CONNECTIONS

– Dave Weddle
Co-Founder, YOUSEENOW.com

OK. The world’s a scary place. Gas prices are killing you. We’re in a recession or depression or something shaky and it’s not good. The cost of everything is either going up or gone out of reach already. Clients are cutting back, retrenching, preparing for the coming economic storm. So What?

The solution is not to cut your advertising/marketing/promotional budget (or even to reduce it). Now is the time to kick your efforts up a notch or two (or even three) and GROW YOUR BUSINESS.

I’m going to keep this short and to the point. Down and dirty. Here are a few suggestions:

1. GET UP AND GET OUT

Tomorrow morning, GET UP and turn off the TV. Better yet, don’t even turn it on in the first place. Eschew the news and read something funny or stimulating or motivating – then get out of the house…and SMILE as you walk out the door. If your home is your business, get out of the house anyway. Go for a walk. And as you walk down the street, walk through your day. Begin the positive get-it-done thought process that will get you going in the right direction.

2. MAKE YOUR OWN MANTRA

You are what you think you are. Create a mantra for yourself…something on the order of:

“I Am A Great Salesperson.”

Say it to yourself. Say it out loud. Yell it out to the world. Repeat it to yourself throughout the day…and believe it. You will be amazed on how this type of “self talk” with help you stay motivated and focused.

3. PLAN YOUR WORK, WORK YOUR PLAN

Focus on your core. What do you do well? What do you love to do? What are you an expert in? Do that. Give up the rest.

Embrace your niche. Know the value of your own service and plan accordingly — or don’t bother. If you don’t believe in and embody the value of your core service, nobody else will either.

Plan responsibly. Establish a code of ethics based on what you do for your clients. Decide how far you will go for a client…and where you won’t go. Etch it in stone. Make it part of your Mantra and live it.

Keep in mind that the 80/20 rule works here as well as anywhere else — 80% of your business will come from 20% of your clients. Typically your client profile will boil down to this: 20% great, 60% good, 20% horrible. Bad customers just ARE. If they start to take time and attention away from the great and the good, Fire Them! Yes, FIRE THEM.

When it comes to working your plan, just keep in mind that most clients will act in accordance to the guidelines you establish and ethics you establishy. Some will. Some won’t. So what. Move on.

4. BUILD YOUR OWN POWER NETWORK

Strength in numbers, right? Success as well. Develop your own power network – that grouping of like-minded businessmen and women whose products and services truly complement each other — Sales, Customer service, Advertising, Accounting, Shipping, Cleaning, Manufacturing, etc. Remember to focus on what YOU are good at. Outsource the rest. Add to the mix those satisfied, happy clients who have benefited and profited from your services. Get together, then grow together. Negotiate fees based upon the business they bring in, the referrals they generate, the contribution they make to your success…and the difference you make in theirs. Creating this Power Network frees everyone to do what they excel at and are experts in. What customer would not want a Power Network working for them!

And don’t neglect your own internal affairs. Automate and delegate within your organization wherever possible – and empower and reward your staff to promote your business and generate referrals. This builds confidence and capability all the way around, energizing and optimizing your day-to-day. If you own your business..lead it, not run it.

5. GET ONLINE

Establish a Web Presence. It’s vital. If you already have a web site, take a fresh look at what it says and what it does. Make sure it speaks to your customers — provides them with a clear picture of what you do, how you do it, and how you do it better.

Then make it easy for your customers to get it done. Be the real solution to their problem. Address and ease their pain. Fill their needs. If that entails selling online, then sell online. Be a full-service provider…and make. it. easy.

6. ADVERTISE.

When times get tough, advertising is traditionally the first to get the axe. It should be the last. When buyers are less willing, you have to be more persuasive. So persuade. Video, Internet, TV, Radio, Print, Car, Billboards, sky banners, whatever works. Develop as many “touch points” as possible.

Build your brand — that emotional “gotta have it” association that makes your product essential to a potential buyer. Develop a compelling asset and hit it hard – hard and often.

Just as you are what you think you are, your product is what you say it is. If you don’t passionately believe in it (and brand it) nobody else will. And use your Power Network to reinforce the brand wherever possible, to build “pull through” demand, and to develop great leads.

7. CALCULATE YOUR SUCCESS…THEN BASK.

So let’s regroup. Make a chart (of whatever sort you like) and walk through the steps.

1. Get your mind right. Prepare the vital posi-forward foundation for your success. Think positive. Act confidently. Embrace greatness.

2. Work your core. Set your salary goals and a time frame. Focus on your strengths, your loves, your expertise.

3. Clean up your clients. Work hardest for the great ones. Cultivate the good
ones. Tolerate the bad ones (within established limits). Fire the impossible
ones.

4. Grow your Network. Get out there and make connections with the people
and vendors that can help you. Hook yourself up to the power source – many
working toward a single goal: success.

5. Work the web. Get your web site working. Optimize it. Explore and exploit
the possibilities.

6. Power up your promotions. Take the lead in taking advantage of
opportunities to brand your business. Reach out and touch your potential
customers in print, on the web, every visible venue out there whenever
possible. Build that emotional attachment to your product(s) that keeps clients
coming back regardless of the economic climate.

7. Review, Reflect, Refresh. Take time out to bask in the sun of your
successes, evaluate the effectiveness of your plan, and take aim on the future.
What worked, what didn’t? What did I learn? What will I do differently next
time to ensure a better outcome? What’s my next step?

Yes. Things have been better. Things have definitely been worse. Many of your competitors will downscale in an attempt to outlast the downturn. Don’t buy into that negative philosophy – it’s a surefire way to stagnation and failure.

Get up. Scale up. Get Noticed. Take advantage of the situation and use it to capture a wider client base. Learn. Adapt. Grow. Move to the front of the line and strut your stuff. Do it TODAY.

Dave Weddle is the co-founder and director of marketing and sales for YOUSEENOW.com a business video network based in Calabasas, Ca. Dave, for 17 years has been President of justinfocommunications.com, a business acceleration consulting firm based in Westlake Village.

805-750-9994
davew@youseenow.com

www.justinfocommunications.com
www.youseenow.com

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