Small Business – Why Not BIG Business?
When it comes to competition, there are definitely a few tricks and tactics a small business can employ to look big. Why would you want to do that? Size tends to instill confidence in consumers; if you’re big then you must be successful, right? Well we won’t delve into that argument but what we can show you is how to make a small business look big online.
Change your sole proprietorship to an LLC
This is a minor change that can make a big difference. Your company name shows up in your online signature, your communications, and on your website and people notice. LLC stands for Limited Liability Corporation.
Get a good logo designed for your business
Branding and company identity are important to the success of any business and this singularly simple tool will help you create an image.
Make sure your website is clean and polished
A well designed website radiates professionalism. There are a lot of messy and unprofessional websites out there and then there are amazing websites that are clean, easy to navigate and jam packed with valuable content and resources.
Content!
Create a presence online with content. Be an active participant in content marketing. Make sure you have a wealth of up to date and valuable content on your website and network with other complimentary websites to provide content for them. Comment on notable industry blogs and offer value. When your company is all over the web, contributing to your industry, you look successful.
Outsource
This is particularly useful if you outsource your virtual help and/or your bookkeeping and accounting help. You can give them names like “project manager” “customer service manager” “accounting department” and sound like you have a warehouse filled with cubicles and happy employees when in fact you have a few wonderful contractors who make you look good.
Upgrade your contact information
Yourname@hotmail.com doesn’t make you look like you’re from a big company. Most hosting package come with email addresses, use them. yourname@yourcompany.com looks much better. And the same goes for your telephone number. You can get a toll free number for a small fee each month – vanity numbers cost a little more but they can provide an image of size – 1-800-call-now!
Automate
Automate your phone service and your customer service with easy tools. Phones can be automated with a virtual assistant or by using a system like OneBox which screens, answers, and forwards calls automatically based on your preferences and settings. Autoresponder services, live chat and other automated assistance help customers and prospects get their questions answered quickly and it provides an image of size and responsibility.
There are many tactics you can use to make your small business appear like a fortune 500 company. However, remember to always take your customer in mind when making these decisions and taking these steps. If it enhances the user experience then great, if not, perhaps reconsider. It is, after all, all about your customer.
Is Your Online Radar Turned On?
Sitting in my office here in Leamington, Ontario Canada ( just 30 miles ’south’ of Detroit, Michigan – sounds odd I know), I reflect on how the web has changed the way I do business and in return strengthened my brand. Ten years ago, my market was essentially within a 2 1/2 hour drive of here – North America’s industrial heartland. I marketed traditionally which is to say totally offline except the token brochure website. Those efforts brought me a comfortable living.
Today, I market myself 90% online and use networking strategies both on and off-line. My market is now the world. Through my efforts I have come to build connections to companies in the Czech Republic, India, Canada, England, Australia, and the United States. Consulting has grown into a viable service to customers in need of positioning. Without the internet, this would not have been in the cards.
I recently attended a mentoring supper with local top business students from the Odette School of Business in Windsor, Ontario. All of these young people were chomping at the bit to get into the work force. None were intimidated by the economy. They were filled with optimism. Unlike my generation, they have a massive advantage – the internet. Their dreams can be realized by marketing to a global market instantly. If they never left the online world, they have the potential to build a brand of enormous proportions. If; on the other hand, their brand is limited to a niche market, they can still potentially enjoy a very healthy income.
When I do speaking engagements to predominantly small businesses, I ask the how many blog or utilize html marketing? It astonishes me how many are NOT doing either. Worse than that, it’s not even on their radar. Their reasons for not engaging the web essentially has been their desire for instant results with little effort or cost. Even in the luddite world this is not possible. I imagine, due to a simple lack of understanding (from SEO gurus is my guess) that all they have to do is have a search optimized website, customers will beat a path to their door. When that didn’t happen, they become disillusioned by it all.
It’s no different in the off-line world. They run a few ads and wonder why the phone isn’t ringing off the hook. It all boils done to a realistic strategy and having an open mind and realistic set of expectations. For my business efforts, I came to realize that patience was indeed a virtue. I enjoy musing with colleagues that you never know what the next email will bring you. Not unlike every form of marketing it is longevity that gives birth to results. As your influence grows from community to community, your opportunities grow with it. Before you know it, your customers who benefit from your product or service come from locales outside of your traditional reach. Your brand grows with the increased exposure you get.
How To Make Face Time Work For You
Technology has changed the face of business in spectacular ways. It has enabled businesses to embrace a greater community, it has increased productivity, and simplified communication. There are so many positives that they would be hard to name here in this post. There is one aspect of technology that I find sad, and that is how it has made us lazy regarding personal contact or “face time” with customers and prospects. Email makes it so easy and efficient. But, you know what they say, “out of sight, out of mind.” In business this situation can be the kiss of death. If your entire relationship is email and text based, there is virtually no relationship.
