Happy holidays to you. Each new season provides a clean slate for ideas and activities to continue to move forward.

In my S.O.S. (Simple Open Strategies) for Challenging Times group on LinkedIn, you can “drop in” on discussions raised by small business owners and enjoy tips and tactics to move through this daunting time. Find us under Groups in alpha order.

Here are some topics we’re working on:

Listened to your voice message lately? If U hear, “Sorry I missed you . . . or “We’re either on the phone or …,” or, “I’ll return your call at my earliest convenience,” change it instantly! Instead, use this moment as a 30 second invitation to your website or next event or invite people to leave their phone number and message and let them know what’s new from you.
What clever marketing angles do you observe from clients and companies you patronize?
Looking for seed money? Check this out. There is little risk and adds energy to your site. http://www.kickstarter.com/
Other terrific resources are Aardvark for research and crowdsourcing elements, Squidoo and all things Seth Godin -MC

It’s the little things that make a difference. Please join us on LinkedIn and innovate together.

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by Coachcubas

Action plan, business coaching, communication, entrepreneurs, Marketing, Strategic Planning, Strategy

Marketing Budgets 101—An Easy Introduction

September 2, 2010

Congratulations. You stopped long enough to read this and get out of the task mindset.

Often, clients ask me how to budget for marketing. As we are in unchartered territory, the usual “left-overs” approach to marketing will sink a business today. At the core, it is not about the money. It is not about competition. It is about how you make your case to assure your prospect of a smart buying decision. They must feel secure that you will deliver on your promise. The prospect wants to feel good about a relationship with your company. Provide that link with your marketing message.

Amazingly, when companies are concerned about making payroll or staying afloat, the first place they cut is sales personnel. Think about it: how does that make sense when these “boots on the ground” or the voices on the phone or at the networking meeting are the circulatory system of your company. My personal favorite is how marketing money is slashed because it is a non-revenue producing department.—Try running a company without it.

The other mystery is how many small business owners do not understand marketing beyond a phone book ad. Advertising is a tool of marketing.

Here are a couple of tips as you review and revise your marketing plans. (Yes, I trust that you have one!)
1. Have a written marketing plan.
2. Define your primary, secondary and ancillary target audiences.

Assign a percentage of budget to each category.
Include research to map the psychographics of your audience:

Where do they shop?
What are similar values they hold and relate to your company values?
What causes are important to them?
What do they read?
What percentage of time are they online, reading print and want to be contacted?
Answers provide a place to start about placement of your marketing messages.

These are sampling questions for your website to conduct an online poll, survey after you have established and earned the trust of your visitor.

3.   15% designated to search engine optimization (SEO) functions. For example, if you have $500 for online marketing, $75 would go for SEO.
4.   Calculate your annual sales and take 5-7% as your marketing budget. Of course, if you are launching new products or services, you may want to assign a separate budget for those items.
5.   Who can best implement and manage your marketing? If you are doing everything, you are doing nothing well. This book will change how you view running your business, The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. You can easily order a copy by clicking on the Amazon box.

If nothing else, a simple outline encompassing the issues above will help you to run your business, stand above and look down (meta view) and begin to see how all the moving parts work together. If nothing else, consider ways to apply the suggestions. -MC

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by Coachcubas

change, communication, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, entrepreneurs, Literacy, Marketing, Service, speech, Visionary

Are You An Accidental Consultant?

May 3, 2010

There is a local group in Phoenix for Baby Boomers to connect called Boomerz. A recent notice came to me from them about “accidental consultant.” It tickled me, so, I am addressing the topic here. Rather than take a negative tack, here is my summary of what makes an accidental consultant.

See how you track with this criteria:
1.    The masterful participant has unintentional good luck founded on emotional intelligence. This person knows how to read people and has a high likeability quotient. Listening to contacts and supporting others’ visions is a snap for this one.
2.    Exceptional curiosity about one’s surroundings abounds with this observant individual. This person finds opportunity in a thundercloud and would find a way to sell rain gear rather than give in to the weather.
3.    Networking is a sport and fun for this consultant. The energy of attending events and meeting people stirs this one’s soul. Rather than talking, our accidental consultant is listening around the room for cues, not clues, to engage and share to build rapport.
4.    Genuine humor and patience attract others’ attention. This lively sort emanates attractive energy that makes others curious about this person. There is an air of openness, calm and playfulness (not too serious) while being attentive to what is happening at the moment.
5.    Commitment to lifelong learning is rocket fuel for this energetic leader (perceived as such even if not in the driver’s seat.) This driver sees every situation as a learning laboratory. There is a kernel of knowledge in every circumstance and our Accidental Consultant makes it into viable contacts to pursue similar interests.

I invite your comments. -MC

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by Coachcubas

One window closes, another one opens

Marketing Budgets 101—An Easy Introduction

Are You An Accidental Consultant?

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