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Don't put off your Marketing Plan
It is the beginning of the year and you
are planning your budget for: insurance, equipment, overhead,
entertainment, etc. How many of you have put aside a budget
for marketing yet? Many businesses think of advertising when
their phones are not ringing as much, but why wait untill
then? Why not prevent the drastic downs of your business by
planning ahead?
If you have a small Marketing budget,
following are some tips for your business to be exposed and in
constant communication with your target market while keeping
the cost low:
Networking: become a member of
your local Chamber of Commerce and be active in it, collect as
many business cards as you can and contact those people, send
them a letter of introduction and keep in touch with this
group on a regular basis; build a sphere of influence in your
community; ask your customers to refer you to others, and most
important keep your current customers happy!!!
Direct Mail: As I said before, keeping in touch
with your prospects, current customers and even old customers
is crucial. You could do it through postcards, personalized
letters and/or brochures. FREE offers are always effective.
Newsletter: You can develop an effective newsletter
that could generate tons of leads for your business. Take it
as far as your budget allows it. The format should have
“direct response elements” and “direct referral stimulators”.
The monthly frequency is vital. Make it of interest to your
reader, fun and addictive.
Newspaper and Magazines:
If you are a good writer and if you are very good at what you
do, you can write a few Press Releases and/or articles and
publish them for free!!! This is a great tool to get calls
back with questions and consultations (warm leads) – it is up
to you to turn these leads into customers.
Internet:
Don’t forget-that time is here! You must have a web site
and one that turns visitors into calls or e-mails. A site
should be easy to navigate, with pertinent and up-to-date
information and appealing to your target market. Find related
sites to hyperlink, and do link-exchanges with them. Also,
make sure to assign some budget to market the site
(pay-per-click marketing, search engine submission and site
optimization).
So my three tips for this year’s Marketing:
EXPOSURE, COMMUNICATION & CONSISTENCY.
Marcy Decato Creative Solutions Marketing, LLC
(951) 736-2999 marcy@cswebsitedesign.com www.cswebsitede
sign.com
Potential
Quest, Inc. is committed to delivering Coaching, Consulting,
and Business Services designed to grow our client's bottom
line.
Our coaches and consultants provide a thorough
needs analysis and then create a customized solution designed
to meet and exceed the organizations desired business
goals.
Find out more....
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January flew by in a flash and as we move
into February we are almost into the middle of Q1! Wow! I hope
that 2006 is truly turning into your best year ever and that
you are moving toward your overall business goals with ease
and grace.
In the January newsletter I talked about
“Focus” as the theme for Potential Quest, Inc. and our clients
this year. After the newsletter went out, I received a lot of
feedback from business associates and clients who thanked me
and said that, YES, focus had to be on the top of their
priority list this year. One of my strategic business partners
shared stories with me regarding people she knows who have
lost their focus, and are trying to be everything to everyone
and do everything for everyone, to the detriment of their
health.
We can all relate to feeling like we need to
do more, be more and have more. It’s the American way.
However, when we lose our focus, I believe we also lose our
centeredness and our ability to make really good decisions.
What do you need to do to get back to center? Do you
need some time and space to just THINK? This day and age we
are moving at record speed toward our goals, but we rarely
take the time to think about what we need to achieve our goals
with ease and grace, not with haste and stress. It is amazing
what a little time and space can do for your psyche. Is the
golf course or spa calling you?
In Support,
Ursula Mentjes
CEO and Certified Business
Coach
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Follow up
for Sales Success |
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 Are you interested in growing your
business this year? Most people answer with a resounding YES!
Business development is typically at the top of every CEO, VP
of Sales, Business Owner and Salesperson’s “to do” list at any
given moment. If you are ready to really grow your business,
one of the main secrets to sales success is to FOLLOW UP!
Most people underestimate the value in following up
with their prospects or current clients. It is easy to sit
back and believe that if you get your name out there enough
times your phone is just “magically” going to begin to ring.
Yes, sometimes that happens, and I believe it happens even
more when you are clear on who your target clients are and
where you are spending your time, but most likely, you are
going to need to follow up with your prospects regularly
before they become clients.
There are many questions
regarding how often a salesperson should follow up and how
they should follow up. In my opinion, there are five keys to
follow up success. Whether it’s a networking event or a formal
meeting, these keys can help you turn your prospects into
clients.
Five keys to follow up
success:
Key #1: Schedule! Schedule
time to follow up. Enter it into your day timer so that you
have time set up to regularly follow up.
