How to sell against a competitor
With the difficulties in the current economy, how you sell against your competition may be the reason your business survives the next 12 months.
How to get a great logo
For small businesses, having a logo is about creating a consistent and professional image rather than gaining instant brand recognition.
Business networking with social media
With everyone from your neighbours, family, friends and colleagues jumping on the social media bandwagon, there is no surprise that companies are using the continually evolving digital platform as a valuable marketing tool.
Branding Basics - How do I use my brand strategy?
Together with your competitive positioning strategy, your brand strategy is the essence of what you represent. A great brand strategy helps you communicate more effectively with your market, so it is vital to follow it in every interaction you have with your prospects and customers.
Can't buy me love
Why customer loyalty doesn’t have to cost big bucks!
Building a brand
A brand identity represents a mental or emotional association in the mind of a customer. It is initiated by the images used in your advertising, and by the words used to describe your products. After sufficient impressions, the customer remembers these associations and a brand is born.....
Market like a guerrilla
Many small to medium sized enterprises start up their businesses with high hopes, a million and one things to take care of and – no marketing plan. Ironically, a solid marketing plan with structured activity over 12 months is the one thing that can keep your business going when customers become scarce and the economy falters.
Prepare for the New Year
As many business owners would agree, now until the start of the New Year is an incredibly busy time. Other service businesses can be equally overwhelmed. For retailers, 50% of their sales may come from this period.....For others, the year end can be one of the slowest times of the year. Clients might be away, employees aren’t around to finish projects and the phones don’t ring. That makes this a perfect time to take care of some end-of-year tasks.
Is that a proposition...(or is it just another me-too experience?)
Propositioning your customers may sound a little R-rated, but what we’re talking about here is coming up with the right way to deliver a truly outstanding customer experience that will keep them always wanting more – and even better, telling their friends all about it!
Wake up your sleeping giant (no matter how big...or small)
You don’t need to create the world to develop a successful business. Whilst business innovation is about new ideas, products, services, marketing and distribution methods -it’s also about the culture of an organisation. We can’t all be Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, but we can come up with some fresh and innovative ideas that will give our business a boost and keep the customers interested.
How to appear bigger and better
Dressing up a small business to appear larger than it actually is can help in securing bigger clients and will send a message of seriousness and credibility to customers, suppliers and prospective employees....
It's midnight and you're not famous yet!
You know what you’re doing is good. Right? You know that nobody can do it quite as good as you with just the right amount of this and that and nobody can surpass you in quality and service. Right? But how many other people out there know that?
Case of mistaken identity...don't let it happen to you
One of the truths of modern business is that there is almost nothing that your competitors can’t duplicate. If you have a great idea, you can be certain that somebody will copy it, fake it, cheapen it or just plain rip-it-off. They may even be able to do a better job selling ‘your’ product or service at a lower price. But what they can’t do, the one thing you’ll always have going for YOU, is your brand.
Every business needs a system
A business without a system is like a car without wheels. Whether you are a one man band, employ 50 people or are somewhere in between, every business needs a system and that means Marketing and Sales, Operations, Finance and Human Resources.
Tracking costs by lead – the what and the how
Every business can only afford to spend a set amount of money on marketing, so read on for steps to reduce expenses by tracking costs per lead.....
Give your eMarketing an 8 point health check
eMarketing is not a set and forget solution. There are 7 key areas that can stop your strategy performing.
Go global and grow
Becoming a global business can be an effective way for small business owners to achieve growth, increase sales and make more profit.
Building a brand on a budget
Branding is the foundation of all successful marketing strategies. It heightens customer interest, sets your business apart from your competition and helps you achieve greater profits.
Six deadly website sins
Everyone’s got a website nowadays, but how many are effective? (By which I mean, how many are generating quality leads, building your brand and increasing your sales?) Have you had your website created with a ‘best practice’ checklist, or has someone just put together a few basic pages that you’re hoping will garner you some attention in the off chance that a prospect finds you?
5 ways to get Christmas all wrapped up
A third of the year’s retail trade occurs over the holiday period, so it make sense to capitalise on consumers’ desire to flex their purchasing muscle. Here are five easy tips to make the most of the Christmas rush.....
7 steps to a successful year end
Key steps to take to finish the year off on a positive note
Raise profits through referrals
Why seek referrals? Establishing a systemised process for obtaining referrals is one of the most cost effective ways of acquiring new, qualified customers for your product or service......
Get on the media's good side
No matter what business you’re in, seeking to attract positive media attention should be right up there on your list of ‘to do’s’ – after all, you can’t have your competitors grabbing all the headlines, especially if you know that your product or service is superior and better meets your markets’ wants and needs.
