Hey, don’t I know you? You certainly don’t want to leave doubt in the minds of potential clients, right? Did you ever wonder if you’re leaving money on the table by not being “in front of” clients and potential clients when you’re not even in the room? Passing out business cards is certainly one way to connect with individuals but are there other ways in which you can be visible?
Here are my thoughts on this subject:
Make certain you have a social media presence. Make certain the contact information you hand out easily lets people know where you are on the internet — your website and your social media platforms.
Do you hand out pens or other give-aways? Is your name, contact info and website on all of them?
Do you do a lot of driving for your business? Why not invest in magnetic signs and make your vehicle a movable billboard?
Do you you have employees that wear uniforms? Make certain the uniforms have your company name, logo and a phone number on them.
The best way to draw in more clients is to make sure your name is “out there.”
Once your business has a social media presence business will take off, clients will be knocking down your doors, you’ll have to move to a bigger location and hire more employees, right? Well, not so fast. Social media is more of a “slow and steady wins the race” type event. Social media is an effective tool in your marketing arsenal but it is only one tool and needs to be part of an overall strategy not a one-off proposition.
Here are my tips for leveraging social media to enhance your business marketing strategies:
Build relationships. Social media is about starting and joining conversations. Don’t use your social media to simply try to sell your products. Let your clients and potential clients get to know you.
Be patient. Social media takes time to build both a following and a reputation. Consistency also matters when it comes to posting your updates.
What is the best social media platform for you and your business? While we realize that “everyone” is on Facebook, and perhaps you should be as well, there may be better avenues (ie where your ideal client gathers) such as LinkedIn or Google+
What have you tried as part of your social media strategy that has worked in your favor?
There are times in both life and business when you will get thrown a curve ball. How you handle it reflects on both your resiliency and your attitude. A positive attitude and a tendency toward resiliency will help you roll with it and get back on your feet.
Here are some lessons to keep in mind when things simply aren’t going your way:
Be bold. Take a chance. Put yourself out there and see what the world sends back. It may not always be the boon you’d hoped for but you will never know until you try, right?
Remember, life goes on. Yes, there are times when you’re dealt a devastating blow but once you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and take stock — even if it takes a couple of days — you can get back on course. In business, rarely is failing fatal.
Know when to simply let go. There are times in business and in life when you have to know when to walk away — whether from a personal relationship or a business client that is draining your energies and not appreciating your efforts.
How do you face challenges? What do you do to come out the other side?
Just as dieters reach a weight plateau, so too can the entrepreneur feel that his or her efforts have reached a peak. What should you do if you know you want to reach higher and achieve more in your business? Here are my tips for breaking free of those plateaus:
Look at your vision. Is it still as clear as it originally was? Has it gotten muddied by past successes or failures? Have you changed from your core business competency?
Are you making the most of your business contacts? Have you been networking and meeting others? You can’t work or grow your business in a vacuum.
How succinct is your marketing message? If you haven’t looked at your elevator speech recently, now might be the time. The more succinct you are, the more clear your network partners will be on what it is you do and how they can help you grow.
What steps can you do to break through the plateau?
It happens to everyone; you’re buzzing right along in your business then you hit a road block a cobweb in your plans and you have to step back and regroup.
How can you wipe away the cobwebs and continue moving forward:
Take an action, any action. Inertia feeds inertia. Take a small step toward chipping away at a larger goal will make it seem more manageable and you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment for having worked on it — even if it’s only 15 minutes at a time.
Do you lack confidence in either making a decision or moving a project forward? If so, call on the help or advice of an expert. Ask for support for those items that stump you.
Is there information you’re missing to make an informed decision? If you need more information, do some research or ask for clarification.
Do you make promises to your clients and then fail to deliver? This is a pitfall that some business owners fall into — they think they can “do it all” and perhaps they can, but they don’t set a realistic timeline for completion. If you’re working with a client and are offered a task, take a step back and consider how long it will truly take you and how many other projects you have in the works. You need to be realistic when setting deadlines.
Here are some tips on over-delivering on promises made to your clients:
As mentioned, set realistic deadlines. If you can deliver a product prior to a set deadline then that’s great. It’s better to be early on a deadline than to miss it or to have to go back and ask for an extension.
Is a client asking you to do something or provide a service that is outside of your realm of expertise? If so, you need to determine whether it’s worth it for you to take on this project or if you have a trusted business partner with whom you can share this task. Don’t say ‘yes’ just because your client asks, especially if you can’t deliver a high quality product.
Bottom line: Go above and beyond for your clients and they will thank you for your attention to detail as well as your willingness to help them solve their problems.
