The jury is still out about our current economy.  Some say we will be experiencing a mild recession and others say we are on the brink of a depression.  It doesn’t matter where you fall in the debate, one thing is certain, business growth is not as easy as it once was.

If you have been reading the news headlines, many CEO’s are focused on cutting costs and laying off employees.  This does help short term profitability, however these actions are precisely the wrong strategy to take if you want to grow your company in a bad economy.

CEO’s who want to increase sales, profit margins and drive new business growth in 2009 should consider the following top 5 business growth success secrets.

1. Focus Marketing Dollars on Value Not Brand

Focusing your time and money on “Brand” marketing may increase name recognition however it doesn’t generate revenue. Showing customers what value your product or service provides will generate top line sales revenue.  Spend more on marketing campaigns where the customer can experience your products value.

2. Stop Scaring Your New Prospects Away

Most corporate marketing campaigns, websites, sales collateral and sales processes scare customers away.  From a customer’s point of view, your company looks and sounds just like your competitors.  To be perceived differently and attract new customers you must stop focusing on your product features, functions, quality, customer service and company awards.  You should focus more on how you solve your customers business problems.

3. Catch Amnesia

Forget how great you and your business performed last year. The past is the past. This year it’s a new game. The rules have changed and the players are different.

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“I know I need to know how to create spreadsheets and update my database, but I just can’t find the time!”  Does this sound like you?  So many professionals and small business owners need to learn more about computer applications in order to function more effectively in their jobs.  Finding a good time to get the training you need to do your job can be challenging for many business owners and professionals.

If you find yourself registering to attend computer classes, but then having to cancel because something always seems to come up at the last minute, you are not alone.  Many business people have a hard time planning ahead of time to attend training sessions that are scheduled for specific times.  However, finding training classes at the last minute is nearly impossible, because good classes fill up quickly.  It can be very frustrating to know that you need to improve your skills, but to be unable to find time to do so.

That’s where online training comes in.  E-learning classes are available in every topic imaginable, from basic computer skills through how to design and market your company’s website.  By selecting an online training option, your computer can become your classroom.  Instead of leaving work or home to go to class, literally your class can be delivered right to your desktop, any time that you want it.  Whether you have time to work on developing your skills first think in the morning, last thing at night, or even in the airport between flights, you can fit e-learning into your schedule.  

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When your goal is to grow your business, one of the most important things you can do is spend time learning how to generate publicity for your organization.  The key to getting publicity for your company is to develop and implement a sound public relations plan that focuses on activities designed to attract positive media attention to the activities of your business.  

Three of the best techniques for generating publicity include:

1.  Special Events Hosting a special event is a great way to generate publicity for your company.  There are many ways to generate free publicity for events that are open to the public.  Many websites and newspapers have special sections dedicated to community events, and you can submit information about any events that you have scheduled for publication consideration.

For example, if you are opening a new location, you might want to consider holding a ribbon cutting ceremony.  Even if you aren’t moving, you can schedule an open house event.  While the news media aren’t likely to attend the actual event, any pre-event publicity that you generate can boost your business, and you will enjoy the added benefit of giving customers and prospective customers a good excuse to visit your business.

2.  Public Speaking Engagements Most civic and professional organizations schedule speakers for their weekly or monthly meetings.  Come up with an idea for an interesting topic that is related to your business offer to speak to local organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary, the American Business Women’s Association, and others.  

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January 1st is always fun since it is somehow the beginning of a whole new set of opportunities.  We seem to divide our business year by holidays.  Memorial Day is the beginning of summer so vacations slow down sales.  Labor Day is the beginning of the last quarter so we must push to achieve our goals, and New Year’s Day is the opportunity to start with a clean slate.

So, let’s look to 2009 as the year that will be a challenge for all of us.  Since the economy seems to be on hold for a while, we need to generate a lot of activity.  Some people feel that if they can keep their existing customer base they are doing well and that may be true.

Wouldn’t it be exciting to grow your business in 2009?  Think of all the sales people who will be sitting on the sidelines waiting for “the turn around.”

The way to be different from the “crowd” will be to go out and get every piece of new business in your market.  Don’t wait, go after everyone.  Prospect like crazy in every market available to you.

This is the time to make all those cold calls you should have been making for the last number of years.

I literally mean call on everyone.  If nothing else imagine the list of prospects you will get.  You may be the only supplier that calls on people who actually need your products and services.

This is the time you will walk right into sales, surprise opportunities that make selling the best profession on earth.

I like to tell seminar participants that you owe it to your prospects to get out there and call on them.  They may be sitting in their offices just waiting for your call or visit.  It is rude to not call on them!  They need you.

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I’ve always been one for giving information away for free. Some people tell me I shouldn’t do it and other people say that it’s a great thing to do. I’ve tried both. Generally though, I find that giving something away for free does help my business.

