As I wrote in a recent article on implementing small business marketing strategies, “keeping at it,” is one of the hardest things to do in business. So many distractions and “emergencies” get in the way of fulfilling our well-planned strategies.
In this podcast, I offer several tips for small businesses looking to improve their implementation skills. Listen or download below:
Small Business Marketing ImplementationDownload the small business marketing implementation MP3 file here. (4.7MB)
Being naturally optimistic, I always try to turn bad situations into new opportunities. Our still-faltering economy may be dragging down business, but there are ways for small businesses to take advantage of the economic downturn. Here are a few:
Has your business developed any opportunities as a result of the recession? Please share!
So, you’ve developed a strategy that informs where you want your company to go. You’ve involved your team in developing and planning for this strategy. Together, you’ve made sure this strategy communicates with customers in ways that are meaningful to them and ensures your company is easy to do business with. You’re probably feeling pretty satisfied with your progress. But your work has only just begun.
The most difficult part of any plan is implementation. It’s not because the tasks of implementation are hard. Usually accomplishing these tasks don’t require great skill or superhuman brainpower. The difficulty arises because implementation requires dedication and tenacity. You have to keep at it. Every day.
For many small business entrepreneurs, this process is boring, and implementation is often cut short, displaced by more exciting strategizing and perceived opportunities. But a small business can never reach its potential without completing the initiatives it starts.
Here are some tips for implementation success:
Now use these tips to go forth and implement!
Micro-managing is the pitfall of too many small businesses. It may be counter-intuitive that you must let go a little for your business to grow. After all, perfection can only be achieved if you manage it, right? If your team has the power to make decisions, won’t they only screw things up?
Wrong. If your team feels empowered, they will think of ideas you never dreamed of.
Your small business will never grow unless you develop a team who share the same business vision and are empowered to make the vision a reality. I’ve seen many small businesses stagnate because their owners weren’t able to communicate, delegate and relinquish authority to their teams. Your team can consist of employees, independent contractors and vendors.
Micro-managing means managing the small stuff. As a small business owner, you should be concerned with things such as the company vision or strategies for the upcoming year. Here are some ways to avoid micro-managing. They may not seem like large infractions, but think of the time wasted that could be put towards valuable business growth activities.
Father’s Day is on Sunday, and as I reflected for today’s blog post, I realized my dad is the reason I am a successful small business owner today. My dad, Mike Kinslow, has been a small business owner since he was 22. My parents bought a car wash and soon after started a changeable letter sign operation. They opened a custom hot tub store during the infancy of the spa craze. Using his car washing expertise, my dad invented and patented a radical new idea for car washing – a glass car wash building named Lighthouse Carwash. He morphed the business from simply selling products to offering entrepreneurs an entire turnkey business model.
My dad taught me almost everything I know about small businesses, and he is why I love small business marketing. Over the years, I’ve learned that he is entrepreneurialism personified. Here are some of his traits that I find are common to most small business owners:
So, I dedicate this Father’s Day post to my dad and small business dads everywhere. (Don’t fret, small business moms. You’ll have a turn next Mother’s Day)
David Weatherholt of “Getting Down to Business” invited me on the show to talk about small business strategy and planning. Usually, small business owners think of themselves as firefighters, spending their days putting out many small fires and neglecting the important work of developing a future strategy.
But making these everyday decisions doesn’t have to be difficult and time-consuming for small businesses. By developing an effective future strategy, the answers to these dilemmas become clear. I use the example of a fictitious company, SunBurst Coffee, and how they use their “picture of success” to facilitate decision-making.
To hear more advice, listen or download below:
Small Business StrategyYou know that the marketplace changes rapidly, and you have to change your business model with it. But how do you know which changes to make? It’s simple. Ask your customers.
In this small business marketing podcast, I discuss changing business strategy with David Weatherholt and Russell Ball. Russell successfully changed his marketing approach- and company name- to fit the needs of his marketplace. I detail how all small businesses can keep their fingers to the pulse of the marketplace by conducting simple, thorough research with their customers.
Listen or download below:
Small Business Marketing ResearchDownload the small business marketing research MP3 file here. (12.8MB)
Small businesses have a great marketing advantage over large businesses: built in personality. Large companies strive to develop personalities with expensive advertising and PR campaigns– think Apple (I’m a Mac), Wal-Mart (Power to the Savers) and Toyota (the Swagger Wagon family). But if you have a small business, you are the personality (for better or worse).
Why is personality a great small business marketing tool? By showing your personality, you give customers something to be loyal to. Loyalty can’t be bestowed on products or services, but people are loyal to other people and organizations. Loyal customers will buy more from you and rave more to their friends. You just need to show them some personality.
What have you done lately to infuse the best parts of your personality into your small business?
I joined David Weatherholt on his weekly radio show “Getting Down to Business” to help his listeners measure their marketing. Listen to see how your small business stacks up! Then listen for our advice on improving your small business marketing. David and I both specialize in small business issues, because we know your issues are unique and require a different strategic focus from large companies.
Listen or download below:
Recently, I outlined five small business marketing rules and invited you to take the test to see how your small business’ marketing performs.
This article focuses on the first rule- Be easy to do business with. Small businesses have the competitive advantage of being able to offer their customers flexibility, personalization and relationships.Your customers will be as loyal to you as you are to them- take advantage of this truism.
Being easy to do business with isn’t the only reason your customers will become loyal, but it is certainly a necessary condition. If you give your customers any reason not to buy from you, they probably won’t. If you make it difficult to do more business with you, they won’t do that either.
So how do you become easy to do business with? The first step is to analyze what your business is like from your customers’ point of view. This is not limited to marketing interactions with your customers but should include billing, customer service, waiting areas and every point of contact customers have with you. Ask your employees for their honest assessments and feel free to ask some of your customers about their experiences with your business.
Sometimes companies make operational decisions and neglect to consider how those decisions will affect the customer experience. A lovely restaurant near my office is open from 7AM – 2:30PM, which is brilliant for operations. They only require one eight-hour shift. It makes scheduling very easy. But how does it look from a customer’s point of view, when McDonald’s opens at 5AM for breakfast? How many potential customers avoid this restaurant when they have to be at the office by 8AM? You need to be available at the times your customers want to buy, even if it makes life more difficult for you.
Many small businesses avoid the hassle of accepting credit cards. Yet Nilson Reports show that there were 20.2 billion credit card purchase transactions in 2009. That’s about 65 credit card transactions per U.S. citizen each year. If given the choice, it’s likely your customers would prefer to pay by credit card (other studies also show consumers spend more when they use credit cards as opposed to cash, as well).
The next step to becoming easy to do business with is to test your processes internally before inflicting them onto your customers. I’ve received my fair share of speeding tickets, and I’m always amazed at how cumbersome it is to pay the fine. I’m certain all of my readers are law-abiding citizens, but you may have seen an acquaintance’s speeding ticket. In many states, the envelope provided to mail in payment is the same size as the ticket itself, requiring you to fold the ticket in quarters to mail it back. The government isn’t designed to be easy to do business with, but small business owners should learn from this lesson.
Accounts receivable is an area where many businesses aren’t easy to do business with. Have you ever tested the process required for your customers to pay you? Does your billing cycle consider your customers’ schedules, or is it simply convenient for you? Take a look at your invoices. Are they clear, professional and part of your branding experience? The worst invoices I’ve seen have a hodgepodge of clauses left over from process changes that were created for internal convenience.
Once you identify the areas where you are difficult to do business with, you need to fix those areas. This step can sometimes be impossible in large companies, where a labyrinth of bureaucracy cements processes in place. The great advantage of small businesses is their flexibility, though. Start by prioritizing the most important interactions and the ones with the most room for improvement.
Finally, tell your customers about your improvements. It doesn’t matter how many fixes you’ve made if your customers don’t give you credit for them! At your next appropriate interaction with each customer, mention your new, more convenient billing cycle or that you are now accepting credit cards.
Being easy to do business with should be a cycle of continuous improvement. Each improvement in your customer experience- no matter how small- will grow your customer loyalty a little more. Occasionally, ask some of your best customers what you could do to serve them better or how you could better meet their needs. Always be on alert for how you can make your customers’ experiences better- and actually make those changes.
