3 Ways To Grow

3 Ways To Grow

by | Mar 29, 2022 | ScLoHo Sales Tips, Sound ADvice

As owners or managers of a business, it’s our responsibility to not only figure out how to keep our business functioning properly and effectively, but also how to GROW our business.  Staying even or going backward are not options.  Growth is vital!

Growing a business is more complicated than just increasing sales.  Understanding that there are only three ways to grow a business is a great place to start.

1.) Sell more of what you are currently selling.

2.) Sell what you are currently selling for more money.

3.) Add additional product(s) or service(s) to what you are currently selling.

Regardless of how you slice it, nearly everything you can come up with to grow a business will fall under one of these three headings.

We suggest that you look at each area and identify within your business how you might increase your sales.

1. Selling more this year than you did last year isn’t as easy as it sounds and simply opening up your doors and hanging a “We’re Open” sign isn’t the answer. What can you do to get the same people, or new people, to buy more of your products or services?

2. Can you increase prices? If not on every product or service, can you increase the pricing on some of them? Which ones? Identify them!

3.  Adding products or services gets tricky. Think within your business category and then think outside of it. Are there products or services that you can add that won’t distract from or replace your current offerings?

Attracting a customer and getting them to open their wallets can be a difficult and costly process.  But once they’re in your showroom and have their wallets open, an accompanying up-sell is relatively easy.  Once the customer has chosen a new outfit, getting them to consider adding a pair of shoes or belt is relatively easy and it can be a big step towards growing your business.

The formula works regardless of if your business is retail, service, medical, or professional.

If you would like to see a simple worksheet that can help you start the process of utilizing the three ways to grow your business, click here.

Make Your Networking Work

Make Your Networking Work

by | Mar 22, 2022 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Do you network?  Does your networking work?

Regardless of whether you operate a business in a small market or a large one, networking can be one of the most powerful “free” marketing tools at your disposal.

While networking is free in many cases, it’s not as simple as signing up or showing up. Productive networks don’t just happen by default. It takes effort and planning. But, if approached correctly, the rewards can be significant.

Look around your community. Many of the most successful businesses are owned and/or operated by people that are actively involved in the community. Networking does work when it’s worked correctly, and done so for the right reasons!

Rule #1 to being a great networker is “Give before you receive and never keep score”. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your network can do for you, but what you can do for your network.” If you’re prepared to give of yourself and your company, your networks will return the favor.

Like all of your marketing tools, a little planning, effort, energy, and financial investment can net huge results over time. The positive effects go way beyond the goodwill you provide to the cause and your community.  Approached and handled correctly, networking will:

  1. Gain valuable knowledge about how other businesses are run
  2. Uncover opportunities and create connections that can enhance your  business
  3. Raise your positive profile in your community and among your peers
  4. Increase your confidence
  5. Provided valuable ideas from like-minded people

If you would like to start networking or make your networking work better, click here to see the 16 ideas and suggestions that can help you develop a successful networking marketing strategy.

Overcoming Ad Blockers

Overcoming Ad Blockers

by | Mar 15, 2022 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Most consumers would agree that ad blocking devices on digital and social media is one of the greatest inventions of all time. As technology advances, it’s gone from the digital world of advertising to the traditional media, specifically TV.  You can now, with the touch of a button, roll through ads without ever seeing them.

But if we’re honest, ad blocking is nothing new. The human mind learned how to block out and avoid annoying ads in all media way before the internet came along. 

Marketing experts have professed for years that there are no media that do not produce results; there are only messages that do not produce results.  They have also known that people don’t dislike ads; they dislike bad ads.

When you’re creating your next message, whether it’s for online or on-air, ask yourself what’s in it for your prospects to listen to (or view) this ad?  Is there any information or entertainment value for the listener?

Advertising guru Roy Williams, also known as the Wizard of Ads, is often quoted as saying, “For some insane reason, advertisers want their ads to look and sound like ads.”

Understanding that NO ONE consumes any media to see or hear ads is key to creating more effective ads. 

A study by Nielsen and Nielsen Catalina Solutions indicates that 49% of a brand’s sales lift from advertising is due to the creative, which refers primarily to the quality and the messaging,  A better message will garner a better response every time.

Click here for a list of tactics you can employ to make your ads more relevant and make your prospects more receptive to your message.
Apples, Oranges and Gasoline

Apples, Oranges and Gasoline

by | Mar 8, 2022 | Marketing and Advertising Insights

The main point I’m about to share with you is that not all advertising is the same and that’s good.

