Make your business more appealing by getting involved with other businesses

Why not give yourself another competitive edge by associating your small business with something that catches people’s interest? Establishing a relationship with another company or organization does a few different things for you and your business. First, it puts your company name in front of more potential customers. It can also help to establish your company’s credibility. Thirdly, and perhaps the most important reasons to associate with something interesting – is that it’s fun. You should be involved with a business that you have fun running, and shouldn’t be doing it if it isn’t fun.

Focus on having fun and the outcome (money) is more likely to be what you have hoped for. Subsequently, you can pick and choose the types of companies and organizations that you might want to be connected with. If you haven’t already developed unique relationships that separate you from your competitors, start brainstorming about who you might want to deal with immediately. Your first step might come with looking at some popular websites that generate a lot of traffic, and evaluate who they are associating themselves with.Some companies might partner with similar companies within the same industry. Another company may be committed to giving back to charitable organizations in their community. If you end up coming together with a charitable group, you might incent potential customers to invest in your business by donating a small percentage of their purchase toward that charity. People are very careful with their money, but are often times more willing to participate when they are standing behind a cause that gives back.

Be creative though, think about ways that your company might be able to help a company in a totally different industry. Perhaps you are a construction company that is capable of building a set for a movie. Why not find a company in the movie industry that has filming locations available, and see if you can put their logo on your website? Most companies would be happy to have the additional exposure – they might even do the same for you – and of course you might end up finding some additional jobs.If there are well respected unions or organizations that you can join, it’s another way to raise your credibility. If you become part of a particular group they might let you place their logo on your site. This will indicate to customers and potential buyers that you are an industry player and have associates in the industry.Remember to have fun, and the possibilities are limitless. In fact, there are probably hundreds of different companies and groups that will allow room for some sort of partnership. It’s just a matter of you putting in the time to think about how you can help others, while they help you.


© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Don’t be afraid to bring back old school business tactics

Over the years a number of owners have gotten away from some of the oldest business tactics in the book. Now that we are able to contact people so conveniently with cell phones and email, owners are not handing out their business cards as often as they used to. This is a fundamental lapse in business tactics, as you may be missing out on potential customers every time you are away from home or the office. The best way to do business is by doing it 365 days a year. You never know who you might run into when you are at the grocery store, a ball game or any other place that involves people.

The first way to ensure that you are doing business year round and marketing all the time is by ordering yourself some business cards in considerable bulk. It might be one business card alone that pays for this cost one hundred times over. The second way to be sure that you don’t miss lucrative business opportunities and potential deals is by making sure that you always have business cards both in your wallet and in your car. Even if you are out to dinner and realize you don’t have a card on you, you can pop out to your car and grab a few to hand out. The best way to do business is to go find the business, and not make it come to you. You never know who you will run into that might run into. Always carry business cards with you and be sure to hand them out to anyone and everyone, including family and friends.
© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

I just started my small business…now what do I do?

First of all, congratulations! You’ve got your business all set and ready to go - now it’s time to make some money! That’s the challenge for all small business owners, so although there isn’t a silver bullet, there are some things you can put in place right now to be successful.

The first thing you need to start doing is marketing. Do all of your friends and family know about your business? If not, tell them. Tell everyone you know about your business. Do you have business cards to hand out to anyone and everyone? Never leave home without some business cards. Put them in your car, in your wallet, everywhere. You never know when you’ll be somewhere and meet a potential new customer. Do you have a website? If not, get one. 70% of all searches for services begin online now rather than through Google and Yahoo!. A website will give you credibility, and chances are people will remember your company name rather than your phone number, so they’ll search for you online by your name when looking for a phone number. Do you have flyers for your small business? If not, buy them. Flyers are great for handing out in mass quantities, whether it’s at a picnic or a community event. They’re easy to hold on to and easy for potential customers to read.

The second thing you need to start doing is developing your service model. You will want to do what you tell your customers you’re going to do and do it with the highest level of customer service. You want your customers to know you are the number one specialist in your industry. Let them know you are committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure quality. From the first time you meet a potential customer to each time you do business, you will want to build your service so that the customer knows what to expect from you and that they can depend on you. The key here is to make sure you treat everyone the same and treat them the way you would want to be treated. You never know who your customers know.

The last thing you want to do is develop some type of referral program. Once you’ve found new customers and service them with the highest level of care, you can start asking for referrals. If you have fulfilled your customers’ needs and provided a great service, you have earned the right to ask them who they know – and if you have done what you say you are going to do – they will be happy to refer their friends. When asking for the referral, confirm with the customer that you have exceeded their expectations. Then say that in order to grow your business, you are looking to meet other people that they know that may also need your services. Use open-ended questions like, “Who else do you know in the neighborhood?” or “Who else in your family might need help getting started?”, and make the questions specific to a group. You can offer customers who provide referrals a free service or money off their next purchase.

Good luck!
© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Do I need Letterhead and Envelopes for my business?

Most businesses don’t really have a need for letterhead and envelopes. People used to think you were a “real business” if you had letterhead and envelopes and now people tend to want to look a business up online and see if they have a web site or any kind of internet presence for validation. For sure you still need to have business cards to be able to pass out to people but if you have a web site, letterhead and envelopes aren’t as necessary any more.

Not to mention so much of today’s business is done by email. If you do need to send someone something by “snail mail” then you can easily type your company name, address and phone number in the upper middle portion of your letter and generate the printed envelope from your printer and then provide your email and your domain name for your web site in the letter for additional validation.

If you still feel like you need to have letterhead made, than have someone create letterhead for you in a word document, then all you need to do is put nice paper in your printer and print it out in color instead of buying a bunch of letterhead and envelopes that you’ll probably never use.

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Do you have your business cards with you?

You know how it goes; you meet someone, have an interesting conversation with them, and begin to believe this person has great potential to work with you or as a referral and so you ask, “Do you have a business card?”

Many people respond saying “I’m really sorry, but I just gave my last one out” and then just like that, a missed opportunity. It’s hard to determine how many opportunities people let slip away by not carrying their business cards, but by losing the ability to follow up you are losing FREE business clear of any marketing costs.

So take a minute to think, are you the person without the business cards? Or, has this ever happened to you? If so, shame on you! Luckily, opportunity is all about chance and you can still benefit from these chance meetings, but you must have your business cards. No matter what you are doing, it’s always a great idea to keep some cards handy. Working out? Tuck a few business cards in with your health club card. Out to dinner? Be nice to your server and drop a card in with your paid bill. On vacation? Put some cards in your towel bag to take down to the pool.

Ensuring you are carrying company business cards will allow your business to profit and will reflect a higher level of personal organization and professional.

For a great online source to get your business cards and easily reorder so you never run out, click here. Be ready to meet people and do business wherever you go! Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC