Successful Blog

How to Differentiate Yourself in Business

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By Deb Bixler

If you are looking for new strategies for selling you need to know what it is that makes you shine above your competitors.

Knowing what makes your business truly unique is what will help you thrive with your customers rather than just blend with the masses. Find out what helps you differentiate your business from all others by knowing just where to look.

Direct Selling Strategies

What are your direct selling strategies?

home party plan businessMany business owners don’t realize that they are literally driving their business into the ground by using the same old selling tactics as everyone else.

If your direct selling strategy involves a twist- be it a link to a website tutorial or a cute magnet or pen that showcases your company name- then you are moving in the right direction to make sure that your business is truly different in its own way.

Don’t be afraid to narrow your niche down. When you firmly believe in what you are uniquely offering you can then attract the ideal customer. Many believe the opposite that a narrow niche will eliminate some leads.

We are taught in direct sales that you should be marketing to EVERYONE but really it is impossible for everyone to be your ideal customer. Define yourself better and you will be defining your customer better.

Your business personality is part of your direct selling strategies.

Consider Your Business Personality

How is your business’s personality? There are literally 100’s of methods of direct Selling so what makes you different?

What is your sales personality?

Is it upbeat and friendly like every other business in your industry, or does it take on a more serious tone?

Does your business reflect a common ‘tone’ expected of your niche? If so, you may want to consider differentation by way of creating a whole new personality for your business.

Perhaps taking a ‘green’ approach to something that is normally serious, or adding humor to a positive atmosphere can make all the difference for your business and make you really stand out. Or is it the budget lessons or healthy tips that you offer or even are you more controversial than most?

This is branding YOU, not just your direct sales company! You need to sell yourself first and your company second.

Simple direct selling strategies will help you stand out. For some people, differentation is no piece of cake.

However, there are smaller ways to make your business stand out so you can have the edge on your competition without having to change your whole direct sales strategy.

Try switching from business cards to key chains, hire someone to check your email so messages can be returned faster than your competition, and make sure that you are choosing terms for your product(s) that your competition isn’t using.

Sometimes, simply going from ‘organic’ to ‘healthy green’ can make all the difference.

Make sure that no matter what differentation tactic you choose to use, it isn’t so different that it actually compromises the message of your business. While you want to remain unique, you don’t want to sacrifice your business’s overall integrity just to make it stand out. You want to differentiate, not reinvent your image, after all.

How do you make your business stand out from the rest?

Author’s Bio:
Deb Bixler retired from the corporate world using the proven business systems that made her a success working for others by incorporating them into her home business. In only 9 months Deb replaced her full time income with the sales and commissions from her home party plan business. Find her on Twitter at: http://www.Twitter.com/debbixler

3 Tips for More Customer Referrals

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By Jennifer Dunn

You need more clients, but what’s the easiest way to get them? Simple – through clients you’ve already done business with! However, what isn’t simple is obtaining customer referrals when you don’t know how to go about it. Here are three things you can do to ensure you’ll get a great referral at the end of a job.

1. Knock Their Socks Off

There’s absolutely no way you will get a referral from your client if you don’t do the job they wanted correctly. Would you give a carpenter a referral if they only fixed 3/4 of your floor? Of course not – it would severely hurt your reputation as a business owner and as someone to be trusted.

Make sure you’re doing absolutely everything your client wanted you to do. You may think you’ve completed a job but later discover you forgot a few things. These “few things” can be disastrous – not only to your chances of a referral but also to the client ever knocking on your door again.

2. Follow Up

Most jobs end when the client pays and you go your separate ways. The work is done and the client goes to see if what you’ve done will improve their business, life, or both. You go and try to find someone else to hire you so you can keep paying the bills.

However, that’s not really the end of it all, is it? The client doesn’t really know if what you’ve done has worked until it’s been road-tested. If you’ve created a new front page for their website, they could experience severe backlash to it even though it’s amazing. Their customers might rail against it for a myriad of reasons and you don’t know until it’s out there.

If you follow up with your client, it shows you’re actively invested in their business and not just a passing face in the crowd. Ask them how things are going and if they need any further help. If you see some interesting news they could use, send it along. It shows you care about them and your relationship with them, which can lead to good things down the road.

3. Ask and Offer Incentives

Your client probably has no clue you would like a referral. You can’t just assume they can read your mind no matter how heavily you hint. You just need to come out and ask.

