Unlock Big Dollars in Your Business

As you move into 2005 what is the vision for your company? Do you want to expand market reach, grow revenues, keep costs down, increase profit margins and the effectiveness of customer contact? Most sane people would answer with a resounding YES! And yet, how often do people continue to use antiquated and ineffective methods in their business practices, especially in their marketing and sales processes, hoping for amazing results?

Before setting your goals for the coming year, look at what you accomplished in the last year. How did it compare to what you wanted to achieve? Were you close or miles away? If you were close or exceeded your goals…GREAT! If you were miles away…WHY?

The natural tendency is to blame the economy, customer buying habits, the moon in the 3^rd house, the neighbor’s kids, or just about any excuse that prevents us from looking at our part. Fact is, more people could achieve at a higher level if they had the correct systems in place and were willing to invest the time and money to keep the systems going. Additionally, if they analyzed their actions and behaviors to see if they are producing as well as they are capable of this would be helpful and often very revealing.

2004 was a stellar year for me. I achieved goals that I specifically set at the beginning of the year. While I repeatedly heard other small business owners complain about how slow things were I was able accomplish outcomes that a few years ago would have seemed completely out of reach. (The moon in the 3^rd house was always a great excuse!)

Fact is, achieving what I did in 2004 involved some very long hours, financial investments and an incredible amount of learning new information. I absorbed what I could in order to stay on top of all the changes that are occurring in the market. However, the rewards have been well worth it.

Some of the highlights of 2004 are:

• Giant Step Award Recipient for Business Excellence in the State of Utah
• My most recent book 101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door was released and has been selling great.
• Revenue goals were achieved
• Development of incredible joint ventures with other business owners was accomplished
• Great position on the Internet through very strategic planning was realized
• Launching of several E-Products including my Street Smarts Marketing Program happened
• Development of multi media programs continues

My plans for 2005 are even greater. I have set some incredibly outlandish goals that I am confident I will reach. Please understand, I am not saying this to try to impress anyone or to brag. What I was able to accomplish was done so based on a very concentrated effort and incredible commitment to achieve my outcomes. I also accomplished what I did by having the right team in place and utilizing the correct resources for my business.

I am very clear on the fact that had I not had a vision for what I wanted and been willing to take action it wouldn’t have happened. Simple as that.

The question you must be willing to ask is, “Why am I in business?” Hopefully, you are in the business to provide an excellent product and/or service. Additionally, to make money. If in fact you are in the business to make money, the next question that must be asked is, “Am I as efficient as I can be with my systems to achieve the highest level of success that is possible at this point in time?”

Efficiency of your systems is a primary aspect of what this article addresses. With the power of the Internet and specific types of technology there are ways to do this with ease.

Fact is, you must have systems in place in order to run your business. Your marketing systems are key to your success. And…marketing a business is an ongoing process. Additionally, there are your sales systems. Selling is not just about front-end sales. It is about what you do after the sale to develop relationships with your customers and how you mine for gold.

Unfortunately, many people are so busy trying to keep up with what is currently in front of them that they lose sight of the long-term vision they may have. You could liken this to the fact that as a country we have the highest percentage of people who are unhealthy due to obesity than anywhere else in the world. And we claim to be one of the smartest people too!

Although we know what we need to do, exercise and eat a healthy intake of food, a high percentage of folks put it off, put it off, put it off … until one day they have major health problems. Problems that in many cases could have been avoided.

In a panic they try to fix overnight that which took years to develop. It is the same with the marketing and sales strategies within your business.

The fact is if you have not implemented various aspects of technology into your systems, you are probably lagging already. I don’t want to be a doomsayer, but reality is reality.

When it comes to technology and the Internet some people just haven’t taken the time to educate themselves on the trends, the incredible returns they can get from great position on the Net, and what the Internet can ultimately do for them.

In other cases it is fear that holds people back. The fear some people have, especially in smaller companies, is that that they can’t afford to invest in technology tools or the tools will take away the human aspect of doing business. Although true in some cases, fact is, proper use of technology can allow you to have more time to spend with your customers and realize greater profits and profit margins. Again, it is about putting systems in place to better serve you and your customers/clients.

As you set goals for 2005 don’t limit your possibilities due to poor systems. Use technology to your advantage and your customer’s advantage. Although you might not be ready to embrace all that technology can do for you your customers probably are. A few things to consider are:

• A website. Sure, you might have a website, but is it easy to navigate. Additionally, is it generating revenues? It doesn’t matter if your site is an information only site, it should still be an aspect of generating revenues for your company.

• Email follow up – if you are reading this article it probably goes without saying that you already do this. However, how effective is your follow up? Is it automated and do you have systems in place that allow for sequential messages to your customers and potential customers.

• Databases and contact management programs. Ask any top Internet marketing expert if they would even dream of doing business without a good database program and they would tell you it’s near impossible to run a business without a good program in place. Simple as that.

• Emails autoresponder program. You most likely have an autorespond feature with your email service. Simply put, when you are out of your office for extended periods you can have a message that goes back to the sender indicating you are unavailable. Are you using it to the best advantage?

• Internet-based autoresponders. Other types of autoresponders can take orders from your web sites, send out follow up letters to customers, automate digital delivery of information, track the visitors and sales, follow up with prospects, and take subscriptions to your mailing list or ezine. An auto responder is an excellent way to stay on top of requests that come via your web site. I wouldn’t dream of running my business without an autoresponder. Get Response is a very popular autoresponder. To learn more about GetResponse click here

Technology allows you to respond to inquiries immediately. It’s amazing how many people said they didn’t get callbacks or emails back from someone in a company they wanted to do business with.

Imagine how much lost revenue occurs because of poor follow-up. Proper systems can will enhance your ability to follow up. Again, good follow up should be a major part of your marketing strategy.

If you really want to increase your revenues and eliminate frustration due to time constraints then you absolutely must develop a system. A system where you can keep in touch with your customers not just right after the sale, but on a regular basis.

Capture contact information
Do what you can to capture key information on your customers. This can be done by getting their business cards, having them fill in a response card, or you fill out an information card on them. Input the information into a database as quickly as possible. If you don’t input information immediately, names and information pile up and then it becomes almost impossible to catch up. Again, it is a matter of putting a system in place that allows you to stay on top of what you are doing.

With a good autoresponer the information is input automatically which saves you an incredible amount of time. Also, if someone wants to get off your list, you don’t even need to do anything. They simply send an email to a designated address and they are taken off without you having to deal with it.

Make Doing Business With You As Easy As Possible
People are busy. And yet, they want to be informed. Make the experience with you one in which the customer feels like you want to work with them instead of against them. Simplicity for your customers/clients is a powerful marketing strategy.

To learn more about Get Response

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