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July 8, 2011 By

B2B Networking and Marketing

We’ve often heard, “it’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know.” And for the most part, it’s true. When you’re a small business owner, contacts play a very large role in the development and maintenance of your enterprise. From forming customer relationships to getting the best deals from wholesalers, it’s important to keep in touch with the right people.

This is essentially what B2B (business to business) communication is. B2B is the relationship between two businesses that trade products, information, or services via the internet, whether it is a regular transaction or a one-time-only occurrence. With the advent of dozens of ways to communicate or “friend” people online, it is no surprise that B2B also found its social media niche.

B2B social interaction has several benefits, from faster communication to more information about your colleagues or partners.

  1. Find your business partners/wholesaler/manufacturer/distributor on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace (although that one is a bit outdated)/LinkedIn/Tumblr and connect with them.
  2. Make sure you build a profile for your business, not just yourself. Include as much information about it as possible, including address, hours of operation, years in business, etc. Think of this as another home page for your business.
  3. After you’ve established your presence, try to become an industry expert. If your business is a hardware store, talk about it. Update your Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter page with industry news, your own experience, product reviews.

Websites like Bizo promise to help business owners reach colleagues by targeting “more than 80% of the US business population.” Small businesses make up a large segment of the population using B2B marketing. So if you own a restaurant, for example, sites like this one make it easier to reach food wholesalers and find the best deals for you.

A perfect example of this can be seen in this announcement via The New York Times. Dairy giant Danone partnered with IBM “to increase the flexibility and responsiveness of its business-to-business (B2B) commercial interactions.” This partnership allows Danone to reach trading partners around the world, as well as simplifying invoicing, order-to-cash transactions, and logistics and delivery.

The difference between using social media with other businesses, as opposed to customers lies in one crucial point: you are not trying to advertise and fish for prospective customers. According to a 2002 study (pdf) from the Small Business Administration, 24% small businesses were using the Internet for their B2B commerce relations. Currently, that number has grown exponentially thanks to the availability of fast connection internet services and specialized networking sites like Bizo.

Industries using the most B2B e-commerce include motor vehicle manufacturing, retail trade, industrial equipment, shipping, high-technology sectors, and government.

For those who are interested in learning more about how to get the most out of B2B, they can attend the Sales 2.0 Conference in Boston, MA. It will take place on June 20, 2011, and will feature speakers from Oracle, Hewlett Packard, and Xactly Corporation. This is a great opportunity for small business owners to hear about B2B commerce from the experts.

File under: Business, Communication, Marketing
June 30, 2011 By

Does Your Customer Service Stink?

You have great expectations for your business. Your product is super and you’ve sold a few but customers aren’t returning like they should and what’s more, they aren’t giving you feedback. You’ve already checked to see if adjustments need to be made to the sales page, price, emails and promotions but they aren’t the problem. What on earth is wrong? I can hear you groaning now. Here’s a question for you. Does your customer service stink?

Let’s face it; you probably get more feedback from customers when there is a problem than when everything is going smoothly. If you really want repeat buyers, you better make sure your customer support is head and shoulders above the competition. This is the point when you can change a customer’s poor opinion into a glowing recommendation.

So, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of things. What do you want your customers to feel after they’ve contacted customer service? If you simply said you want them to feel good, you aren’t putting enough thought into it. I’ll help you out a little with a few ideas.

Customers should feel:

  • Relieved that you have helped them solve a problem.
  • Reassured that they’ve done the right thing in contacting you and that you will “fix” things.
  • Satisfied with the product, the customer service, solution, and the attention they receive.
  • Valued and what they think matters. If they feel that they are just a sale or a problem, you’ve lost them. Customers should feel that their choice to buy from you is appreciated.
  • Enlightened by your answers and explanations. Customers should leave knowing more than when they initially contacted your support center.
  • Encouraged that they did something right concerning the problem and that they can get results simply by asking for help.
  • Safe that their personal information and customer service conversations will be kept private.

The more of these feelings that your customers have, the greater the chance that they will be loyal to your brand, repeat buyers, and supporters. So how can you make sure they have the maximum “feel good” thoughts? It begins with your policies and shines through your customer service representatives. If you have an unfair or unrealistic policy, there is almost no way to come out smelling like a rose.

Everyone is not cut out to handle customer service. Many solo entrepreneurs discover this the hard way. Just like everything else, you need to do what you do best! If you don’t have exceptional people and problem solving skills, you are not doing yourself any favors by handling customer support yourself.

Yes, I know. Sometimes you have to make do with what you have until you can do better. This is when you ask a friend with the appropriate characteristics and skills to handle support. If this isn’t an option, you may be able to trade services/products with someone who can take over your customer support duties. The key is to get someone in there who can get the results you need.