Timing is key, though. If you haven’t completed the above two steps don’t even think about asking your client to refer you to his or her colleagues. On the other hand, waiting too long can be just as bad. The client may not even remember you if you wait half a year to contact them about it!

Sometimes incentives can do the trick. For example, offer your client a discount for the next job they need done if they refer a friend or two. If they’re a repeat client and they regularly bring in more work you can up the ante even more. Rewarding them for maintaining a good relationship with your company is never a bad thing!

Do you regularly ask for client referrals? How do you do it?

Author’s Bio: Jennifer Escalona Dunn is the owner of Social Street Media where she writes about small business, tech and finance for sites like WePay and Outright. You can find her on Twitter @jennescalona.

Top Threats to Your Online Reputation

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By Mike Zammuto

The Internet has long been likened to the Wild West—and not without reason. On the Web, a certain kind of lawlessness seems to prevail; people can say pretty much whatever they like, about whatever subject they like, and they can do so with impunity. It matters little whether their comments are truthful, or whether they are outright defamatory. On the Internet, it seems, anything goes.

This kind of freedom may be nice for consumers, but it can be dangerous for businesses and brands—and for small companies, in particular. There is, in the end, nothing to prevent online consumers from posting negative (and fallacious) reviews about your brand; there is nothing to prevent rival companies from smearing your name, and there is no way to completely stop the spread of Internet rumors or negative news stories about your brand. Again, on the Internet, anything goes.

This is not meant to sound alarmist. The good news is that small businesses that know about these common reputational threats can do much to defend themselves. Some of the gravest reputational threats are rounded up below, along with some strategies for preventing them.

Doppelganger Domains

If you haven’t heard anyone talking about doppelganger domains just yet, you will soon; this is an increasingly prevalent tactic that large, duplicitous companies use against their smaller competitors. Basically, a rival company might sign up for an online domain that corresponds with your company’s name—and then, your rival will use that site to parody you, to lampoon you, and ultimately to run your company into the ground.

There is an incredibly easy fix here, however, and it’s as simple as taking a few moments to buy the rights to all of the domains associated with your brand. These include YourBrandName.com, .net, and .org; you may also wish to sign up for the domains associated with your key executives, and with your branded products. Go through GoDaddy.com and none of these domains ought cost much more than $20 apiece. This is a simple and cost-effective way to protect your brand’s online integrity.

User-Generated Reviews

A much pricklier and more complicated subject is that of user-generated reviews. Review sites like Yelp.com, Urban Spoon, TripAdvisor, and Foursquare are gaining in prominence and influence all the time. It is not hard to understand why: simply put, more and more consumers are using these sites to base their purchasing decisions. What this means, however, is that online review sites can either make or break your small business, and even a lone bad review can lead to a drop-off in sales.

Sadly, though, responding to negative reviews is rather difficult. Certainly, small businesses should make it a habit to monitor their reviews and to post grateful responses to the positive ones, and even to instances of genuinely constructive feedback. Responding to negative reviews—outright unreasonable and defamatory ones—is less advisable. That’s because small businesses are threatened not just by reviews from real consumers, but also by fake reviews, planted by rival companies—and, in some cases, by disgruntled employees!

So what’s the best response to negative reviews? Really, the best response is no response at all. Rather than draw further attention to those nasty reviews, companies are encouraged to work on building up plenty of positive reviews from their faithful customers. Simply ask for those reviews, and rest assured that padding the ballot with these positive notices will significantly dampen the blow of negative ones.

Internal PR Errors

Several months ago, there was an instance of an American Red Cross worker logging into the charity’s Twitter account, thinking it was her private, personal Twitter feed. She proceeded to post about getting drunk, which is not exactly the kind of thing supporters hope to see on the Red Cross Twitter feed. The whole incident was an honest mistake, yet it reveals one of the biggest threats that companies face in the Age of Social Media—namely, their own employees!

Any ill-advised or poorly-worded social media post can threaten your company’s online reputation. One solution is to make sure that your social media posts are handled only by members of your team who really understand the corporate vision—and not by, say, an intern or a part-time employee. Additionally, password-protecting your accounts—and changing those passwords with regularity—is essential.

Online Reputation Management for SMBs

The bottom line is that the reputational threats that loom on the horizon for small businesses are truly numerous—but that doesn’t mean SMBs are powerless to defend themselves. These reputational meltdowns are far from inevitable; on the contrary, they can be protected against through the implementation of these online reputation management strategies.

Author’s Bio: Mike Zammuto is the President and COO of Reputation Changer (reputationchanger.com). The company offers online reputation repair and other reputation management services.

