Promote Your Business

How do we promote our business? Do we pay for advertising? Do we tell friends? How about the old word-of-mouth philosophy?


Well, all of them are very successful techniques. As a business owner, your best bet is to start off with free advertising. Some examples of free advertising are:

• PR in magazines, e-zines, or newspaper articles by working with the editor to post your unique story
• Word-of-mouth by telling everyone about your business and what you sell
• Free online advertising (careful on this one, sometimes not always the best sites)
• Create online profiles on forums that pertain to your industry
• Join free online clubs with similar interests to share your business
• Join affiliate programs

As you master the technique of free advertising and as money begins to flow into your business, then that is when it's time to promote your business via paid advertising. Some examples of paid advertising are:

• Newspaper classified ads
• Online paid classified ads
• Pay per click ads via Google or goClick (you will have to test this out or learn more about how to effectively use pay per click advertising)
• Sponsor organizations to promote your business

Bottom line, when promoting your business you start with the cheapest and easiest (unless you have some funds set aside as a start-up business). This is where you will learn a lot about advertising. Then, afterwards promote your business via paid advertising.

Sooner or later you may get to the point where you may need to reach out to Advertisement companies to help promote your business.

In addition to the examples listed above, you must become the brand of your company. Believe in it! Love it! Share it! Promote your business!

Jerome Ratliff

Independent Associate

Discover your way to riches

Keys to Networking

Networking! This term is often used as an ice breaker to business conferences to get everyone to meet each other and feel comfortable with one another.

So, what is networking after all? Networking is an art of building and maintaining relationships. Mastering the art of networking can usually have a great impact on your success. The complete opposite can happen by not properly networking.

Let's discuss some key ways how NOT to network at a business conference.

1. Don't get involved by introducing yourself to others.
2. Don't participate in discussions, or the meeting topic.
3. Choose not to display your name tag so others can see who you are.
4. Select a seat in the conference where others aren't.

These may seem not all that bad, but they could impact your success.
Now, let's discuss the keys to networking the right way and why they work.

1. Get involved by introducing yourself to others. - This will allow you to learn about others and potentially lead to doing business together.
2. Participate in discussions, or the meeting topic. - Not only is this good practice, but it shows how engaged you can be and how you do business.
3. Display your name tag so others can see who you are. - This a perfect ice breaker for those that are new and are searching for someone to talk to. By displaying your name, you invite others to come and talk to you.
4. Choose a seat in the conference near the front and by others. - By choosing to seat in an area where you can be recognized, you therefore become approachable. You are saying to everyone, I'm ready to participate and learn.
   

As you can see, networking can be so vital to your success. Keep enhancing your networking skills everyday by practicing and trying them out. I recommend the following book:
Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships by Jeffrey Gitomer.

Jerome Ratliff
Independent Associate
Discover your way to riches

Customer Service of Excellence

How to deliver quality customer service?

Customer Service - the quality of service that is provided to a customer.

When quality of service is provided to a customer, the customer is more likely then not to return for the same service. The major reason for this is making the customer feel just right. You've heard the phrase, the customer is always right. Well, what that really means is listen to your customer and find out what their true wants are. Either there is an interest in a product, issue with a product, or question about a product, listen to the customer and give them the guidance they are needing.

Below are five different ways that will help illustrate customer service of excellence:

1. Teach your customers about your products and/or services. You can keep customers coming back by providing them the necessary information about the product or service.
2. Ensure the product or service received met their expectations. Follow-up with the customer after their purchase to determine how satisfied they were.
3. Give your customers the personal attention they need, regardless if they intend to purchase something or not. Communicate with them, making them feel comfortable. If they do not purchase anything, politely ask them why they’re not buying. This will help you become a better customer service representative and they will very much appreciate your straight-forwardness.
4. Go out of your way to meet your customer's needs. If your customer's needs seem to be extreme, don't just answer no, provide them superior service by making it happen. Sometimes it may mean you working with someone else in order to assist the customer.
5. Show them appreciation. Let your customer know that you appreciate them by thanking them for their business.
   

Customer service is an unique on-going learning experience and is not intended to master after a handful of times. The more you deal with people/customers, the better you will become. Then you can say, I'm providing customer service of excellence.

Jerome Ratliff
Independent Associate
My Business

I'm Not A Salesperson! Good, Me Neither!

Have you ever been offered an opportunity of a lifetime where you know you would have to be a salesperson? "I'm sorry, but I have to turn down your opportunity because I'm not a salesperson, so this isn't for me?"

Why do we answer questions like this? Is it because when we think of the word salesperson a few jobs come to mind like:

• Used car salesman
• Door-to-door salesman

Not that there is anything wrong with these but, being a salesperson today is less about selling and more about building relationships. Even these type of positions listed above have greatly changed from the old traditional sense of selling.

Did you know when you refer a product to a person, you are essentially acting as a salesperson for that manufacturer? Let's just think about this for a moment. You do not like to consider yourself a salesperson, but in reality you are referring products all the time to friends and family. Because you have an on-going relationship with this person(s), you feel extremely comfortable with referring anything to them. Either it is a movie you saw, a restaurant you ate out at, a book you read, or a clothing line you like. We are all salespeople, especially when it's something that we feel passion about. When we are passion about something, we find ourselves sharing the information with friends and family.

Passion is important, but it's not the only thing that is required to become a good salesperson. Use the three steps below to get you started.

1. You must learn, and understand the product. For example, you will need to know what makes the product stand-out against others?
   
2. Belief in your product. Now that you know you product, you have to believe people need your product.
   
3. Learn how to build rapport. Use the following acronym F.O.R.M.

• F - Friends and Family (Do they have any family, kids, dogs, etc?)
  
• O - Occupation (What do they do for their career?)
  
• R - Recreation (What do they like to do for fun?)
• M - Money (What are they willing to spend?)
  

These three steps listed above should be enough to get you started. If you would like to learn more about being a salesperson, I recommend the following book. - Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar.

I don't consider myself a salesperson, but I am passionate about many products. So, I guess I am salesperson. Yes, I am a salesperson!

Jerome Ratliff
Independent Associate
My Business

Selecting a business

Choosing the right company to start with is not easy.

Follow the 6 steps below when selecting the right company:

1. Follow your passion: The best option is always to make or sell a product or service that you know about and love. If you're looking to start a business for the long haul that suits your best than you must choose a business that you love.
   
   
2. Keep it real: Take a good look at the relevant marketplace. Is there a trend for the product, a real need or even a collective desire for the business that you want to start?
   
   
3. Review your competition: Survey the landscape for established competition. You really need to know if someone has beaten you to your brilliant idea or not.
   
   But if you find that some one else has already started the same business, don't be discouraged. This could be a good indicator of a business opportunity that makes sense. Also, if others are already doing well at it, that could be a good sign for you too.
   
   
4. Does it fit your lifestyle: If you love the service and products, make sure it would not require 24x7 commitment. But, do acknowledge that it will take your time and effort to turn it into something wonderful. Don't let your business become a job you despise. If you make it a fun and joyful experience, then you will never think of your business as a job.
   
   
5. Consider your risk: With great risks, come great rewards. Just be sure the one you do select meets your other criteria, demonstrated here in the other 5 examples.
   
   
6. Use the Internet: Will you be able to run your business via the internet? This is a powerful resource for running and promoting your business. It can help you turn a small business into something bigger before you know it.
   

Note: Always consult with an attorney and a CPA before selecting a business.

Jerome Ratliff
To find out what business I am in, click here
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