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Ethical Selling

Ethical Selling

When we think of selling, we often think of the shady used car salesman. The whole idea of selling anything is often uncomfortable for people. It requires a mind shift to move into your comfort zone when selling. Imagine that selling is more like helping a friend. And it can be. In fact, that’s the foundation of ethical selling.

Here are some ways to make the selling process more comfortable, natural and lower stress.

  1. Start in your own backyard, your community. Talk to people you know, your friends, neighbors, and the people in your town. Gradually build and network outward with people with whom you have something in common.
  2. Build friendships (clients) based on common interests. Share things that are happening in your town, church, local organization, in charities, in local sports, cultural events, schools and local businesses.
  3. Listen, have conversations, and develop friendships within your community. Find out who has problems that your products/services can help. When you genuinely care about people (clients), you’ll find that providing your products/services doesn’t feel so much like selling, but more like helping.
  4. Develop the skills to figure out who needs your help. For this, you will need to learn networking skills, develop a positive attitude that attracts people, develop good listening and communication skills, and act comfortable in your own skin even when you don’t feel entirely comfortable inside.
  5. Remember, make friends with everyone. Even the people who don’t require your help can be your ears and eyes for others who may need your help.
  6. Share testimonials. During the transaction process, focus on how the product/service has helped you and/or share testimonials on how it has helped other people. Make it less about the selling process and more about how it will help them.
  7. Continue to nurture your friendships. It will bring personal fulfillment, grow your network and create more loyal customers.

This way may take a little more work and time. But, it will make selling feel less like selling, while you focus on matching people with products and services they actually need, while also building fulfilling relationships. Ultimately, your financial success will also include the satisfaction of really caring about other people.

To learn more about ethics in sales, and the DSA Code of Ethics in direct selling, check out this series of videos.

What are some effective, ethical sales techniques that you use?  We would love to hear your tips and comments.

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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More Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

More Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

When you’re in business for yourself, marketing is incredibly important. You need to get the word out about your business, and there are specific strategies you can use to market yourself effectively.

Before you begin, have a plan, target audience and goal in mind. For instance, a discount or promotion to reward your loyal clients, or provide free delivery for clients who are new moms is a plan, aimed at a targeted audience and has specific goals. Include in your plan a way to measure your return on investment. This way you’ll know if it worked and how well it worked.

Here are some tips to help you market your business:

  1. Become a contributing expert for a blog or local news media.
  2. Start a Facebook page for your town and be a positive voice for what’s happening in your area.
  3. Start a YouTube channel and provide tours of your town.
  4. Partner with other businesses in your area to increase word of mouth.
  5. Offer workshops, teleseminars or webinars
  6. Display signage on your cars, t-shirts and temporary signs on lawns (with permission).
  7. Organize a charity collection or fund raiser.
  8. Hand out tip cards to solve problems that relate to your business.
  9. Sponsor free car washes.
  10. Sponsor free sidewalk address number painting.
  11. Sponsor a street performer/artist to promote your business.
  12. Promote causes and charities in your area.
  13. Sponsor free workshops to help people in your community, like a math or personal defense workshop.
  14. Make yourself and your business memorable. Be known as the lollipop giver.
  15. Showcase testimonials in your marketing.
  16. Hold special promotions like client of the month.

The best marketing is providing your customers with consistent excellence and memorable service that they’ll tell their friends about.

How do you market your business? Please share in the comments!

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8 Steps to Create a More Efficient Business

8 Steps to Create a More Efficient Business

For many of us, maintaining our business is what we focus on every day. We rely on what’s been working and old routines. However, by implementing small changes, you can make your business more efficient and more profitable.

Here are some tips to help make your business more efficient:

  1. Create or review and if necessary revise your business plan to help you focus on your business goals.
  2. Make a chart highlighting your goals and include a calendar that shows daily steps toward obtaining your goals.
  3. Implement schedules and budgets. Create schedules to clarify time management, and carefully track budgets to reduce expenses.
  4. Formalize your processes. To start, walk through processes that your business uses frequently. Then, formalize best practices and methods in that process. This will make things run more smoothly and reduce confusion.
  5. Use practical technology to make communication better, to help yourself stay better organized, and to save money on paper and wasted time.
  6. Provide a forum for feedback from team members and customers. People who do the work every day or use your products/services can help stream line your business processes and generate positive buzz.
  7. Do a formal business assessment. Evaluate your duties, schedules, budgets, processes, technologies and feedback from employees and customers. Ask yourself if these processes can be done more quickly, reduce waste, do double duty, generate more customer satisfaction, and save money. Your assessment could be done quarterly, bi-annually or annually.
  8. Think through new processes. Prepare a plan to roll out new systems/ideas, assess their implementation, and deal with adjustments and complaints.

Businesses that improve will succeed, and efficiency is key! In assessment, we try to reduce errors and build upon successes.

