have to do for them to be delighted. Ask them what you have to do to get them to refer others to you. Ask the second golden question:
“What do we have to do to make you absolutely delighted with our service?”
Then do what they say.
Regards
Brendon
Howdy
Let me run this past you…….
As consumers, we all love personal service. We like knowing the people we deal with.
I think I’ve spotted a bit where a lot of businesses miss an opportunity. They don’t personalise their business.
Many people don’t trust businesses (perceived risk is a huge barrier to buying) – if you can personalise your business, your customers ‘know’ you and you’ll sell more. There’s less perceived risk for them.
This web site is pretty personal
You might notice that this web site is pretty personal. Quite a few posts mention my lovely wife Mel. A post on ‘the latest’ today mentioned my 2 sons – Jack and Harrison (I also have a daughter, Laura).
And I sometimes talk about what I’m doing, the fact that my wife gave me a hot chocolate drink with 3 marshmallows yesterday (mmmmmmmmmmmmm), etc.
The effect has been very interesting. I receive a lot of emails from people who read the site and really enjoy the laid back and personal approach. Much different feedback than if it was a typical boring business web site.
The personalisation of your business could have the same effect – people get to know you and like you (I hope you guys like me!). And that’s not only good for business, but a nice thing to do.
Cheers.
Brendon
We had an interesting one with a client today. Jo is developing a very sophisticated databased site for a new client. Part of the process was to have the client sign up with an external provider of a secure internet channel (Verisign).
Within hours of signing up the client had received an email and a telephone call offering part of the very same service we were providing at about half the price – and this from the exact same provider we were using (and had recommended) to the client. Our client was confused and dismayed with us.
After all, there was now doubt in our commitment to provide the client the best solution at a fair price.
After talking with the client for an hour, and having the Verisign rep call them as well, Jo was able to establish for the client the fact that the solution offered by the company would not meet their needs.
Because the ‘security’ company didn’t know exactly what the client wanted, they had offered a solution as a start to generate the very well qualified lead. But all that happened was the client became confused (and fair enough too).
Trust is the most crucial part of our relationships with our clients. If that’s lost, then so is the client.
Do everything you can to build trust with your clients. It’s well worth it.
Trust me!
Brendon
I was talking with a client on Tuesday and a question I asked was “What are the biggest challenges facing you that stop you selling more stuff?”
That’s a fairly normal sort of question we ask – all to try and help us figure out what the client’s problems are so we can provide them with solutions.
Today I found what’s probably my biggest frustration.
Here goes:
A previous client, for whom we had completed quite a deal of work for, rang to let me know that he and his wife were now managing a luxury hotel in the middle of Australia’s third largest city. My client is managing it for three- (3) months whilst the usual manager takes a break.
Just before leaving, the manager asked my client to get a web site done for the place (it’s recently opened). He’d already received a quote but wanted another one.
My client is smart
Now my client is a very smart operator. He knows the impact that a quality, well marketed web site could have on this business. And he knows that you pay a little extra for quality.
My client showed me the competitor quote and it’s very, very low. And it’s very, very low because the web developer has quoted to do a 6 page web site and that’s it. My proposal would be for a 30 pages site with expert copywriting, a back-end database, fully optimised for search engines, etc, etc.
He knows the quote is ridiculous
My client is smarter than that. He knows the quote is ridiculous. And he knows the value that a site like the one this person proposed would be minimal. And he accepts he will have to pay 5-6 times as much as this other quote for a decent site. Which is great.
And that’s our biggest frustration
In our meeting today I suddenly realised that this was probably my biggest frustration in business.
Trying to demonstrate the value of our proposal when compared to a quote that is very significantly cheaper.
You see, quite often the client is wary of you when you try and sell something. And they’ll often want to go for the cheaper quote to minimise the perceived risk to themselves.
The reason we’ll win the job is because our client has worked with us before and knows their is no risk at all in working with us. And they’ll get a great and valuable site at a great price.
Well that’s it for my biggest frustration. Not quite sure what the lesson is there – maybe demonstrate value and provide the best solution. And as always, keep in contact with old clients because they’ll keep giving you work.
Regards
Brendon
This week I have attracted a new client. It’s for a web site redevelopment. Nice little job that gives us a few dollars profit.
We’ve already done the work and he’s paid the bill.
Then what he did was ring a friend in the same industry who also has a web site in need of upgrading. Our client not only highly recommended us but even rang the friend whilst I was in his office and said “I have Brendon here now, I’ll put him on.”
