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Archive for small business
Why Facebook, Twitter and All Social Media is Useless
Posted by: | CommentsI spent this weekend at Tracey’s Mum and Dad’s house in Wiltshire.
A charming little country village.
I was up at 5am each day and Tracey’s dad Bob joined me around 6:30am.
I’d then spend about 2 hours thinking while pretending to listen as he spouted unending gossip, and anger towards various member of the village.
Once that was done he moved straight onto ‘it wasn’t like this in my day’.
‘It’s all a scam’.
‘It’s all a racket’.
‘There’s nothing free’.
‘This world is getting too bloody complicated’.
I actually kinda relish these bizarre and yet strangely enlightening rants from Bob. His generation have a HUGE amount of money waiting to be spent with me so I appreciate a little insight into how he feels.
Most of what he said was of course complete ‘ignorant’ B.S. But some of it did get me thinking.
Particularly when he started going on about Facebook and how annoyed he gets when Sarah and Tracey (Tracey is my fiancee and Sarah is here sister) sit on Facebook giggling away to themselves for hours.
I’m on his side there.
Just looking at Facebook makes me sweat with fear of addiction and endless hours wasted catching up with out-dated old mates who I got rid of in the first place because they in some way detracted from my life.
Social media like Facebook, Twitter. MySpace etc is here.
But is it all it’s cracked up to be?
And there’s always an army of rampant, ‘blinkered’ ’sheep’ hunting after the next fad that gives easy success and a fast buck.
Social media and web 2.0 has created a wonderful flock of these ‘brain washed’, impossible to distinguish, ‘cloned’ wollies. All touting social media as not only the fastest and easiest way to gain new customers but also FREE!
There can be some business benefits from social media.
BUT, in most cases for solo-entrepreneurs, small business there are MUCH better places to spend time.
Here’s the BIGGEST problem.
The idea that you can acquire clients for FREE or little has been around since the beginning of time.
And this is the main attraction with social media.
Trouble is, the FREE customers are usually the worst PLUS, they will NOT be free forever, PLUS, you cannot sidestep competition, PLUS you CANNOT make any rational, sensible decisions on how to GROW your business at any pace you desire.
It’s akin to BRAND ADVERTISING - with a TIME expense rather than a monetary one. EXCEPT, anyone can enter the game and EVERYONE is playing the same field…
Let me give you an example.
Say you want to add an additional 50 customers to your business this month.
Given the law of averages with not much testing you can do that easily as LONG as you can directly attribute your new customers to some kind of action you took.
Say you run an ad in a newspaper or magazine and then follow up with a sales process and create 10 new customers from that one mag. You know the circulation of the mag so all you need to do is test another bunch of mags with a similar readership and a total reader base of over 5 times the initial test.
Simple, predictable and pretty easy WHEN you know how to write good copy (and if you’re using ads with pretty pictures, your log and a slogan FORGET IT - you need help! Grab a free trial to my Inner Circle and get this bit sorted - CLICK HERE).
But with social media like Facebook and Twitter what do you do?
Go looking for 1,000 new friends?
Sit on forums for hours?
Send out a gazillion tweets on Twitter?
There’s simply no clear, measurable correlation between the actions you take and the result.
It’s a little bit like the OLD MLM and pyramid idea. Get 2 people to get 2 to get 2 and you’ll rule the world in a jiffy. Same kinda principle. And I’m afraid FUNDAMENALLY flawed.
On top of that there is NO barrier to entry (anyone can do what you do, see what you do and copy it) and it’s more than a little difficult to create any kind of competitive advantage UNLESS you are either a ‘celebrity’ in your field already (and if not then you need to become one and that means doing different things).
However - I am NOT saying social media is useless. It isn’t. For some applications it is brilliant. And it’s power is undeniable for some things. But for any business owner or entrepreneur SERIOUS about making big leaps in profits then their are MUCH better places to spend your time.
And there’s one more dynamic to consider.
