When I started my Newsletter back in 2006 (which later morphed into this blog) – I had a number of objectives, but one of the main ones was to answer some of the frequently asked questions I was being asked, about the solutions to Marketing issues.

Over the past 3 years, one thing has remained constant, and that is:

Readers still want answers to questions they have about marketing

• About strategy…
• About tactics…
• About thought processes behind campaigns…
• About options…

But most of all about HOW to get things done.

It can be very frustrating trying to find the answer to a specific question you have – I know because I do it all the time – and really I’ve found there are generally 2 ways you can go about getting you answers… Read More »

The one topic I’ve been asked the most questions about recently, is about how often you should contact your customers and clients.

So how often do YOU contact YOUR clients?

I’d be willing to bet that it’s nowhere near enough!

It’s my experience that there is far too much time focused on regular contact with PROSPECTIVE customers and clients, and not nearly enough time and money spent on cultivating relationships with EXISTING customers and clients.

You may think a little differently once you take the following two facts into consideration:

FACT 1 – The majority of you profits will come from the ongoing relationship you have with your EXISTING clients.

FACT 2 – 68% of people change supplier because they PERCEIVE their existing supplier doesn’t care about them.

Read More »

Getting in front of a prospect is only a part of the selling process.

This is closely followed by having to convince them that you are THE solution to their problem (assuming you have correctly identified their problem of course!)

One of the strategies you should be using to convince your prospect is PROOF that you can deliver the solution they need. But this in itself is not enough, it also helps if you can show proof of having done it before – of having helped others who have had exactly the same problem as they are having.

One of the elements you should use – and which should be in every marketing arsenal – are testimonials.
Testimonials from satisfied customers are one of the best and most powerful assets you can build, but how do you go about collecting them?

Now let’s be clear – You’re not looking for the “John is a nice guy and easy to work with…” type comment.

You are looking for a powerful rave review which you can use to attract more customers and clients.
Here are my top tips for collecting effective testimonials which you can use to add power throughout your marketing.

Read More »

If you’ve run your own company for any length of time you will know that generating new prospects and converting them into paying clients is the most expensive part of growing any business.

Yet selling more to existing clients costs 5 to 9 times LESS, and is actually an easier sell because the client has already been involved buying from you. As long as they have had a good experience, they are more likely to buy again.

So why is it that people INSIST on driving their customers away?

To give you some examples which may seem familiar to you, here are a few of the things I’ve seen just in the past few weeks…

• A restaurant I went to the other night for dinner with friends had serving staff who were so rude I will NEVER go back (and I won’t be recommending them either)
• A franchise opportunity where the franchisor didn’t answer phone calls or respond to emails, even though a friend of mine had spoken to them once and already expressed an interest in spending £60,000 to buy a License (they kept my friend waiting for nearly a week and when they finally contacted him, it was only to say they were “too busy” to have the meeting!)
• A well known mobile phone provider where the Customers Services representative actually called my partner ‘a liar’ regarding an upgrade request she had previously placed for a new mobile phone (then the girl found the detail already on her computer system but I think she forgot the call was being recorded!)
• A hotel which is actively being marketed as a place with “Good Coffee and Quiet Meeting Environment” to encourage business people to meet there, but where they serve you pre-made (and quite disgusting) coffee. (I like my coffee…)
• A major Energy Provider who sent a number of threatening letters to a friend of mine just before Christmas, to pay an electricity bill for £3,425.37 which they later admitted had been sent to the wrong person in error.

Read More »

We all want to believe that the majority of people we deal with are honest… and generally, most people are.

But when push comes to shove over money, relationships and trust can take a completely different meaning – even “good” friendships can quickly turned sour, as I found out to my cost.

But before I tell you about that, you need to understand that if you want to do the best you can for your clients and have a truly successful business, then you NEED to build up a solid relationship – you need to build trust.

If you want a business that will survive, DESPITE what the economy is doing, then not only do you need to do better than your competitors at supplying what your clients need, but you must build up trusting relationships with your clients AND your suppliers. They are, after all the ones responsible for getting you where you want to be.

The trouble is that when there is money involved, people have a tendency towards “self-preservation”, and any loyalty or friendship can fly out of the window.

Let me tell you a story which shows you exactly what I mean, and where I suffered because of it…

Read More »

So nothing has changed since I went away on my holidays…

… the media still preaching doom and gloom… in an “end-of-the-world-is-nigh” sort of way.

But as business owners we have a choice NOT to participate in the recession. But how ready are you to reject the effects of a recession to your business?

If you look back at the late 80’s early 90’s, when we had the last major economic downturn, there were plenty of cases where businesses prospered – even grew – while their competitors went to the wall.

