2 Minute Web Tips: Small Business

Showing posts with label Small Business. Show all posts

Sunday, 3 November 2013

The XMAS shutdown - and how to avoid it

Many people comment, (complain), about the appearance of Christmas decorations and paraphernalia in the shops as early as September or October.

But I was somewhat astounded to hear a business owner talking up the infamous XMAS Shutdown already in October.

But another business owner in the same conversation had an interesting solution . . .

Cover via Amazon

Before we get to that however, it got me to thinking . . .

How much do business owners actually create the Xmas shutdown phenomena just by talking about it and expecting it.

You could get all metaphysical about it and say that The Secret predicts that you will get what you most think about.

But it is even more practical than that.

When business owners literally and physically are planning for a slowdown in business, how can this not slow down business for them, and in general?

And the more people that talk about it and plan for it, the more it is going to happen. Stands to reason.

People shutdown their business over Christmas because they expect that everyone else is going to do the same. It becomes self-fulfilling.

But what if they didn”t ?

The Solution

Well, there are several solutions.

The first and most obvious is this:

Do not talk about or plan for a shutdown!

You can plan to be busy or you can plan to be quiet. It all comes down to the actions that you take.

Xmas (Photo credit: rsfrd)

It might mean thinking “outside of the box” and doing something different from what you would normally do.

Which brings me to the strategy taken by the other person in that conversation . . .

At this time of year, he starts running introductory seminars and promos that generate client interest in his services.

They may not be ready to buy, (especially if they are stuck in the Xmas shutdown mentality), but it gets them thinking and planning for the new year.

And of course, some will commit to a start in January.

This way, he can hit the ground running in January with clients and prospects in the sales pipeline.

Businesses that take the Xmas shutdown approach face January with an empty sales pipeline.

Where would you rather be?

Also consider this . . .

If your competitors are all closed down over Christmas, what opportunities might exist to service some of their clients during that period . . . ? ?

And possibly retain them as your clients in the new year!

Well, that is quite simple really!

What should you do now?

Ask yourself – Do you really need to shutdown for Christmas?

How are you contributing to the Xmas Shutdown?

Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.

Quote

My heart goes out to all the incredibly strong kids fighting cancer right now. Hope their christmas wishes came true.
~ Unknown

Remember – The XMAS shutdown – and how to avoid it

Affects of Shutdown on Small Businesses

12 Saturday’s Until Xmas!!!!

Santa And Chimney Cross Stitch Xmas Card

Xmas Cookbooks

Camping grounds filling up fast for Xmas

The XMAS shutdown - and how to avoid it

Sunday, 20 October 2013

What do you do?

It’s a question that every business owner should be asking themselves. What do you do?

The answers vary, of course. Some people reply with the . . .

300px EnvironCabVA 11 09 Camry Hybrid Taxi 79071

English: Toyota Camry Hybrid taxi from EnvironCAB of Arlington, Virginia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

. . . name of the industry that they work in.

For example, hair dresser, travel agent, coach, mechanic, taxi driver, whatever . . .

Some will reply with a somewhat more enlightened response, identifying the actual service that they provide.

They are distinguishing between the title of their industry, and the benefits that their customer receive. This is very good for marketing.

For example:

We help people to look great and feel great

We organise the best travel experiences you will ever have

We keep your car running efficiently and safely.

We get people safely to their destination

But very few business owners say that they are cleaners and lawyers and book keepers and website developers.

So why do they insist on doing these things themselves?

Why do they insist on going the DIY route, when it clearly costs more and does not give a professional result in almost all cases.

Ever tried cutting your own hair !! LOL

This just makes no sense at all, and it often shows up in the websites that they end up with which:

Look old and out of date

Are not easy to read

Do not generate new or repeat sales for the business

And are not used at all to market the business

THE REAL COST

Added to that is the real cost of DIY.

Think about the first time that you drive to a new destination in a new city, especially if you go without a map or GPS.

It inevitably takes much longer than if you caught a taxi or limo service. You take wrong turns, get stuck because you don’t know the bottlenecks and short cuts, and you probably cop a fine for unknowingly doing something wrong!

The professionals are experienced and know their way around.

They get you there in a fraction of the time and cost. Because you are not DIY driving, you will not make mistakes and get tickets and fines.

You will arrive safe and relaxed at your destination ready for whatever work or play awaits you there.

