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11 Ways to Make 2010 Your Best Year Yet

January 24th, 2010 Becky No comments
By Ronnie Noize, Google’s #1 Marketing Coach  Noize_Headshot_ezrhttp://www.veronikanoize.com
American industrialist and inventor Henry Ford is credited with saying, “Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.”

So how do we prepare for our most successful year yet? How do we “get ready” for the success we long for?

The best way I know to make something happen is to plan for it, prepare for it, and create a structure that supports it. If you want to make the next 12 months your best year yet, perhaps it is time to finally put in place the structures reflect your planning and preparation.

I find that structures free my mind to focus on the fun stuff, instead of keeping a huge amount of information about my business in my short-term memory, which no doubt slows down my thinking, and keeps valuable data away from the people who want and need it (like my prospects and clients), thus getting in the way of my success. So yeah, I’d rather put a structure in place that prepares me for the success I want. How ’bout you?

Here are my top 11 key structures to put in place to make this next year your best yet (yes, in my priority order):

  1. Your marketing plan. You’ve probably heard the old saying “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” dozens if not hundreds of times. It’s true. Of course, you’ve probably also heard a few self-made internet millionaires boast that they never bothered with something as mundane as a marketing plan, but they are exceptions, not the rule. Lottery winners are lucky, not necessarily smart. Yes, you can make some great decisions and be in the right place at the right time, but leaving your success up to chance is not only foolish but irresponsible. Get started here or here.
  2. Yearly promotional calendar. This is an important document that can help guide you through the times when you don’t know what to do, so do yourself a favor and put your calendar together now. It can be a very simple document, even a one-pager, that lists your daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly activities. Check out an example at the bottom of the page here.
  3. Support system(s). Having a group of people PLUS a coach who is familiar with and supportive of your goals, and who offer regular support, ideas, and feedback helps keep your energy and momentum up, as well as provides you with the strength you might need when the going gets tough. That group of people can be a board of directors, a mastermind, or even a support group. That one person who is willing to talk to you about your interests, your business, your plans and your challenges will probably either be a business partner or a business coach. Please note that while your spouse or life partner and best friends may offer great support, they might get very tired of you talking about yourself and your business all the time, so make sure you have someone to talk to who is just as interested in your success as you are.
  4. Sales processes from lead generation to close to retention. Your marketing plan will ideally include this information, but if for some reason it doesn’t, this is a way to get really clear about how your sales work. Most small business owners think their sales process is simple: Prospect sees our ad (or email, flyer, business card, or website), then contacts (clicks, calls or emails) us to buy, end of process. It ain’t always that simple, because there are distinct phases that buyers go through to make purchase decisions. Yes, there are ways to make it all happen faster, but if you don’t understand those phases of the process, you are destined to make errors that cost you clients.
  5. Filing/organizational systems (both electronic and hard copy) are essential for maximum efficiency, and minimal confusion. Searching for “lost” or misplaced data costs you time, credibility, and very often, your confidence, so make getting organized a priority. Work with a professional if you have to, but just imagine how great it would be (for you AND your clients) to be able to instantly access the tools, data, plans or files you want right when you want them.
  6. Tracking processes or mechanisms. There are a variety of numbers in your business that you can monitor, and that will give you fantastic insights into your business. Even if you are not a “numbers person,” understanding certain numbers can help you focus your efforts in ways that will bring you more success. Some numbers to track include frequency of purchase; average purchase amount; average number of purchases; sales figures by month, year, category; and so on. Increases or decreases in those numbers give you feedback about what you clients want, and alert you to opportunities as well as impending crises.
  7. Standard operating procedures and processes. How do you prepare a new client file, update your website, post your events on LinkedIn, respond to an inquiry, process product returns, confirm appointments, and handle the hundreds of other great and small processes that come up in your business? Leaving it up to chance or the inspiration of the moment wastes time, and presents an inconsistent experience for your clients, and makes it difficult for you to use or train administrative help. My advice: Figure how you want to handle these things, and document the processes, or hire someone to do it for you.
  8. Written responses to client FAQs. And not just the standard FAQs about hours, etc., but the questions your prospects and clients really want to know, such as what’s new, why now, and why you.
  9. Verbal scripts that answer questions or facilitate conversations, such as your elevator speech, follow up speech, how you answer the phone, how you ask for the sale, and so on. If you’re not prepared, you lose not only opportunities but credibility. Don’t make your prospects work to pull information out of you; have it ready for them.
  10. Policies documentation, which is for you as much as for your clients. What are your policies on refunds, no-shows, product returns, dissatisfaction, and free samples? Do you charge for last-minute changes, appointment reschedules, program customization, or mileage? Under what conditions are you willing to make pricing adjustments? How does your guarantee work, and what exactly are the steps your clients need to follow to have that guarantee honored?
  11. Client contact mechanism. How will you stay in touch with your clients? An email here and there is great, but consistent contact is far better. What tool you use depends on your style, budget, and needs, but there is no excuse for not having a mechanism in place because you can get them for free.