Key #2: Follow
Up! Several successful ways to follow up include by
telephone to set an appointment, sending a written
note/letter/e-card that includes how you will follow up next,
sending a monthly newsletter to keep in touch—or whatever
creative way you come up with! Make sure it is memorable!
Key #3: Update! Update your CRM tool to reflect the
actions you took and plan to take with this specific client.
Print out a report from your database and enter your planned
actions into your day timer so that you can effectively follow
up with your new contacts.
Key #4: Take Action!
Take action on the next steps you created. For example, you
might schedule a call to follow up with your prospect in two
weeks, or perhaps you plan to send them your latest offering
in one week.
Key # 5: Get results! After all of
your active follow up, set the appointment and meet with your
client!
Your goal should be to make a habit out
of following up so that you can keep in touch with your prized
prospects and current clients. Have a system to effectively
track your HOT prospects and your PROSPECTIVE clients that
will keep you moving in the direction of your overall goals.
Approximately six months ago, I attended a networking
event and was approached by a prospect who wanted to hear more
about my business. At the time, he told me that he was going
to speak with his boss regarding bringing in additional sales
coaching help to take his team to the next level. He asked me
to get in touch with him in two months so we could set an
appointment prior to his meeting with his boss. I handed him
my business card, shook his hand and told him I would follow
up. When I got back to my office that day, I crafted a formal
letter, graciously thanked him for taking the time to connect,
gave him some information about the business services that we
offer and a few sentences about our success with current
clients. The letter closed by telling him I would follow up in
time to get together prior to his meeting with his boss.
A couple of months later, prior to my scheduled time
to call him, I had a voicemail waiting for me. The prospect
told me that he was ready to meet. I called him back
immediately, set the appointment for the following week and
arrived with excitement and enthusiasm. As I settled into his
office for the meeting, I noticed a letter posted on his board
above his computer. It was the letter I had written following
our first connection.
Never underestimate the power of
a strong follow up. Clients want to know how BADLY you want to
do business with them. If you aren’t committed to even getting
an appointment with them, they may wonder how you will service
them if they do become a client. How you follow up tells a
client what the rest of your relationship will be like. So,
wow them with your follow up so you have the OPPORTUNITY to
wow them with your products or services!
Action
Item: Have you made a habit out of following up? Are there
opportunities available to you right now that you have not
taken advantage of because you have not made the time to
follow up? Right now, before you do anything else, write the
Five Keys to Follow Up Success on your day timer and create a
plan that you can implement immediately to make a habit out of
following up. |
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Upcoming
Events! |
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www.theleadersclub.
net
The Leader’s Club meets every Tuesday
morning from 7:30am to 8:30am at COCO’s Family Restaurant
909.737.7270
www.coronachambe
r.org
Check out all of the great Corona chamber
events that are coming up!
www.riverside-chamber.com
Check out all of the great Riverside chamber events
that are coming up!
www.nawbo-
ie.org
NAWBO-IE Monthly Meeting The next meeting
will be in February 16th, 6:00pm, Dinner Hilton,
Ontario |
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The Reader's
Quest |
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Business at the Speed of Thought
by Bill
Gates
Lengthen Your Line: The 5 C's for
Exceptional Performance in the Game of Life
by Jim
Afremow
The Complete Handbook of Model Business
Letters
by Jack Griffin |
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Quotes on
Your Quest |
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"Nothing in this world can take the
place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common
than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not;
unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the
world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and
determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has
solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
Calvin Coolidge
"Efficiency is
intelligent laziness."
Anonymous
"Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence
is the key to unlocking our potential."
Liane
Cardes |
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Ursula Mentjes is a Certified Business Coach who
specializes in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to help her
clients reach their highest potential in their careers and
businesses. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology
and Communication and a Master of Science Degree in
Psychology. Ursula is also a Certified NLP Coach through the
NLP Institute of California and a member of the International
Coaches Federation. She is the founder and owner of Potential
Quest, Inc. Ursula has over ten years of sales, sales
management and executive management experience. You can
contact her at Ursula@potentialquest.com or 951.689.8002.
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Read on... |
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What clients are saying |
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"Potential Quest, Inc. increased our sales by 100% in
just two months which quickly impacted our bottom
line."
Juan Rodriguez, CEO
Integrated Digital
Technologies |
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FREE
"Goal Setting 2006" Coaching Session |
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Free 45-minute Coaching Session designed
to help you clarify your sales and business goals for 2006. If
you are feeling stuck, unclear or just downright frustrated,
this FREE coaching session is for you! Experience the power
of NLP and Visualization!
This FREE offer will be
honored for the first 10 people to contact us before
February 15th, 2006! This session is valued at $250.00
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