The first time I saw what I refer to as the “Magic Circles”, was in 1977 in the meeting room of a local small town restaurant with one of the superstars of the World Wide Dream Builders.  While I was intrigued with the concept, it was several years until I decided to join this company and try my hand at starting my own home-based business.  Subsequently, I would drop out and restart this process with the same company a total of three times, in addition to the other companies that I attempted to work with.

I became intrigued with the various manifestations of Multi-Level Marketing, including a very enthusiastic albeit short-lived endeavor in the “binary system” with the now defunct Jewelway International.  I had become a frustrated proponent of MLM businesses.  I believed it was a great method for moving product in the market place, but I also quickly learned that there were many things about being self-employed that I was not yet prepared for. We are rewarded in life in direct proportion to our ability to overcome obstacles.  The bigger the obstacle, the greater the reward.

The first advantage of MLM businesses that we want to discuss is the relatively low startup cost.  This is both one of it’s greatest merits as well as one of it’s greatest pitfalls.  All that is really necessary to start a profitable turn-key business is a nominal financial investment, a consuming desire to succeed, the ability to follow an established system that others have perfected through trial and error, and most importantly the willingness to learn new attitudes and methods and give up old attitudes and methods that to date have not produced the desired success.

The low start up cost allows people to treat their new business as a hobby or novelty magic set instead of a business.  In my estimation, MLM businesses allow people the opportunity to put up or shut up.  Rather than sitting back and criticizing how a business is run, the new entrepreneur has the opportunity to put their business acumen to the test.  As a tradition, MLM’s have a 90% failure rate primarily because people are not willing to change their failed plans and exchange them for methods of proven success.

Humans are the most adaptable creatures on the earth, and entrepreneurs are the most adaptable humans.  Successful entrepreneurs are those people that are willing to do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.  The low start up cost is a great tool to evaluate if you have the skills necessary to succeed, and if not, what must you do to gain those skills.  The average millionaire in America fails in ten businesses, so if you’ve flopped, as I have in one or two businesses, or perhaps just felt that you were not being justly compensated for your efforts and decided to hang that business up, join the ranks of the success pursuers.  If you believe in the industry, adjust your methods, find a great company to work with, and engage the learning process.

Many businesses serve multiple markets – you have many different kinds of customers.  Some might be infrequent but large-ticket contracts, others might be weekly but low grossing sales relationships.  But your most important customer is the one to whom you sell absolutely nothing.

Every day, your employees must “buy in” to your brand.  Whether they’re answering the phone, closing a sale, or documenting a new best practice, they need to do so with an on-brand mindset.  If they don’t, your marketing message can schism (imagine a world where every externally-facing employee wrote their own marketing message).  A business promising “caring customer support” with an employee who answers the phone with a bad attitude has problems.

The easiest way to bring your employees on board with your brand is to give them ownership of it.  Living your brand is much easier when you truly believe in it.  You won’t resent Mondays, you won’t gripe over new advertising campaigns, and you’ll fiercely defend your business if it ever comes under attack.  Living your brand is akin to loving your brand – managers need to make it as easy as possible for their staff to fall in love with the brand.

Use product marketing as an example.  You can’t force a new widget down the market’s throat.  If people don’t like what you’re offering, you learn from their behavior and re-design your product.  The goal is to sell something that people actually want to buy.  Extend this to internal branding – the goal is to build a brand that your employees actually care about.

When all is said and done, it doesn’t really matter what the margins are on your new line of clipboards.  Well, only if your salesmen care enough about the product to really want to sell it.  Your most important product is your brand – in that mindset you have no more vital a customer than your own employees.

Eric Mann
Jumping Duck Media | Mindshare Strategy

In small business, the notion of taking time to write socially appealing articles that integrate with an overall company marketing strategy seems too daunting to conquer.

Phooey I say!

On Social Media, in an article titled, “The Top Six Reasons Companies and Still Scared of Social Media”, the author addresses the most “talked” about reasons, but they missed what I believe to be the most prevalent among small business owners.

TIME!  Or should I say, the perception of time to engage their target audience in the social networks.

