Sales & Marketing Consultant, Bestselling Author & Business Motivational Speaker

Marketing immediately conjures up huge expense lines for many business owners, but there are methods to maximise your marketing budget without sacrificing on exposure.  New businesses often don’t have a lot in the way of extra funds to offer marketing services and established businesses may not be doing all they could to effectively market.  Below are a few tips that cost little to nothing beyond time.

Create Partnerships

Working with businesses that are in industries that compliment your own can be a good way to generate new business.  Consider all the other products or services that customers who buy your products would be interested in.  For example, a hair salon might want to start a referral service with local nail salons or spas.  All three are in the beauty industry without being in direct competition.  By referring customers back and forth all of the businesses benefit.  Combining marketing funds to produce joint materials can also help get the most out of a tiny budget.  When two companies share the cost of a bulk mailing it reduces the overall expense for each.  Every industry has the potential for creating a referral network, so start building yours today!

Create Coupons

For service industries, the only cost associated with what you sell is time.  If you offer a deep discount for first time customers, you have the opportunity to build a clientele base.  Going back to the hair salon example, you might offer a free cut with any colour or 20% off on a service of their choice.  Offering free consultations or a package deal can also be helpful.  When you give these types of discounts you get the opportunity to show clients your skills first hand.

Getting the coupons out to the general public can be the difficult part, but approach other local companies and see if they will display them for you.  Providing you are willing to return the favour many other businesses are usually happy to let you set up a small display.  Give family and friends a stack with the request that they pass them out.  Leave some at your church or community centre, and always carry a few with you so that you never miss an opportunity to advertise.

Reconnect with Current Clients

Generating new customers is always nice, but it is far easier to convince old clients to return.  It also makes good business sense to preserve existing relationships as you seek to build new ones.  Picking up the phone or typing a quick email, just to say “hi, how’s it going,” can do more to re-establish a relationship than any other method.  By getting in touch simply to catch up you remind the client that your company is about more than sales, it’s about people.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

An easy and beneficial way to build a client base is through business networking.  You already contact other businesses on a regular basis for services most likely, so start building a business network referral system.  Get together with other business owners that offer services that complement yours, and discuss a client referral program.  A little quid pro quo in this area can go a long way.  Often interior design groups have preferred construction companies.  Certain event locations work in partnership with specific catering companies.  These kinds of business partnerships can be very beneficial to both parties.

Where Do I Meet Other Business Owners

There are several possibilities when looking for business networking opportunities.  Many local businessmen attend Business Group meetings in their districts.  Trade shows bring together business owners from a variety of related industries and offer an excellent opportunity to meet other business owners.  Major suppliers of a particular industry often have events to which business owners are invited, and there is always looking a person up on LinkedIn to find someone near you.

Finding the Right Businesses to Partner With

Referral networks can be a great way to bring in new customers, but you do need to ensure that the companies you work with are above reproach.  If you associate with companies that provide poor service or do shoddy work, that can affect your company’s reputation.  Look for local industry leaders that are highly regarded within your community.  The business must be in the same industry, but not in direct competition.

How to Get Buy-In from other Proprietors

Other business owners are just as interested in finding new customers as you are.  Being contacted with a mutual referral offer is almost never poorly received.  Not all companies will want to join that kind of network, but many recognised the value.  Not only will they receive clients from your recommendations, but their own clients will be better served.  When a client is having a difficult time finding a reliable company and receives a good recommendation, they remember both the company that did such good work and the referring company.

Business to business network referrals are a great way to generate cross industry traffic.  So many jobs require more than one specialty that having a network of professionals that you can contact is very helpful.  Clients appreciate knowing that the companies they area working with come highly recommended from industry professionals.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

How well do you know your clients?

When I say clients, I mean not only individuals but entire organisations. Do you have one contact in each office or are there multiple people you can reach out to?

If you answered “one” you may have a problem.

What happens if that one person happens to get sick, get in an accident, gets fired, or just plain leaves the organisation? No one else will know who you are and it is very likely that your business may be replaced by someone who seeks help elsewhere merely because they don’t know you exist.

For every organisation you work with you should have a list of contacts above, equal to, or even below the person you work with on a regular basis. That way you’ll always know who to reach out to if the person you usually speak to is unavailable. You may even make a contact in a separate department, with a separate purchasing budget, and increase your bottom line.

Building relationships within offices helps you to protect your bottom line at all times. You’ll never have to worry about losing business just because the group you work for is experiencing change.

So go – now – check your Rolodex! Do you have more than one contact for each client? If not, start forming new relationships today – before it’s too late.

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

I hate to dwell on the fact that the economy has been less than accomodating lately but I have noticed a disturbing trend.

Whenever I attend sales conferences or networking events I find myself having conversations with salespersons who can do nothing BUT talk about how terrible the economy has been treating them.

Now, I don’t mean to be rude, but I have a question.

What is the “economy?” What has the economy done to you as an individual lately? Did the economy force you to get out of bed in a bad mood this morning? Did the economy tell you to stop picking up the phone and attempting to reach new prospects? Did the economy tell you to stop working on your latest marketing campaign, to stop writing that new sales letter, or to stop handing out business cards?

I didn’t think so.

So why on earth must we keep dwelling on the negative aspect of sales? Truth be told, those with positive mindsets can find ways to be successful no mater what the economy is apparently “dictating.”

The next time you go to a networking event make it a point to keep a positive mindset, even if things aren’t going as well as you’d like. Focus on the good things that have happened and the great plans you have for the future.

Do NOT dwell in misery. People won’t want to talk to you and will be less likely to remain in touch after the networking event is over!

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker