Grow your business? Check out these 10 ideas to give you the growth spurt it needs.
1) Organize and focus your energy
You have 4 types of energy-time, physical energy, mental energy of money. The first 3 are limited, which means you can not increase the amount you have, but only how you use them. The 4 money, increases as a result of your use of the other 3. If you use the majority of your working time, the mental and physical energy to focus on your top, income-generating activities of your business will boom. calls waste time on administrative tasks, responding that are not important (caller ID is) constantly checking e-mail (which is trendy, I’m working on), and other priority tasks . Monitor and evaluate yourself on your schedule every day for a week and you’ll be surprised what you find.
2) improve your site
Your site is your portal to the world. It needs clean air, well designed and professional. He must have content that responds to the question of the visitor, “What is there for me?” It should provide information and valuable resources, not just an online brochure. And it must be improved and made updated regularly.
How to make your website copy
3) Develop your online marketing
It becomes more difficult to get people to your site as the number of competitors increases. So you need to have a multi-pronged strategy to get people there. You can publish and distribute articles online, use network marketing social setting up pages on Facebook, Squidoo, My Space, the presentation of press releases online blogs. Make a video and post it on YouTube and on your site. It’s easy and very powerful, it’s like having a virtual sales person. Choose three activities that could generate traffic to your website and make every week. Your web traffic will significantly increase meaning more leads and customers.
4) Build a list of online subscribers
Have a registration form on your website and send regular e-newsletters to your subscribers with valuable information. When you are networking or speaking to a group, ask everyone to subscribe to your list as well. That gives you an opportunity to market themselves and build a value-added build trust and increase sales. Your mailing list / prospect is very valuable.
5) Do intelligent networks
Many spend time with new business owners network at random, with little positive result. Network where you can find your target, or if you can meet other people who already have the customers you want. They could become guardians who will present their list of clients.
6) Educate, do not sell
Many small business owners and solo do not sell and it keeps them from growing. Always educate prospects. If you are a good speaker, offer to speak to groups concerned and inform them about your area of expertise. Spark curiosity, make them want to know more and they approach you. When you encounter an individual perspective, they ask lots of questions about their activities and their objectives. Then educate them a little. They will really respond if you focus on them and not on what you do.
7) Build relationships with gifts
If you want to attract someone to subscribe to your list, responding to an ad or buy a product, offer a precious gift to establish the value of your quality expert. This could be an e-book, white paper, audio, video, workbook, case study or report. If people feel you only want to sell them something, but they have not a relationship with you, they are unlikely to buy. Make sure that what you offer is unique and provides information to your target audience would.
Outsourcing and automation
Make a wish list of what you want to be able to automate your business. Chances is a simple way to do it. Do some research online or ask a tech savvy friend and you have overcome technophobia and automate. Organize your e-mail, use an autoresponder master, learning to make simple changes to your website, learn how to make a simple audio or video (I’m working on that right now). Ultimately, it will save valuable time and improve your ability to easily manage and market your business.
Then make a plan to outsource the daily tasks that are not generating profits, such as common administrative tasks, such as article marketing and submission of online press release, site maintenance and accounting (the most hated task of everyone!). Most sub-contracting can be done cheaply and easily. Save your time to run your business and serving your customers.
9) Select three rivers and marketing for measuring return on investment
It is unrealistic to think you can do all the marketing activities at the same time. To obtain a high return on investment for the time and money you spend on marketing, selecting three activities or “marketing flow” that you feel will yield the best results and focus your energy well. So, for example, if public speaking and blogging has worked well for you, focus on getting to speak and announced over and promote your blog. Otherwise it’s too easy to get overwhelmed.
And my first choice for 2008 is:
10) Find and build relationships and strategic alliances with joint venture partners.
You can spend time and money to find and sell to a customer at a time, or you can find partners who have already spent considerable time and money acquiring those customers and offer them a percentage Sales to approve your service to their customers. After all their customers have confidence in themselves and are more likely to buy what they recommend. This can be done online or off. Establish key relationships with people in your industry or other industries where customers or subscribers may benefit from your services, maintaining these relationships, and create a win-win alliance that will significantly increase the benefits for you both.
Over 20% of revenues generated by the 2000 Top U.S. and European companies have been the result of strategic alliances. Small business owners and solo can see the results even more dramatic.
In 2008, I am running teleseminars that will dig in many of these topics (and more), offer support and resources so you can implement in your business.
Posted in