Here are the reasons why I think giving away information for free is a good thing:

1)    It helps establish you as an expert
2)    It lets people experience what you do without any risk
3)    People start to like and trust your approach
4)    It allows you to build up a relationship with people

I think most business owners would agree that giving away some free information is good. The difficulty is when to draw the line and stop.

There was a time when I gave away nothing at all (after some advice from a business contact of mine who thought I gave away too much), but it was an approach that just didn’t work for me. So, when I decided to start giving away information again, I thought very carefully about what was free and what I wanted people to pay for.

My guidance (that I’ve set for myself) is that I’m happy to give away knowledge in the form of article & tips, advice on forums and sometimes advice to people in meetings – more about this one in a minute. But, all the advice I give away is general advice that applies to anyone. My rule of thumb is that if someone wants specific advice and help that applies to them then they need to pay for that.

There are of course exceptions to this. There are times when I’ve been feeling very generous in meetings and given away lots of help and advice to the person. When I do this I have to check with myself that I’m happy to do that and I’m not going to walk away from the meeting feeling bitter. As long as I’m ok, then I’m happy to do that.

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As we enter the month of December, I can’t help but look back at the year that was. The thousands of new businesses started, the people we’ve profiled, and the technology applications that have made our lives complete. In no particular order of preference, I give you my top 5 technology applications of 2008.

1. Basecamp – the backbone of the business. This project management software helps us keep on top of things. By logging in, the team can see the status of each client and contribute to future projects. It saves on sending group emails and files and keeps your thoughts and intelligence in one place. To clients, it makes you look super-organised.
   Cost: $49 per month (£32)
2. Skype – our virtual water cooler, video conference system and podcast production kit. Yes, we do lots with Skype! It’s a versatile product that, at its most basic level offers an instant messaging service. Taking it to the next level allows you to connect with customers by webcam or group calls.
   Cost: Free to download. £20 for basic hand phone or headset. 
3. Twitter – a perfect way to show off your expertise .. and, yes, see what your friends had for lunch. Twitter has had a bad rap for being ‘lightweight’ and ‘a form of virtual stalking’ but anyone who uses it will know it’s no such thing. Twitter is a tool that is low maintenance, yet powerful. It provides an outlet for your expertise as you tweet in less than 140 words on your thoughts and motions of the day. To be sure, there is a social angle to this neat application but that’s what home business is all about; business mixed with life.
   Cost: Free
4. Surveymonkey – take polls and run Awards with this cheeky piece of software. Our 2008 Home Business Awards were managed by surveymonkey.com - it was a delight to use and is also cost-effective.
   Cost: Basic package is free.

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Achieving Extraordinary Results: It’s Just a Skill

“Give me someone who does - over someone who plans any day.”  That is what a sales manager told me one day. 

I knew exactly what he meant because some of the most highly educated people I know have had very little success in life.  While some of the least educated people I know have had tremendous success. 

The reason is remarkably simple.  The successful people in every walk of life Do things.  The unsuccessful people plan and have intentions but seldom Do!. 

Now this may sound pretty simple, but it is true in my experience and in yours to.

Think about it in regards to prospecting.  If you sit around and plan to make prospecting calls, but don’t prospect, how many prospects will you generate?  None.  How many exciting selling situations will you walk into – none!  You will never develop your prospecting skills since you never use them.

If, on the other hand, you go out and start prospecting 3 times a day every other day lots of fun things will happen, most of which you can not possibly predict.  This is one of the exciting things about field prospecting.

For example, we called on a company in Youngstown, Ohio recently and as we walked into the lobby, we were greeted by a man putting on his sport coat and walking out.  We recited our blitz call words and he said he was the owner and wanted to talk with us right then since they had just gotten a new contract with the Navy and were in the process of seeking bids for materials.  No way to predict or plan for that!

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Have you ever had the experience of having to promote someone else’s products and services? I don’t know about you, but I always find this much easier than promoting my own business. May be it’s because we’re not as close to someone else’s business as we are to our own and so if people say no it’s not such a big deal.

Problem is, if you’re in business, you’ll need to market and promote your products and services and for this to be effective, you’ll need to get over the fact that you’ll have to talk about yourself in a positive light.

Easier said than done though, isn’t it?

I think we can all trace this problem back to childhood. We were all brought up by being told that being modest is the way forward. Talking about yourself too much is a bad thing – you should pay attention to other people instead. 

Great advice…but, not so helpful when you’re trying to sell your business.

So, let’s explore some ways in which you can overcome this:

1. If you’re not comfortable talking about yourself and would prefer to listen to other people, that’s actually a great selling skill. Ask people questions, encourage them to tell you their problems. Chances are that they’ll tell you exactly how you can help them and then it’s much easier to tell them what the solution is.
2. Write down some frequently asked questions. If you keep getting asked the same questions over and over again and you’re not sure what the answers should be, write them down with your ideal answer. Then you can do two things with this. You could put your FAQs onto your website so that potential clients can see them and you could also practice them so that the next time someone asks you a question, you’re ready with an answer.
3. Act.

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