Pipelines, people, places and prices

The 4 P’s of keeping your business activities in balance: pipelines, people, places and prices. Each one of these P’s requires your consistent and careful attention. Without a filled pipeline, you will constantly be looking for new clients. Without connecting with people, no one will know or care who you are. Without visiting the right places, you could miss exciting opportunities and you could experience monotony. Without appropriate pricing you could be losing money and/or clients.

Pipelines. Marketing is a verb; meaning an action and when it’s done consistently, it produces results. There are a wide variety of ways to incorporate small marketing tasks that will add up to big results. Refine your marketing message so that it speaks directly to your target audience. Ensure your product or services solve an identified pain point. Clearly communicate your marketing message on your website, blog and social media networks. Keep it fresh. Update your offers and promotions at least, quarterly. Never stop marketing. Staying top of mind ensures potential clients remember your name first when the need for your product or services arises.

People. It takes about 7 touches before a client makes a sale. Develop an effective follow-up system with potential clients. (i.e. 1-day, 3-days, 14-days, 21-days and then monthly newsletter or announcement). Despite the social media wave, there is still a lot of value in face-to-face meetings. Create a personal touch that is unique to you and your customer experience.

Places. Step away from the desk. You can’t get refreshed by doing the same activities and looking at the same four walls day in and day out. Get out and visit local businesses and explore new relationships. Change your routine and experience diverse perspectives by venturing into new geographical areas and seeing people and places you don’t normally visit.

Learn more about recent trends in your industry by connecting with your local professional and trade associations. Attend a trade show in your area or region and seek out new opportunities and markets.

Prices. When was the last time you gave yourself a raise? A raise is always possible regardless of the economy. Consider raising your prices. You might lose a few clients due to the price increase, but you’ll actually be able to give each client more attention, and make more while working less. Market your services to a target market that is recession proof. Do a SWOT analysis and figure out how to service more people at one time for less money (i.e. speaking, ebooks, memberships, teleseminars, etc.)

BONUS: Practice makes Perfect.

Be sure to spend a little time developing the 4 P’s of fundamental business activities. Each one will ensure your business practices are solid and provide you with some of the necessary discipline for growing your business.

Need help reviewing and organizing the fundamentals of your 4 P’s? consider Micro Business Therapy. It’s common sense, practical and realistic. Don’t forget… we want to hear from you. Share your comments and questions below! To address your specific concerns, Skype me: amichelleblakeley or email me at info@simplicitymastered.com

WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

For over 18 years, Simplicity Mastered™ founder and CEO A. Michelle Blakeley has owned or managed small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Expert in her field, Blakeley personally guides her clients out of their Business Brain Freeze™ to streamline operations, increase return on investment, and attain quantifiable results. Forbes.com and FinancialPost.com each recommended her as one of 30 Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter, joining the experts who know that Blakeley is a master at growing small businesses … and doing it with “Simplicity.”

 

 

Change is not as easy as you think

Progress should be every small business owner’s objective whether it be increased sales, establishing expertise, brand recognition, organization, functional systems, etc. The list could go on. With a new year, brings excitement, motivation and aspirations. However, it also brings new challenges, anxiety, uncertainty and soon, overwhelm.

The problem with a new year and resolutions is that the New Year essentially is just another day. Unfortunately, we don’t get a clean slate at the strike of mid-night, so all of our issues and concerns and disappointments of the day before are still there. With resolutions, we employ the best of our intentions and ideals to motivate ourselves to look forward to a better year and give us hope. However, resolutions become short-lived and the New Year gets tramped on in anticipation of yet another new year. And real change becomes the daily struggle again.

Progress can only be made with careful calculations. You have to truly understand how you got to the point you are at right now; the past. You have to know who you are and what your capacity is. Sometimes the best of intentions cause the greatest harm; the present. And you have to be able to move forward from a standpoint of reality and practicality; the future.

The past. You can’t move forward without knowing where you’ve been. There is a reason we’ve heard this over and over again. Because it’s true. How will you ever know what needs to change unless you know what the underlying faults and root causes of missed opportunities are? Just like a doctor, you have to treat the disease, not the symptoms. If you are lacking a clearly defined target market, you may not be clear on what the benefits of your product or service are.

The present. What are you capable of right now? With everyday distractions, deadlines and commitments, know what you can realistically expect from yourself. Know your faults. Know your strengths. And be able to exploit them both.

The future. Rome was not built overnight, so why do we continue to expect ourselves to achieve so much in such a short period of time. Without benchmarks to closely measure your progress on a regular basis, you’ll have no idea what works, what doesn’t work and why. Which, in turn, prevents you from making necessary adjustments. (i.e. how will you know if you are reaching your ideal clients?) Real progress is carefully planned for and measured. Your future is created by the actions you take today.

Real change should yield progress. Progress cannot be made without proper planning. Smart and savvy small business owners understand the importance of and value proper planning. Proper planning is never complete without giving careful thought to the past, present and future. So, if you resolved to make changes this year and find it difficult to break away from old behaviors, take some time to reflect and understand why you do what you and how you can better work within your means.

