How to Remain Flexible and Exude Confidence at the Same Time

 3 Responses »
Jul 092010
 

As a small business owner, especially one is a consulting role, it is important that you show enough confidence in your abilities and expertise that your clients and prospective clients will perceive you as knowing what you are talking about. After all, if they don’t think you know more than they do, why should they hire you?

However, it is also important to remain flexible in how you deliver your services. Many consultants offer customized services to business owners. What works for one client might not be and usually isn’t the same approach that will work for another client.  Every client has specific needs that you as the consultant will need to understand completely and be able to create the best strategy for their specific situation.

In addition to being flexible, good consultants will be able to “read” their clients by actively listening to them and making sure they totally understand what their needs are as well as their individual “style” This is particularly true for website copyrighters. There are certain universally agreed upon “rules” of website copy but there are also some gray areas that are open to interpretation. It is pretty much agreed that you have just a few seconds to attract and retain a website visitor’s attention before they move onto the next website. It is therefore imperative that your copy grab their attention so that they will keep reading. It is also important to state who you are in the first few sentences of your copy because again, if someone has to search all over your site to find out what your company does – you will lose that visitor. No one wants to have to work hard to determine if your company’s offerings fulfill their need. Make it easy for them and clearly state close to the top of the page what your brand is.

One of the gray areas might involve how much detail a business owner wants to go into on his/her company website. Some small business owners have a difficult time honing in on their exact offerings and in keeping their content to a minimum. There is so much they want to say but the harsh reality is that even though they might want to “say” it, most people don’t want to read it. This is where the ability to “read” your client comes into play and where you need to show confidence while remaining flexible.

Explain to your client the reasons behind your suggested strategy and back it up with substantive and clearly understandable reasons. Show them that you know what you are talking about. Using the website copywriting consultant example again, your client might want to go into much more detail than you think is necessary or even advisable.  Be flexible and work with your client. A suggestion for a copywriting consultant whose client wants to go into a lot of detail is to offer an alternative. They can keep the main page content brief and include a “read more” option where they can use that detailed information for those who are interested in reading further. In my experience, this technique has been successful.

Remember, your client hired you because you have expertise that they don’t have.  Be sure to show your confidence to your clients but also remember to be flexible when and if the situation calls for it.

Article first published as How to Remain Flexible and Exude Confidence at the Same Time on Technorati.

All Other Things Being Equal, Your Decisions are Based on Emotional Responses

 3 Responses »
Jul 012010
 

All other things being equal, the consultant who gets the job or the employee who gets hired is the one that the decision maker likes best – period!

Think about it from your own personal and professional experiences. Have you ever hired a contractor for a home improvement project? More than likely you asked around to get others' opinions and recommendations. Then you set up appointments with 2 or 3 to meet them. You might even have looked at examples of their work. Let's say for illustrative purposes that you liked all the samples of the work you saw. Let's also say that their prices are all in the same range. Now how will you decide which one to hire? You are going to hire the one you like best, right? That is an emotional response.

As another example, think about the small business owner who is looking to hire a consultant. If they meet with 3 different website designers, and again, all other things being equal, which one are they going to hire? They are going to hire the one they like best.

I was speaking recently with a client of mine about his competitors and his clients. He told me about a situation where he and one of his competitors were up for the same project. They both have exactly the same credentials and both produce top-quality work, but he got the job because this client doesn't like to work with women and this competitor is a woman. That is an emotional response. It might not make sense to many (myself included) and might not seem rational, but it is what affected the decision-making process.

All Other Things Being Equal, Your Decisions are based on Emotional Responses.

 

Outsourcing for Small Business Owners?

 No Responses »
Apr 062010
 

outsourcingThe Internet offers small business owners an enormous arena for promoting their brands. 

However, many don’t have enough time to give their marketing efforts the time and effort they deserve.

There are many areas of Internet marketing that small business owners should consider utilizing. 

Depending upon their specific situation and industry niche, the small business owner can choose which methods would provide them with maximum brand exposure. They should also keep in mind that outsourcing their marketing efforts is an option and perhaps a cost-effective, valuable one.

For more information on the benefits of outsourcing, check out: Top Reasons why a Small Business Owner Should Consider Outsourcing their Internet Marketing Needs and I'm a Small Business Owner, How Can Outsourcing Help me?

Blogging Tips from New Horizons 123 Your Small Business Outsourced Marketing Department

 2 Responses »
Mar 112010
 

Blogging: Why aren't they Playing in MY Sandbox from New Horizons 123 from Julie Weishaar on Vimeo.

An Introduction to the Internet for Small Business Owners

 No Responses »
Mar 092010
 

Small Business meet the Internet from New Horizons 123 from Julie Weishaar on Vimeo.

