Envisioning Success

Offer Your Customers Solutions to THEIR problems

Posted by Chris Shockley under Marketing

When you are sitting down to write an article, a brochure or making changes to your website it’s not always easy to write something that is compelling or effective.

We know our business and it’s easy to just write about the features of our service and products because surely that is all customers need to know. After all, I know that my products and services are the best and are worth every penny.

There are a couple of very important things to remember Read more…

Coordinate Your Marketing Efforts

Posted by Chris Shockley under Marketing

Unless your business is just booming, with customers fighting to get in your door, you’re faced with the task of marketing yourself constantly.

There are a lot of ways to do this such as, networking, advertising, direct mail, a website, Facebook, etc.

This article is not about the specifics of each of those, but rather a primer on a new paradigm using your direct mailer campaign in coordination with your website.

With so many avenues available to the small business owner, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with how to do each one the most effectively. That is actually the problem, each one of these often promotes itself as if by just doing “x” you can gain the customers your after, when in reality, you will find far more benefit from using one avenue of your marketing to support another. Read more…

Get Your Website Generating Business

Posted by Chris Shockley under General, Marketing, Web Design

I’m going to go out on the limb and make the assumption that most of you have a website already. For many it was included as part of the membership or association, for others you knew you needed one so you did it with a do-it-yourself service. Some of you had someone build it, maybe yourself and there is sits in all it’s glory.

Can I ask, how’s that working for you?

Are you getting lots of new customers? Are people finding your site, learning what they need and then calling you or sending you a contact through your email form? Read more…

Make Sure Your Marketing Message is Crystal Clear.

Posted by Chris Shockley under Marketing

As we know, we are all marketers who happen to provide this service or that product. But are you getting your message across clearly in every format you have to convey it?

When you exchange business cards with someone and they ask, “What do you do?”, are you able to, quickly and clearly explain the benefits of what you offer? How about when you have thirty seconds at a networking meeting, like one of the ones I attend? For you it could be a minute or even five minutes. It might be your direct mailer or a sales letter.

There have been a number of times that, while networking (building those relationships) someone else comes up to me, that I have had as a customer, and says thanks for something I did and the other person I am speaking with says, “Oh, you do “x”"? Obviously my thirty second spiel is not hitting home, because I know I’ve said everything I do. Read more…

Stop Selling and Start Relating

Posted by Chris Shockley under General, Marketing

I was raised in the old school way of selling. Not that I was good at it, I’ve never liked the things that are faked or manipulative. The idea of “working” a person over, intimidating them, scaring them, closing, etc, just never sat nor does it sit well with me.

I have no problem asking for someone’s business, mind you, but I’m not going to sit there and hit them with “This deal isn’t for everybody” or “My boss will be real mad that I’m giving this away” or something.

I guess I’ll never be a good sales person.

Really? Read more…