3 Things I Discovered About Marketing From My Customers

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By Chris Nosal

Over the years, going through various systems, methods, and education on marketing, I’ve come across a lot of information on the topic; much of it subject to debate, criticism, and even being completely contradictory (which made it hard for me to decide what to do, and what not to do).

However, one of the biggest things I’ve learned in marketing and working with people, is that successful marketing often comes down to just a few basic principles that, while often overlooked, make perfect sense when you think about them, but you can only learn them by listening to the people you’re serving.

But if you’re like me (and so many other marketers out there), you’ve gotten so wrapped up in trying to learn all the latest, greatest, and best “techniques” and tactics” that you were never able to see the basic reality of marketing itself.

And in this post I’d like to share with you 3 simple strategies that transformed my entire business:

1. Focus On Creating Great Products.

We know that our products and services are, ultimately, the only reason we make money, and they’re what we get paid for, yet I’m forever amazed at how many marketers take the element that is at the CORE of the success of their business, give very little time or attention to making it great for their customers, and are often content to sell mediocre products, as long as their marketing is good.

We live in the social media age, and if you want to get a good reputation, and to have a thriving business, your first priority needs to be on focusing on the core moneymaker in your business, which is your products; plain and simple, if you put great products in front of people, they will pull out their wallets.

2. Start By Building Trust.

Everywhere I look, I see hype and sensationalist claims; people shamelessly bragging and throwing hype in your face about how great their products are, and while this worked at one time, before the rise of the internet, when 4 or 5 people were doing it, and you had time to listen, now we hear this propaganda so many times a day that we just tune it out, and all these claims just blend into one big pile of noise.

If you want to stand out with your readers, start by talking about why you created your products, educating readers on the features of your product, and teaching readers how your product is going to benefit them. If you really want to stand out, build a loyal following, and get noticed, start by focusing on creating an intimate relationship with your customers.

3. Be Passionate About What You Do.

Whether it’s Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Steve Jobs, people get behind someone who has a VISION, because they see how that vision will benefit them, and the world, and want to see that vision fulfilled. That’s the real secret to building a lasting business that works.

When you inspire people with a vision, you give them something they can get behind and support, and instead of just pitching a product, you’re building an emotional bond with people, and connecting with them on an intimate one-on-one level, which is a THOUSAND times more powerful than just trying to convince someone to buy something they don’t already want so you can make money.

No matter what you do, you need to make sure that you’re doing something great, because once you’re gone, no matter how much money you’ve made, you can’t take the money with you, and you can’t get back the time you’ve lost once it’s gone.

Remember what I said at the beginning of this post; the people you’re SERVING.

Your job and focus in marketing is not to make money, it’s to serve people, and if you follow this formula, the money will come naturally as a result of the service you provide.

So make sure you don’t become a slave to money, and that you use your life doing something you’re passionate about that helps people.

When you follow this formula, you’ll find that not only does it make you successful, but it also provides the added benefit of helping others, giving your life real meaning, and enabling you to make the most of every moment of your life.

Remember that if you truly want to be successful in marketing or business, it starts with focusing on making the biggest possible difference you can in lives of the people you help, doing what you love with your life, and you’ll find that everything else falls into place naturally.

Author’s Bio: Chris Nosal writes about various self-help, personal development, and learn some interesting new marketing strategies at his personal blog. You can also read his blog to get more free advice, connect with Chris, or download his free marketing eBook.

The Easiest Way to Generate and Test Business Ideas

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By Michelle Rebecca

Generating business ideas

Some people are under the impression that starting a business requires risking it all by going out on a limb and trying to conquer a huge market. They also assume they’re going to have to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. While ambition is a good thing, the reality is if you’re a solopreneur who’s looking for a reliable way to start generating additional income, you can give yourself a big advantage by starting with what you already know.

For example, if you have a law enforcement or military background, you may be an ideal candidate for starting a private investigator company. Or, if you want to run a business that’s completely online, you could create a site that makes it easy for people to find the best security company in their area by connecting them with companies that have already been verified.

As that example shows, regardless of your background, there will be multiple ways for you to utilize your existing knowledge and apply it towards starting your own business. What’s great about the strategy we’re about to discuss is if you come up with several ideas but don’t know which one is best, you can let potential customers answer that question for you.

Take it for a Test Drive

Thanks to the Internet, it’s easier than ever to test a business idea before fully committing to it. While isolated research can be very useful, there’s no substitute for actually knowing if people will be willing to pay for the products or services that you plan to offer.

