HOW CAN I GROW MY BUSINESS IN 2012?

How can I grow my business in 2012? Once asked, this question became stuck in my brain asking itself over and over like an annoying song. I’m sure you’ve experienced one line of a song you stuck on a loop in your brain (It happened to me this week with M.C. Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This”).

To stop the loop, I commit my ideas to paper where I can see them, remember them, work on them, and sometimes share them. So here are my ten low-cost suggestions for growing your business in 2012.

1. Connect - If you can’t find a place to network, you’re not looking. SMC offers many networking opportunities. One of my largest clients is BNI, my weekly networking group. Going to a networking function is not good enough. You have to learn how to network. The hard sell at a networking function will certainly get you known, but will also earn you a star in the phone-calls-to-avoid directory. Learn to network.

2. Bring more to the table - Take a look at your top 10% of your clients. Find out if there are additional products and services they need and you can provide (value-added). Increase your value to your clients.

3. Appreciate More - I recently read a book called “Appreciation Marketing” by Tommy Wyatt and Curtis Lewsey. It’s a fantastic book on conducting yourself constantly from the paradigm of appreciation. Read it! Any description I give will not do the book justice.

4. Read More - Become the expert. We have to information in seconds; anytime and anywhere. Read more in the areas which, if you were the expert, would translate into dollars through credibility. SMC’s publications; “Dynamic Business”, “HRM Update” and “Government News” are great places to start.

5. Advocate! Every politician will tell you that small business is the engine of the economy. We are the small business and we drive that engine. Regulatory burdens and tax burdens are sometimes speed bumps, sometimes stop signs, sometimes a tree across the road and, unfortunately, sometimes a bridge out ahead. Whether or not it is interesting to you, government advocacy DIRECTLY affects you and your business. SMC is the oldest government advocacy organization in Pennsylvania. Its efforts reach local, state and national legislators. Get involved to help clear the roads and let the engine run.

6. Social Media - Dedicate more time to your social media efforts, but be smart about it. Do you put your time in social media because it’s popular, or do you have a social media marketing plan? You’re an expert in your field; engage in online discussions. If you’re not an expert, ask in online discussions. Either way: engage! Check out my Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest pages and engage!

7. Volunteer - Giving of your time is a great way to offer your expertise. Whether it is on a committee, a board, a church, or a neighbor hood project, your efforts are appreciated and will associate good will with your name. You will meet new people (see Connect above) and if you can get your ego out of the way,  you may even learn something from them.

8. Be a better vendor - Have you ever surveyed your clients? Maybe it’s time to find out how you’ve been doing. Improve on your weaknesses and build on your strengths.

9. Ask, Seek, Knock - Ask for referrals from you best clients. Be sure to follow up on the referral. Not every referral is a fit, but you won’t know unless you knock on that door and engage. Seek out way you can help (not sell), and then knock on that door with a solution.

10. Revamp the Plan - Business plans should be dynamic and flexible. Take a look at your plan to see what you can adjust, what you need to adjust and what you need to throw away. SMC offers “Listening to Your Business”, a fantastic seminar to do just that.

There you have it. Ten low cost ways to increase your business in 2012. Now if you’ll excuse me, obviously I have ten ideas to work through…”Hammer time! Can’t Touch This!”

When I take my family to the beach every summer, We don’t just wake up one morning and jump in the car and go (although, after another 4 inches of snow last night and another 2 hour school delay it’s very tempting.) It takes some planning to successfully arrive at the beach and return. It is natural that we decide such things as which beach, house or condo, friends or just family, how long will we be there, which car shall we take, and what is our budget?

It surprises me how many people are out there conducting their marketing as if they just woke up and decided to do some marketing. I wonder if they jump in the car intending to go to the beach and wind up running out of gas on their car pointing toward the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota.

A marketing program is different from a marketing strategy or plan. Your marketing strategy is the bigger umbrella, under which may be not just one, but several programs, each one requiring planning, commitment and execution. You need to answer questions such as; Who is your target audience? How do you reach them? What is your message? How will you track results? How do you measure success?

Do you know who your audience is? Some people are better clients than others and obviously you would like to attract more of the better. If you begin to analyze why they are better, you may come across a common thread among them. It could be gender, or age, or lifestyle, or hobby, or some other category. Take the time to find out what that is and where you find more of that type of client. That becomes your target audience. Take me for instance; A northeastern dad with a family, shoveling 4 inches of snow from his driveway every day for a week – there’s a common thread. I’ll bet there are a plethora who fit that description.