How do you make sure your business is running efficiently? How do you review/adjust? Would love to read your thoughts 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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22 Ways to Earn Extra Money

22 Ways to Earn Extra Money

There are many reasons to take on extra side jobs. Sometimes we need to make extra money because we want to save up for something, or simply have extra spending money. Sometimes it’s just for the pure enjoyment of working on a job we love. And for some, it’s to test the waters and see if we have the entrepreneur “chops.” For many it’s most likely a combination of reasons.

Whatever your reasons, here are some ideas to make extra income:

  1. Pet sitting/walker
  2. Pet grooming
  3. Lawn mowing/ Lawn maintenance
  4. House or Business cleaning
  5. Selling homemade goods on a site like Etsy
  6. Kids party organizer
  7. Childcare
  8. Senior care
  9. Personal baker
  10. Personal cook
  11. Personal spa treatments
  12. Substitute teacher
  13. Tutor
  14. Specialized skill services – like teaching a foreign language, sewing, teaching music, etc.
  15. Local delivery service
  16. Personal car washer/detailer
  17. Sell baked goods
  18. Personal chauffeur
  19. Garage sales
  20. Handy fix-it person
  21. Painter
  22. Direct sales opportunities (this can be part time or full time, depending on how much money you want to make)

You might even want to partner with your older kids. It’s a great life lesson, and a great way to teach finances, goal setting and math in a practical application.

Do you have other ideas to generate extra income? Do you use life experiences to teach your children about finances and math concepts? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments

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How Can Partnerships Grow Your Business?

How Can Partnerships Grow Your Business?

Have you ever considered forming partnerships to grow your business? They can be powerful!

How does entering a partnership help grow your business? Imagine, your local health food store partnering with your local gym, a make-up artist with a wedding dress store, a caterer with a cookware store and an interior decorator with a real estate agency. Imagine the possibilities for your business! And if you’re a new business, what an effective way to promote and build your new business.

Entering partnerships to grow your business

The benefits of partnering with another business:

  • Increase your customer base quickly.
  • Increase word of mouth and exposure in less time.
  • Share business expenses.
  • Provide greater value to your customers.
  • Increase expertise and knowledge.

Here’s your checklist before entering into partnership:

  • Find someone local to partner with.
  • Be completely objective in picking the right partner. (Don’t just pick your friends…be sure it’s a good match for your business.)
  • Find a partner with complementary products or services and not a competitor – for example a shoe store with a clothing store, a vitamin distributor with a health club, or a chocolatier with a wine shop.
  • Know what you want from the partnership, and set goals that you want as outcomes.
  • Write everything down. Clearly state expectations and responsibilities, and consider drawing up a contract.
  • Anticipate and discuss all the challenges and problems before partnering.
  • Start with a single project before doing more together or becoming long term partners.

So if your business is slowing down or needs an injection of new mojo, a partnership might be in your horizon. Follow these tips and make your new partnership a success!

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Tips for Maintaining Work Life Balance

Tips for Maintaining Work Life Balance

Small business owners typically work a lot. It seems there is never enough time or hands to get everything done, and as the owner of your empire, it’s up to you to make sure things get accomplished.

Yet part of the reason a lot of people go into business for themselves is so they can have more time to focus on the things that are important to them…things like family, travel, and other lifestyle choices that make life meaningful.

Can you have both? Can you enjoy a fulfilling business while also focusing on what’s important? Sure you can! But it takes both planning and mindset to successfully achieve your business goals while enjoying the life balance you strive for.

Here are some tips for making it happen.

  1. Write your goals down. Make sure that all the tasks you’re working on are helping you reach those goals. If not, re-evaluate the task. Is it worth the time, or would you be better served doing something else?
  2. Make sure your goals are realistic. You probably won’t earn a million dollars in a month. Take a look at what others with similar businesses have earned, and set similar goals. It will help you stay on track, without getting discouraged.
  3. Your planner is your best friend. Put in the things you want to do for your family, as well as your work priorities. This way you won’t waste time trying to figure out what to do next. Everything is scheduled, and you’ll get things done while also giving yourself time to focus on all the priorities in your life.
  4. Have work hours. Your family life will run a lot more smoothly if there is a routine built in. So have regular office hours when everyone understands you’ll be working, as well as times when you’re “off the clock” and are free to give your full attention to other things.
  5. Realize that there will be times you’ll need to change your plans. Yes, your schedule is the ideal, but of course emergencies happen. So do your best to stick to your schedule, but also have enough flexibility to change direction when necessary. (And build some cushion into your schedule so that you can redirect when necessary.)
  6. Forgive yourself. If you miss a concert or a ball game, there will be others. You’ll waste a lot of time and energy beating yourself up over something you can’t control. Better just to get what you need to done, and then give 100% of yourself the next time you can be there. Your child won’t be scarred forever if you miss something, and neither will you.
  7. Involve your family. Make sure your kids understand that your work is important, and how the money you’re earning affects what they want to do. Also invite them to participate in your business where they can. They can file, help you load the car, and plan the schedule. By involving them, they get a better idea of all you have to do, and you’ll also teach important life lessons about working hard and achieving your goals.
  8. Plan time away. Sure, work is important. But so is family, and it’s important to give yourself some distance as well, so you can come back refreshed. So plan times when you DON’T work. Even if it’s just a staycation. Just make sure there are blocks of time when you focus on priorities besides work. It will do wonders for you.