I now have a meeting with this client’s friend after Easter.
Today we’ll be posting our client a “Thank you for your business” card along with a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine. All to say thanks for the business and also thanks for the referral.
Clients absolutely love it when you show your appreciation for their custom. Most clients feel hugely unappreciated and respond very positively to being thanked.
Plus it’s just good manners I think.
Give it a try with your next client and see how it goes.
Regards
Brendon
Over the next couple of months we’ll be implementing a UDS (Unaddressed Delivery Service) campaign – which is just a fancy term for saying we’ll be having our promotional literature place in business PO Boxes within our target areas.
Here’s the plan:
Day 1: DL promotional card with handwritten message delivered to the PO Box
Day 12: Same DL card delivered to PO with a different handwritten message
Day 30: Same DL card delivered to PO Box with different message
The DL cards cost us about 25 cents a piece.
In our initial assessment we had to review which area we would have our cards delivered to. We narrowed it down to 2 places:
1. Broadbeach – close to us and contains much of the market we target
2. Gold Coast Mail Centre – close to Broadbeach with a very similar market
Broadbeach has 471 PO Boxes, the Gold Coast Mail Centre has 1,478 Boxes.
Which one should we pick for the biggest impact? No idea!
So this is what I did.
I pulled out my calculator and figured out the cards alone would cost me $1,108.50 if I sent them to the Gold Coast Mail Centre. The cost for Broadbeach was $353.25.
The cost per delivery is 11 cents. That’s $487.74 for the Mail Centre and $155.43 for Broadbeach.
By looking at the numbers we can see that sending the cards to the Gold Coast Mail Centre would cost $1,000 more than if I sent them to Broadbeach.
Getting back to “Which one should we pick for the biggest impact? – I still have no idea.
And because I have no idea I’ll be smart (as smart as I can be!) and do a simple test.
1. I’ll run the campaign through Broadbeach PO Boxes.
2. I’ll measure the results.
3. If it is profitable I’ll run the same campaign into the large Gold Coast Mail Centre PO Boxes.
Because then I’d have some decent data to justify and back up the decsion to spend $1,500 on a marketing strategy.
Testing what you do when you market can save you money and heartache.
Measuring the results of any campaign is a gimme. Measuring provides the information you need to make a well-informed and logical decsion on all of your marketing strategies.
Good luck!
Regards
Brendon
I have a pitch to make today for a potential client. I only met him last week and discussed at length the business he has just purchased.
Like many clients, this guy has set his business up and has been running it for a few months. But it’s only now that he has recognised the need for marketing. Until now the business has not been marketed.
What I propose will almost certainly work really well. And the reason for that is simple:
Successful marketing is often completed by just doing something.
Run an ad, do direct mail, make an offer – do something to try and attract business and chances are good that you’ll attract business.
But do something each and every day. That’s the key.
Marketing is like shampooing your hair. Here are the instructions:
1. Test.
2. Execute.
3. Then check the results.
4. Repeat.
Regards
Brendon
Sell stuff.
That’s what I do. It’s what everyone does to an extent. I’m might be trying to ‘sell’ a media release to a journalist one minute, or ‘selling’ a a full advertising campaign to a client the next.
I’ve never thought I’ve been any good at it, but I’ve gotten better with experience. So much so that it’s almost intuitive now. Let me explain…………..
As the business has grown, the more staff we have put on. And seeing how they try and sell has made me realise that I actually know what I’m talking about when it comes to selling. And here’s all you have to do:
1. Ask as many questions as you need to get a full and complete understanding of what your customer wants and needs. If you sell suits and a customer walks in, don’t say “Try this suit on sir, the colour looks great and it’s a lovely fabric.”
Your questions should be along the lines of “What do you do? Do you work in an airconditioned office? Will you always wear the jacket? How often will the suit be dry-cleaned? What colour do you think looks best on you? What colour and type of shirts do you have? Etc, etc.”
A thorough analysis of your customer’s needs is critical.
2. Tell the customer his problem. “You don’t have a suit that is appropriate for the office and your new position. Appearance is very important in being perceived as management material.”
3. Then offer a solution. “Based on everything you have told me and our thorough analysis, I recommend the following………… I recommend this because the navy blue is the safest and most trusted colour. It is the ‘uniform’ of management. Your budget ensures we can have a suit with materials that will be attractive, classical and be able to weather the weekly dry-cleaning that will be required.”
4. Ask the customer to buy. “We’ve analysed your needs. We’ve come up with solutions based on your exact needs that provide the best value possible. You’ve agreed with our reasoning. Would you like to buy this suit?”