With hundreds, if not thousands of social networking sites promoted everyday, business owners are confused over how to approach the net—in mass or selectively.  The answer may be different for some who need MASS marketing means to promote their wares, but I feel being selective about where you participate is critical.

Quality is always better than quantity.  Publishing (pardon the language) crap wastes the time of your reader and does nothing to build a social connection.  Herein lies the goal—make new social connections.

If your company already attends a chamber of commerce meeting, leads groups, B2B networking, etc; then you have time to include social media in the mix.

HOW?  You ask?

When marketing via social media, stop trying to make the conversation all about you.  In the world of “social” communications, very few people care that your widget is best; they care more about you as a person.

Spend 15 minutes a day being social online.  Pick one to three social sites with lots of people in your primary target market and be real.

Allow your profile to connect customers to your website, allow the social networking platform to connect you to new friends.

Ed Bejarana
Zenith Exhibits, Inc and BusinessBlogging.net

“Branding” is one of the most often heard buzzwords in marketing.  It conjures images of hip geniuses in spacious offices creating off-the-wall marketing campaigns that immediately endear even the roughest of companies to their customers.  Just as quickly, it raises a huge red flag for anyone in the world of small business – “how much will this cost?”

Most smaller companies will neglect traditional branding activities to save money.  It’s true, larger companies like Microsoft spend billions on so-called “brand initiatives.”  We don’t all have that kind of money to throw around.  But branding isn’t about spending all of your capitol or hiring some off-beat professional who’ll charge $300/hr to tell you to start a blog.  Branding is about knowing your company, knowing your customer, and knowing how the two can best meet up in the market.

Here are five things you can do on a budget to revitalize your neglected brand and re-establish your image in the market:

1. Listen to your customers
   Your happiest (and unhappiest) customers will be the most vocal.  Listen to what they’re saying about both you and your competitors.  Taking this free market intelligence to heart will save you $$ in market research, but only if you can integrate new learnings into your strategy.
2. Reward your customers
   Business is mostly about selling – getting someone to give you money.  Turn things around and give something back to your customers.  Give one of your most loyal customers a free upgrade to the newest version of your software.  Offer a product discount to existing customers who refer a friend.  Giveaways create positive word of mouth!
3. Dump text off your website
   If it takes a potential client more than 30 seconds to get you the call to action of your website, it’s not doing its job.  Cut the text down and add more images of how things work or the benefit current customers are reaping.  An effective sales website is a fantastic tool in a media-centric market.
4. Sponsor a community event
   Whether you sponsor a float in a neighborhood parade or sign your staff up for a corporate build with Habitat for Humanity, being active in the community will raise your image.
5. Don’t change a thing!
   The biggest mistake companies make when embracing branding is trying to change their corporate image.  Don’t!  Instead, latch on to what you already have an try to leverage it within the market.  You have a huge amount of equity built up already and whether or not you’re seeing ROI yet, you don’t want to lose any of it!

Even the corporate giants of the world had to start their brand somewhere.  While you won’t be able to jump from obscurity to world recognition overnight, these five steps are in the right direction to owning more of your customers’ mindshare.

Eric Mann
Jumping Duck Media | Mindshare Strategy

Contracts should be a vital part of any thriving business. They dictate the terms and conditions of the transaction. A good contract should clearly indicate who does what, when and where. It will also define payment for goods and services.

Sales trainers advise using terms like, “agreement” or “paper work” rather then contract. They say the alternate terms are more acceptable and not as hard sounding.

When working in the construction trades, I learned to love contracts. We dealt with lengthy contracts, which included supporting documents such as drawings and specifications. It was not uncommon to have 100-250 pages of contractual documentation.

This may seem excessive for something simple like cleaning carpets, but what happens when things go oh so wrong? If you have not protected yourself with a clear agreement, you may be spending more time and money with your attorney and the court system.

Here is an example of a poorly written contract. My neighbor asked me to review an agreement from a local window replacement company. Here are some of the problems I found:

1. The salesperson said there was a lifetime replacement warrantee on all of their windows. The contract said no additional warrantees, written or verbal, would be honored other then that, which is supplied by the manufacture. (5 years parts/defect free, 1 year labor). When asked, the salesperson said that was an error, but we were not allowed to alter the contract.
2. If the buyer is unable to complete the transaction for any reason, they could be subject to a 20% service charge. Quite a costly charge on a $10,000 window replacement contract.
3. The homeowner would be responsible to obtain any required approvals and/or building permits. This is not an easy task if you are not familiar with building department requirements.