By planning ahead, you will be much better able to balance work with the rest of your life, and enjoy every part of your life more.

What tips would you give for helping people achieve work and life balance? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments!

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 Building Your Local Market

Tips for Building Your Local Market

In a down economy your local market becomes critical to your business success. Your local market is where most of your loyal customers come from, and establishing a strong local market foundation allows your business to grow outwards.

Here are some tips to build your local market:

  1. Join your local chambers of commerce and every community group you can to network.
  2. Reach out to your local newspaper and local media outlet and offer story ideas.
  3. Become your town’s know it all and resource person. (One local business person used this idea to create a spreadsheet that got mailed around with everyone’s teacher assignments in town.)
  4. Create referral and loyalty incentive programs.
  5. Use cause related marketing and sponsor local events and causes for exposure.
  6. Offer to be a speaker or teach a class related to your business. For example, if you sell home decorating products, offer to speak about home decorating.
  7. Partner with other local businesses to promote each other’s businesses.
  8. Create a Facebook page and post current events, coupons, and information about other businesses in your town as a free community service site.
  9. Connect and network with people who live locally on social networks.
  10. Get testimonials from locals and use them to become your “celebrity” spokespeople.
  11. Make sure your business comes up on local search engines and directories.
  12. Make each interaction memorable. Turn your car into a moving billboard, give out magnetic business cards with a free branded pen, distribute T-shirts with your business name and logo, and most importantly become known for incredible customer service that generates praise.

Using these tips will help you create a sustainable business relying on a whole town of loyal customers that will weather any economic storm.

So how are you connecting to your local market?

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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!

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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How to Grow your Small Business in a Down Economy

How to Grow your Small Business in a Down Economy

Don’t let the constant drumming bad news of our anemic economy get you down. You can still grow your business in a slow economy. While big businesses are cutting back and figuring ways to save money by sacrificing customer service, your small business can pick up their dissatisfied customers. Here are some tips to grow your small business in a down economy.

  1. Maintain a positive and growth attitude
  2. Revise your business plan for the new reality
  3. Be more proactive and flexible
  4. Become more organized and disciplined
  5. Focus on your local market, but think globally for growth
  6. Be more involved in your community to take advantage of the increased exposure
  7. Get social – use social media to promote your business by word of mouth and provide even better customer service
  8. Provide solutions – don’t just focus on selling products/services…use your products/services to provide solutions for your customers and potential customers
  9. Lead with innovations – market your business by promoting new incentives and products/services
  10. Focus on your loyal customers and keep them happy
  11. Provide a easy way for customers to provide feedback, and then act on it!

The key to growing your business in a down economy is satisfying your customer’s needs, providing great customer service, developing and growing a strong loyal customer base.

How are you growing your business? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments!

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Recordkeeping for your Business: What do you need to track?

Recordkeeping for your Business: What do you need to track?

As a business professional, keeping accurate records is essential to your success. Doing this allows you to:

  • Monitor the progress of your business
  • Prepare any financial statements
  • Identify the source of receipts
  • Keep track of deductible expenses
  • Prepare your tax returns
  • Support items reported on tax returns

Recordkeeping Systems
Which system works best? The quick answer is “the one that works for you.” Opting for expensive and elaborate recordkeeping software may not be the best choice if you’re just starting your business — and if your business is large and well-established, tossing paperwork into a shoebox will likely cause headaches at tax time.

The system you choose should be one that allows you to easily track your income and expenses and keep your business documents in an orderly fashion and in a safe place.

What to Keep?
Saving these items is a must as you’ll need them to prepare your tax returns (and as support for items reported on tax returns):

  • Paid bills
  • Invoices
  • Receipts
  • Deposit slips
  • Cancelled checks

What Else?
The links below are to sites that are great sources of recordkeeping information. They’ll help you determine exactly which items you need to keep to ensure your business runs smoothly — and legally!

  • Moneywise Women Get Smart — Free monthly educational teleseminars on a range of financial topics.
  • The IRS — Which records to keep, how long to keep them and why. Articles, videos, publications and answers to frequently asked questions.
  • SCORE — This nonprofit resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides info on local-area recordkeeping workshops and more.
  • U.S. Small Business Administration — Information on how to manage your tax obligations, tax recordkeeping and more.
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