That simple statement holds more truth in the business world than any other words of wisdom. As a small business owner, coach or consultant, we are often the brand and we have the sense we must go it alone to build our businesses. In this day and age of fierce competition and the vast internet, I believe success is predicated on developing strong business relationships, and having mutually beneficial contacts across various levels.
Trust is not given, trust is earned. Developing and nurturing such relationships can provide the most rewarding out comes for generating and giving great referrals. There are near-infinite possibilities that you can utilize to build strong business relationships, but the following two suggestions will help get you started:
Content marketing is the marketing and process for creating and distributing relevant and valuable content. This content is designed to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined target audience. The objective is to drive customer action.
The future of marketing is all about content. Consumers want to see exactly what your business has to offer and how it can benefit their lives in a real way.
But what, exactly, does content marketing mean? Literally speaking, content marketing can be defined as a strategic marketing approach which focuses on creating consistent content materials to drive customer and lead generation.
So how can your business get involved with content marketing?
1. Start a blog. A consistent and well-written blog hosted by your small business gives you the opportunity to relate to both clients and potential customers at the same time.
A blog is an excellent opportunity for your business to show clients its relatability.
2. Give a guided tour. Try this – record and share a guided tour of your facilities, complete with employee interviews and surprise interactions. Help consumers know what’s “behind the curtain,” so they can feel comfortable doing business with you.
3. Host a webinar. Webinars offer a huge opportunity for potential customers to see your business and its expertise in the field. Without too much effort, you could develop a webinar on instructing clients how to use a specific product or service, offer hands-on training and real-life examples.
4. Develop a (blank) of the week. If your business is active on social media, create a content marketing strategy based on what you post. One easy method is developing a (blank) of the week… product, service, employee, board member, you name it. This type of content marketing allows consumers to get to know your business better and gives them something to look forward to every week.
Air Graphics, located in Watertown, MA knows that your marketing is about more than staying in touch; it’s about staying on top. With bold designs and vivid color, They’ll help you create great marketing materials to make an instant impression.
Get 10% off your first print order when you mention you read about them through SBR-Small Business Results.
Many of us get certified or licensed to do a profession without the understanding that it’s imperative that we also become sales people. In order to be a good salesperson, you need to be curious and interested in establishing a prospect or client needs, before the selling begins.
It is not about you. It is about them!
The power in being curious and asking questions is meaningful on both for the result outcome and on an emotional level by demonstrating concern and care for the person you’re talking to.
I believe the greatest results come from the people who ask great questions.
They don’t build their credibility with prospective buyers by fancy presentations or buy talking endlessly about themselves but instead they use thoughtful informed questions that implicitly demonstrate their knowledge and experience. They use questions to uncover hidden needs to identify whether or not there’s a problem or opportunity they can address. The best salespeople also use questions to connect on emotional level to get to know the person and show they care
It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling a product, or a service, or an idea; when you first meet someone, being curious and genuinely interested and demonstrating this by asking questions quickly earn respect for you.
That’s the first step towards building a trusting relationship.
Here are 7 powerful questions examples for you to try:
Can you tell me your biggest priorities?
Can you tell me your biggest challenges?
Can you tell me your biggest concerns right now?
Why is this important to you?
How much time do you personally devote to this?
If you had additional resources, what initiatives would you tackle?
At SBR we believe in applying 30-day strategies for commitment and accountability to everything we do.
In looking at our clients’ issues every 30 days we are able to clearly understand where our small business clients are struggling or succeeding. We are then able to understand what we or they need to learn or do to address the challenges or capitalize on the success.
When we realize that our challenges are universal and not just about us, we tend to beat ourselves up less. As when we learn what is working for others, we can integrate some of that into our own businesses.
I hope what we learned this month is helpful to you!
The Top 4 Issues We Heard from Small Business Owners:
I need more prospects and clients!
I have no idea what parts of social media (digital marketing) are effective for my business
I feel like most of my efforts have very little return.
I am so isolated and feel like I am working all the time.
The Top 4 Solutions to Success for Small Businesses:
1. Hands down, it’s all about customer service.
You must be outstanding at your craft. Your clients must feel taken care of and listened to and feel you are a trusted resource. Our clients that have the most open rate in their email marketing, the most reviews, and the most return business are those whose clients simply love what they receive!
2. Be able to clearly and succinctly understand your business concept:What do you do and how does it serve your customer. It is the courage to sell one thing clearly with the trust that that one thing will lead to many other. Create a mental image of them and make sure your marketing messages and content speak specifically to them.
