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

Is Text messaging on a cell phone the same as getting an email feature on your PDA?

No, they are not the same. Text messaging is a quick way of communicating with people you know by using your phone keypad and typing (texting) a short message to them versus calling them. Texting works well for people that don't have time to carry on a full-fledged discussion, but there is a limited amount of space in which to write, so choose your words wisely.

Texting is a casual form of communication and should be used primarily with people you already know and have a relationship with. Texting people that you do not have a solid previous relationship with may be viewed as cold or unprofessional. ALWAYS make the extra effort to email contacts in which you are interested in doing business with. Remember, you get only one chance to make a first impression.

So now you want text messaging capabilities, how do you go about getting them? Most cell phones are capable of texting already and it’s only a matter of putting a plan together. Be careful because many providers charge extra for texting, so find a cell phone plan including text messaging before you start texting everyone you know.

For information about cell phones that receive email read our article titled Do I need a phone that has email on it for my business?.

© 2009 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

How often should I check email each day?

This is a great question that we each wrestle with on a daily basis. The answer is: as often as you absolutely need to. That means a different amount for each person. If your business is one that you are getting lots of email inquiries from your web site or online leads, than you should probably check your emails more frequently throughout the day or even consider getting a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) type of phone so you can receive your emails where ever you are at.

If the majority of your inquiries to your business come to you by phone, then you should check your email at least 3 times per day, morning, noon and afternoon. If you do not get many emails than you might consider checking them twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Another good idea for you is to forward your phone calls from your office phone to your cell phone when you are out and about, especially if your inquiry’s are time sensitive.

Remember, to build your small business you need to be in front of prospects and customers. Prospects to get more new business and customers to get repeat business and to ask for referrals! Stay closest to where the sales come from!

© 2009 eMarketing 4 Business LLC