When business owners are asked how they build their business, 99% of the time they say, “Referrals, of course!”.
This is no surprise since most small businesses don’t have a huge marketing budget. Instead, most subscribe to the idea that networking generates referrals, and referrals generate new business. Read more
Simply stated, a Business Plan describes how your business creates and delivers value. Of course, if you are to achieve results, your Plan must be put into ACTION.
“It’s not enough to talk about it…you must ask HOW and WHY!” — Inc, Magazine comment on Business Planning. Read more
By The Numbers78% of consumers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience. Source: American Express Survey, 2011
3 in 5 Americans (59%) would try a new brand or company for a better service experience. Source: American Express Survey, 2011
A typical business hears from 4% of it’s dissatisfied customers. Source: “Understanding Customers” by Ruby Newell-Legner
On average, loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as their first purchase. Source: White House Office of Consumer Affairs.
It is 6-7 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to keep a current one. Source: White House Office of Consumer Affairs
It takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience. Source: “Understanding Customers” by Ruby Newell-Legner
Whether you’ve been in business for many years or just starting out, target marketing is an approach you must use. It will save you time, money, frustration, and aggravation, and it will help you develop a marketing message.
Define Your Niche
No matter what business you’re in, you’ve got competition. Luckily, there’s the idea of the “niche market”. Identifying and carving out a niche – a special space — in the marketplace, allows you to discover the buyers looking for your products or services there. You can then focus, or target, your appeal toward them. Read more
Well, not really procrastination, but rather about delay, which is so often mistaken for procrastination.
Consider a major league baseball slugger at bat. The ball is barreling at him at maybe 95 miles per hour, enough to solidly intimidate most of us. But the slugger waits and waits and waits…, and at the precise right moment he swings his bat and sends the ball flying out of the park. Read more
Did you know that March 5th – 11th is National Procrastination Week? Let’s celebrate procrastination. Embrace your ability to procrastinate. Rather than see procrastination as a fault or weakness, notice how it might actually be a strength and skill. Most popular advice on productivity admonishes you to banish the thought of procrastination. The writers want to kick you into action and get things done. Read more
Thoughts from from the writings of Robert Fritz, author of The Path of Least Resistance.
We have completed one month of the year, 2017! Hurrah for us! The beginning of a month is a good time for both reflection and inspiration. Reflection on the past month and inspiration for the coming month and months.
We all know that resolutions made at the beginning of January are based mostly on the past year and what wasn’t done or didn’t happen. Thoughts such as I didn’t generate as much revenue as I had planned, or I didn’t land as many sales or clients as I had hoped. I didn’t…I didn’t…I didn’t…
These thoughts are self-judging and guilt-producing and do little to inspire or motivate. The evidence of this sort of self-limiting thinking is evident at the local gyms. At the beginning of January, you could not find a parking spot. Now, in the first full week of February, there’s ample parking. Read more
All experiences are personal. Each of us has our own story about every experience. Have you ever noticed that two people can be in the same situation at the same time, and still tell different stories about the experience? Read more
What if… you owned the most popular gathering place in town…full of happy customers who brought in so much business that you never had to advertise? Neighbors helping neighbors and business connections being made over coffee and conversation. A real bustling place – reminiscent of Cheers on Beacon Hill. You know and love the characters from that popular TV show. That really is the place where everybody knows your name. Just step inside and see why Boston Magazine chose this Pub as the “Best Neighborhood Bar” in Boston. “We’re still an intimate neighborhood bar – our neighborhood has just gotten a little bigger!”
Now your business might not be a restaurant or bar or coffee shop. It might be a hair salon or real estate or attorney office – it’s the spirit that we’re talking about here. There is a charisma that is inviting and engaging. People are drawn to spend time there. Read more
#1 We all take our Networking efforts seriously and are encouraged to meet with people whom we meet and want to get to know better. These after-networking meetings can be very engaging and beneficial to both parties. They can also be very costly.
To make sure that there’s benefit for both you and the contact with whom you meet, be selective about who you give your time to. I am not suggesting that you stop one-on-ones; just be choosey! Read more