Cash in on catalogues
Catalogues can dramatically increase your sales volume in a low-risk and affordable way, generating more repeat business from your existing customers and increasing retention.
Making money from affiliates
These days, nearly all businesses (mostly like yours included) have an online presence. What you might not be doing however is making the most of that presence, nor squeezing every last drop of money making potential out of it. One way to make sure you’re getting maximum ‘bang for your buck’ from your business website is to look at linking up with an affiliate program.
Social media marketing
The rapidly evolving social media network, when taken advantage of, can become an advanced marketing platform.
Cheque's in the mail
If you ever send your clients anything by mail, be it a letter, free sample or discount voucher – you MUST read this…
The secrets of profiting from drop shipping
Use drop shipping to generate repeat business.
Social Media Superstardom for the Time-Poor
Many businesses love the idea of social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn and know that engaging in a personal dialogue with customers and prospects can be highly rewarding – BUT – they simply don’t have time to invest in updating statuses, tweeting and broadcasting the company’s latest news to a bevy of online networks.
Sales don't stop at the register
How to sell more to your existing clients
Why good data's worth its weight in gold
How to sell more and increase client retention by improving your database.
What are you really saying?
How to build a brand that speaks volumes.
Double your database
Sometimes your database just doesn’t give you the leads you need. If so, it’s time you started drumming up some hotter prospects by cleansing your current list and sourcing new contacts from outside sources.
The 5 marketing mistakes you must avoid
Most business owners have the best intentions in the world when it comes to their marketing, but often, they get so excited with the ‘big picture’ of how many new leads a certain campaign is going to bring in, or the creative execution of a particular piece of collateral, they come unstuck by falling into at least one of the five following pitfalls – read on to find out what they are and how YOUR business can avoid them.
The client boomerang system
Discover the EASIEST way to have your clients return again & again
Ask and you shall receive
How to increase your profits and the average dollar spend of every customer - simply by asking.
7 networking tips for shy people
Wherever you network, both formally at business events and informally at social and relaxed environments, there are always several people at the event that are very confident, loud and chatty. They seem to move effortlessly around talking and laughing with everyone like a happy butterfly and for a shy person, just even thinking about becoming the networking butterfly can make us feel tight in the chest, worried and wanting to leave before we even begin...
DIY PR in 10 easy steps
Improve your business profile with these 10 public relations strategies and educate potential and existing customers about your business and products.
The ten for 2010: Fool_Proof New Year's resolutions
A new year, a fresh start. Last year had its ups and downs, but your business pulled through and now you’re pumped and ready to face the unknown challenges of the year ahead. You’re determined to make next year better, and you sit down to write a list of the things you will do differently so that 2010 will be a stellar year.
The route to success: a marketing roadmap for the New Year
While most businesses have a good idea of what they are driving their marketing efforts towards, few actually have pinpointed a destination and created a detailed roadmap to help navigate the sea of marketing options and choices enroute. You see, without a roadmap or plan, your marketing efforts could break down half way, or take a wrong turn and end up somewhere entirely different! In fact, businesses without marketing roadmaps often find that they underestimate the performance of their marketing, or focus only on solving short-term problems, rather than working on the long-term growth of their business.
Search engines to increase your business
Improve your marketing exposure and increase business by using internet search engines to drive traffic to YOUR website.
Building your business one tweet at a time
If you haven’t yet heard of Twitter then it’s possible you’ve been living on another planet for the past couple of years. Or, if you’re like most business owners, you’ve simply been really, really busy. Or at least too busy to bother with social media sites (which is what Twitter is, in case you’re still wondering).
7 Strategies to increase your online orders
Here’s a hint: the easier you make it for people to purchase, the more sales you’ll get. In the online world, there are some specific things you can to do to increase the perception of ease, safety, and reliability on your site that will in turn lead to increased purchases.
Marketing your Business
To successfully promote your business, follow these 10X marketing strategies and make a name for your business.
Becoming the leader of your tribe
What is a tribe and how can your business benefit from one? Follow these steps to create your own tribe and turn your attention to delivering the products and services that your tribe wants, instead of the more traditional focus on finding more customers for existing products.
Internet sales are for EVERY business
Think of any product or service that you’ve purchased in the last month. Now take a moment to reflect whether it would have been possible to purchase that product or service online. No? Would it have been possible to buy part of it online or make the booking / start the process online? If not in Australia, elsewhere in the world?
Network to get work - selling, sometimes just doesn't sell
With a contracting market and reduced consumer spending, it’s critical to continue marketing your products and services if you want to maintain sales. But how can you do that if your marketing budget has been slashed?
Types of unique selling propositions (USP)
A look at USP strategies and how they can help your business attract clients to your products and services - dramatically growing your sales and profits.