No matter who is taking care of your customer support, there are several qualities and skills they should have. If they already work well with people, have good problem solving skills, plus possess a majority of these skills, qualities, and attitudes, customer service is almost second nature to them. So what should you look for in customer service reps? Here are just a few things to look for and why.

Customer Service Reps should be:

  • Cheerful – When reps have a cheerful outlook, they aren’t easily rattled by angry customers. In fact, like a smile, the upbeat attitude often rubs off on the customers.
  • Communication experts – Since most small business customer service centers communicate through email or support tickets, support representatives should have a superior command of the written word. You should also have at least one person on staff who is willing to do phone support when it’s needed.
  • Consistent and fair – Nothing confuses customers more than change. Your customer service team should be aware of the rules and stick to them. For example, if you say that a coupon expires at a certain time, every team member should adhere to that time. Not only does this keep your customers from procrastinating and on the ball but when exceptions are made, the customer appreciates them more. After all, would Macy’s honor an expired sale price because the customer forgot to come in? I think not.
  • Courteous – Being polite can take you a long way in life and business. As many southern women know, it’s possible to insult someone and have them thank you for your comment. Ok, that’s not quite what you want to do but you get the picture. The fact is that your support team should know how to deliver bad news so that it doesn’t anger the customer. They should also be the first to say “thank you.”
  • Empathetic – Are your team members able to relate to your customers’ feelings? If not, your customer may often get the impression that the rep and your business just doesn’t care. That’s the wrong impression to convey!
  • Firm – Unfortunately, there are customers who try to intimidate your representative in order to get what they want. These bulldozers need a firm hand. When reps are being intimidated, they need to know that you will back their decisions. If they don’t feel that you support them, they can’t take the firm approach needed to deal with these pushy customers. What’s more, they feel that they don’t matter to you as much as a sale does. Just as you expect your customer support team to be polite, you should expect the same from your customers.
  • Helpful – You’d think this is a given but I’ve seen some support people give “I don’t know,” answers and nothing else. Customers should always be given a real answer. If your reps can’t answer a question, they should always suggest a place where the customer can find the answer.
  • Knowledgeable – The people on your support team should know about your products and services, as well as any changes that may affect customers. Keep them in the loop! They can’t do their job effectively if you don’t do yours.
  • Timely – Customers should receive answers or responses in a timely manner. Business owners who are ill-suited for customer support often drop the ball here and just ignore questions. New support team members may be slow to respond due to poor training. Either instance can cause customers to abandon ship and go to your competition. Optimally, customers should receive a reply within 2 days but sooner if at all possible.
  • Patient – Above all, the people who handle your customer support should be patient. When customers feel that they are being hurried along, it leads them to believe that your company was just after the sale and you don’t really care about their needs.

So, does your customer support stink? Finding out is not always a quick process. However, now that you know what customers should feel and what qualities your support representatives should have, you know where to start sniffing out the answer. If you do find a few things that need to change, make the changes as soon as possible so your business and reputation will wind up smelling like a rose.

Can you already identify areas you need to check? Which ones? Have you implemented some of these suggestions? Did it work out for you? We’d love to know what you think. Share your experiences below.

File under: Business, Communication, Marketing
June 25, 2011 By

Getting Web Traffic For Free – Top Questions Answered

Getting web traffic to your site isn’t what it used to be anymore. Especially free tactics. We can lament all we want but the smart thing to do really is to adapt and keep forging ahead.

Sadly though, there are tons and tons of really bad tools out there that could give you a temporary traffic boost at best. There’s also a lot of people still dishing out old advice.

Rush Hour

Which is why I was really curious when I received an email from Jimmy D Brown about an hour long video presentation about free traffic. I was curious because I wanted to know what he had to say about getting web traffic for free in today’s framework. And also because I always pay attention to Jimmy because he always manages to give a new twist to things and leave me wondering, now why didn’t I think of that… even on the stuff that you may think you already know.

I sat through this video and here’s quick summary for you.

The video is formatted as a classic Q&A where Jimmy answers the top 10 questions his readers asked and these questions are:

  1. Is Article Marketing still a good and reliable strategy?
  2. Isn’t paid traffic better than free traffic?
  3. What should be included in a great free offer that can be used to drive traffic?
  4. How to ensure traffic you get from free sources are qualified buyers and not useless traffic?
  5. Do viral e-books still work?
  6. How much effort should you put into SEO?
  7. What percentage of people on Jimmy’s list have been obtained from free traffic methods?
  8. How do you drive traffic to a squeeze page?
  9. What is the BEST way to get free traffic?
  10. How do you get A-listers to email for you when you are starting out?