Long distance customers take on a different dynamic, but customers within a few hours drive are worth having face time with. Companies like the investment company Edward Jones, does not allow it’s advisors to use email with their customers. They do allow personal, voice and snail mail contact only. This effort is rewarded repeatedly. Here are some other things that I do to make “face time” work for me:
Coffee chat: When a person contacts me to see how we might work together, I typically suggest we meet over coffee. This way I can size them up better and try to understand their motivation. I’ve struck up some terrific business relationships this way.
Networking meet-ups: You can use these events to spruce up your sales skills and put a face to a name. It gives you a chance to help someone on the spot.
In-person presentations: I like to present proposals in person. This shows that I want their business enough to get off my butt and shake some hands. I don’t want our relationship to be entirely virtual. Show you’re a real business.
Ignore email: Purposely visit customers. Showing up to chat WILL get you more business. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken something in personally that I could have just as easily emailed only to get other projects given to me on my way out the door. Seeing you reminds them of other ways that you can help.
“I’m in the area” opportunities: Sometimes, when “I’m in the area” I call to see whether I can pop in to say howdie. These friendly requests always brings a smile and some great conversation.
New service meetings: Recently, I emailed a number of old files and offered to bring them a coffee and discuss what I’m offering these days that might be of help to them. I hand a hand full take me up on it, and this effort resurrected some old business.
The point here is not to rely on convenience to grow your business. It’s not about you – it’s about them.
Do You Possess The Winner Brand?
A Winner Brand is an enviable place to be. It ignites a favorable reaction to all who come in contact with it 
you. The Winner Brand can be a company, a product a person, or a place. The Winner Brand is hinged on strong brand values and a compelling message. It has outstanding characteristics. The
Winner Brand is the product of a concerted effort to be the best it can be. For the sake of this article, I am addressing the personal Winner Brand.
What can you do to be a Winner Brand?
• Build your expert profile In order for your brand to shine
You have to be taken for the expert that you are. You have to boldly declare your expertise in your discipline. You’re going to have to go against your Mom’s advice and brag speaking engagements, feature writing, pod and video
casts. Find as many portals to get your professional opinion into the hearts and minds of your target audience.
• Be a conduit for the positive
Make it a personal goal to bring positive energy to all you meet. When you see a friend in a glum mood, find the positive and bring them out of their shadow. Point out that opportunity is everywhere if they are willing to recognize and embrace it. Make the statement – “Every cloud has a silver lining” your inspiration for engagement.
• Give of yourself
Volunteer to groups or organizations that you have a personal interest in. Mentor to young minds at the university level. Show that money isn’t your only motivation. Show that your meaning of success includes helping others. It is a way of giving back to your community, and exposing your Winner Brand to all you meet.
• Show your passion
People love to see that you are truly inspired by what you do. Passion is contagious. It is the foundation of strong relationships. Passion has a way of taking them along for the ride. Because you have passion, you have an absolute belief in yourself. That confidence feeds your expert profile builds a loyal following.
• Become a resource
Share your contacts with others. Over the years, you have come to know many great suppliers of goods and services. Sharing this knowledge will really help those you meet making their jobs easier.
• Give valuable referrals
Keep your eye out for opportunities for friends, colleagues, and customers. Giving referrals brightens your brand. As they say – “It is better to give than to receive.”
• Blog your way to greatness
I can’t think of a better way to build your expert profile than blogging. A number of the above initiatives can be achieved through blogging. It is a great way to showcase yourself. Leaving positive comments on other blogs and guest writing are all key elements in successful blogging. It does you NO GOOD to stay silent. Share your opinion profusely. Leaving comments lures readers back to you – guaranteed.
Being a Winner Brand is your best opportunity to draw business to you. It drives away those dark clouds and allows you to recognize and embrace opportunities.
5 Reasons Why Branding Won’t Work.
They’re never going to buy you’re the expert.
Here’s the thing, you really are an expert in your field, but here’s the rub – YOU don’t believe it. If you don’t believe in yourself , don’t expect customers to believe in you either. You have plenty of sales-worthy knowledge and a waiting audience. Roll up your sleeves and jump in. Failing isn’t the problem, refusing to get back up is.
You’ve got a wild idea, but nobody’s going to buy it.
Isn’t it better to try your idea and fail KNOWING they don’t like it, rather than presuming to know they don’t like it and never really finding out?
The timing isn’t right.
That’s the same as giving me a dozen reasons why you CAN’T do something rather than reasons why you CAN.
Branding is expensive.
Ignoring your brand is the real money pit. Placing ad after ad saying nothing special or countering a competitor makes you a follower. The competitor is actually defining your brand and you’re throwing money at defending yourself rather than leading with a strong positioning strategy, which gives your customer a compelling reason to buy from you.
I tried re-branding: I got me a new logo and tag line and guess what? Nothing changed!
What did you expect to happen? Your brand is your REPUTATION not your logo. All you did was spend some cash putting a new face on an old problem. If somebody tells you that re-branding is changing your logo – RUN as fast as you can – they have no idea what branding is!