Remember – you cannot be everything to everybody but you can be something to someone!!
3. Attract and stay in front of your ideal client.
Depending on who your customer is, some marketing methods will work better than others. Once you develop your customer profile, you can figure how to reach them specifically. The more niche-focused your business is in the marketplace, the easier it is to reach your market.
Order of importance for marketing pieces after Clear Messaging and Positioning:
Develop a great, mobilized website targeting your client. The site is about them first! In today’s internet, your site is one of millions. It is crucial to have a great site because all other sales and marketing efforts will lead them to it
Well-branded social media platforms and a strategic approach for attraction and visibility. It is how you are being seen and found
Content marketing/ Email Marketing, Surveys, Promotions. Email marketing done well is still the most effective way to stay in touch.
Become a thought leader/expert in your field. It’s all about providing valuable content to stay in front of people and connected to build and maintain relationships.
If you are not in front of your potential client, then you are invisible!
4. Keep your database in order and up to date.
Your best revenue exists directly in your existing database Your best opportunity to generate more revenue is to upsell an existing customer. The best way to upsell customers is to keep in touch with them. A satisfied client wants to learn and buy more from you and is very happy to refer you. This is called client engagement!
We encourage you to print out these four solutions and take a close look at your own business. Which of these do you need to strengthen, which are effective?
OurConcept to Customer offering addresses these challenges and solutions. The combination of Shelly and Susan’s strengths bring together the answers and the results you are looking for.
If you feel how our clients are feeling, let us help you!
Please use this call scheduler to make a time to speak to Shelly now!
The challenge that exists for most of us as small business owners is waiting for the return of our hard work in business results. We often feel that there is a huge gap linking effort and return.
You’re not alone if you feel as though your daily efforts don’t produce immediate results. We’ve all experienced the frustration of thinking we are doing all of the right things at the right time and yet, we are not quite there. The simple truth is, entrepreneurship is a lengthy process filled with trial and tribulations. Therefore, many business owners are frustrated and exhausted and might even be a breaking point in business. In some ways it is harder than ever to find the right paths to success, but with knowledge, strategy and faith we can reap the results we are looking for!
The Small Business Solution:
It is imperative to work smarter, not harder, to achieve your end results. I believe the prerequisite to “hard work is even harder choices.”
Hard work is less discouraging when you tackle four areas:
1: Improve Your Attitude: How do you perceive hard work? If you feel defeated, you’ve lost the battle before you’ve even begun.
2: Make Deliberate Choices: Everything starts with a definitive choice.Keep in mind the term consequential thinking; choice, action, outcome.Every single choice of your behavior or activity leads you to action and a desired outcome or not!
3: Create Effective Habits: It is crucial to keep your vision and strategy in front of you for obtaining the results via your daily habits to produce long-term results.
4: Execute Relentlessly: In order to grow you need help, systems, and procedures to meet daily goals. Learning to delegate each system to an internal or external support will free you up to do what you do best!
The Result:
Hard work isn’t always attractive because at times you’d rather spend it doing other things and we can get worn down.
I say the trick is to always focus on how far you have come and not at how far you need to go!
All things considered, your labor of love will produce results. And when your “love” appears to be more “laborious” than you hoped, think of this:
A labor of love may appear to be out of reach, but run steady, produce it anyway and eventually your hard work will pay off.
We are here to help you! The team at SBR is able to cut your curve of learning, develop systems and strategies for you or us to execute.
The speed at which we can address and solve your internal issues or your digital chaos will propel your success.
Small Business Owners, Coaches and Consultants are often great at what they do, but find it very challenging to set aside the time to learn or implement systems that effectively build their businesses. Time, energy and money are our most limiting resources and where to connect and learn within a budget are often the challenges that go unanswered.
Solution: Group Coaching
Business coaching in small groups is a true accelerator of the insights and learning process of the coachee and the group as a whole. When you work with others, you have the opportunity to be constantly sharing ideas and gaining valuable additional outside perspective. You will be amazed, sometimes even the simplest question can spark an informative and collaborative discussion giving you a treasure load of free insight, ideas, and possible solutions you might never have thought of on your own.
In the group, we are able to clarify, “What work has to be done and we address it!”.
The truth is that interactive learning and support are the keys to success.
Another benefit of Group Coaching is the opportunity to meet new people who truly learn about you and your business and therefore are more like to be able to refer you or use your services themselves!