Because so much of this stuff is apparently free (and it isn’t if you place any kind of value on your time) it means there is much less competition in traditional media and many fewer people with the skills to utilise it effectively.
That IS a BIG opportunity…
Food for thought…
Henry.
PS: If this is your first time here then be sure to enter your details below and receive my ‘Daily ‘Killer’ Success Tips’ - you can of course unsubscribe at any time and we will NEVER share your information. Register below.
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Online Marketing is a Waste of Time, Offline Marketing Doesn’t Work
Posted by: | CommentsThe world is changing really fast (as if you didn’t know)…
70 odd years ago there were really only a handful of ways a small business owner could attract business.
- - Face to face
- - Newspapers
- - Magazines
- - Publicity
- - Signs
- - Events
- - Direct mail
And a few more.
Yet W.Clement Stone (if you don’t have his book entitles “The Success System that Never Fails” then get it) built a $1billion insurance business from scratch in the GREAT DEPRESSION!
Nowadays there are endless ways for you to attract business. All of those methods above, tons more offline methods and so many online methods you could bury yourself in them for a lifetime and still come up dazed and confused about what works and what doesn’t.
And that brings me onto yet another subscribers comment:
“Online marketing is a waste of time, offline marketing doesn’t work!’…
I’m in a good mood today so I won’t swear (unlike Didier Drogba after Barcelona booted Chelsea out the Champions League) - but what a LAME excuse for being LAZY.
And for this chap I bet they don’t work - because his mind is locked away in a dark room shielding him from trying ’stuff’ just in case he fails.
We ALL fail - it’s part of succeeding.
But this article isn’t about that.
This is article is about:
If W Clement Stone can build a billion dollar business from scratch in the Great Depression with nothing more than ‘blood sweat and tears’ - why in this day and age do so many struggle.
I mean, we have so many options for attracting clients and so many options for keeping in contact with them, adding value and increasing their life-time spend.
Here’s an insight into part of the problem.
We do have endless ways to attract clients online and offline.
BUT, because of the speed of change, the speed at which new things arrive MOST businesses have ended up with a BIG PILE of jumbled up marketing strategies and means for attracting and keeping clients that it’s not only nearly impossible to know what works and what doesn’t BUT they all FIGHT each other rather than work in SYNC.
OR else, they are so ’scared’ of trying something new (maybe even just getting online) that just like the chap above they block out all options but what they’re used and slowly but surely get surpassed by competition and deserted by customers who expect more…
And W Clement Stone REVEALS the answer to this problem in the TITLE of his book…
I’m not going to tell you what it is until tomorrow…
BUT, Can YOU tell me what it is - and WHY it’s the so important?
Post your answers as comments to this article… If you dare (I will NOT ridicule anyone - I promise - probably just stopped anyone posting at all… Go on.. Have a shot)…
Dedicated to your success,
Henry.
PS: If you have yet to accept your FREE trial and FREE gifts to my VIP Inner Circle, you still have chance to do so. Simply head here and accept them 100% risk free - YES HENRY! GIVE ME MY FREE GIFTS AND FREE TRIAL TO YOUR VIP INNER CIRCLE
PPS: If this is your first time here then be sure to enter your details below and receive my ‘Daily ‘Killer’ Success Tips’ - you can of course unsubscribe at any time and we will NEVER share your information. Register below.
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10 Simple Ways to Swamp Your Website With Visitors…
Posted by: | CommentsIn this months VIP Inner Circle call I uncovered just how ANY business can:
“Uncover the Hidden Wealth Buried Deep In Their Website”
(VIP members will receive the CD with this months Inner Circle Instalment early next week - if you’re not yet an Inner Circle member, accept your free trial and gifts here - FREE GIFT).
So, whether you are an independent entrepreneur, a ‘traditional’ small business owners, a coach, consultant, author or BIG business there’s a whole lot of information on that recording that few people know. For example:
- The 4 types of websites you MUST use.
