Generating Leads in a Tough Economy

“Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way.” Satchel Paige, Hall of Fame Baseball Player

This is the third in a three-part series on what our clients are doing to win the game of business in 2010...

We’ve all heard the old saying, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That’s exactly what our clients are doing to keep generating leads in challenging times. Generating leads is not optional in the game of sales, so we thought we’d share some of the clever ways our clients are filling their pipelines of opportunity.

Free Webinars – Offer the opportunity for your prospects to participate in forums. Pick a topic of interest and maybe even find an expert to lead the webinar with you. Advertise and ask people to register. Follow up with them after the webinar…you now have something to talk about!

Marketing Campaigns – If business is slow, it’s probably time to analyze your marketing program. Re-evaluate your target markets and prepare specific campaigns to go after those prospects. Get some coaching on marketing to make these efforts efficient and productive.

Join Associations – Network, network, network. Offer to speak at meetings and panel discussions. Be sure to have marketing plans ready for follow up with everyone you meet.

Find Partners – Tap into companies who offer complimentary services. Are you a lawyer? Find a good CPA whose clients most likely need your services. Your clients probably need a good CPA. Develop a plan to market as a team or one-stop-shop. Get referrals from people who service the same type of clients that could use your service.

Contests – Run a contest that gets people’s attention and draws new eyes to your website or ads. Make sure people have to provide contact information in order to enter. Follow up with everyone.

Social Media - We can’t stress strongly enough the power of social media. Get some coaching as to what types of activities will make the most sense for your business and potential clients.

The bottom line is, take action. There is always something you can be doing to generate leads and keep sales in existence. In order to get results, you have to take action. A business coach can give you a plan of action and hold you accountable for delivering on your intentions for your business. When you’re in action in your business, your business will win.

Are you ready to win?

Blogging For Business Gets You Eyeballs

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination." ~ Tommy Lasorda

Blogging has become a commonplace web activity. Whether you write them or read them, everybody knows what a blog is about. What many people don't realize is that a business blog can gain you eyeballs -- i.e. customers.-- in more ways than one. When I first mention writing a blog many business owners groan and immediately protest the amount of time required. But the investment of time in a blog can pay of more than you know.

How can a blog help my business?

• Gains you SEO (search engine optimization) links to your website
• Share your expertise so customers get to know you
• Establishes your expertise so the search engines find you
  
• Helps your customers which creates a "feel good" connection
• Offers an opportunity to bring in guest posts and strengthen offline connections
• Creates an opportunity to exchange a dialogue with your customers
• Provides a vehicle for consistency in your business message
• Can be a time-saving way of sharing information with a lot of customers
  

Learn from the Experts

There are many six-figure bloggers out there who have implemented simple steps to achieve their success. Creating success from a blog is not rocket science, it just requires persistence and follow through. The recently launched e-book Beyond-Blogging interviews 15 six-figure bloggers, revealing the steps they took to reach their blogging success. Several of them don't make any money from their blogs, but instead use their blog as a vehicle for bringing in new clients and building a 7-figure business.

How do I start a blog?

1. Choose a subject for your blog. It's important find a niche and focus on that niche in order to establish your expertise.
2. Determine who will write your blog. You must look within your organize and create a team of individuals who will contribute to your blog content. Give everybody who desires the opportunity to contribute, and you will create a robust resource for content.
3. Come up with your blogging schedule. How often you blog should be consistent. Users should know when to expect new posts. Create a calendar that is realistic for your schedule. You should blog a minimum of 1 time per week, but 5 times per week is optimum.
4. Choose a blogging tool. There are many tools out there. The articleHow Do I Set Up a Blog? might help you determine which tool is right for you.
5. Implement your plan, and be consistent. It is very important to follow through on your blogging plan. If you announce your blog, do a few posts, then give up, that will make an impression on your customers. You can write your posts ahead of time in order to stay on schedule, but be certain to block out a portion of your calendar to blog implementation.
6. Utilize social media to publicize your blog. Social media is the optimum outlet to gain readers for your blog. Along with your blog, you should create a social media plan to help promote your blog posts.
   

Interested in creating a blog? Bonnie Landau offers a coaching for creating, developing and marketing a successful blog. Contact Possibilities Unlimited to find out how you can use a blog to build your business.

Are you ready to win?

Shifting Gears to Stay in the Game

“If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. If you run into a wall…figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it.” Michael Jordan, Legendary Basketball Player

This is the second in a three-part series on how to stay competitive in challenging and changing economic times.

At Possibilities Unlimited, we work with a broad range of companies and industry types. Last year, we witnessed a lot of creative reactions to the changing marketplace. Here are some examples of strategies our clients implemented to stay in the game in the face of shrinking resources:

1. Cross-training. Sounds simple, but it is always an effective strategy that gives you the capability to respond quickly to unpredictable market swings. Our client is an upscale real estate consulting firm. They decided to train analysts to sell consulting and got more boots on the ground to spread their message. The result is an increasing pipeline of business and greater visibility upon which they continue to build.

2. Renegotiation. Hey, your customers are doing it, why shouldn’t you? We had several clients renegotiate leases, contact terms and employee pay. It never hurts to ask for a better deal to save money, just be careful you don’t sacrifice quality along the way.

3. Add on services. We had one client broker a complimentary service (printing with advertising) to provide more of a one-stop-shop. He got a cut of the printing and kept his client happy with the service.

4. Upselling. Go back through your client list and see who needs additional services. It’s a lot cheaper to upsell an existing relationship than to go out and get a new one.

5. Not standing for what isn’t working. Now is the time to stop putting up with systems and people who aren’t getting the job done. The status quo doesn’t work in tough times. Everyone on your team needs to be stepping up to the plate and looking for ways to be more efficient and provide better service. Make it a game within the company and reward good results. And if someone isn’t willing to play, maybe they aren’t a fit for your organization.

There are a lot of ways to stay competitive. These are just some examples. If you have a good story of how your company dealt with adversity, we’d love to hear it. And if we can help you break through a challenge in your business, just email us. We’re here to help you win.

Next in the series: How to Generate Leads in Any Economy

Are you ready to win?

New Year, New Strategies

"If your team is going to win, you need to play better than the other quarterback." - Peyton Manning, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts

This is the first of three blogs that will address simple strategies for getting yourself off to a good start in 2010. Some of them are conceptual, and some are activities or resolutions that will keep your business healthy and fit in the coming year.

The first step is to look backward. Take a few minutes to analyze what worked in 2009. Some things to review are:

• Where did you make money?
• What products sold the best?
• What key decisions did you make that improved your bottom line?
• What systems or processes did you change that resulted in greater efficiency or cost reduction?
• What lessons did you learn that you can take into 2010?
• What risks did you take that paid off?

Make a list of things that worked and acknowledge your success in those areas.

Next, look at what didn't work. Did you have employees that didn't function as a team? Did you have expenses that trended sharply upward? Where did you lose money or time? Make a list of these things and rank how they impacted your bottom line.

Once you have a handle on what worked and what didn't in 2009, it's time to look forward and make a comprehensive plan for 2010. Here are some key questions to ask yourself when developing your winning strategy:

• What is your primary goal or company directive for 2010?
• What is the biggest challenge your company faces in the coming year?
• What is your sales target? Your net profit target?
• What percentage growth are you after?
• Are you ready to commit to your company's plan? What does being committed to that plan look like?

There are bound to be questions that are germane to your particular business or industry. make a list and be honest with yourself about possibilities and challenges that you face. Consider working with a business coach who will hold you accountable for your intentions and keep you on the path to winning results.

Next in the Series: Winning Stories from 2009

Are you ready to win?

Get in the Social Media Game for 2010

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” ~ Albert Einstein

Social media marketing has become so common place that major corporations are creating departments to manager their outlets. Businesses today who aren't utilizing social media are missing out on the new way of connecting with potential clientele. Here are some simple steps you can follow to get yourself on the social media bandwagon for 2010.

1) Commit to a schedule

Like any change in business, the first step is figure out how much time you are willing to commit to make it happen. Social media can be a huge time drain, which is why most companies avoid it. But it doesn't have to be. Read The Social Media Diet and figure out when your schedule can be freed up to allow some time to market online.

2) Define your goals
Why are you engaging in social media? Some common goals are:

• Is this just to see what it's all about?
• Is it part of your SEO campaign?
• Are you using it to research and find new leads?
• Are you using to it creating a buzz around your business?
• Are you using it to learn how your competitors use social media?
  

Before you can determine what outlets are best for your company, you first have to decide what you want in return for your participation. The following articles may assist you in determining your social media objectives:

• Build Your Online Business Network 
• How Many People Are Really Using Social Media?
• Why Do Corporations Want their Executives to Use Social Media?

3) Choose your outlets

Not all social media outlets are created equal. They do different things and require different time input in order to get a return. You need to read about each one and determine if it fits your goals. You might want to take a social media class or hire a social media coach in order to help narrow down your choices. The following articles might help you make a decision amongst the most popular social media platforms:

• Study: Inc 500 CEOs Aggressively Use Social Media for Business
  
• 10 LinkedIN Tips to Grow Your Business
• Should You Use Twitter to Promote Your Business?
• 32 Ways to Use Facebook for Business
• Should Your Small Business Have a Blog? 

4) Follow through on your commitment

Just like any other marketing plan, if you don't follow through, you won't get results. Implement your social media plan for at least 3 months, and then gauge if it is right for you. It takes some time to see results, but if you put in the time, you will definitely see them.

Follow Consulting2Win on Twitter:

Ralph White: @ralphwhitecoach
Bonnie Landau: @LandauDesign
Lee Ann Famer: @LeeAnnFarmer
Mary Mullenhoff: @MaryMullenhoff

Are you ready to win?