Doing the Right Thing Helps You Succeed in Business

Doing the Right Thing Helps You Succeed in Business

You’ve probably heard the saying that “what goes around, comes around” – when you and your business consistently do what’s best for your customers and promote good business practices, word will spread that you and your business will always do the right thing. Doing the right thing builds trust, and trust means more customers and sales. More customers and sales mean a successful business.

Here are even more reasons why doing the right thing builds business:

Feeding and building your feeling of self-worth – Doing the right thing makes you feel good. That feeling inside shows authentically outside and attracts more people to you and your business.
It limits making wrong decisions – Like any foundation in life, with a strong foundation you can build anything. So, if you consistently do the right thing, that foundation increases your effectiveness and good decision making.
It doesn’t only make you mentally stronger, but also physically stronger – With the belief that you can do right, you’ll be able to draw on that momentum and tap your positive energy to get more things done.
Reduces worry and stress – Doing right helps you focus on making right choices, and if you know you are making right choices, that reduces worry and stress.
It makes you more understanding and compassionate – The process of doing the right thing will mean making difficult choices at times while also spending more time listening to others, and these experiences enlarge your capacity to be more empathetic and tolerant.
A brighter future – Doing the right thing will also mean following up the right way, thus increasing business and creating more opportunities for the future.
You will have better friends and support – Part of being successful in business is building up the people that surround and support you and your business. These people will share your can-do and positive outlook. They will want to be your friends and help you achieve your goals.
Makes you more positive – Like anything that is nurtured, your capacity to choose the right thing will grow stronger and better. The more you do the right thing, the more positive you will become.

The key to doing the right thing is to focus on transparency, fairness and creating a strong foundation for your brand and reputation. In return, you will be rewarded with personal and business success!

How do you keep focus on doing the right thing? We would love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

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How to Handle Difficult Situations

How to Handle Difficult Situations

Once in a while, out of the blue, you’re surprised with an uncomfortable, unsettling and difficult situation. You may respond emotionally, and later stew over the aftermath. When in business, this can have a negative impact on what your customers say about you, as word of mouth tends to spread.

It would be great if you could press a do-over button, but even better than a do-over is not reacting in a way you’ll regret later. Here are some steps to help you handle difficult situations better.

Acknowledge your emotions, stay calm, think and assess the situation.
Gain perspective – give your difficulty a number on a scale of 1 to 10.
Stay positive – think or write down some possible solutions.
If necessary, find a place that gives you reassurance and peace – it may be a park or house of worship.
Look for support from family, friends, co-workers and other professionals. Ask them what they think about the situation from an outsider’s point of view.
Seek joy and laughter – play your favorite music, watch funny movies and surround yourself with positive people.
Create and follow through on a simple plan:

State a goal – for example, I will stay calm.
Turn your goal statement into a mantra and keep saying it.
Develop a list of strategies to reach your goal – for example, put on a set of headphone for music, avoid tense situations, start counting backward from 100 in your head, and any other strategy that is appropriate for the situation.
You may need to write a plan to handle larger problems – For example, let’s say you have a customer that was unhappy with your business, and is telling people not to purchase from you. Develop a list of strategies such as calling the customer directly to assist with the problem, providing a refund and a gift certificate to apologize, posting in response to public social media posts from the customer asking her to contact you directly so you can help, etc. Think of things that will show that you are responsive and that you care, while understanding that you may not be able to resolve the customer’s issue or change her opinion. You are also managing what the people observing the situation think.
Check off your list of strategies as you slowly resolve your difficulties to help you stay positive and on track.

After resolving the situation you may want to explore how it was handled, how you can improve the way it was handled, and review valuable lessons you’ve learned.

In business and in life there will always be difficult situations. Some will be small, and some may be devastating. The key is to always try to stay positive, think, assess the situation and trust that you’ll come up with the best solution at the moment. The more you learn from difficult situations the better you’ll be at resolving them and achieving a happier life, as well as a more successful business.

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Tips for Keeping Your Clients Coming Back

Tips for Keeping Your Clients Coming Back

We all know it’s better and more cost effective to have a steady stream of returning customers than always being focused on finding new customers. So, how do we keep our customers coming back once the first sale is made? Think of the first transaction as the first date in a series of dates, which ultimately leads to a long and wonderful relationship. The way to keep customers coming back is to develop and nurture a relationship with them.