As much fun as this post was to write, the honest truth is that all of us have to pay very close attention to our brands, how we sell ourselves and be open to new opportunities. Stop blaming the economy, stop blaming yourself and stop blaming finances. If you try and win – great! If you fail – so what? Keep moving, keep learning. You can’t reach your goal by standing still and that I can guarantee you.
Texas Brand’em – Your Ace In The Hole!
More and more in the popular media, the term branding is being introduced into the business psyche of the watching/listening audience. The understanding that your brand is NOT just your logo, is still the number one misunderstanding of businesses and organizations that I meet. When you understand that your brand is essentially your reputation, then you will understand that “re-branding” your business with a logo change is simply “putting lipstick on a pig.” Put another way: Let us say that you don’t like Pepsi. If I change the logo and slogan, are you going to like it now? No, of course, not. You have to fundamentally change the way Pepsi does things, and here it is changing the taste. Then they have a chance of getting you to switch. Your brand is no different.
Wouldn’t you love to understand how you could make your brand more powerful? If you could find a way to make your brand a leader, you’d be interested right? What if I told you that strategically positioning your brand with a compelling offer, REMOVES you from commodity hell – wouldn’t that intrigue you? The answers to all these questions are no-brainers.
The fact that you should draw comfort in, is that most – I’ll say that again – MOST businesses, communities, and people (brands) completely ignore their brands. This short-sightedness is your ace in the hole. Even if you were to tweak your brand a little bit, you’d be miles ahead of the other person.
I recently gave a lecture to a packed house (and more on the waiting list) to the Center for Business, Advancement, and Research in Windsor Ontario. It was a one half hour discussion on “Branding Yourself Online.” I was very well received. So much so, that a line following the event formed in front of me and took 1-1/2 hours to clear. But, the simple truth is, MOST of these well-meaning entrepreneurs will do absolutely nothing about their lack lustre, follow the leader brands.
Take place branding – how many communities in your area could use a boost in their economic development portfolios? How many would love to be considered first choice for convention business? (more no-brainer questions). BUT, most would rather ignore their brands and turn direct their priority to changing logos and tag lines. Instead of analysis of why their brands are attracting negative attention and fixing the problem, city fathers again and again opt for short-term, same old, same old strategies creating the perception of doing something. The fact will remain that when the audience reacts negatively to your community brand, it’s too late. The same holds true in business branding. In both cases, it becomes a commodity issue. You have to buy their business. You’ll have no staying power. Their business moves from price to price. No powerful relationship to retain them.
If you want to stand out and play a different game, you might want to get in on Texas Brand’em and leave 52 Pick-up to the amateurs.
Here’s your winning hand, in a game of Texas Brand’em:
CARD ONE: Establish you brand values and personality, as the foundation of your brand.
CARD TWO: Establish your brand message. What is it you do that your customers value the most.
CARD THREE: Have a positioning strategy that compels your audience. Establishes you as a leader not a follower.
CARD FOUR: Make sure that your brand image is consistent with your values and personality and is consistent across all materials.
CARD FIVE: Live the brand, it has to be authentic. Build relationships with integrity.
Business is a high stakes game. Picking up the hand above ends the temptation to bluff your opponent. They’ll have no option other than folding.
How To Develop A Mini eMail Trade Show!
No matter where you look on the web, the key to making any money online is wrapped up in the list. Without one, you’ve got a major hurdle to clear. The following concept, may be your answer to fast-tracking exposure!
At some point in time, you have probably visited a trade show within your industry. You saw legions of companies within your industry, selling goods from booths and visitors looking to buy or develop leads for themselves. Using this model, why not create your own mini trade show with friends or colleagues who compliment each other’s businesses?
By combining the lists from say five to ten companies, who share the same target audience, put together a promotion to present a series of services to this body of contacts and feed off of each other. Here is how you could approach it:
1: Gather together businesses who have a growing list of emails from contacts that the group as a whole might benefit from. For instance: Accountants, lawyers, business consultants and financial people would all share the same target audience – small business. Put together a joint list. Make it a rule that your list is not for sale, but only to be used within the confines of the trade show arena. The joint list only mails from one location. Once the show is over, all parties return to their own lists.
2: Put together some teazer emails, and start to push them at this joint audience, to prime the pump. Let them know the time span the “Trade Show” will occupy. Also give them the opportunity to opt-out of the mailing if they so wish.
3: The day of the “Trade Show” launch send out the first of many consecutive mailings. Encourage each of the participants to offer something of value to contacts. An example would be to offer something, that could be used to harvest new emails for your own growing list.
4: Once the span of the “Trade Show” has expired, follow up leads, and send out thank you emails with announcements on the date to expect the next one.
5: Send out a web survey to gage awareness of the show and see what needs tweeking.
How ever you do this, be sure to take your best shot as it could expose your product or service to a large audience. In the lead up, your list could be told of your valuable contacts, and your desire to provide meaningful assistance to them from a variety of positions. Benefit from a larger list without the grueling years of building one. It is a great way to boost your brand by helping others to succeed. The true spirit of networking.
