Sinful Secrets of Business & Books
Four mini workshops on publicity, design, publishing and advertising for your business or your new book. These are insider secrets that the average business owner or author don’t know about. These tips can help you make it or break it in the world of business and publishing. You won’t want to miss it! 10% of the proceeds of books sold between 2:00 and 6:00pm will be donated to the love of reading fund for needy schools.
I recently attended a marketing networking group and one of the ladies I was chatting with brought up the subject of a customer that she felt was high maintenance and took up way too much of her time. It prompted me to think about whether business owners even know what the signs for spotting such a customer are, and what to do when that kind of situation arises. The subject is very open to interpretation depending on what kind of business you run.
The first year or two in operation business owners are eager to take on any new customers that come their way - no matter what the consequences. There is little thought given to who they are, or their business ethics. Having new customers flock to your business and improving your bottom line is great, but what you may find is that the time and money required to satisfy and service these high maintenance individuals is not always worth it. You can’t take on everyone as a customer because not all people are a good fit for your business. In discussing the subject with several business owners, here are some agreed upon signs to consider when deciding whether it’s time to move on from an established or potential customer:
- When they refer to another companies’ price for services, while bringing up their objections with working with you, after you’ve addressed all their concerns- it’s time to move on.
- It takes an unusually long time to close the sale with them
- When all the customer cares about is price and nothing else
- Once you begin working with them, they request extra advice that is outside the realm of your staff roles and services offered. They also expect free tutorials and request free hourly updates.
- The customer complains about the work your business does for them - but they keep coming back to work with you!
Sometimes owners automatically assume these types of people may be their top paying customer just because they take so much of their time, when in fact, they don’t even fit into this category. Be sure to have a good look at your sales numbers to see who your top paying customer is and stick to focusing your energy and wonderful service on these people.
I spoke with business owners from Edmonton and Calgary, and all of them agreed that when you get a gut instinct about a person, it ends up being the best choice to follow that feeling. Gently inform your established or potential client that you are not sure that your company is the right fit for them and refer them to another organization that may be more suited to help them out. If you have nothing to gain from working with these people – then make the decision to move on- you won’t regret it!
In today’s extremely competitive environment, your business design and marketing concepts need to make potential clients stop dead in their tracks. Whether its web design, graphic design, book launches or publicity,your print, radio, and TV advertisements need to scream, “Look at me!”
Your website should be so unique that all the visitors will bookmark your site and tell all their friends to check you out!
Here are some great ways to stand out from the competition:
1) Your business cards are prime real estate to display what you do. If you’re a design company for example, develop an artsy card that illustrates your design abilities.
2) Business signage should be prominent from the street with big fonts and bold colors to make drivers turn their heads as they drive by.
3) At a trade show run a great contest, give away free samples of your work, have demonstrations of your product and design the booth to be interactive so attendees will be lured in.
Put yourself in your clients’ shoes - would you drop what you’re doing to take a second glance at your own marketing material?
Every marketing initiative you implement must yield great results - so grab the attention of your target audience today through amazing branding, website design, web pages, and advertisements.
When you start your business, your passions take over and you are eager to take care of everything yourself. But as time goes on you realize you are losing yourself in the everyday operational aspects and the fun you had in the beginning is gone.
What seemed easy in the beginning can sometimes become overwhelming. It’s a common misconception that business owners can actually execute all their business activities themselves. As much as you would like to think you are an expert at every aspect of your business, you cannot do it all. Consider all the aspects of your business. Are you really an expert at marketing, webpage design, human resources, management, accounting, finances, advertising, design, creative writing, copywriting, and public media relations? I’m guessing if you are honest with yourself then the answer is, “well I know a lot of those things, but not all of them.”
With all the stress, time, and capital it takes to learn all of these business operations, you are taking the risk of producing below par work and frankly, you may end up becoming disinterested in your own business. You started your business because you have a passion for it. So how then do you avoid this mistake? Outsource!
By hiring competent team members to assist in the areas you are weaker in, you’ll have better results and people to bounce ideas off about the direction of your business. Don’t learn the hard way. If you aren’t strong in every aspect of your business, or lack the resources needed to allocate a solid marketing strategy or brand – call us. We are the experts in marketing, book publicity, advertising and design. Now stop trying to do everything yourself!
As a PR firm that specializes in placing clients in the spotlight by booking media interviews, and book publicity, I know clients need to get the word out about their businesses. I’ve realized however, that after I book them on one or two interviews, they want more. They want to keep using the media as their forum.
Why?
Is it because they love attention? Did they feel famous? What is it about being in the public eye that brings out the star in everyone?I’m reminded of a great quote by Joseph Barbera- “Publicity…you want it, you need it, you crave it, and you’re scared as hell when it stops.”No one can escape the tabloids in the supermarket check out line. As much as we would like not to admit it, being famous has an alluring quality that just can’t be explained.
We are bombarded with media and publicity as soon as we get up in the morning- the radio, the television, the newspaper- it is everywhere, and people will go to great lengths to hear their name mentioned hoping that the world will respond.
In fact, there is a strange trend now with people writing their obituaries or even their own quotes to put on their gravestones, just to make sure they are remembered in the right light.I don’t want to die in order to be remembered - do you?Why not feel accepted and interesting to others now. Think about Publicity , Marketing, Advertising, and then think about making your mark today. Get the word out about you and your company. And if you need to know how, then give us a call!~ Crystal Dallner
Crystal Dallner, Media and Publicity Expert, is the founder of Outright Communications, a cost-effective marketing and design firm that offers Publicist services. Contact us today for all your Design, Marketing and Book Publicity needs and we’ll help get your message out. Right.
www.outrightcommunications.com