I am sure the contract has been approved by an attorney at some point. That is why some of the language is so specific, but it seems to no longer comply with the current sales presentation. Is it time to review your sales agreements?

If you read and understand all the verbiage in any given contract, it can be your friend and ally, especially if the other party fails to comply. But it can be a nightmare if you simply sign it and rely on the statements of the salesperson.

See You at the dock.

Ken Bear Cole

Fishing with Bear LLC

There are a great many correlations between fishing and marketing. In fishing it is important to define what type fish you are looking to catch. Then you can select the proper equipment, lures and techniques. You will have little success reeling in an 8’, 400-pound Sturgeon on an ultra-light Trout Pole with 4- pound line. On the other hand you may not even feel a Trout on a Sturgeon rig.

I am amazed at the number of business owners who join networking groups who are filled with people who would seldom if ever utilize their products or services.

To be successful in business you need to determine who is your target customer.
•    How old are they?
•    What type of cars do they drive?
•    Do they rent or own their homes?
•    Why would they want to do business with you?
•    What can you offer, that is better then your competition?
•    What needs do you fill? Are they Physical or Emotional?
•    Are you simply the lowest price and hoping for high volume of sales or are you the company offering a high quality product, which will provide you with high margins?

Your Competition:
•    How many other companies do the same thing?
•    Is the market growing or shrinking?
•    Are there any pending regulations, which could change the market?
•    How will your customers find you?

Once you know your customer and competition, you are now able to determine a potentially successful marketing strategy. But until then, fishermen would say you are hoping rather then fishing.

If things are not going well, it maybe time to rethink what you are doing.

See You At The Dock.

Ken Bear Cole
Fishing with Bear LLC

If you’ve spent much time on the road exhibiting, then I’m sure you’ve had sleepless nights worrying about your trade show display.  Is someone going to run it over with a fork-lift?  Will it make it to the event?  What happens if it arrives broken?

Here are a few tips that can help you sleep better once your display leaves your office.

• Make sure all of your crates, boxes, and packages are clearly marked with your company’s name, address, and phone number. Also label with the show name if going to advance warehouse.
• Make sure everything is labeled appropriately with messages, such as “Fragile”, “This side up”, etc. Also clearly number your crates, i.e. “1 of 2”, “2 of 2”, etc.
• Make sure you know your bill of lading number for outbound shipments.
• Make sure your bills of lading and return shipping labels are prepared prior to pickup for the return shipment.
• Make sure your booth personnel know how to handle the return shipment.
• Make sure your booth is insured any time it leaves your office. This can be done by adding your exhibit to your business insurance or taking additional insurance through your shipper.

Ed Bejarana
Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
(503) 709-1454

Over the years I have looked at various Network groups to help with my referral business. All have been a disappointment in one-way or the other. Some had high fees and dues and almost all had rigid requirements that left me uncomfortable.

With the help of a chiropractor friend, we decided to start our own group, without some of the things we didn’t like in other network groups. We call our group Bridges, which stands for (Business-Relationships Involving Development, Growth, Expansion & Support).

The important part for our group is relationships, support, quality of character and less rigidity. There are no dues or fees but one needs to show up on time and regularly attend.

We have over twenty professions currently but our looking for many more in the SE & NE part of Portland. We allow only one profession per person and will be looking to grow to least forty.

We meet at the Monarch Hotel in Clackamas right off 205, Thursday mornings at 7:15 AM and end promptly at 8:30. If you are looking for quality referrals and business support with a great group of quality people give me a call at 503-496-3641 and ask for Dom or E-mail dsitowski@crownmail.net.

With the trade show season getting started AND the recession going strong (and looking like a double dip)–I am sharing these trade show tips to help you maximize your return on investment.

Pull a crowd to your trade show booth. Use an interactive display, such as a quiz or game on a computer, a contest draw, a scheduled demonstration; it doesn’t need to be fancy to draw people’s interest and get them to cluster around your trade show display rather than the others.