In answering those, Jimmy emphasized several things that he is not a fan nor a proponent of temporary tactics and tools. What he is after is long-lasting traffic. Traffic where:

  • You only have to do work once or at least minimal work in the beginning and keeps drawing people again and and again
  • Once it is set on the loose, cannot be turned off

Now that I like – don’t you?

There are also other things that stuck out for me and they were:

  • Getting others to distribute your content
  • Source of traffic is key whether paid or free

These just happened to stand out for me because of where I am right now. I’m confident you will likely find something extremely valuable that’s applicable for your business. Watch it today – Jimmy did not mention when this will be pulled. Better watch it before it is gone.

Photo by Tim Arai

File under: Marketing
June 13, 2011 By

Why should you promote your business at exhibitions and fairs?

As a small business you understand the need for running tight budgets and keeping marketing costs under control. At first thought, exhibitions and fairs may seem an extravagant activity, but executed well, with the right preparation and follow up, they can provide a great return on investment and help to take your business to the next level.

So, what can you hope to get out of an exhibition or fair?

Lead generation: Perhaps the most obvious of outcomes, exhibitions are a great way of sourcing new leads for businesses, which, once followed up after the show, will hopefully convert into sales and ultimately profits.

New sales: Depending on the type of exhibition or trade show and the service/products that you offer, your goal may be to make sales at the actual exhibitions or fairs themselves. If you have the right product and approach, you can capitalise on the fact that the venue is filled with your core market.

Generate brand awareness: Full of your potential customers, exhibitions give you the opportunity to influence as many people as possible and build your brand with your target market.

Launch new product lines: Fairs and exhibitions are perfect for showcasing new product lines or services and allow you to sell to new customers as well as tapping into your existing customer base by upselling or cross selling.

Access to the media: Journalists are always looking for new industry trends and use exhibitions and fairs as a key research tool. By preparing a press information pack to give to the media (including a press release, photos, product or service information and contacts) you will give yourself a greater chance of some free publicity.

The opportunities are there for the taking, however, it’s no good turning up at an exhibition or fair without the right preparation and forethought. To get the most out of your investment there are several tips you should follow…

Tell the world!: Use your prospect and contacts list to notify everyone that you know that you will be attending the exhibition and where they will be able to find you inside the venue. Using email and social networking are cheap and easy ways of doing this.

Make your exhibition stand eye-catching: At an exhibition or fair, visibility is vital and there are certain elements you should consider:

The design of your exhibition stand: The design of your exhibition stand needs to ensure that you get noticed for all the right reasons. It must convey your brand and product/service clearly and concisely and your message should be visible from across the hall. Also make sure that it appeals to your target audience by using eye-catching graphics and text. Lighting is also an important but sometimes forgotten element. At a basic level, the lighting should be sufficient enough for visitors to read your displays but on a deeper level it can be used to create an atmosphere or highlight certain parts of your stand.

Offer an ‘experience’: Once you’ve enticed people onto your stand, it is a good idea to offer visitors a real hands-on approach so that they can see, handle, interact with and experience your product or service for themselves.

Your people are your brand: Ensure that your staff running the exhibition stand know why they are there, what the overall goals are and how to deal with potential questions. They can be a key differentiator between you and your competitors and so body language and behavior on the stand are also critical, so make sure there are lots of eye contact and smiles and no mobile phones, eating or crossed arms.

Use your time well: The old adage ‘time is money’ is never truer than at exhibitions or fairs. They generally only last for a day or two and in order to achieve as many leads or sales as possible you simply don’t have time for a lengthy chat with a prospect or customer. Make sure you get all the details you need from each visitor and then politely move on.

Follow up promptly: After the exhibition is over it is essential to follow up on all the leads you have gathered as soon as possible. This will keep you at the forefront of your prospects/customers’ minds and show that you are keen to do business with them.

Resource:

If you’d like to find out more about exhibition banner stands you may do so here. They supply a wide range of portable and fixed banner stands to help guarantee a successful exhibition experience as well as buying guides to help you choose the items that are right for you.

File under: Business, Marketing, Products & Services
May 16, 2011 By

4 Ways to Prepare your Small Business For Summer

Summer brings about change in more than just the rising temperature. If you live in a “summer town” that relies on tourism, you probably already know to stock up on items and get ready for more customers. But in places where population doesn’t fluctuate significantly, there are still things to do to prep for the coming summer. Taking a few (and in many cases, inexpensive) steps can really boost productivity and sales.

