sighnov

Recommendations

Info

Your small business has growth p o t e n t i al Gone are the days where a good services or products sells itself. Yes, one could argue that its not completely gone, but relying on this method will keep your business small, infact you might be kicked out of business from �erce competitor. �at is why marketing has become an essential part of sustaining and developing businesses in today’s world. Lots of people dislike selling, infact; I personally do not enjoy selling. But if you enjoy what you do and know can see its impact in the lives of others, you will get o� your backside with joy and go out there telling everyone about your business. So if marketing is very important and each and every business owner is doing it, how can one increase their chances of gathering e�ective leads through marketing? Talk to more people daily about the solutions you offer Don’t talk about what you do, but exactly how your product/service resolves a problem. Starting is always a daunting 30 �� process, but remember as your do it daily, it gets easier and becomes more productive. So you can start with a small but targeted number of potential customers/Clients. For example, your end target may be to talk to atleast 100 people everyday; you can start with 15 people, then increase or exceed your target number, as you get be�er. �e more customers you talk to about the help your business can provide, the greater your chances of ge�ing more customers. Attend as many business and networking occasions as possible You should a�end good and targeted networking events; or you can organise your own-targeted networking events. Business is about constructing relationships, networks and trust. People will most likely do business with someone they know and trust, and will also recommend their friends to your business due to the relationship they have built with you. Nonetheless, you need to use your time wisely, so plan your week e�ective and make sure that participating in networking activities do not a�ect providing an e�cient and timely product/service to your current client, simply because good service means repeat business. �erefore, plan to a�end events during your idle/less hectic hours and work at your busy hours. Keep it balanced! Don’t spam people with selling I used to be part of several small company groups on Facebook, but have recently removed myself from all of these groups because of the constant selling. I know the owners/administrators of these group must have set up the groups for like-minded business owners to network, post questions and share advice of everyday business issues, however, other members have screwed it up with constant spamming. �ey don’t contribute, but simply advertise and sell their products/services. �e simple truth is, no one wants to be sold to all the time. So please create genuine business relationships, be a listener. When you a�end business activities, talk less about yourself business, rather ask questions. �e advantage of asking questions is that To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted. – George Kneller
�e great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas of enthusiasm. – �omas J. Watson it helps you understand the need of the individual and if you provide products/ services that might help reduce or eliminate the problem, you stand a be�er chance of providing them with that information and thus increasing your chances of a business relationship which then result in the individual ge�ing your products or services. You also get wordof-mouth referrals via this medium. Use cost-free listing websites and discounted paid advertising �ere are no cost listing websites or a�ordable paid websites when you can market your business. i.e. Craigslist, Yell etc. Just type ‘free business listing websites’ into www.google.com and you will get the information required. Remember to only o�er solutions; don’t wa�e all about your business, because your potential client is not looking to be impressed, but is seeking a product or service that will solve a problem or enhance productivity. Use social media method to advertise your business Technologies have transformed the technique we do business today. �e arrival of websites like Myspace, Twi�er, LinkedIn, YouTube etc. has created business a lot easier and marketing less costly. By using these mediums to market your business is a cheap way of ge�ing leads, but don’t get carried away with the time spent on each platform. You must analyse your potential market and what platform they’re mostly likely to be on and spend time there to market your business. Remember, no spamming, Build relationships, which then leads to business. If your potential customers are more on Facebook than twi�er, then use more of Facebook and set the number of hours each day you will spend on each platform and try to measure the returns from each platform. I know this can sometimes be challenging, but ge�ing these stats can help you strategically plan for your social internet marketing and improve productivity. Remember, you can always outsource, if you lack time to do social media marketing yourself. Join o�-line business communities and on-line business forums - Off-line business organizations like Chamber of Commerce, Marketing Consultant London groups, small business groups, BNI etc. can help your business increase through referrals and networking. Joining online business forums give you a platform to network, participate in discussion, give advice and be known. As you continuously participate and provide advice, people in the group might �nd you as the expert and come to you when they need advice and most times, they will click on your pro�le to �nd out more about you. Because they do this, there is a greater chance of them clicking to your website and as you know the more visit to your website the more clients/customers you are likely to get. So when providing suggestions, know your issue perfectly and be concise and clear. Contact Organisations about speaking at activities Speaking at occasions give you more publicity. So search through your local community website and check for future occasions; call and ask to speak for free in some of the events. As you do free speaking at activities and get known in your business, with time, you will be approached for compensated speaking. Remember when you speak at occasions; don’t promote your products/services on stage, else you lose your audience. You need to research your topic, be prepared to present the speech like you life depended on it and once you can capture the listeners; they will come asking for your business details and how you can help them backstage at the close of event. �ese are my few marketing suggestions for small business owners; big �rm will use radio, TV & billboard advertising. But nevermind, as your business grows, you will have su�cient funds to do largescale advertising, but in the meantime don’t throw away cash on marketing, only do cost-e�ective marketing. But don’t quit marketing because that is the channel for organization growth. All the best!!! SMS SIGH TO 45813 AND STAND A CHANCE TO WIN ONE OF THE THREE BOOKS TITLED FORGOTTEN FUNDAMENTALS WRITTEN BY SIBUSISO NKOSI. �� 31
Page 1 and 2: success is within Sigh Magazine Oct
Page 3 and 4: ��
Page 5 and 6: FROM THE EDITOR The month of Octobe
Page 7 and 8: debt servicing index dropped from 5
Page 9 and 10: the shareholder with the overall pe
Page 11 and 12: Bits and pieces Business Connexion
Page 13 and 14: Offering you � Brown Bag Breakfas
Page 15 and 16: About Allen T Trading ALLEN T T�D
Page 17 and 18: THE STORY: Since 1999 Si Ekin has d
Page 19 and 20: Who is Phila Nhleko? Phila Nhleko i
Page 21 and 22: Advertise in the Sigh Magazine and
Page 23 and 24: Tips on how to run a successful Com
Page 25 and 26: Boosting your Negotiation Skills Su
Page 27 and 28: 1. Take Naming Seriously Naming you
Page 29: The Captain of the Ship The busines
Page 33 and 34: Sigh Magazine Gauteng SIGH MEDIA CR

sighnov

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?