- Why the type of website you use means win or bust.
- Why 90% of websites FAIL miserably to generate money.
- Why using Facebook, Twitter and other social networking to build your business is like walking through treacle.
- How to dominate any niche market on the internet so fast it’ll make your eyes water.
- And loads more.
But this isn’t a pitch for that call.
Quite the opposite.
My early days as a marketer were MEAN.
And I mean I was a real stinge bag.
I really didn’t want to tell anybody ANY of my secrets unless they ‘crossed my palm with silver’.
And in fact, there is something to be said for that.
But over the years I have ‘mellowed’.
Whether that’s driven by an aging drop in testosterone or the philosophical change I attribute it to I’ll leave to you to decide.
But it’s good news for you…
Because you’re in the right place to get up to the minute, useful stuff on how to destroy recession and achieve your goals.
And here you go…
“10 Easy Ways to Swamp Your Website With Visitors…”
#1: Articles - write short, informative articles about how YOU and your business can SOLVE people’s problems. The submit them to the top article directories (ezinearticles, articelbase, goarticles and more).
#2: Press releases - YEP! Press releases are great for generating online traffic (and if you know what you’re doing, a LOT of FREE publicity offline too). Submit them to the top press release distribution site (NOTE: you need to find purely online distribution sites like prweb AND others which have a closer relationship with journalists).
#3: BLOGGING - you need a blog! No time to go into depth here - but trust me…
#4: Pay per click advertising - e.g. Google Adwords… To my knowledge there is NO faster way to generate bundles of ready to go, targeted traffic to your site than pay per click. Only downside is it COSTS MONEY. And you MUST know what you’re doing or you WILL waste a LOT of money. I’ve used pay per click to generate millions of visitors to my sites and have never failed yet to earn at least 3 times what I spend. (Join my Inner Circle for my upcoming Adwords Mastery call - Click Here).
#5: Joint Ventures - Overlooked ny most because they THINK they are hard to setup. Yes, you need to know who you are partnering with is trustworthy but they’re easier than you think to make work. The premise is simple. Someone other than you owns a list of customers and prospects in a complementary market to you. You mail an offer to their list and they take a slice of the profits (there are a lot of other ways to cut the deal too)…
#6: Videos - Youtube, Viddler, Google Video and hundreds more video sites are frequented by the people who buy from you… Video marketing is POWERFUL…
#7: Podcasts - This one sounds a little technical. In essence you created an audio track about your topic and publish it to iTunes and more, people find it, listen to it, trust you (if the content is good) and go to your sites…
#8: Social Bookmarking - Like just bookmarking a web page on your browser BUT, millions of other people can see what has been bookmarked and therefore see what is popular… If they see something they are looking for that has been social bookmarked by someone else then they’ll have a peek and often head to your site…
#9: OFFLINE - Ahh! I hear you cry… Well don’t! Offline is an awesome way to drive online traffic. Everything from making sure your website is on your flyers, postcards, business cards, brochures etc to dedicated offline campaigns to generate online traffic.
#10: Social Networking - Ummmm have you got a LONG time? No time to digress here but I’ve yet to find anyone who has made any real money using social networking (other than people selling info on how to make money from social networking). YES, there are applications for social networking which can be useful and yes, it can drive traffic. BUT, by golly it can take a LOT of your time (and there are in my opinion better ways to spend your time).
There’s 10…I’ve got over a hundred more up my sleeve…
Let me ask you a question…
How many of just those 10 do you use?
Look, WHATEVER business you are in, you CAN use the internet to significantly increase demand for what you have, referrals and repeat spend. If those 10 are new to you then come join my Inner Circle and let’s get you making best use of what’s available - Click Here to Accept Your Free Trial and Free Gifts
Dedicated to helping you make easy work of marketing your business,
Henry…
PS: PLEASE POST ANY QUESTIONS AND COMMENT ON HERE RATHER THAN EMAIL ME. IT’S MUCH EASIER — THANKS!