Also you need to understand the differences before you say yes to spending anything.

Apple, Oranges, and Gasoline.

At first glance the first two, Apples and Oranges have nothing in common with Gasoline.

However consider this:

Apples, Oranges and Gasoline are all fuels.

Yes, Gasoline is the most obvious fuel because that is what we pump into our cars, but Apples and Oranges are fuel for our bodies.  It is because our forefathers were able to fuel their bodies with food including fruit like Apples and Oranges that the science and technology was invented and created to produce Gasoline.

And now, Gasoline, and other petroleum based fuels are needed to transport the Apples and Oranges from their trees to our homes.

I bet you never thought about Apples, Oranges and Gasoline like this before.

Perhaps you are also wondering what Apples, Oranges and Gasoline have to do with advertising and marketing.

I just used them to create a word picture or two as we dig deeper.

Let’s pretend Apples and Oranges are two different radio stations with different formats.  The Apple station plays Country Music and the Orange station features News and Talk as their format.

The expectation of what you’re going to get when you bite into an apple is very different than a bite of orange.  One isn’t better than the other, they are just different.  Some people prefer one over the other and it may also depend on the person’s mood or time of day.

Same applies to radio stations.  I know some people who only listen to News and Talk radio during the week, but on the weekend, they crank up the music of their favorite station.

Just like their are differences in the chemical and nutritional composition of Apples and Oranges, there are also distinct differences between music based radio stations and news talk radio stations that you should know about before you purchase radio or any broadcast advertising.  It’s not just as simple as picking your favorite fruit.

What about that Gasoline?  In our story today, let’s equate Gasoline with Social Media.

Both Gasoline and Social Media can be very beneficial.  They can both be very dangerous.  The properties of Gasoline that powers our cars are the same properties that can be explosively dangerous.

Same with Social Media.  With the growth of platforms like Facebook, I’ve connected with dozens of people from my past along with made hundreds of new connections.  That’s the good side.  Social Media sites like Facebook have also fueled some terrible things and created divisions and ignited countless negative things too numerous to mention today.

Apples, Oranges and Gasoline can work together for good.  I’ve seen Social Media work in sync with News Talk and Music radio stations too.

My challenge to you as a business owner is what I said at the beginning, that not all advertising is the same so please work with someone that understands how to use each and how not to use each.

It’s more than the cost, it’s the purpose of what you want to accomplish.

I just looked up the cost of a gallon of Apple Juice, gallon of Orange Juice and a gallon of Gasoline and while Gas is still the cheapest of the three, you wouldn’t drink a glass of gasoline as a substitute for your morning O.J. right?

Need some guidance figuring all this out for your business? Contact me.

 

Happiness is an Inside Job

Happiness is an Inside Job

by | Mar 2, 2022 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Let’s be honest, compared to years gone by and even before COVID, fewer employees bring their smiles to work on a regular basis. Depending upon which source you want to believe, 50-70% of the American workforce is disengaged and/or unhappy. 

There was a time when being positive, upbeat, and happy was a given. As an employer, offering them a job was enough. In today’s “me” world, it’s not enough! The challenging question is… is it worth the price and effort to intentionally create a happy work environment.

Here are some fascinating, yet not surprising, facts that prove having happy employees will reap great rewards. Companies with happy employees…

  • Have 50% fewer workplace accidents
  • Happy employees have 37% less absenteeism
  • Companies with happy employees outperform their competition by 21%
  • 69% of employees said they would work harder if they were better appreciated
  • Employees who like their job are 10 times more likely to deliver good service

The statistics of happy vs unhappy employees are startling.  

As owners and managers, it’s easy to zero in on those things that employees do wrong, and we take for granted the things they do right. 

Psychologists will tell you, “Behaviors that get rewarded get repeated”.  If you want your staff to exhibit more customer-friendly behaviors, you need to recognize those behaviors. 

If you aren’t intentionally creating a work environment that breeds happy employees, start doing so today. 

When it comes to creating a culture of happiness, start at the beginning. Tip #1 in the Twelve Ways to Create Happy Employees is “Hire Based on Attitude, Effort, and Honesty”.  Attitude will win over skill nearly every time. Skills can be taught; attitudes are hard to change.  Effort nearly always follows attitude one way or the other, and you can never go wrong with hiring based on honesty.

The rewards of happy employees will pay huge dividends!  

To improve morale and productivity in your company, click here and read the Twelve Ways to Create Happy Employees.