Okay, so it’s a pretty dull example! But the lesson is, hopefully, clear.
Don’t blindly ask your customer to buy before you know his needs. If you know his needs you can recommend a solution based on fact, knowledge and understanding.
And that’s the way it should be.
Regards
Brendon
Most people will tell you that to increase your profits you need to do two- (2) things:
1. increase your number of customers,
2. reduce your costs
And whilst they are excellent ways to grow your business, I’d like to add a couple more into the mix here. And I know just what you are going to do.
You are going to say, “Of course. That is so obvious.”
But even though it may be obvious to you and I, it isn’t obvious to the vast, vast majority of businesses I see.
Your customers are gold! Being customers, they have 2 fantastic things you should love about them.
2 FANTASTIC THINGS ABOUT CUSTOMERS
1. They are far more likely to buy from you again. That has to do with knowing you, knowing where you are and knowing they can trust you.
For most businesses, that costs plenty of money to achieve.
2. They tell their friends about you. A tremendous source of new business for many businesses is referrals from happy customers.
And it’s been our experience that referred customers will buy more from you than customers who find you through any other means.
But encouraging referrals, as excellent an idea as that is, isn’t what I’d like to talk about here.
One of the easiest ways to increase your sales
The first thing I’d like to mention is one of the easiest ways to increase your sales. This technique is so simple, so basic that I’m constantly amazed that all businesses don’t devote a major part of their efforts to it.
Because all successful operators do this. And I just guarantee that just about all unsuccessful operators don’t.
I’m going to use an example. It’s a boring example because every man and his dogs uses it. But I’ll use it because most people reading this will be able to identify with it. And that’s important.
Example # 1: “Would you like fries with that?”
What a magnificent question. it’s a simple question – a basic technique – that has generated millions and millions of dollars in sales.
They are called add-on sales.
Did you read above where I mentioned your customer is highly likely to buy from you again? Do you know when he/she is most likely to buy from you again?
That’s right…….the customer is most likely to buy from you again when they are already buying from you.
They are at their most receptive. They have indicated their trust in you (other they wouldn’t buy). They are in a buying mood.
Ask the customer to buy again whilst he is in the process of buying
Now is the time to ask them to buy again. Not sometimes. Not maybe. But every single time your customer buys from you, you should offer another item.
But be smart about it. Add value to whatever they have already purchased. Keep it related and relevant and you will make more sales. A ton more sales.
But get this. Even though this is an obvious and incredibly simple way to make a heap more sales, I cannot remember the last time anyone, anyone at all, offered me an add-on sale.
Let’s say you sell sofas. That’s a decent sized purchase for most people. How do you think you would go if you said,
“Madam, that’s an excellent purchase – the colour is simply divine. I’d like to show you something that I think you will love………this coffee table complements the lines of the sofa, etc, etc. Would you like to have the table to complement the sofa?”
Now, the customer isn’t going to say “Yes” every time. There’s no question about that.
But a good 20-30% of the time you will make that add on sale.
Give it a try and reap the rewards.
Maximise sales with this one- (1) easy technique!
The second thing I’d like to talk about is making as many sales as possible. And increasing the number of sales you make can be as simple as pie!
For this example, I don’t want to use McDonalds. I’ll use myself instead.
I’ve never considered myself to be good at selling. In fact I’ve never thought of myself as a salesman of any type. I very genuinely believe that I never actually sell anything.
But I’ve always been far more successful at having our clients buy our services than anyone else in our business.
So this is what I did. (And this made our sales jump by many, many thousands of dollars per year.)
Each of our team came along with me when I went to see prospective clients. We made notes of every variable we possibly could. Those differences were interesting, but not really relevant to the message here.
The message here is this:
Find the most successful salesperson you can find in your industry and copy him or her. And even benchmark against successful salespeople from any industry.
It’s that simple!
One of the most interesting things that our team discovered was that I didn’t ‘sell’ any of our clients.
We discovered that all I did was:
* asked lots of questions,
* listened to the answers,
* suggested solutions, and
* provided reasoning for the recommendations I gave.
The entire team started doing this – we practiced many a long hour – and immediately our sales conversion rates went through the roof.
Do what works!
* If it works, do it.
* If it doesn’t work, don’t do it.
* Examine the variables in your organisation. Survey your customers and find out why they purchased. Find your best salesperson and closely review what they do.
With all of that critical information you have a wonderful start to push you sales through the roof. Start today!
Regards
Brendon