Here are some ideas to keep your new customer coming back, in order to establish a lasting relationship:

Promote your strengths, best products/services and greatest value compared to competitors.
Offer incentives/discounts for return customers.
Develop a customer-based community online: create a Facebook page where customers can share ideas and communicate with others of like mind.
Once you have a Facebook page, provide valuable and interesting information that can help your customers.
Create trust: let your customers know that if they don’t like something you’ll fix it.
Contribute to a cause in a way that involves your customers. For example, if you sell books, offer to collect old books to give to charity like your local library or women’s shelter, and in return your customer gets 15% off on their next purchase.
Establish a loyal customer rewards program and make it feel like it’s personalized to each individual.
Make the sales process easier, faster and better than your competitors.
Establish a follow up process to check on your customer’s satisfaction and needs regularly.
Offer free personal delivery service or shipping.
Establish an online relationship with your customers and provide real-time customer service.
Provide an easy and comfortable way for customers to provide feedback, and promote changes and improvements you’ve made based on the suggestions of your customers.
Once in a while, surprise your best customers with a special gift and share what you’ve done with the world.
Highlight loyal customers and promote their importance for the world to see (create positive buzz).
Create a fun, interactive contest as part of your marketing.
Provide memorable and excellent customer service and value consistently.
Focus on making the customer feel special, respected, highly valued and like they are a dear friend.

The key is to focus your efforts on developing a relationship with your customers, offering excellence, value and unique service that only you can provide.

How do you keep your customers coming back? We love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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How to Build Your Brand

It seems like everyone is talking about branding these days. People are branding everything. For example, what’s the difference between tap water and bottled water? Are there real differences or is it all in the branding?

Branding is an important topic for your small business because it helps you stand out from your competition. Your brand identifies and defines your business for your target market.

Here are some simple steps to help you build your brand.

Identify your target market by connecting your uniqueness to the appropriate consumer. Your brand promotes your strengths and how you service your target market, and it establishes a clear difference from your competitors.
Be positive and a resource to others. These two elements will help attract people and build your brand.
Create and establish an online presence/brand that genuinely engages others on social media networks. Provide responsive customer service that builds loyal relationships within your target market.
Share, impress and promote your expertise. First identify problems in your target market that you can help solve. Then, starting locally, find outlets where you can share your uniqueness and business. Also create your own promotions like a radio show, online video show, become a community speaker, and present workshops.
Connect with influencers. Help and support others who have large followings and/or great reputations to add value to your brand. This is a quick way to develop positive buzz about you and/or your brand.
Be memorable. You must make an impression on your target market. Stand out by being friendlier, more helpful, having better products or services, more responsive customer service, personalized care and authentic communication to create long lasting relationships.
Be active in your community. Use community activities/events/causes to continually remind people about you and/or your brand.
Initiate projects. Start locally, sponsor, lead, or organize solution-oriented (that you can help solve) projects that generate positive conversations about your brand.

Your brand should quickly convey who you are and how you help your target market. As your business grows, ask your customers for their feedback to ensure brand recognition and that you’re meeting customer expectations.

How do you build your brand? Would love to read your thoughts and tips in the comments below.

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How to Stand Out from Your Competition

How to Stand Out from Your Competition

To succeed in business, you need to set yourself apart from your the competition. That means knowing what makes you great, and communicating it! Successful businesses make this a part of their business culture, and follow through every day. Is your business ready to take the next step?

Here are some factors that can help your business stand out from your competitors:

Deliver great value – Offer excellence for a great price.
Offer more choices in your products/services than your competitors.
Make the sales process more convenient, easier and quicker than your competitors.
Make it easy to find and contact you – use memorable business cards, post information on how to reach you through social media networks, post your cell number and promote testimonials.
Share your sense of passion and excellence for what you do – make sure you come across passionate, caring and willing to do what it takes to earn your customers’ loyalty.
Follow up immediately after the sale and continue on-going follow up.
Anticipate your customers’ needs and help them with solutions.
Ask for feedback and act upon those suggestions.
Continue to improve.
Be a connector and networker – help your customers find solutions to their needs, even before they know what they are, and engage in becoming friends with everyone you meet.
Stay current in your area of expertise – keep up with professional training, industry trends and share innovations with your customers.
Be positive and approach everything with a can-do attitude.
Strive for excellence every day.
Be more personable, friendly and approachable.
Become solution oriented.
Be creative and innovative while also following through.

As you begin to invest your energy into these factors, you’ll find that not only will you begin to stand out in your industry, but you may also be amazed that most will not even try to compete with you.

How do you stand out from your competitors? What makes your business special and unique? We would love to read your tips in the comments below!

Free e-book “Business Owner’s Road Map to Success.” It has over 50 pages of techniques for everything a small business owner needs to master, from business planning and ethical selling to a success mindset. It’s all there and it’s free for you. To get it, just “Like” our Facebook Page here: http://on.fb.me/KsIN6P Pass it on!

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Tips for Maximizing your Warm Market List

Tips for Maximizing your Warm Market List

Any kind of business requires relationship building. Those who have great social and communication skills are a step ahead. But for most of us it’s trial and error before we develop those skills. Here are a few tips to make it easier.

Once you’ve made your warm market list and written down everyone you know, create another list of people you think are using the type of products/services you will be selling. Then compile a final and most likely list. These are all the people you think will purchase from you immediately and support your new business.
Invite the people on your “mostly likely” list to a small party or BBQ. At the gathering, announce your new business. Make it social…don’t try to sell anything yet. Just ask to make appointments to meet with them individually to talk about the new business.
Once you begin to follow up on your appointments from your mostly likely list, seek people who are most excited about your new business and are willing to support you. These people are those most likely to do business with you, and send you their referrals.
Provide your most excited people with excellent customer service consistently and they will likely be your loyal customers and repeat customers.
Start to connect with all the people on your warm market list on Facebook or other social networks to begin the process of building relationships.
Meanwhile, also call the rest of your list and ask to meet with people for coffee or breakfast to discuss your new venture.
Always keep your appointments social, friendly and pressure free. Ask about them first, and discover needs that your products/services may meet. Then share how your products/services help people solve their problems. So even if they aren’t interested for themselves they will see the benefits and may still give you a referral or two. Ask them to put in a good word for you to their referrals.
As you build your social network online, offer solutions with your products/services that solve the problems of your friends. Share tips/useable information related to your products/services without selling online. Think of social network as a subtle way to introduce your new products/services and NOT e-commerce.
Start going to family, friend and other social gatherings. Be social and don’t sell, but if they ask about your new business, offer to make an appointment to meet. Always have your appointment book with you, offer dates you are available and don’t leave any request for information open-ended.
Start getting involved with your warm market’s organizations and causes, and genuinely participate. Being with them at these events can imply you can be trusted and may help you generate face to face referrals.
Use the principle of quantity and many numbers. At this point you want to connect with as many people as you can through your warm market. These people are more likely to be converted because they trust you and/or your warm market referrals. Don’t rely on your salesmanship skills, rely on the numbers. This way if you get a few no’s you won’t be discouraged, because there are still a lot of people to talk to.
At some point you will encounter no’s from your warm market and that’s to be expected. But keep them updated with your progress. You never know why they said no in the first place: maybe wanted to see you do it first or maybe it was poor timing.

Take it a step at a time. Connect socially, develop relationships, ask for an appointment, and then ask for the sale. After the sale, follow up to make sure they’re happy with their purchase. The key to success is to go through the process, learn from your mistakes and stick with it for a while. In the end it will help you build your business skills and lead to more opportunities for success.

How do you work with your warm market? What tips would you give to someone new to this? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments!

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13 Easy and Low Cost Tips for Keeping Customers Happy

13 Easy and Low Cost Tips for Keeping Customers Happy

In these extremely competitive times, businesses need to keep their customers happy or when they walk out the door they’re gone forever! Remember, it costs ten times as much to attract new customers than keep loyal ones happy.

Here are some easy and low cost tips for keeping your customers happy!

Get involved with a community cause – Promote a donation drive where customers bring in food, clothes or school supplies for the needy, and reward them with a discount.

Stay in touch with your customers – Connect with them on Facebook or other social networks. Send them a loyalty coupon or send out an e-newsletter full of useful tips once a month.

Follow up with your customers – Once they’ve purchased a product/service, follow with a phone call or email to see if they have any questions. Several months later, follow up to find out if they are still happy with the product/service. And in between, stay connected more casually using social networking tools.

Ask for customer feedback – Ask your customers how you could improve your products or services. Show them you value them, and their comments, and then act on it.

Start a rewards program for referrals – For loyal customers who refer your products/services to someone new who then purchases a product/service, give them a reward.

Re-focus your products/services to help solve problems for customers – Ask yourself what kind of problems you solve for your customers. Then offer solutions that integrate your products/services to solve those problems. Help them feel they’re making an informed purchase decision. Make your customer needs the focus of your business.

Continue to network locally – Help out in community events. Support a cause and connect with as many people as possible. Distribute useful and helpful literature. This is still a great way to get your business out there. Since each person knows about 200 other people, you can spread the word about your business effectively.

Make it easy for people to do business with you – Make sure the check out process is quick and easy, make sure your business is able to take orders over the phone and online, and make returns and refunds easy. Make it a pleasure to do business with you.

Highlight testimonials – Make your loyal customers the celebrities for your business. It makes your customer feel special and valued and generates great public relations for your business which attracts new customers.

Focus on converting every customer into a lifetime valued customer – If you focus on making customers feel like part of your family and nurture your relationships with them they will become repeat, lifelong loyal customers.

Create a customer database – Keep track of what they purchase, what they like, their birthdays and any special dates. Then send them coupons, cards or specials on those days. Again it’s about nurturing relationships so that your customers become repeat, lifelong loyal customers.

Do more than what is expected to set yourself apart – Go beyond the simple transactions and take customer service a bit further. Offer free delivery or send a card. Call them up to answer any questions they may have or to simply thank them for their purchase. This kind of treatment shows your customers they’re valued and takes your business from good to memorable.

Be consistent and great every time – Consistently provide excellent customer service. Customers will get used to your level of service and will not go any place else.

Using these tips will help you keep your customers happy and convert new customers to loyal customers. Word of mouth will be that your business is the place to go for customer needs and great service! Implement these tips for success because chances are most businesses will not.