Marketing Tips for the New Year
I want to thank all of you who visit Solo Business Marketing. There’s nothing recommended here that I would not do myself. Hopefully, the posts have provided focus and great ideas to move your business two or more steps forward.
Here’s what I plan to accomplish in 2007. See if your list is similar from or different than mine.
1. Do something. Marketing ideas are sometimes overwhelming to the point where you become paralyzed and don’t get anything done. That’s when you must step back and determine the best options. From there you create the plan and see it through. It’s business’s basic flowchart, and it’s worked for centuries.
2. Be patient. Just because riches don’t immediately fill your bank account doesn’t mean the idea won’t work. We know that prospects and clients must hear or read our message several times before ordering. Let the message simmer. Give people time to boil with enthusiasm.
3. Set realistic goals. This feeds into No. 2. Expecting your idea to work within two months, when a time period closer to six or nine months, is not fair to you and anyone else with a stake in the project. We want everything to show immediate success, but realistically, we know better.
4. Go beyond current boundaries. Change is difficult, and sometimes it’s painful, especially in business. All heck breaks loose inside your head the minute you go outside of your comfort zone. There’s only one cure: get used to it. I’m going through change’s pains right now, but the result is going to be rewarding beyond anything I’ve done so far. The same is true for you.
5. Reward yourself. The “all work and no play” phrase is still true. Take time to occasionally stretch and refresh. Take a mini vacation on the back side of a business trip, book a weekend at a hotel, or visit an aquarium or museum. Anything different is game. Speaking of game, I’m on my way to Atlantic City. That’s my year-ending reward.
What would you add to this list?
As an extra, I’ve posted Five Things About Me on the Laughing Chow Photography Tips site. My writing is mostly about business, so I found it refreshing to share a little about my personality.
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Holiday Wish List for Marketers, Part 5
In past years, wish lists created by Web site owners and bloggers were easily found on the Web. Today, such lists seem more difficult to find. My assumption is that if the subject’s not a money maker, it won’t appear.
Perhaps I’m not searching in the right place. I’ll never know. I’m in the midst of a few money-making tasks myself. Still, I’m pleased to have found a few links to share.
Fly Away Cafe suggests gifts for travelers. It’s a quick mix of necessities and thoughtful ideas.
Business Week’s Wish List is compiled with items produced by small businesses.
Inc. Magazine shares their “holiday gift guide for road warriors.” No doubt some of these items will also benefit solo office dwellers.
I’ll end the week by writing five more pages of my new book, create a marketing piece for distribution in the New Year, and take a quick trip to New York to check out the holiday shopping at Grand Central Station and Columbus Circle.
Happy holidays.
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Holiday Wish List for Marketers, Part 4
Last year’s new lauded the return of specialty vending machines. Stationary salesmen filled with the latest fictional novels is a change from dispensing late-night sandwiches and pies, but it satisfies a niche. That’s what small and solo business owners identify with most.
Today’s wish piggybacks on this trend. It’s a wish for quick and simple automation to streamline the delivery of products and services.
Business owners know that many automation choices exist. The problem occurs when we attempt to match what we want with what’s available. Here’s an example.
I sell books, CDs, DVDs, and specialty reports. The first three can only be delivered by mail, while the reports are deliverable by mail or Email. My clients often want both products, but I cannot find an automated shopping cart that accommodates both requests.
In other words, I need one cart that understands that part of the order will be mailed and the other part will be automatically delivered to the client via Email when the credit card processing is approved.
I want the cart to “read the order.” That means:
1. Process the credit card
2. Deliver the Emailed reports
3. Send the entire order to me showing that the credit card was processed and Emailed reports delivered, leaving me to mail the rest of the order.
My future plans include working with a fulfillment house to processed mailed orders, but I’m committed to taking this process one step at a time. Right now, online cart automation is what I desire.
I’m aware of the more-popular online carts but don’t believe they perform what I’ve described. Am I asking for too much? Have you found a cart that does this?
Right now I’m manually Emailing reports. That is unacceptable now and will definitely become a burden as I move forward with other business. Automation is mandatory if solo business owners, like me, are to be truly successful.
I’m wishing for a solution. Do you know of one?
Technorati Tags: small business marketing, solo business marketing, holiday wish list, automation, Email delivery, vending machines, online shopping carts
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Holiday Wish List for Marketers, Part 3
Electronics’ retailers don’t seem to believe that there’s lots of money to make from small and solo business owners. Perhaps that’s why products, outside of laptop computers, have been banished from stores in favor of games and music for the younger market.
There’s no doubt that young people who don’t have mortgages and car payments have more money to spend. That’s a hands-down fact. Now that we have that out of the way, today’s wish list is simple. I wish that electronics’ retailers acknowledge solo business owners by placing items that support our businesses in a small section of the store.
I remember when business products were prominent at these retailers. It was a pleasure walking in, finding what I wanted, and driving back to the office. Then the fun-and-games takeover began, forcing productivity tools off the shelves. It was such a drag.
This past summer, the Best Buy store in my area invited business owners to visit the store early one morning to see new and needy business gadgets. I’m glad I attended. Sales associates catered exclusively to what we wanted to see, touch, and try. Breakfast foods and drinks were provided. I even won a cellular phone, which I gave to my brother-in-law.
Staples is another store that occasionally satisfies us. Hewlett-Packard teams up with them in the summer, at least in my area, to introduce printers and other office equipment. Specialists are on site to explain how to network systems so they work together.
Seeing a product in action, before I buy, works best for me. It gives me more assurance that the item will streamline whatever task is on my list. Is that the way things work for you, too?
I have no problem buying from online sources. In fact, I purchase online quite often because local retailers no longer offer what I want, and if they do, online sources often sell the products at deep discounts. The word “discount,” cousin of the word “free,” as mentioned in Part 1, is another favorite of solo business owners. Online orders arrive at my doorstep, another plus.
I challenge electronics’ retailers to once again stock products that cater to us. Their profits are decreasing, according to published reports. Perhaps we can help each other.
If these retailers begin selling products that increase your productivity, will you consider buying, or are online sources part of your dream team?
Technorati Tags: small business marketing, solo business marketing, Best Buy, Staples, Hewlett-Packard, electronics retailers, retailers
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Shirley George Frazier - Solo Business Expert, Author, College Mentor
When you hire me to speak at your conference, college or special event, attendees will thank you for a great program. Media interviews also welcomed. Call or Email me. 973-279-2799 or shirley@shirleyspeaks.com.
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