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G20 ‘Bail Out’ - Forget It!
Posted by: | CommentsObama is in town!
I’m an avid Obama fan.
I’ve yet to conclude whether or not he’s any good at real politics, real economics… BUT, simply for what he can do with the power of a speech - I applaud him. I’ve been privy to many of the world’s greatest speakers and young Obama IS one of them.
And he’s here for G20 - a gathering of World Leaders for a cup of coffee, a slice of gingerbread and good old fashioned ‘chin-wag’.
Or at least that’s about as much use as it’ll be to you…
They may be meeting to agree how to confront the worst Global financial crisis since the 1930’s but for business owners looking for a ‘ray of light’ - forget it!
All weather is local — what happens to you in your business, your life, your finances has much more to do with you, what you think about and what you do than it does with what’s happening in the economy.
It’s time to stop sitting, waiting and hoping that Government ‘intervention’ will be the ’saviour’.
Instead, it’s time for new strategies, new focus, new vigour and some good old fashioned British, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, American, Australian (sorry if I haven’t mentioned your country) determination to ‘yank’ us out of recession like a leek from a vegetable patch.
Any business owner with the determination to succeed can learn new skills, make the necessary changes, adapt and in turn both survive, even prosper and make a positive contribution to putting our and the World’s economy back on track.
It’s not that there is a lack of opportunity or even a lack of money.
There are plenty of ways businesses can dramatically increase their effectiveness in acquiring new customers, nurturing customers and developing new, exciting products and services.
Now is the time to being doing more, much more to build world-class customer focused businesses that add real value to our and the World’s economies.
WE cannot sit waiting, hoping for a rescue from the government or a turn of events.
That may never happen.
It’s down to each and every one of us - to make our ‘own luck’.
Dedicated to your success,
Henry.
PS: Talking f making your own luck! If you haven’t yet accepted my FREE GIFT then do so. I’m offering to give you some fast and simple ways to immediately boost your profits. No risk, no strings attached… Hop to it… Grab it here => Click Here
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3 Easy Ways You Can Beat Falling ‘Footfall’
Posted by: | CommentsNow, depending on your type of business and location, you may or may not depend on ‘footfall’ for a large percentage of your business?
And I bet if you are in a local town that your footfall has been falling for about the last year??
Why?
Well…
Figures released by Experian today, show High Street footfall fell by 1.7% last year. Some areas saw falls as high as 7%+. Many local towns are becoming ‘ghost towns’ with empty units and few shoppers.
Businesses that rely soley on ‘footfall’ to generate new clients need to make changes
In good times this is often an adequate way to earn a decent income. But now ‘footfall’ is falling fast, if you want to survive need to use some new strategies.
Here are 3 ways you can take positive action to beat falling ‘footfall’.
- 1. Use Direct Marketing to Attract Affluent Clients - There are plenty of people spending money, plenty of people little affected by recession. By using direct marketing you can target specific affluent demographics with ‘pinpoint’ accuracy and either sell directly to them or use irresistible offers to invite them intoyour business. Direct marketing allows precise measurement of results and thus minimal waste.
- 2. Make More Use of the Internet - While High Street sales are falling, online sales are rising in many categories. ANY business owner can easily use the internet to both sell online (as an additional route to market) and use the internet as part of a coordinated demand generation system for new and old clients.
- 3. Utilise Joint Venture Partnerships - A lot of small business (and large) are feeling the pinch from recession. And while in good times many are happy to ‘keep themselves to themselves’, now is the time to develop partnerships with other local business for mutual gain. For example, you could could approach a local gym and ask to run a marketing campaign to their members. They gym could benefit either through a slice of profits or by a campaign to your clients.
So… While High Street footfall is falling, you really have two simple choices.
Either get very, very busy finding new ways to generate business or ‘roll over’ and ‘give up’.
