Planning Ideas

Quick...It's a Marketing Must

Respond quickly to a customer/prospect "request for bid." This gets them "out of the market" quickly and stops them from searching for another source. It also helps establish your reputation as "the person to deal with" in your business.

Your Marketing Budget - Don't Leave It to Luck

3-5% of gross receipts...that's the average amount small businesses spend on marketing annually. Be sure to add an additional 3-5% to all your proposal quotes. When the jobs come in, save that 3-5% to spend on future marketing projects.

Mature Marketing

One of the largest populations in the U.S.: older adults. There's a Web site out there called MATURE MART that offers over 20,000 products that meet the needs of older adults. These include playing cards with enlarged numbers/characters, gift baskets filled with senior-friendly household items, pill alarms and more.

How can your services and products be adjusted and marketed to this ever-growing group?

Who Else Needs What You Already Have?

McDonald's came up with the "Chicken McNuggets" product because their suppliers had old hens who were past their prime. These old hens, known for their dark meat, became "Chicken McNuggets", one of McDonald's most popular products.

Shift focus. Make the most of what you already have. Determine other target markets that need your products or services.

Sales Letter Trick

Write up a draft of your next sales letter. When you're done, put it in your desk drawer for a day. The fact that you've "walked away" from it for a while can help you look on the copy with "fresh eyes." You can then edit your copy more effectively.

Increase Sales to the Customers You Already Have

Create a quick grid that can lead to increased sales and profits. Draw a rectangular box in the middle a piece of 8-1/2" x 11" paper. Along the outside left hand side of the box write the names of your current clients. Write the products and services you offer along the space outside the top of the box. Draw vertical and horizontal lines within the box to separate clients and products/services. Starting with the Client #1, put an "X" in the box that corresponds to all the products/services you are currently offering that client. Do the same for each customer you have. When you're done, look at all the empty boxes. These represent the additional products and services you can sell your current customers.

Mind Your Own Business...Every 30 Days

We're so innundated with images and noise these days that most of us forget what we see and hear in less than 14 days. Sending out a mailing once a business quarter is not enough, especially after you've made the sale. Don't become the "forgotten" business. Remind your customers and prospects of the benefits of your services through customer satisfaction surveys, time-limited offers, "fact of interest" postcards, reprints of articles you have authored, fax newsletters, etc. Consistently keep in touch with the people who can help your business thrive.

Create Time to Sell

Everyone is busy these days. It's very important to maintain your sales schedule during the times when you're just swamped with "paying" projects. Take one day and devote the time to setting sales appointments for the next month. This will help keep "paying" projects in the pipeline.

Late Mail Delivery Helps Your Marketing

33% of all business mail arrives on Monday. Don't get lost in the post-weekend crush. Time the arrival of your mailing so it lands on the prospect's desk later in the week in a smaller pile of mail. You stand a better chance of getting noticed.

Change Never Hurt Business Promotion

Have you just won an award? Moved to larger space? Taken on a new partner? Won a big contract? Take advantage of the change and announce it now. Such communications are a wonderful excuse to keep in touch with your clients.

Put Marketing in Your Agenda

Want to impress your prospects and clients? Prepare a meeting agenda for your "face-to-face" meetings and fax it the prospect/client the day before your appointment. Lets them know that you're organized and that you value their time.

Make it easy on yourself and create a meeting agenda template using a word processing or desktop publishing software package. Just "fill-in-the-blanks" and fax. Good marketing.

What Have You Done To Improve Yourself Lately?

Want more business? Get better! Improve yourself and the knowledge that you already have and you'll be billing more in the long run. In a service business? Learn some new skills that can be used as additional services that you can market to your clients. Examples: 1) Graphics Designer learns how to design Web Sites and markets this expertise to her clients. 2) Management Consultant takes sales writing courses and then earns additional income by helping his clients to overhaul their stale sales letters.
3) Computer Specialist learns the ins and outs of a new popular software program and offers one-on-one training to his clients. Constant improvement leads to steadily increased revenues.

Zoom In...Not Out

Not getting the results you expect from your marketing efforts? Maybe you're spreading yourself too thin. Zoom in! Concentrate on a smaller, more targeted segment of prospects. This new tactic can give your business a jump start, making it easier for you to focus your marketing resources on proving that you can meet these prospects' specific needs.

Market for the Future!

Don't ignore the "start-up" company when it comes to marketing your products or services. Surveys have shown that many of today's affluent buyers still purchase from the people and companies that originally treated them as "winners who were going to make it big."

Old Files Hold New Marketing Clues

Your file cabinet holds clues for increased business. Take some time to review accounts receivable files, job jackets and client files from years past. Many of these documents have the names of folks you've done business with previously, and who may still need your products or services. Using the "old file" method, make a list of folks to call. When you do contact them and you find that some may not need your services now, ask each person for three referrals of folks they know who may need your help. You may also find that some of your past contacts have moved on to new companies or started their own businesses. This reality can open up new opportunities for you. Make the effort to contact these folks at their new locations.

Listen for Better Copy

Want to improve your ads? Some of the most successful ad copy sounds like a conversation between two people...you and your customer. Dust off your tape recorder and schedule some time with a trusted client for a frank discussion about the pros and cons of your products or services. Record your conversation. When you play it back, pay special attention to the phrases and descriptions used by your customer during your talk. Use these phrases throughout your ad copy for better results.

Have Your Niches Changed?

Business niches adjust to keep up with changes in technology or federal or state laws. Keep an eye on the trends that can alter the niches you're prospecting. Contact the Economic Development office in your county or state to find out where you can find these important business stats.