Marketing 101 for Small Businesses

 No Responses »
Mar 082010
 

marketingThe marketing function within any business, especially small businesses, is probably one of the most important areas to pay attention to, yet it is often the most over-looked one. Why is it often overlooked? In small businesses there are usually only a few people who have the responsibility for the whole business.  Sometimes it is only one person, if they are the sole proprietor. As marketing is not sales, some might focus their energies on trying to get more sales but this can be a costly mistake.

Marketing supports sales in that its purpose is to get your message in front of those who are in the position to benefit from it. In other words, marketing serves to promote your brand to potential customers.  There are so many possible marketing avenues that one can pursue, thereby making it crucial for the small business owner to seriously consider the pros and cons of all the available options before taking the plunge into any particular marketing initiative.

As time and resources are at a premium for the small business owner, it is important to:  

Analyze: What are you currently doing?

Evaluate:  How is it working?

Compare: What are your competitors doing?

Strategize: Which marketing initiatives will bring you the most bang for your buck?

It is easy to get hung up in the technical and marketing jargon of today like SEO, PPC, social media marketing, etc., but if you take a look at your marketing strategy in basic, simple steps, what might normally be considered an overwhelming task, will become easier to get a handle on and move forward towards increased productivity.

What problem does your product/service solve?

Where are the people who need that problem solved located?

How will you communicate to these people that your product/service will solve their problem?

How can you create trust for your brand, invite participation and engagement with those whose problem you are going to solve?

What can you do to inspire customer loyalty and retain those customers you do get?

The above section is the 101 part of marketing. When you sit down to answer these questions, you will have gone beyond the introductory class level and entered graduate school.

Sometimes consumers might not realize they have a problem that needs to be solved.  Creative marketing will create the need.  A perfect example of creative marketing where there was no need is the Pet Rock.  Who on earth needed a Pet Rock? Anyone could have gone into their backyard or to the nearest park and had their choice of dozens of rocks without having to pay for them. But Gary Dahl, the creator of the Pet Rock, convinced consumers otherwise. (Pet Rock That Made Man a Multi-Millionaire in 6 Months Lives On)

Where these people are located will take some time to answer. You will need to identify your target market as local, national, international, a mixture of all of them or all three. If local only, you will want to put forth a lot of effort in local marketing both on and offline.  Consider joining local small business groups for more exposure and take advantage of the free online local advertising sites like Merchant Circle and Google Local. For national and international, the Internet is how you are going to find out where your potential customers are hanging out. Check out your niche social networking sites, forums and industry groups for starters.

How you communicate your message will be the strategy you devise after you analyze, evaluate, and compare.

The way to create trust is to establish yourself as your industry expert and deliver honest and consistent messages.

Inspiring customer loyalty and retention will be directly correlated with how you address your customer service issues. If you are responsive to your customers’ needs, listen to their concerns and show appreciation for their patronage, you will be on the right path to success.

Top Reasons Why A Small Business Owner Should Consider Outsourcing Their Internet Marketing Initiatives

 4 Responses »
Jan 292010
 
  • Are you a small business owner with limited time?
  • Do you wish you had the time to increase your internet presence and overall brand visibility by driving traffic to your website?
  • Are you an industry-expert with information to share? Wouldn’t you like to be able to use that knowledge by participating in your industry-specific forums, discussions groups, and other social networking sites in order to increase your internet presence?
  • Did you know that article marketing is a valuable branding strategy and will increase your website traffic?
  • Have you written articles about your industry niche but don’t know what to do with them or where to submit them for the best SEO?
  • Are you overwhelmed by the vast number of social media networking sites and don’t have the time or knowledge to identify which sites would provide the most valuable visibility?
  • Do you have a new product or service that you would like to announce to potential customers but don’t have the time to write and distribute a press release for the best visibility and the most impact on your SEO?
  • Are you currently blogging but don’t have the time to keep your posts up-to-date?
  • Do you wish you had the time to start blogging because you have heard that blogs increase search engine optimization and brand awareness by increasing your website traffic?
  • Did you know that blogging can help establish you as an industry-expert and is a powerful form of social media marketing?
  • Have you heard that online free directory submissions are a way to increase your internet presence and your search engine optimization?

If your answer to even one of the above questions is "yes", you are not alone. Small business owners have a difficult enough task of trying to find enough hours in the day to take care of the day-to-day running of their businesses. You can’t possibly do “everything” your business requires and do “everything” well. Do an analysis of your current marketing efforts to determine which are working the best. Consider those areas you would like to get involved in but don’t have the time to devote. Create a strategy that will get you the most bang for your buck.

Does outsourcing your Internet marketing needs sound like a viable option?

Outsourcing for Small Business Owners – a Win-Win Proposition

 1 Response »
Jan 162010
 

Let's face it folks.  The small business owner can't do everything by himself/herself and do it all justice.  Add to that the fact that the small business owner might not have all the necessary knowledge in all areas of running a business and outsourcing becomes even more helpful. 

Read The Role of Outsourcing In Online and Offline Marketing to see why outsourcing might make sense for your business.