If I said Mind Your Own Business would you think I was rude?

I was thinking that Emily raised an extremely valid point in her post: Building your personal brand, planning for PR success when she said that PR was likely to be part of a wider sales and marketing plan.

And of course she’s right yet to be honest:

How many of us actually have what could be described as a proper sales and marketing plan?

Micros and sole traders account for around 95% of businesses in the UK so if we’re one of them, unless we’re operating at the very top of our own tree, we’re unlikely to be looking at BIG budgets to throw at ANY of the activities we could choose from:

Brand, PR, events, market research, marketing, advertising, advertorial, infomercial, networking, sales efforts (even internal HR) and the all-important customer relationship management that follows (want to take a breath? ). And then there’s media to add into the mix: print, radio, TV, outdoor, door drops, direct mail and that wonderful leveller, the Internet!

Most of us won’t really know where best to start – it’ll be trial and error amongst the no-cost and low-cost activities.  Some will work; others won’t and often we won’t really know why in either case.

The good news is that this isn’t as daunting or depressing as it might at first seem if we factor in some commonsense…

In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic!

If you’re running a business that you’ve set up because you’re passionate about what you do, you’re streets ahead of the game.

If you’d be doing what you do for a living, or a variant of it, purely for joy  even if you had all the money you needed, you’re miles ahead.

If, in addition you’re da*ned good at what you do, you’re already in the elite!

On the other hand if you’re not nodding along with this by now, maybe you need a bit or a huge rethink about your chosen path, but that’s a totally different topic… so let’s get back on track.

At the end of Does my bum look big in this? A look at lying and selling I suggested 3 simple Tips if you’re struggling.

Some people commented publicly whilst others made direct contact, so I know these tips hit a raw nerve.  The beauty in them is both in their simplicity – they’re relatively easy to follow and use – and the fact that they work!

I’ve even followed them myself when the penny finally drops at times that I might be acting on insufficient data to reach an ill thought out objective !

So we’ll expand on them here

• Even if you think you’re crystal clear about the first point but have never done this before, ask your best customers (typically about a fifth of your customer base) – these are the ones you want more of so their views are the most important to you – you might get a surprise at what they see as your true value…
• You know how they heard about you – you contacted them or they contacted you (in which case you asked them how they heard about you), so that should be a given.  If it’s not, now’s your chance to put it right.
• Find out where they normally go for information on what you provide and how they respond to unsolicited telephone calls from potential new suppliers.
• Do they read and take notice of ads or do they seek out and tend to trust reports or editorial coverage?
• How do they like the information presented to them – if they’re “cash rich and time poor” the eloquent copy you might favour will be doing you a disservice.
• Where and when would you be likely to find people like them?

There’s a real sneaky one you might want to add in here:

• Who do they know who could benefit from your service?

You may think you’re asking a lot of your customers with these questions yet they’re just the tip of the iceberg and  don’t take long – and these people like you for heaven’s sake – they should be only too happy to help you!

A couple more commonsense tips

Do say upfront that you’re looking for their help and take them to a different location for a pint-and-a-pie  if that feels right and the investment would be worth it.

Don’t call them on their mobile for this exercise other than to agree a time when you’ll get their full attention for ten minutes.  If the ensuing conversation ‘proper’ takes longer that should only be because they’re enjoying themselves and the continued time investment is mutually worthwhile.

The worst that can happen is you’ll turn up an unexpected problem. Well bully for you! You now have a chance to sort it out !

Why bother with all this?

The cost to you and your business? Negligible

The value to you and your business? Priceless

With this data you’ll be able to make informed decisions about how you invest your time, energy and money in the best sales and marketing mix to grow your business in the most effective and manageable way.

And if you’re cr*p at any of what you now know are essentials for your company? You just do your due diligence to find the best person/ organisation to do it for you – ask around and get advice from successful people who’ve used the service you need and are happy to recommend their supplier…

Does this help? Yes/ No is good…  How you use the info to your advantage better… Sharing your own tips would be even better…

Linda

PS Want to ask a question? Use the comments here …

About Linda Mattacks
Doing what you love, your bit for humankind and the planet (if that turns you on) and making a decent, let alone great living don't necessarily come in the same package! With a background of sales training, marketing and market/marketing research spanning decades, for individuals and companies across the world from micros to corporations, Linda's finally found her niche... and some truly fabulous collaborators. Female employer, employee or entrepreneur, if you're not seeing the fruits of your potential value in the marketplace why not talk to Linda? Call +44(0)7879 628 367
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