Developing, managing and growing a small business is a tremendous challenge. If your mission and purpose have been lost in the daily grind and fire-fighting, consider Micro Business Therapy. It’s common sense, practical and realistic. Don’t forget… we want to hear from you. Share your comments and questions below! To address your specific concerns, Skype me: amichelleblakeley or email me at info@simplicitymastered.com

WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

For over 18 years, Simplicity Mastered™ founder and CEO A. Michelle Blakeley has owned or managed small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Expert in her field, Blakeley personally guides her clients out of their Business Brain Freeze™ to streamline operations, increase return on investment, and attain quantifiable results. Forbes.com and FinancialPost.com each recommended her as one of 30 Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter, joining the experts who know that Blakeley is a master at growing small businesses … and doing it with “Simplicity.”

5 Social myths that cause missed opportunities

Social networking is a common time trap for many small business owners. Although we recognize the importance of getting out and meeting people and networking, you do have to be mindful of the real purpose of networking – to put you in close or closer proximity to your ideal clients. Don’t be discouraged by your lack of social media skills and don’t be presumptuous in thinking social media is a cure-all. Here are some important myths to keep in mind when it comes to incorporating social media into your marketing efforts:

I don’t want my private information out there. Many business owners who are unfamiliar with how to actually use social media are concerned about their personal information being available for all to see. The truth is, you can limit what information you post to your profile. More people do themselves harm, by posting unfiltered comments and photos.

That’s for kids and “young folk.” Social Media is not a “trend,” it’s a vital and necessary business tool for all businesses. You simply cannot deny the fact that every day technology advances. It allows us to do things quicker, access information and resources in seconds and connect with people from across the world. The truth is, the “young” may simply adapt to the use of technology faster. The longer you take to adapt to the continuous growth of technology and social media, the bigger the gap will be between you and your clients.

My business doesn’t need it. Regardless of what business you are in, social media has a purpose for EVERY business. It can be used to solicit, engage, communicate, sell, announce, inform, educate, contact, manage, maintain, provide and more. All of which are important to the purpose of a business. You always want to have more clients in your pipeline than you can service and more people interested in your product than you can supply. The truth is, the sole purpose of being in business is to provide a quality product or service that meets the need of a designated target market. To effectively do this, you need to be able to reach your target market from a variety of platforms and that includes social media.

Posting your product or services will automatically generate clients. Social Media is not a “cure all.” It is a supplement to traditional networking and marketing techniques. You cannot replace personal touch with technology. People buy from people and businesses they trust. To build trust, you have to engage people in dialogue, be accessible and keep the lines of communication open. The truth is, you have to have a strategy to social media. Who are you trying to connect with? How do they want to be communicated with? What are their needs? Where do they look when they need your product or services? Why should they choose your product or services?

More contacts means more business. Just because you have 100 people following you or connected to you doesn’t mean they need what you are selling. Your product or service needs to be relevant to meeting your target market needs. Having a lot of contacts is merely a means to “spread the word.” The truth is, have more contacts simply provides you with an opportunity to share your information with more people. That’s it. Whether or not they “purchase” from you takes much more and requires a carefully planned strategy.

Online financial transactions are not safe. We’ve all heard tragic stories of people making online purchases only to be defrauded or have their identity stolen. The truth is, you can take precautions that will dramatically reduce, if not eliminate, the occurrence of fraud or theft. For instance, when you make online purchases, look for trusted symbols like Verisign, Trustee and Better Business Bureau. DO NOT respond directly to emails from your bank, PayPal® or other financial institutions. ALWAYS log-in from the official financial institution’s home page from the search menu or your saved file. Also, carefully examine the return email address. For example: (SPAM) paypal@solonet.co.id (REAL)service@paypal.com DO NOT use links found in your email, log-in separately online. Spammers have been known to send fraudulent messages wanting you to verify your personal information. NEVER verify personal information for a financial institute online. ALWAYS call the 800# found on your card.

Check out this fascinating video about the reach and effect of social media: Social Media Revolutionhttp://youtu.be/sIFYPQjYhv8

There should be a method and purpose behind your social networking efforts. Know what it is you want to accomplish (i.e. meet a decision maker, meet potential collaborative partners, ask questions for market research, connect with others in your industry, etc.). Your goal should not be to simply hand out 20 business cards.

Need help getting started with simple and easy social media skills that work for YOU? Be sure to check out Micro Business Therapy for additional information and support or ask about a customized Micro Business Plan for social media. Don’t forget… I want to hear from you. Share your comments and questions below! To address your specific concerns, Skype me: amichelleblakeley or email me at info@simplicitymastered.com Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe to Simplicity Mastered RSS and never miss a post!

WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

For over 18 years, Simplicity Mastered™ founder and CEO A. Michelle Blakeley has owned or managed small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Expert in her field, Blakeley personally guides her clients out of their Business Brain Freeze™ to streamline operations, increase return on investment, and attain quantifiable results. Forbes.com and FinancialPost.com each recommended her as one of 30 Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter, joining the experts who know that Blakeley is a master at growing small businesses … and doing it with “Simplicity.”

 

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

You cannot run a business on instinct alone. Growth isn’t just about revenue; it’s about rejuvenation. Developing, managing and growing a small business is a tremendous challenge. If your mission and purpose have been lost in the daily grind and fire-fighting, call TODAY! … Everything I share is common sense, practical and realistic.