If you want to use the same strategy that people like bestselling author Tim Ferriss have utilized to test the viability of their ideas, all you need to get started is a website. While creating a website may seem like a daunting task, you really only need one page to run this type of test. As a result, you can use any free service that makes it easy to create a page online.

The Goal

The goal of this page is collect contact information from visitors who want to be your customers. The beginning of the page should be focused on your sales pitch, followed by a simple form where visitors can submit their name, phone number and email address. Once someone submits their information, you can display a message that explains you’re still getting off the ground but truly appreciate their interest in your new business.

By driving some traffic to your site through avenues like social media or PPC, you’ll be able to see what kind of interest your idea actually generates. If you’re happy with the results, you’ll know that this is a business you should pursue!

Author’s Bio: Michelle Rebecca is an aspiring writer who enjoys blogging about a vast variety of topics. She loves that blogging gives her the opportunity to publicly voice her thoughts and share advice with an unlimited audience. You can find her blogging about social media at SocialWeLove.com, and you can reach her on Twitter at @Mich_Rebecca.

Six Steps to Getting the Attention of Journalists on Your Own

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By Gini Dietrich

I am a communications professional. My entire career has been spent at PR firms – first at Fleishman-Hillard in Kansas City, then Rhea & Kaiser in Chicago, and I started Arment Dietrich in April 2005.

One of the most important things I learned early in my career was how to build relationships.

It started with journalists, then moved to the executives within our office, and finally with the executives at our client’s offices.

I spent many years cultivating relationships with journalists: Getting to know their beats, understanding what they would or wouldn’t cover, and even knowing when they celebrated their birthdays so I could send a card or cupcakes or booze.

And then 2008 hit. Newspapers folded, popular magazines went under, and a lot of my friends – those I’d known for more than 10 years – lost their jobs.

Suddenly the journalists who were left had to cover automakers, small business, and manufacturing…even though small business might have been their only beat previously.

They were too busy to take phone calls or go on media tours or even sit with you for an hour to talk about what you had upcoming.

And the role of a communications professional changed, when it came to media relations.

Getting the Attention of Journalists

Almost exactly four years ago, Steve Strauss – the small business expert at USA Today – wrote an article called, “Should Entrepreneurs Twitter? Uh, No.”

I read it with great interest, mostly because I had had amazing success using Twitter to build our brand.

In it, he detailed the four reasons entrepreneurs should not use Twitter. I very thoughtfully responded on his article and pointed out the four reasons they should use it…and the other social networks, too.

Because my comment was thoughtful and professional, he called me and we talked about social media, in general. About 30 minutes into the call, he asked if we could go on record.

What came of that conversation was, “Twitter for Small Business…Reconsidered.”

Because he’s like everyone else – swamped with little to no time to listen to pitches from PR professionals – he reads the comments on his articles to see if there is anything worth revisiting or diving into more deeply.

The Response Campaign

Hence, the response campaign was born.

It’s not a very creative title, but my team and our clients know what it means: Spend the time to read and respond to journalists and they’ll eventually add you to their Rolodex of trusted resources.

Here is a step-by-step process to create this magic for yourself:

  1. Choose one newspaper, magazine, or blog that makes a difference in your industry. It can be Wall Street Journal or it can be one of your trade publications. Choose just one.
  2. Once a week, comment on one article, blog post, or editorial. If you disagree, fantastic! Say so. But do it professionally. Being negative or criticizing without a solution isn’t helpful. Professional discourse is.
  3. Keep this up.
  4. After about six weeks, the journalist will feel like he or she is beginning to know you and will call you for a story in the works.
  5. Every quarter add another publication, so you have four that you focus on each year.
  6. Don’t be afraid to go after the big publications. If your expertise adds value to the stories they’re reporting, comment away!

If you are consistent and post intelligent comments once a week, you’ll soon have developed relationships with journalists who call on you when they need someone to interview.

Yes, it takes some time. Yes, it’s hard work. Yes, it requires that you keep up with your reading. But it works 100 percent of the time. Wouldn’t you rather do that than send a news release to 1,000 journalists and not get a single bite?

Author’s Bio: Gini Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based integrated marketing communication firm. She is the lead blogger at PR and marketing blog, Spin Sucks, co-author of Marketing In the Round, and co-host of Inside PR, a weekly podcast about communications and social media. Connect with her on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or LinkedIn.