Often, group coaching participants continue to coach each other as accountability partners as you take the skills you learn in the group and continue to maximize them on your own. There’s no doubt that when we work within a group we want to show up doing our best each session while we strive toward reaching our potential.
Need more reasons to work with a business coach?
A 2009 International Coach Federation (“ICF”) global study revealed, among other things: • Individual clients reported a median return of 3.44 times their investment. • 82.7% of individuals who have experienced professional coaching report being “very satisfied” with their coaching experience. • 96.2 % of individuals said they would repeat their coaching experience given the same circumstances.
Outcomes attributed to coaching:
• 67.6% higher level of self-awareness • 62.4% smarter goal-setting • 60.5% more balanced life • 57.1% lower stress levels • 52.9% self-discovery • 52.4% more self-confidence • 43.3% improvement in quality of life • 39.5% enhanced communication skills • 35.7% project completion (read more about these statistics on the International Coach Federation website)
The benefit you may find particularly attractive is that Group Coaching is an incredibly affordable proposition. The more like-minded people you get together who are all striving toward a common goal, the more exponential the group benefits.
Group Coaching Sessions Starting Soon
Small-group coaching programs are now forming inMansfield, Salem, and Newton. The number of candidates has been limited (8) to provide optimal sharing amongst attendees. It is my intent that each business owner will receive individualized attention to identify what they need in order to build their business. This 4-month program, based upon the “6 Steps to Small Business Results” strategic framework, guarantees to provide you with systems, support, and strategies needed in today’s business world.
Our goal is that these hands-on activity-based workshops will help you create commitment, focus, communication and accountability to help you stand out in the marketplace.
• Each of the 4 workshops in the monthly series will be 3 hours. • There’s an 8-person maximum to ensure that each of the participants gets the attention they require to develop their comprehensive business success plan. • Registrants must commit to all 4 of the workshops. • Participants receive 1-hour phone coaching or document review per month.
It’s proven that when business owners connect and work together within my proven framework for development and marketing, the owners and their revenues grow.
Contact me today to find out how the Business Development Small-Group Training Sessions will benefit your business growth.
Feedback from recent business development small-group coaching sessions:
“Shelly is exceptional at what she does. She has the keen ability to hone in as people talk, ask targeted questions, and as a result offer eye-opening feedback. It is almost magical to watch her in action! Time and time again, she would say one simple statement and each of us would have an “ah-ha!” moment.”
“Shelly brings her years of experience, her wisdom, and her spot on intuition and insights to each and every person. She has mastered leading a group while also targeting the needs of each individual. Shelly’s strategies are clear and concise, as well as easy to implement. Most of all- she cares- truly cares about her clients and their success.”
“Shelly is an engaging personality who brings her years of experience, her wisdom, and her spot on intuition and insights to each and every person. She has mastered leading a group while also targeting the needs of each individual.”
If two heads are still better than one, imagine what a roomful of 8 business owners and an experienced business and marketing coach can accomplish together!
A highly skilled consultant was feeling very challenged with tasks that she completes for her clients but couldn’t seem to get done for herself. She was also offered other opportunities to take for her business and while they seemed enticing, it was more huge decisions to make. When there is so much at stake and so much to do, we go into a “brain fog”-like place and simply need to sort out what is the next best move and what to prioritize.
The Outcome:
After a two hour consultation, we were able to establish the most important tasks to accomplish and we took a good long look at what the big decision would look like. After three weeks, I sent an email to check in and here was her response:
“I’ve been busy –
Updated LinkedIn profile
New Facebook Public page (Have established schedule for posting regularly)
Closed a new client.
Working on requesting references and referrals from current clients.
Have decided to stay with xxxxx for now. The financial security of the base pay + travel expenses gives me the comfort level to pursue private clients more aggressively.
Still need to settle on a website template.
Adopted your practices as –
Task sheets to track my progress with clients, time sheets for that work, proposal and agreement all in one.
I’m feeling good about things! “
As a business coach, could I ask for anything more?
Sometimes it can just be so helpful to have an intelligent conversation about one’s business to get specific about your commitments, to ensure that everything in your business is moving toward your desired outcomes.
How do YOU focus to attain your priorities?
Are you ready to make your wave roll in?
Call or email Shelly. Together we will strategize to create benchmarks to reach immediate steps forward.
There Are Many Things We Do Not Get Around To – Setting Up Your Email Signature Should Not Be One Of Them
Case Study:
To stop and make an electronic introduction takes time to construct. When we have to go looking for the person’s contact information and it is not in the email signature, we have to search for it. In some cases, it just can’t happen. That’s not fun!