Even in this current climate, I see examples of businesses who are actually increasing their business – even in the “hardest hit” industries (such as Estate Agents, Restaurants and Retail).

Yes it’s true that spending is down…

It’s also true that people are being more careful where and how they spend their money…

Read More »

I can honestly say it’s been inspiring watching the Beijing Olympics this year. The best results Great Britain have had in over a hundred years. It’s been inspiring.

But whilst watching the Olympics coverage over the last two weeks, it set me to wondering…

What is it that gives these Gold Medallists the ability to exceed and outperform all the other athletes, especially when ALL of the athletes are at their peak?

Read More »

For some time now I have been asked if there is an easy way to attract a better class of client, as well as improve cashflow.

In my experience there is no such thing as an “easy way” – or at least, not in the way most people think of as easy – but there are 14 simple ideas you can use to get things running more smoothly and help you get consistent results and predictable business growth.

Here they are:

1. Clarify Who Your Ideal Client Is – Be clear who your clients are. Do you know exactly who needs the product or service you sell? Time to get specific.
2. Build A Clear USP – You absolutely need to be clear WHY you are different from your competitors. Create a great USP which clearly educates your clients and prospects about the benefits of buying from you. Focus on those things which not only tells your clients why you are the BEST choice, but why you are the ONLY choice when they are making their buying decision.
3. Gain Loyalty Through Education – Explain you and your business to clients and prospects in an informative and educational way. Explain to them the benefits of how your product or service will help and benefit their life or business. Remember WIIFM – What’s In It For Me? Make sure you tell them WHY they should even care!
4. Simplify Everything – You won’t offend anyone by explaining things using easy-to-understand language, as long as you don’t come across in a patronising manner. If your message is not clear and easy to understand, then go back and simplify it again.
5. Ignite Their Curiosity Don’t Bore Their Bones – What’s new in your business? Clients and prospects will want to know, providing there is a benefit to them. You need to give them compelling reasons to buy from you and keep buying from you again and again. Tell them what is new in your business and what you offer to your clients. Tell your client’s success stories, or new promotions of offers you are running.
6. Develop Client Trust – Like it or not, people who don’t know you will generally distrust you – it’s a fact of life. You need to overcome this distrust with proof that you can deliver the benefits you say you can. Use testimonials, case studies, industry facts and figures – anything and everything you can that shows you are the best at what you do.
7. Ask For Action – Always ask the prospect/client to take action – NOW. If you ask, more people are more likely to actually do what you want them to do.
8. Develop A Follow-Up Process – Firstly, make sure you do everything you can to capture a prospect’s contact information – present a compelling reason or offer as to why they should give you their details – and then follow up!
9. Create Upsells – Look at every opportunity to increase average client transaction value by increasing client spend at the time of purchase. What’s your “Would you like fries with that?”
10. Increase Response Through Phone Follow-Up – After any direct mail campaign, make sure you call as many of your list of prospects as you can – it will dramatically increase the response you get. If you don’t have time (or you are not comfortable doing it) yourself, then hire professionals to do it for you.
11. Take The Time To TELL Clients You Appreciate Them – Don’t let them guess, make SURE they know how much you value them – after all they pay the bills! Statistics show 68% of people change suppliers because they don’t feel that supplier cares about them!
    
12. Create Alliances And Joint Ventures – Find complementary businesses to joint venture with and cross-promote to their lists as well as your own.
13. Adopt A “Loyalty Programme” Mentality – People who have bought from you before are 6 times more likely to buy from you again, so you should be continually be developing your offering for products or services – either your own or through partners. Your entire strategy after they have bought once should be to offer them other things they can buy from you – again and again.
14. Establish An ACTIVE Referral System – Make sure you ASK your clients to refer to you – don’t rely on them to mention you in passing – most people forget or feel awkward. If someone has a really good experience dealing with your company, you can make it so they would feel guilty for NOT telling their friends, family and business associates about you. Sometimes offering rewards, incentive or some kind of benefit can increase the referrals you get.

This should give you an idea or two to work with, but I know that not everyone will have the time of confidence to get these implemented…

Read More »

If I’ve been asked once, I’ve been asked a thousand times this week about “cheap ” ways of marketing for lead generation – must be something to do with the current climate!

Now, if you are also making the mistake of thinking this way when it comes to ensuring the future of your business, then you may need to alter your approach slightly…

The focus should always be – indeed HAS to be – your message and the audience you are targeting.

Then, and only then, should you look at the method for delivering your message to them, in a way which will compel them to open and read it.

It has been proven time and again that the more you spend in trying to attract the right type of client with the right message, the quicker and better your business will grow – and best of all your competitors will be looking at NOT spending money to attract new business – so who are prospects going to be attracted to?

This makes perfect sense when you understand the Life Time Value of your clients.

Read More »