Once you know your audience, make sure you get your message in front of them. Their demographic and their social habits will determine where the place the will most likely see your message. Shoveling snow every day for a week could cause me…uhm…people to spend a lot of time at their chiropractor. Could a chiropractor in February be a possible source for resort clients in July? If you’re the chiropractor, a recent study suggests that the most influential media on patient healthcare choices are television as number one and newspaper as a close second. Your challenge is that every chiropractor knows that and is doing that. It may come down to other creative media to place your message as well as what your message is saying. (Those northeastern show-shoveling dads, whose football team failed to make the playoffs and is now turning his attention to hockey – there’s a hint as to where a resort would aslo get his attention.)

The message is crucial in the decision process of the future client. Be sure your message is benefit-focused. I’m pretty sure nobody knows enough about your latest piece of equipment to care that you have it. The message is not YOUR equipment; the message is THEIR benefit the new piece of equipment provides to the client. Maybe the technology lends credibility to your message, but it certainly is not the benefit. Your message should also tell your audience why you are different and better. Other chiropractors and resorts offer the same benefits and are just as credible, but you are different; you are better. Tell them why. (Relax and unwind from a long winter with no playoffs in an oceanfront condo, close to several golf courses, with plenty of free daily activities for kids, indoor and outdoor pools and lazy rivers – there’s a benefit).

Whatever your program is, tracking results from the program is essential, but not necessarily easy. You want to find out if the program worked or came up short. If it worked, you want to do more of it. If it didn’t, you need to figure that out as well? Can the program be tweaked and tried again? Should you try something differently? My point is that you cannot answer these questions unless you can quantify the results. Did this program bring in a better quality and quantity of the ideal client for you? (How many northeastern dads located in or around Pittsburgh brought their family to my oceanfront condo this year? Why? This could be done with a few questions when the reservations were made.)

Finally, and most importantly, did you establish your definition of a successful program?

Were you able to accomplish what you set out as your defined success? This one is easy.(Did we increase our traffic of Pittsburgh dads and their families to our condo this year? If not, maybe we should try again next year at the end of Hockey season!)

BUSINESS IS FOR THE BIRDS 

I was stopped at a red light the other day and noticed a flock of geese flying overhead in their traditional V formation. As I watched them going over my car and heading off in the distance, I was wondering where they were going; which was the first one who decided to go; did they know where they were going? Just as my light was about to turn green, one particular goose from the middle of the left side of the V broke away and flew forward, but not to the front, but in a slightly different direction. The rest of the flock fell in behind, my light turned green and I made a note to write this article. (Yes, my brain is warped just enough to cause random thoughts associating the meaningless with strategy.)

For the sake of my waffle-brain, I like to categorize things into their own little compartments, like the squares on a waffle. So I’m going to put these birds into their appropriate business category. I’ll leave it up to you as to which one you are comfortable with or want to become.

Big Bird: The bird in front that is leading its industry. This bird is out in front working hard, breaking through the currents of the marketplace. She’s used to being there and is stronger, helping her weather the economic storms and accelerate when conditions are good.

Serif Bird: (A shout-out you printer-types) A serif is the small horizontal line at the end of the top of each side of the V. In bird-speak, it’s the back of the line; the last bird. If you’ve ever watched “Sgt. York” played by Gary Cooper in 1941, then you’ll understand that the last bird in line is the one to be shot down first. In business, this is the first bird to be knocked down by the pressures of economy. The birds in front never notice.

Mid Bird: This is the average bird. He drafts off the bird in front of it and flies in the same direction. Maybe this bird doesn’t know where he’s going or why. All he knows is that it works for him for the present, but somebody in front knows what is going on. This bird is relatively safe from being shot down by the pressures of economy, but is still susceptible to the stray shot.

Maverick: Ahhh yes, my favorite bird. The one who leaves the middle of the V, tired of going in the same direction. This bird finally pulled his resources together and went off to do his own thing. He understands the pressures of economy could shoot him down, and probably has been shot down in the past. He sets a new course and stands out from the flock, not satisfied with business as usual. He weighs the risks, but understands the rewards. This bird is a rule-breaker. I grin as I type this. If you know me, you understand.

So, if you see me out and about, give me a finger count on how much you liked this article, on a scale of 1-5; 1 being the “loved it” and 5 being “hated it”. (This visual is a softball setup for the witty.)

“Talk to me Goose!”