The Outcome:
Setting up an email signature is one of those “I’ll get around to it later” tasks, but it’s worth your while for several reasons, as it: Serves as a free marketing tool for anyone you are reaching out or responding to Makes it easy for others to find and get in contact with you Is professional and shows that you are serious about running your business It may be tempting to go offer too much when you create your email signature, providing links to your every presence on the web, but you should be careful not to go overboard!
Focus on the basics:
Your name
Logo
An easy way for people to contact you, such as your phone number or email address
The name of your company (along with a link) and your title within the company
Clarity and simplicity are important when it comes to your email signature. Be cautious about adding too many lines of text or links to your email signature as it can be very overwhelming to your email recipients. Try the Wisestamp tool to help you build a clean signature with unobtrusive icons linking out to your social media sites.
Be sure to also add your signature to your phone, iPad and other devices that you use to communicate.
I hope the benefits of using an email signature will motivate you to take a few minutes this week to create an email signature or clean up your existing one. It’s free, easy, and creates consistency and connectivity in all your email communications.
It is our job to notice and know the little and big things for effective business building.
When you begin to build your business and your marketing collateral you’re faced with a number of challenges, problems, and obstacles. The obstacle that is the greatest, and that the rest actually rely upon, is your ability to communicate effectively what you do and who you do it with.
You are faced with this challenge every day when you pick up the phone. It determines whether you are able to get the conversation, which leads to the meeting, which leads to the sale. We are running around killing ourselves to determine the best vehicle for marketing but the truth is, until we develop the right concept, how to differentiate and how to articulate this, we are stumped!
What is a business concept?
A business concept is an idea for a business that includes basic information such as the service or product, the target demographic, and a unique selling proposition that gives a company an advantage over competitors.
The Outcome:
When you position yourself by concept instead of by titles or products and services, you have the opportunity to create a strategic approach for connecting with prospects and thus, selling more.
The way to look at this is to identify and focus on the outcomes of your work and what happens when customers work with you. Once this is accomplished, you will write it on your marketing collateral, your website or when you’re introducing yourself to any individual or group and yes on the phone!
How you communicate who you work with and what they can expect for outcomes is the easiest way to position yourself by concept.
When you can answer this simple question in a succinct and concise way that attracts more conversation and, therefore, more prospects, you will be able to create a deeper level of connection with your prospects and customers.
The goal is to get to the “How” conversation – “How do you do that?” Or – “Would you like me to tell you how I do that?”
It’s not easy, in fact, it may be the hardest thing you will do in your business.
Here are some tips for creating an effective differentiating statement:
Use simple eighth-grade language.
Don’t recite a slogan or a tagline. Really tell people who it is you work with and what it is you do .
Attract someone into a conversation that covers just how you do that.
Your differentiating statement focuses on what pain points people have and how working with you will address a solution-based outcome.
Learn How the SBR SIGNATURE OFFERINGcan move you from where you are today to a more strategic future!
We help you with what is truly needed to succeed in business today: CONCEPT, EVALUATION, STRATEGY, EXECUTION!
This package includes:
~ 2 hours business coaching
~ Digital evaluation and delivery of a 4-6 page “Business Concept/Business Model Development and Marketing Evaluation and Strategic Approach”
~ 1.5 hour presentation and discussion/coaching session.
We look at the questions and challenges that must be answered!
Market Need:
Determining market need means understanding that something is missing in the market and something you believe the market needs at this time and where the opportunity for your idea lies.
Why You:
Offering a business product or service, why you are the person to make it happen.
Why Your Offering:
Why should anyone buy your product instead of something, or someone else? Identify your unique attributes.
Business Model:
Creating a business model that determines how are you going to make the money. What’s going to bring in the revenue? How do you build and grow?
Business Concept:
Creating a business concept sentence that captures the essence of your product or service and opens the door for conversations and meetings.
Competitive Analysis:
Being sure you understand your competition, understanding it’s a competitive marketplace and what and who is out there will help you determine how to rise above the rest and stand out
Right Fit Marketing:
How do we spread the word about your business? How are you showing up? Which are the right marketing strategies and platforms for you to be seen, including your website and how does it really reflect you when people arrive upon it?This includesa through digital investigation:addressing why your website brings you nothing, how to make your email effective, what is happening with your social platforms, what needs to be done and how you are showing up on the internet.