‘Giving up’ should not be an option…
Dedciated to your success,
Henry.
PS: If you haven’t yet done so, be sure to grab your FREE GIFT.
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4 Simple Ways to Dramatically Boost Your Websites Profits
Posted by: | CommentsIt astonishes me the amount of small businesses websites that are quite simply useless.
Lots of pretty pictures, loads of talk about the company, no testimonials, boring, waste of time product descriptions and my pet hate…Price lists…
Too many small business websites are like ‘cr*ppy brochures in the sky’, no more than self serving windows onto website designers with less marketing and business savvy than the first person out of ‘The Apprentice’.
Your website has one purpose (and you may not like this…).
To make YOU MONEY!
That’s it, no more…
Now, for that to happen it should be part of an integrated online and OFFLINE marketing campaign. YES, I said integrated online and offline…
And there also need to be some fundamental components built into your site to make it actually ‘work’.
Here are 4 of those components (and there are a lot more which I’ll be revealing in a LIVE call for VIP members shortly — if you are not a VIP member yet then grab your FREE GIFT and join us => Click Here).
These steps are the ‘bare bones’ but I wonder how many of them you are using??
1. Your website must be ‘findable’. That means you need to get people pre-disposed to buying your products and/or services to your site. How do you do that? Well, there are tons of ways both online and offline. For online you should be using ‘organic search engine optimisaion’ - so, if people search for ‘Foot ticklers in Timbucktoo’ you pop up. Similarly you should be using ‘pay per click’ advertising - which does a similar job but you pay a little. AND, you should be using press releases, articles, social bookmarking, forums, directories and more. What you want to happen is ANYTIME someone searches for something in any way relating to your business, YOU pop up.
2. Now, once you appear in the search listings you need to ATTRACT people’s attention and get them to go to YOUR website rather than a competitors… How do you do that? I’ll tell you on the LIVE call…
3. Once they’re at your site you should aim to do ONE thing. And ONE thing only… What is that?? CAPTURE their details! How do you get them to leave their details? Again, I’ll tell you on the LIVE call…
4. Once you have their details you need to ‘plug’ them into a multi-step marketing sequence deisgned to create a purchase. How do you do that? FOLLOW UP! how do you follow up? Aha… I’ll tell you on the LIVE call1.
That very SIMPLE system is WAY different from what most small businesses do… Most have a few pictures, a list of products, maybe a price list and if we’re really lucky a ‘weak’ offer…
That’s about as much use as a chocolate teapot!
Web marketing for your business whether ‘traditional’ or noe IS becoming more and more important (as I’m sure you know). And, best of all, there are VERY FEW small businesses who have ANY idea how to use it to attract GOOD quality clients who are ready to buy…
If you are not generating MONEY from your website you need to be on my next LIVE call.
All you have to do is accept your FREE GIFT => Click Here
Any questions, comments, post them below.
Dedicated to your success,
Henry.
PS: If you’d like to dramatically increase the results from your website FAST the please contact us (henry@henry-baker.co.uk) for details of our “‘Killer’ Website Makeover” program.
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We’re Not In Deflation…Yet!
Posted by: | CommentsHa!
When I wrote the below post this morning the news agencies were predicting we’d be in official deflation. They’ve changed their minds…
The good news is we’re not!
Yet…
Not that it actually matters…
But…What I talk about below STILL holds 100% true.
Makes no odds.
You should STILL be looking for the people affected least and LAST by recession.
Make sure you do…
Dedicated to getting the news ‘mostly’ right,
Henry…
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Two Reasons Deflation Is Good News for Small Businesses
Posted by: | CommentsFigures released today are expected to show inflation has turned negative for the first time in 50 years. Millions of public sector workers could see pay freezes as a result. But is it possible for small business owners like you to turn deflation to your advantage?
As you may know (if you’ve been around a while), I’ve LONG argued that in hard times small businesses should stop selling to the ‘masses’ and start targeting the people affected least and last - the affluent.