Learn to DELEGATE

The same thing applies for any task in your business for which you are not professionally qualified.

In the long run, it is always cheaper and quicker to get the professionals in to do the job.

300px FEMA 33005 SBA representative on the phone making calls in Ohio1

English: Findlay, Ohio, September 20, 2007 — Gilbert Yingling, a representative with Small Business Administration (SBA) makes calls to local business owners from a local chamber of commerce business directory as part of an SBA outreach program. He then follows up with person to person meetings with the business owners. John Ficara/FEMA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And sometimes as a business owner, even if you are professionally qualified in a particular area, it is much better for the business overall for you to step back to keep oversight of the business.

To stay one step removed from the process.

“Not always possible in a small or fledgling business”, I hear you reply!

True that. And . . .

Unless you aim to step back and delegate, that small and fledgling business will remain that way.

Start with small steps

Find ways to claw back a few hours here and there that you can invest into working ON the business and growing the business and generating new revenues to pay for more time that you can delegate.

I know that this is a big challenge for business owners, so if even one business owner takes action on this post, then it will have been worth writing.

I would love to hear what you are going to do . . . better, what you have done.

Well, that is quite simple really!

What should you do now?

Take a look at where you can delegate some small task that you now do yourself.

And then find someone to delegate it to.

Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.

Quote

A king, realizing his incompetence, can either delegate or abdicate his duties.
~ Marlene Dietrich

Remember – What do you do?

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What do you do?

Wednesday, 2 October 2013

Business Networking Tips 14

Many business networkers have trouble coming up with their 30 second promotional or elevator pitch.

Here is a hot tip that will make this Sooo EASY . . .

Elevator Pitch: Ezra Goldman (University of Copenhagen), Willem Boijens (Adaptive Path) (Photo credit: Citymart.com)

When I was told about this simple system at a networking meeting this morning, I thought . . .

WOW ! How easy is that !

So I quickly wrote it down and tried it out then and there.

I found that it is even easy to make up something on the spot without a lot of deliberation.

Here’s what you do.

Just fill in the blanks in these 4 lines and you will have the perfect, well timed 30 second promotional.

I help . . .
Achieve . . .
So they can . . .
And I can . . .

This might look something like this:

I help . . . brides
Achieve . . . their ideal wedding
So they can . . . relax and enjoy their special day
And I can . . . show my creative flair

. . . or . . .

I help . . . small business owners
Achieve . . . a powerful website platform
So they can . . . generate repeat sales and find new customers
And I can . . . share my systems and marketing knowledge

Now, you can vary the words at the start of each line to make it flow more, but you get the idea.

Give it a go !

Well, that is quite simple really!

What should you do now?

Write down these 4 lines or memorise them.

Prepare one to use at your next networking meeting.

Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.

Quote

If one elevator button has a star on it, I’m pressing it.
~ BJ Novak

Remember – Business Networking Tips 14

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Business Networking Tips 14

Thursday, 5 September 2013

Business Networking Tips 12

Business Networking works in two ways.

One is where you just happened to meet the right person at the meeting who is looking for your product or services right now.

These serendipitous meetings are always welcome, because they quite often lead to a quick sale.

However, the real value in business networking is . . .

hospital (Photo credit: sancho_panza)

in building relationships with people who will refer you to other customers, and not just being a customer themselves.

And as we have discussed elsewhere in this blog, these relationships are built over time with frequent interactions.

You, or your BDM or salesperson, needs to turn up regularly at the business networking meetings for you to build these relationships and create a presence for your business in the group.

Which draws us to the point of this particular article.

If you cannot attend a business networking meeting for health, holidays or any reason, then send along a stand-in to represent your business.

They introduce themselves by their own name, but representing you and your business.

For example “Hi, I am Fred Smith standing in for Jane Green from ABC Enterprises.”

You should also provide any appropriate materials for your stand-in to use, including:

a script for the 30 second promotional talk

business cards

The stand in would ideally be another member of your business . . .

Or someone who knows your business quite well.

It might be your husband / wife, or a neighbour or friend, or even a raving fan customer.

The goal is to maintain the presence of your business in the group.
To stay front of mind with members of the group.

Do it now

Oh, and because you usually only need a stand-in in an emergency situation, get it organised ahead of time.

If you do not have staff at your disposal to send along at short notice, speak to someone now and ask if they would be willing to do this for you when the time comes.