Ed Bejarana
Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
(503) 709-1454

Do You Follow Up With Your Customers?
Do You Even Know Who Your Customers Are?

There is not a business alive that can succeed without sales. That is how revenue is driven. I don’t care what your business is. You have a product, or service, and your success is driven by how well you deliver that product or service to your clients or prospects. Do you know who your customers are?  How do you follow up with them?

It doesn’t matter if you are in a traditional sales oriented business like car or insurance sales, a retail shop like a Beauty Salon or Book Store, a professional like a CPA or Attorney, a Realtor or Mortgage Broker, you cannot exist without customers. How do you follow up with your customers?

You also cannot exist without the assistance of other, third party companies. There are others who provide essential services to you as you do your job. Some of these are essential to your success, others provide services upon which you rely upon. Do you know who your key partners are? How do you follow up with these key people?

Even within a large corporation or government entity, there are people without whom your job would not exist. The payroll department is reliant upon every other employee. Without them their job would not be necessary. The Insurance claims analyst has an external client (the policy holder), and many internal customers (all of the other employees whom he or she works with on the policy or claim). Do you know who your customers are? How do you follow up with them?

My point is that every one of our jobs is reliant upon the assistance of others. Whether it’s the end customer who uses our product or service and pays the bill, or the various co-workers or vendors who help us do our job in order to satisfy the end customer. Our success is tied to how we respond to others and how they respond to us.

I’m a mortgage broker as well as a referral marketing coach. I have an end customer, the homeowner who is looking to purchase or refinance. But in order to do my job, I am reliant upon a variety or internal co-workers, a wholesale lender with who knows how many people influencing my loan, an appraiser, possibly a Realtor, inspector, Title & Escrow company, and possibly verification of income, rent, assets and who knows what else…

While it’s easy to say I have 1 customer, there are a lot of people reliant on me and that I am reliant on to get the deal done.

Here is how I followup with my customers and key partners.

I have found that it is always better to be proactive and nice in order to get new clients and loans through the system. This takes more time, but the payoff is worth it. It also helps to have a system to spread that honey.

I use a combination of high tech and low tech services to bring in new business and facilitate the work flow on existing business.

Here are a few:

• In Person: Usually best for cementing relationships, but most time consuming. You also need to be concerned about your appearance and that of your meeting place.

• Telephone: Also very good as long as you are a good listener and can convey your thoughts. I use my office phone, iPhone and RingCentral for fax and 800#.

• Internet: Great for attracting new clients and transferring information easily and effortlessly. I have several websites that allow prospects to find me, easily leave information for me to get back in touch with them. I use facebook, ActiveRain and twitter, as well as others sites to attract new clients and make my work easier. In fact, my mortgage and Referral Marketing businesses could not exist without the Internet.

• Email: I have a love hate relationship with email. I need it, but about 50% of what I get is SPAM. Chalk it up to my success on google… I have also found limited success using email to draw in new clients. It is to easy to leave a bogus email address or for a well intended email to end up in the SPAM folder. Trust me, it happens.

• E-Newsletters: I send out several e-newsletters and know that they work, but they also can easily end up in the SPAM folder or wear out their welcome.

• Personal Greeting Cards: Everybody loves a personal greeting card. We are bombarded with email, junk mail, bills… But when we get a personal letter or greeting card, we get excited. I use SendOutCards to easily, and cost effectively send personal greeting cards. It takes a couple of minutes to create the card, push send and it’s printed at our factory, delivered to the Post Office and within a few days delivered to the mail box. I can even send a gift.

How do you followup with your clients? Do you know who your clients and key partners are?

What I suggest is to take a good look at your business or job.

• Identify where your revenue comes from. Who are your clients who bring you money or what were you hired to do?

• Identify the different steps involved in providing that service or attracting new revenue sources.

• Identify who else is involved in the process of assisting you in meeting the needs of that revenue source.

• Identify the steps where communication is best served and the method best for the situation. This should involve a variety of resources including personal visits, telephone, Internet, e-newsletters and personal Greeting Cards.

• Setup a plan and put it into action. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just intentional.

Larry

NiceTouchMarketing