Categories: Building Strategies, Ronnie Noize, The Marketing Coach, Veronika Noize Tags:

Networking is not Selling, but you can Build an Incredible Business by Networking!

September 6th, 2009 Becky No comments

Noize_Headshot_ezr

 

Build Your Business with Networking
By Veronika (Ronnie) Noize, the Marketing Coach

Being successful in business is less about having all the answers yourself than knowing where you can access expertise. Since you can’t know everyone, you often rely on your friends or trusted colleagues for referrals, which is where your professional network comes in handy.

After all, a basic truth of business is that people do business with people they know, like and trust.  Happily, this model works both ways. The more people who know you or about you, the more business will come your way.

Creating an extensive professional network is not nearly as time-consuming or intimidating as you might think, but it does take conscious effort. I call my network my “Team 100″ but of course, you can call yours whatever you like. I learned of the Team 100 concept from Thomas Leonard, who was the founder of CoachVille, and widely hailed as the father of the professional coaching industry.

What Is A Team 100?

A Team 100 is a group of one hundred people with whom you have a professional relationship, either as a colleague, vendor, or client, and who have expertise in various areas. The relationship is reciprocal, in that members of your team get as much value from the relationship as you expect to get.

A Team 100 can fill several functions in building your business: It can help you develop a strong professional network, tap into expertise and knowledge, help you resolve problems or at least point toward someone who might help you, and of course, provide referrals to you.  You provide the same services to your contacts (your Team 100 members). 

Setting Up the Meeting

To get started, think about what type of expertise and contacts you wish you had, and then start making phone calls. When I started putting mine together, I set up a series of lunches with people I admired to meet and get to know them, share information, and so on. These meetings were NOT sales opportunities.  I explained to each person that I was developing my “dream network” for my Team 100 of professional contacts, and I wanted to get to know them to add them to my Team 100. (I had heard that most people are flattered and pleased to be invited, and so it was in my experience.)

If you’re not up to cold calling people with whom you have no previous connection, you can leverage those networking relationships that you already have, such as approaching the membership of the networking groups to which you belong. Call a certain number of members (say one or two per week), and set up individual meetings for coffee with them. Explain that in order to refer business to him or her (which is the purpose of networking, right?), you need to know more about what that person does, and you would like to set up a time to find out.

You may find that setting a time limit to these networking meetings will help allay any fears the other person might have about wasting time. I usually set mine for 30 minutes, because most people can spare that much time for a one-time meeting, and also because they know they’ll get to talk about their business.

What To Talk About During the Meeting

There are three questions you want to ask to gather the type of information you need to be able to refer business appropriately:

1. Who is your ideal client? Ask for both demographic and psychographic info here. If the person just says something general, gently press for more specifics, or ask for a description of the perfect client for his or her business. If this question doesn’t get much of a response, ask a hypothetical question, such as: If you could clone just one of your clients, who would it be, and why? What is it that makes this particular client so good for your business?

2. How will I recognize that client? Is there a situation, such as divorce, inheritance, or opening a new business that is present in your ideal clients’ lives? Or is there a certain phrase that your clients often use, such as being overwhelmed or needing help with something specific, that I should listen for?