Summer Marketing—Do you know of a popular venue where people like to hang out in your area? Cover the place with flyers, signs, or even aerial advertising. Don’t make your campaign overwhelming, but make sure that the public can’t ignore your efforts. If you offer a product, you can also offer free samples or promotional items (i.e. stickers, frisbees, visors, tote bags). Scour popular restaurants, ice cream parlors, community pools, or beach boardwalk (if there is one nearby).

Target Summer Industries/Customers—For example, if there is a summer camp operating close to your business, contact the owners. See if they need your products or services, and offer a bulk or special deal in exchange for their business. Many areas in the country suffer from increased insect/pest activity in the summer. If you are an exterminator, you can offer periodic sprays for places with heavy populations, such as retirement homes, country clubs, malls, etc.

Cheap Labor!—Have a small firm? Take interns for the summer. Some places offer paid internships, but most do not. So if you don’t have the funds to pay an intern’s salary, offer things like free snacks or meals, and the most useful thing of all: experience. You can also offer part-time jobs for high school students. They often look for a summer job, and will take almost anything that gets them spending money and doesn’t interfere with their summer activities. So as a merchant, you can go ahead and take advantage of that. Just keep a few things in mind when it comes to internships:

  1. Interns shouldn’t replace regular, paid workers.
  2. Training new people takes a little time.
  3. It is not mandatory to offer a full-time job to an intern after the internship is over.
  4. Internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
  5. If you want to pay your interns but don’t know wage regulations, check out the government’s Wage and Hour division. This is also a great resource for part-time compensation.

If you are planning to hire high school kids, take a moment to inform yourself on the laws and regulations for teens at work from the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Explore The Market—Take the time to do some tourism yourself, and tour your regional market. Summer months provide a great opportunity for testing the waters in your area. Merchants can take advantage of typical summer events such as fairs, farmer’s markets, flea markets, regional festivals, car/boat/plane shows, and the like. These events can offer valuable insight into your competition, product pricing, and your customers.

File under: Business, Marketing
May 12, 2011 By

One Site Or Two: What To Do When You’re At the Crossroads

As a small business, if you have a large site, should you split it into two websites or leave it as one? This is a difficult question that really has no right or wrong answer, but we’ll give you something even better: we’ll help you examine some of the ups and downs of both options to help you decide what’s best for you.

Maintaining One Large Site

Offering everything in one place is convenient for you and your target audience. You only have one set of expenses, one set of marketing and content strategies, one set of social media profiles, and only have to go to one location to update and maintain your content. When it comes to ranking and link juice, you have more pages use can use to rank and will be able to catch with the long tail.

Unfortunately, there are some downsides to having everything on one site:

  • Too much content can be difficult for users to wade through. They’ll have to go through more content to find what they’re looking for.
  • A larger site means a larger audience. This makes it far more difficult to target specific visitors.
  • The more general your targeting, the lower your conversion rate generally is, simply because you have to get visitors past the things they’re not interested in to get them through the sales funnel.
  • The wider your audience, the wider your reach has to be and the more spread out your marketing strategies need to be.
  • Larger sites require better databases and more resources to run than smaller sites (often split onto subdomains). Sometimes, for smaller businesses, this may go beyond your current resources.

Breaking Your Site Into Two Or More Sites

Splitting your website onto two or more main domains can have a multitude of benefits. Each site can be tailored to meet the needs of a specific audience, including the design and site architecture. Each site can have its own branding and carry its own loyal customers.

Financially, running more than one site may also have some benefits. Since you have two properties, you have two separate investments that can grow. Also, if something should happen to one of the sites (say it falls in the rankings, for example), you have another site that will continue to generate revenue until the affected site recovers.

With two sites, there is often the chance to benefit from the competition as well. You have two sites to conquer more of the market and a wider range of terms, products, services, and audiences. Also, it’s possible that if customers don’t buy from one site, they’ll buy from the other, which is often the case with real world stores.

Like with one main site, there are some downsides to consider with multiple sites:

  • You have twice as many sites to upgrade, create, and maintain.Both sites need consistent content, have current social profiles, and need fresh marketing ideas.
  • Both sites require links, SEO, and attention/traffic
  • You need two distinct audiences, otherwise you’ll dilute your offering.

Questions You Need To Be Asking

Here are a few things you’ll need to ask yourself before choosing a path:

  • Do you have two distinct visitors (buyers) coming to the site for different reasons?
  • Are you able to separate the site into two ‘themes’ to create two brands that can stand on their own?
  • Do you have the resources available to market, run, and maintain two sites?
  • Will you benefit enough to warrant splitting the site or creating two separate sites (ROI)?
  • What are your plans for each website? Is there a way to grow them both together, or will your expansions take the two sites farther apart from each other?

Have you split your site onto two domains or decided to run one large site? What have your experiences been?

File under: Beginners, Business, Marketing, Web Development
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