A key buying criteria for affluent purchasers is price and with the right marketing and delivery, small businesses can significantly raise their prices when selling to the affluent - they can ‘forget’ deflation.
Here are two fascinating new trends among affluent buyers suggesting new sales/messages, strategies way removed from deflation:
1. Excess cash to spend - because the affluent are not investing (unable to find anything they feel good about investing in), so there is a “might as well invest in myself/hobby/passion/my trip I’ve always wanted etc. Because real investing is such a ‘no-win’ gamble” attitude.
2. Reluctance to engage in conspicuous consumption likely to appear frivolous or insensitive to the ’suffering masses’. Much of affluent buying is normally driven by ego, pride, seeking of admiration or even envy, demonstrating superiority, sophistication and wealth that, in these times, the other side of the coin is a heightened fear of and sensitivity to criticism for being profligate. This opens up opportunities to sell premium priced goods and services to them that have a “good sense factor” attached to them, to make buying “feel” responsible as well as indulgent.
For the small business positioned correctly to sell to the affluent i.e. they deliberately go ‘looking’ for them, they use marketing that resonates with them and they sell premium priced products and service they will buy.
This translates to more cash purchases, and higher spend in areas that feel reasonable, responsible and prudent such as health, preventive care and family.
SO!!!
Deflation need not affect YOU IF YOU seek out affluent buyers, higher margins and much, much less competition.
Are you doing that?
Or are you still battling with the same group of customers/clients you’ve always had.
If so, WHY?
You CAN change WHO you attract.
Hop to it!
Dedicated to your success,
Henry.
PS: If you haven’t yet grabbed you FREE GIFT and entered my INNER CIRCLE then hurry, hurry. We are bursting at the seems and I may soon have to remove the offer. Head here to grab your => FREE GIFT
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5 Ways Recession Spells Opportunity for YOU!
Posted by: | CommentsHundreds of small businesses disappeared in 2008, thousands will die this year. The bloodbath will continue. But for the ‘brave’ small business owner, this spells huge opportunity.
The Darwinian principal of ’survival of the fittest’ is always good news for smarter, stronger survivors. And, the onset of recession has accelerated that process amongst small business across the UK.
Here are 5 reasons this spells opportunity for business owners, entrepreneurs, consultants, coaches and authors like YOU:
1. Opportunities for astute, aggressive local businesses who will step up and provide exceptional service are all around. Opportunities for online merchants able to offer expansive selection and great service are huge.
2. This earthquake-change and epic opportunity is mirrored (or soon will be) in virtually every industry, business, profession and sales career.
3. The disappearance of hundreds to possibly thousands of car dealerships and with them thousands of car salesmen provides exciting opportunity for the smart, surviving sales pro to go after all those orphaned customers, step up to solve their service problems, form relationships, build a bulging book of clients.
4. The huge reduction in the population of mortgage brokers, of estate agents is a very good thing for the smart, aggressive ones who remain
5. In business to business, the number of marketers and sales professional in virtually every product or service category actively prospecting, reaching out to new clients, exhibiting at trade shows, making presentations is diminishing by day, as the easily discouraged fade away - so it’s a terrific time to be showing up!
Yes, you may temporarily be side-stepping pools of blood and occasionally getting your shoes sticky with it, having to hold your nose when stepping over rotting corpses, brushing aside cobwebs while walking past empty space after empty space in the shopping centre.
But the magnitude of the opportunity laid out in front of you far eclipses the ugliness.
Supply and demand is tilting in the favour of the surviving business; lots and lots of customers to be had and far fewer competitors going after them…and a better supply of potential employees to choose from, finally giving you the chance of staffing to deliver extraordinary customer experiences, to demand it - there are plenty of replacements waiting.
The question is…
Are YOU grabbing ALL the opportunities in front of you?
Grab your FREE GIFT and let me help you => Click Here
Dedicated to your success,
Henry.
PS: Hope you, your Mum, Gran, Wife, Husband, Sister, Girfirend had a great Mother’s Day!
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6 Ways to Kick Recession Into Touch
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s now 2 minutes to 5pm on Saturday and I’m sat here watching England play Scotland in the 6 nations.
Right now we’re 18-9 up.
Who knows how the game will end…
Plus, we’ve got the Ireland, Wales game in a bit which should be a ‘cracker’.
Anyway, as I was sat here watching the rugby, it struck me that beating recession is a little like a close fought battle on the rugby pitch.
I don’t know if you are rugby fan and it doesn’t matter.
But, if you remember England’s campaign in the last World Cup then you’ll remember the dogged, ‘bloody’ determination and ‘never, ever give up’ attitude our team displayed on their way to the finals.
We didn’t win but my word what a fight we put up.
And, if you’re being hit by recession it is that kind of ‘brutal’, ‘take no prisoners’, ‘I CAN win this’ attitude you need and need to keep firm.
But there’s more to it than that. You also need to be thinking, planning and implementing ideas FAST.
Here are 6 critical things you should be doing:
Recession Slayer #1: Account for Every Single lead, Prospect or Enquiry. I’m willing to bet that you lose anything between 5% and 50% of the business you could generate through ’slippage’. Telephone enquiries that don’t get followed up, emails that get forgotten, proposals that aren’t closed etc, etc. In tough times the cost of new client acquisition goes up. In many cases there are less new clients around (not all) and you need to do more to attract them. A world class lead generation system will help you keep costs down and free up resources. Secrets to making your client acquisition more efficient:
1. Track response from all your advertising and marketing. Identify which get the responses and which don’t. Do more of the ones that do and less of the ones that don’t.
2. Perfect your sales process. Whether that’s face to face in a shop or office, online, offline or whatever. Spend MORE here.
Recession Slayer #3: Get Some Friends: Recession hits all business and those in your area, industry and outside are looking for help too. Now is a very good time to develop mutually beneficial partnerships. In simple terms you offer your products/services to another companies’ customers and they do the same in return. Many benefits arise - you both gain clients, you both gain easy profit, your customer win because they get added value from you both!
Recession Slayer #4: Keep Your Mouth Firmly Closed. Back in my deep dark days as a corporate ’superstar’ there was nothing which would draw my inspiration, creativity and motivation to a stop faster than hearing from a boss or colleague that the company was in trouble. Wham! The shutters went down. You can and will have the same affect on the people in your business. The moment they get a sniff of despair it’ll run riot. Remember - the market for what you sell still exists. People ARE still spending money (and more of it than either I or you could ever comfortably suck up). Be the opportunistic entrepreneur - don’t ‘throw in the towel’. Excite your own and your employee’s imagination with opportunity and creativity.
Recession Slayer #5: Specialise and Raise Your Prices. Focusing on a defined, niche group of prospects and customers allows you to charge premium prices and beat generic competitors. The very best way to recession proof your business is to change WHO you are targeting. Remember, your best clients will be those affected least and last by recession. Who are they? You got it… The affluent…
Recession Slayer #6: Mine for Gold. Earl Nightingale and ‘Acres of Diamonds’ keeps ringing in my ears. It is way, way easier and cheaper to extract additional business from your existing clients that it is to go find new ones. It astonishes me that so many small business owners, coaches, consultants, speakers and authors don’t have a rock solid system in place to sell additional stuff to their customers and clients. To get more from your base you must communicate with them more. Send a newsletter at least once a month and do not be shy to offer products and service that will be of value to them.
Above all, keep your chin up and keep thinking, keep creating, keep going. There’s ample, abundant opportunity out there for you. Grab your share.
And don’t forget to take me up on my FREE GIFT — It is packed full of recession beating ideas.
Click Here to Grab Your FREE GIFT
Have a fantastic weekend,
Henry.
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