3. What would you like me to tell any referrals about you when I give them your contact information? This could be anything, such as results, like you’ve never lost a case or your clients usually get a 100% return on their investment within 30 days; or about you personally, like you’re a classically trained pianist in addition to being a jazz composer, or that you come from a spiritual base. This is your opportunity to include some significant information about yourself or your practice that will resonate with your ideal client.

How The Meeting Flows

It has been my experience (although yours may be different) that these meetings generally follow a pattern. The first five to ten minutes are spent getting coffee and in general chit chat; the next 15-20 minutes are spent on the other person, and the last five minutes are spent on you.

It is important that the other person get plenty of time to share, not only so that s/he sees that you are not trying to sell anything at this meeting, but so s/he feels understood and valued (VERY important in relationship building). This means you must be prepared to respond to the same questions quickly, concisely, and completely. Of course, since you already know the questions, you can come to the meeting prepared to do just that!

The outcome is that the other person will (usually) have warm, kindly feelings toward you, and is flattered to be included in your professional network. If the opportunity arises, this person will likely refer business to you.

Dealing With Temptation

Of course, there is always the possibly that this person recognizes him- or herself in your ideal client description and will want to talk to you in more detail. Although it will be very tempting to extend this meeting and turn it to your advantage this way, DON’T do it. If the other person really is a prospect, you can set up another time to chat so that your meeting will have a different agenda than networking. If you don’t do this, you will be remembered as someone who “baited and switched” that person into a meeting. Bad karma, I’m telling you!

Ending The Meeting

Part of maintaining your professional network is staying in touch, which you can do through notes, calls, invitations and such, but the easiest way is probably through your newsletter. But how can you offer to do that without sounding like you’re selling something (which is not how you want to end this meeting)?

After The Meeting

Following a networking meeting, I send a note of thanks, add that person to my mailing list, and then make a point of personally touching base every quarter or even every six months, depending on my schedule. Result: Another resource for my professional network (I LOVE to refer people!), plus another person who knows, likes and trusts me, and equally important, another person in my network who is now in the position to refer business (my ideal clients!) to me.

This article was written by Veronika (Ronnie) Noize, the Marketing Coach. Ronnie’s web site is a comprehensive marketing resource for small office/home office business professionals. For free marketing resources including articles and valuable marketing tools, visit her web site at http://www.veronikanoize.com/, or email her at Ronnie@VeronikaNoize.com. 

 

 
   
 

Categories: Building Strategies, Networking 101, Ronnie Noize, Vancouver Wa, Veronika Noize Tags:

What is networking?

March 9th, 2009 Becky 1 comment

The name of my blog is “Networking is Not selling.” What specifically does that mean? If it’s not selling, are you wasting your time going to these networking events, meetings, and mixers?

According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, Networking is the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically: the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. But I think my good friend, Ronnie Noize, the Marketing Coach (http://www.veronikanoize.com/) says it best: “Networking is about connecting and serving.”

Yes, connecting and serving. “What can I do for you?” Not, “What can I sell you?”

Recently, I was at a networking function here in the Portland metro area. As a matter of fact, I was attending one of my own I Take The Lead networking meetings. To my right sat a young financial advisor, representing a company I’d heard of but really knew very little about. This young man – I’ll call him “Sam” for the sake of anonymity – had an arrogant manner about him, which was a little surprising since he didn’t look like he was much older than 20. I made the mistake of mentioning the fact that I have grandchildren. The meeting ended, and we all began to disperse. “Sam” nearly broke both his legs from jumping across two chairs in an effort to catch up to me and follow me out to my car at the end of the meeting. Astonished, I turned to see what he needed from me. To my amazement, he went right into sales mode. “Sam” had the only product available that was going to help my grandchildren get a college education, but I needed to get signed up today! For a mere $50 per month, apiece, I could set up an account for each child, and they would forever be grateful to me…blah….blah…blah…blah…blah.

Did he get my business? Heck no! What do you think the chances are that he’ll ever get a referral from me? You’re right. He was not there to connect and serve but, in my opinion, he only wanted to make that next sale. Networking is Not Selling. Many thanks go out to my friend, Ronnie Noize and my other good friend, Dr Sean Harry, who both teach our members how to Connect and Serve.

Categories: Networking, Ronnie Noize, Sean Harry, Veronika Noize Tags: