Danielle MacInnis – Marketing Blog for Small Businesses

As we start thinking about next year the best advice I can give is to ask your customers some questions. This feedback is so invaluable. The more you know about them, the better you are able to meet their needs and the more successful you will be. It is so simple to ask for feedback and small businesses are best placed to do this. A quick survey using wufoo.com or surveymonkey and you could have insights that will have you making sure your business approach in 2011 is the right one.

Top Questions to ask:

1. Ask them to rate your service and give them an open question as well to tell you why.

2. What did they like best about your service/ product?

3. Are there other services that they would like to see? (I just did this with a Spa and Osteo and we got some great ideas)

4. Would they recommend you and have they? (loyalty of the brand)

5. How they found out about you? Test some promotional ideas for 2011

6. Also talk to your staff and see what they are observing. Maybe do some mystery shopping. It is not costly and the information can change your business approach for the better. Most small businesses loose customers (up to 30% per year) so by finding this information out you could be stopping that leakage.

7. Talk with your suppliers as they know your industry and your competitors!

8. Collect some secondary data from places like Small business Victoria and Flying Solo.

9. I have collected some valuable e-books that are awesome for insights on running a small business. Click here to download. I also have a survey of small business marketing. Fill it out and you will see how you stack up immediately in a report. Worth doing.

10. Watch and follow the companies doing it well.

Aussie Farmers are doing an awesome job. They have sent me a couple of quick survey’s (well more than a few). They always remember I have done the survey and add to my shopping a free product but what is more impressive is they act on the advice. Adding organic to their range and smaller portions. Good on you Aussie Farmers!

This discussion has been going for some time on LinkedIn but I think it would be valuable for every small business owner.

Here it is:

What Are You Doing As A Business Owner To Get New Customers?

Eric Dean 951.972.8011

More than ever you as a business owner have to be able, and ready to move with today’s market. The potential customer is turning to the Internet today more then ever. They have a computer at home, at work, even our cars and cell phones that provide a quick and accurate list of businesses.

What is a business profile you ask? This is your businesses digital business card online. Almost every business has one. It has your business name, address, phone number and a link to your website if you have one. It also opens up to a business profile page. This has all the info listed above and more. It tells a customer what you do and the areas you service. They call this a customer connection page.

As for websites, many of today’s small and medium businesses do not have websites. Or the old adage is that “I have a website I am on the Internet” doesn’t mean you are found in local search. No Sir/Ma’am, we have to think outside the box or the belief of what we had been told in the past about the Internet. Today’s search engines take a whole new approach to getting found. Remember when we had to name our business “AAAA Plumbing” to get put at the top or the first page of the phone books. Well let me tell what the search engines look for. It is best to have the type of service you provide in the name of your business. i.e. Plumber- Joe’s Plumbing, HVAC – Joe’s Heating and Air Conditioning. Get the idea? Next, if you have a website does website match you name. i.e. Joe’s Plumbing – www.joesplumbing.com

If your business is on the front page of Google you have a good chance of getting contacted by the potential customers who are looking for the services or products you provide. I can tell you this if your business name and number are not there on the front page the likelihood of you getting a call are slim to none. You may say well I am on the front page or have been on the front page before and I didn’t get any calls. My question to you is: How long ago was it that you were on the front page? What Category were you listed under? What “key phrases” or “key words” were you found for? And what cities were you found in? Typically most businesses are ranked in the city in which they are located in. This is good however. You and I both know we travel long distances, sometimes 50 miles radius or more to get a job. There may be 10, 15 or 20 different cities in that radius. You need a good company to take care of your listing while you take care of answering the phone and servicing your new customers.

Let’s face it, your customers, I mean your potential customers are looking elsewhere today. The old idea of mailers, fliers on cars and homeowners front doors and those expensive full or half page ads in the yellow pages are gone for good. I don’t even own a phone book any more and when we were visiting the grandparents, my father asked my youngest son if he knew where the yellow pages was he looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language or thought it was some sort of coloring book. Then I said son where would you find a pizza place near grandpa’s house he immediately bolted for the computer and Googled “Pizza” immediately a page came up and in the local map section there a list of pizza places. It showed where they were located in relation to Grandpa’s house. It gave him the name and phone number. He showed Grandpa and they called the pizza place together to order dinner.

So what are you doing to get those potential customers today who are out there looking for the services you provide? Do you want them to call your competition?

• 50 comments

Danielle MacInnis • Chris Anderson has a great book called, Free the future of a radical price. I think a great way to get customers is to give them a taste. Start the relationship. Be proactive. Do something useful, unexpected, boy why not be downright generous. I am happy to give away my content, tools and experience. I know I am building a long term relationship with my prospective clients, supporters and collaborators. I live with the mindset of abundance.

Eric Dean 951.972.8011 • Well thank you Danielle. I will be sure to look up and read what he has to say. I hope you will take the time to look over my website and blogs. If you would like to help your clients get their businesses found on the front pages of all the major search engines in each and every city they service then by all means I would be more then happy to speak to you. Please feel free to contact me directly.

John Lee • I send real greeting cards (not ecards) and gift to my clients to show them appreciation. They love it. Then they think of me when their friends are talking about something I can help them with. Appreciation is the key!

I don’t drive to the store to buy cards. I do it all on line and the company prints it and mails it for me. It’s great!

Judy Misbin • I also set up a user profile on http://www.zeringo.com It allows me to easily organize and send eletters, online invites, post advertisements, set up a public profile that is SEO friendly and provide me a great area for real-time communication and collaboration.

Mila Rudneva • Some business owners give away some services for FREE. For example, I just found “Win a FREE Professional Logo and Stationary Design for Your Business” by MologokoStudios.
You can find it here http://www.mologokostudios.com/aboutus/design-special-offers-and-prices.php .

I think it is a great idea to get exposed!

Eric Dean 951.972.8011 • Mila, free stuff is a good idea though many people see it as a gimmick and most of what is given away is some cheap item. I have found that good old fashion American value is the way to go. The key today is to make sure your business is found where clients look most. Lets face it the prime real estate is the front pages of Google and the other search engines. Soon enough businesses will be paying someone to put them on page two and you know and I know most customers don’t go past page 1. I have programs that work both ways, one a subscription based ranking program and a performance based pay per call program. It’s your choice. I hope this helps. Have a great day.

Jim Shanman • Eric, are you advocating that the ONLY way to get new customers is by improving your SEO ratings? You ask a question at the beginning of the article and then restate it at the end, without ever really answering it, so I’m a little confused.

I’ve participated in a number of conversations like this – both online and off – and it always seems to boil down to the same process: Develop a multi-level marketing strategy and stick with it. Yes, online marketing is a key component to any marketing mix, but interestingly, while I agree the phone book is a dead medium, direct mail is proving to be surprisingly effective. Why? 2 reasons: 1 – there is less of it, meaning you have a better chance of standing out and 2 – People are so overwhelmed by online marketing techniques, they are increasingly tuning it out and prefer to actual hold something in their hand. For example, when we look to order a pizza at home (and quality is secondary to price), we sort through our door hanger coupons looking for a good deal.

Further, while impressive search engine ranking is key to many businesses, it is hardly the best solution for many others. To single it out as the salvation of sales seems to be a bit naive to me.

Eric Dean 951.972.8011 • I am not saying that Internet Marketing is the only way by any means. In fact, diversity is the key. I think mailers, hangers, flyers, radio, tv and numerous other avenues are all still great ways to get your business name in front of the masses. I am just stating that today more then ever people use the internet on their phones, computers, GPS devices, and TV’s to find what their looking for. I use my phone three to four times a week to find stores, shops and for services that I need or require. I am open to all forms and believe they all have relevance in todays market. Have a great day.

Warren Boschin • I have found that Yellow Pgs., direct mail, hand outs, and local ads just don’t work.

Lately I have felt that I must do more on the internet and by email.
In the main I have done lots of networking at Chamber mixers, expos..and
business groups to make connections with other businesses that might need my
help. Also being a public speaker teaching other business folks how to network
to get business has helped. It’s that person to person contact that does it.
People need to get a sense of the real you to feel trust and understanding for
your company.

Warren

Jim Shanman • There is a lot of truth to that. People like to do business with people they know. But again, it’s having a good mix in your plan that works. Speaking in public, ads and handouts all help familiarize you with your audience, but may not lead directly to a sale. And then when they search for you – and easily find you – that’s a big plus (Eric’s key point). Finally when you do meet them in person at a networking event, they feel they already know you. It’s not so much a sales pitch as an affirmation as to who you are.

Dan: I really think the answer is in having a ongoing marketing and sales strategy. Together these elements form the basis of your lead generation machine. Some really interesting comments!

I was speaking with a client the other day and he suggested I need to separate  me Dan the person,  from MacInnis Marketing the brand. This statement got me thinking. Is this advisable or even possible when you are a small business delivering a service?

The personality of the brand MacInnis Marketing is all tied up with who I am and my values. My value is intricately tied to that. The very reason clients choose to use me as a consultant is I would argue because of who I am? Obviously this is different if you run a  large company with a number of employees, but in a small business doesn’t the person count more? Isn’t it more relationship based? Do you choose your dentist, accountant, lawyer and doctor because something about their personal brand resonates with you?

Tom Peters from FastCompany says how important it is to nurture your personal brand “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” Tom explains in today’s world of self publishing, of social media, of 1 to many everyone has the chance to stand out as a brand.

Anyone can have a website, twitter account, Facebook page and as Tom explains, any body does, so how do you know which one is worth visiting or following? The answer Tom suggests is branding. The branding is the promise of value you receive so you go back again and again. Professional service firms are all about delivering an intangible service and so to stand out it is the individual that must distinguish him or herself. As Tom explains “if you’re really smart, you figure out what it takes to create a distinctive role for yourself — you create a message and a strategy to promote the brand called You.

What if you don’t want to grow beyond yourself as a entrepeneur. What if you are not looking to hire, then what? Laura  Bergell’s wrote a great article on discovering your brand and Laura would suggest the essence is knowing who you really are and how your customers see you.

Here is how my customers say they see me:(worlde)

So I believe your personal brand is all wrapped up in your company when you are a small business and particularly a sole practitioner so here are some ways you can work on your personal brand:

1) Identify the qualities that makes you distinctive from others.
2) Think about the things that can add remarkable,measurable,distinguish and distinctive value in you.
3) Increase your visibility
4) Analyze the feature and benefits you are giving to your customers.
5) Continuously evaluate your self,how you as a brand is doing.
6) Never limit your scope. (Thanks Kuldeep-Kashyap – student)

So I guess thinking about my client’s comment I am really glad that my personality, values and strengths are part of my brand and I hope to evolve and grow by the gift of feedback from my clients. I don’t think can separate myself from my brand and in fact I want to do the opposite and use forums like this to further build my profile and identity with others.

Good food for thought!

When I first visit with a new client the first thing I ask is, “Do you talk with your customers?”  I am often surprised to hear that many don’t.  This is one of the first check points or pulses in marketing,  as this insight is pivotal to how you can strategically manage your business. This feedback shapes everything and so here are 5 ways to capture customer insights.

1. Ring your customers for a chat. Everyone likes to be made feel valued and so ringing your customers and asking them how everything is going and if there is anything they need or you can do to improve your service is a no brainer. Most small businesses don’t do it. Make a time in your diary for every month to call at least 5 customers and ask them these questions. You will find the answers shape your business and open up opportunities.

2. Have a database. This is a crucial investment. One central place to collect information about your customers. The more  you know about them, the more you can tailor your services to their individual needs.  There are lots of great CRM products out there to hold your customer information (see sidebar CRM links) but a simple excel sheet with their details, name, phone number, email address and what they have bought from you is a good start. You can then begin to segment your customers based on different criteria, how much they buy from you, $ value, products or services they buy. This information can then be useful when you start talking with your customers using other social medias including, blogs, newsletters, or lead generation campaigns.

3. Ask your staff for customer insight. I was talking about this the other day with a client and we decided to put a big whiteboard in the middle of the open office space with Happy Customers, Upset Customers and then people could come and write down what they were hearing and seeing. This gave the CEO much greater visibility to customers and gave the staff some ownership over the customer satisfaction of their clients. So set up some forum where staff can discuss customer issues, good and bad.

4. Do some research. Research these days can be very quick to do and economical. There are a lot of free survey tools (look under my links on the side bar) that allow you to create surveys quickly. When you need to test an idea, get some feedback then perhaps try a survey with your existing clientele. Very quickly you can get a feeling whether you are on the right track and as long as the survey is not too long, they can feel good that they were consulted.

5. Invite customers to your planning and brainstorming sessions. It is sometimes worthwhile to have a customer or a customer advocate like a marketing consultant involved in your planning sessions for the business to ensure that the customer remains central to the focus of your business. This holds the business accountable and by having an actual voice at these forums, ensures that the customer is really represented. The other option is to hold a focus group just with your customers around an important decision that you are going to make with the business, to test the concept or pilot it before you commit to it.

So there you go, 5 simple but effective ways to talk with your customers. Get started today, and let me know what you uncover…

Are you memorable or boring? Are you safe or unpredictable? In small business it is important that you are creating something your customers feel compelled to shout about. How do you do this? What is your secret sauce?

Well I believe it has something to do with the customer experience you provide.  The Dijuluisgroup is a company that focuses their efforts on creating world class customer service organisations.

Let’s face it; there is so much choice with products. Just look at the supermarket shelf and the choice of different sorts of bread, milk, yoghurt or tea. Everything has become commoditised. The real last point of differentiation is your service or more so the customer experience that you deliver to your customers in a consistent delightful way.

Everyone will say that they have great customer service but interestingly as John DiJuluis points out that is an internal view point and when you ask your customers you might be surprised about how they rate your service. Most people however only notice your customer service when it is bad. If you screw something up, believe me it is memorable! Customer insight is a key. dijuliusgroup

Customer experience speaks more to this secret sauce. It is about your companies culture and focus on delighting the customer at every touch point. How do we personalise their experience. How do you deliver your experience to the customer currently? If you are not sure how you stack up why not take some of the surveys on the dijulusgroup site. They have one for the organisations customer experience aptitude and one for the individual. If nothing else it will make you think.

Two key questions to keep in mind.

1. You can make price irrelevant. John tells the story on Jay Ehret Power to the small business of two hairdressers. One had a sign in his window “HAIRCUT ONLY $10”. The salon across from them was a totally different salon and had an average haircut cost of $50. The suggestion was to put a sign in the opposite window saying “We fix $10 haircuts”. The challenge to make price irrelevant is to create a haircut and an experience that is so different is like taking a 60 minute holiday.
2. Create a fantastic customer experience everytime. Imagine instead of charging $100 per hour for a consultation you charged $1000. Now note down what you would do differently and do it. Make the experience exceptional.

Look at how I create an exceptional experience.

Dan’s Quick tips:

Use the customer and your name a few times when on the phone.

Add some value by doing your homework before you meet a potential client, the web is an awesome tool for this

Ask your customers for feedback every chance you can and act on it, own it, improve it.