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Atricle Dump - Thirteen Step Action Plan For Everyone, That Needs More Business Now
Your restaurant gives you a reason to continue your money ventures all year round. No matter how cozy and beautiful your restaurant looks or delicious your food is, the bottom line is, you need a steady line of customer visits to keep your restaurant in business.Keep in mind that beautifying your restaurant alone isn’t going to help you increase or at least maintain a steady sale for your business. You have to improve your services, advertising techniques and marketing strategies so your customers continue to patronize and spread the word about your service.The first place where you want to market your restaurant and endorse your good food is at the hotels. This is one place where many newcomers, both travelers and foreigners stay most of the time and since they don’t know much about the place and good spot where to dine, make an arrangement with the hotel managers to include your restaurant, address and phone number on their ‘Attraction’ list. If
Prior Clients: Contact 15 prior clients every day. Let them know you are still alive. Advise them when you call that you are making a courtesy follow up call. Make sure they are happy with their last purchase. Ask them if there is any way you can be of service. In some cases, you may generate new business with your clients. More often than naught, you will find your referral rate soaring after making these calls.
Cold Call: Very few people enjoy cold calling. I am one of them. But if I had a choice of cold calling or starving, I’ll cold call. Contact 30 cold prospects every day, in the market area you want to work in.
Market To Your Client’s Neighbor’s: You just finished your service or delivered your product. Tell your client’s neighbors. Birds of a feather tend to flock together. Chances are good your client’s neighbor would be a qualified prospect for you as well.
Reward Referrals: Offer a cash reward or store/business credit to anyone that gives you a referral now. Appeal to people’s greed and pay them for their referrals. If you currently use a referral reward program, increase the value of the reward.
International Advertising is not easy and it gets a little tricky due all the many cultural differences and this of course makes a lot of sense, however when you couple that with the language translations well it can get rather tricky indeed, say the top University Professors teaching International Advertising. In fact there are numerous case studies and many dirty little secrets say Advertising Experts.One online advertising writer and experts reminds of a couple of really unfortunate instances; Clairol introduced the "Mist Stick", a curling iron, into German only to find out that "mist" is slang for manure. Not too many people had use for the "manure stick." Then a bottled beverage company really messed up. You see in Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into Schweppes Toilet Water.Well I must say that I agree with our online advertising guru and business consultant those are major mistakes and thus it proves the point
Why?
It was always the slowest time of year for this industry. If you think about it for a second, this seasonal slump occurred simply due to the weather. Few homeowners wanted to have their carpets cleaned in the winter months. Sub-zero temperatures, slushy, messy, Spring thaw conditions and post holiday season credit cards bills all conspired to keep the phone from ringing.
That put the carpet cleaner, flush with the prosperity of the previous months before the holidays, in a really tough situation if they did not prepare for the slow times. Kinda like the ant and the grasshopper fable.
The winter of 2000 proved to be a very good one for me. The marketing push I put on in November and December was carrying me through these lean times. My marketing machine was bringing in a constant supply of new and prior clients for me.
However that was not the same for many of my peers on the industry bulletin boards and forums. Many were complaining about how slow it was for them. I just shook my head. Why were they not prepared? I knew it would take them until May or June just to catch up on the expenses they were behind on unless they could make the phone ring now.
So I put together what has since become known as the “Paul Douglas Action Plan”. I took the steps outlined in this plan and modified it to fit any business that needs to blast out of a slow season slump. So with that said, here is the 13 step plan of action for everyone that needs more business now.
Flyers: Put out twice as many of your most productive flyers every week for every sales rep in your business. New prospects are the life blood of every business. Without them sales will wither and die. Sales slumps can usually be broken by simply doubling your marketing effort.
Direct Mail: Direct mail works. It has been used ever since the invention of the postage stamp. Buy or rent a list of names and addresses of prospects that fit your ideal client demographic. Mail one hundred prospecting letters a week out to this list for every person in your company that needs a new lead. A 1% response means one new client/lead per week.
The letter you send out does not have to be perfect. It just needs to be sent. Split testing future mailings will allow you to improve on the letter you mail. So don’t worry about the letter you are sending. Just send it. And send it once a week.
Follow up: Here is a seldom used secret of direct mail that will at least double the response of your mailing. Call them. People are very busy. Many times they will receive an offer that is irresistible. They are about to take the desired action and BANG! Something sidetracks them. The sales momentum is gone. Your offer is forgotten.
Contact the recipient. Jar their memory and convert more sales out of your mailing. This step alone will put you head and shoulders above your competition that doesn’t follow up
Joint Ventures: One of the fastest ways to build a client list is to use someone else’s. Every industry and profession has natural referral partners. These are companies that serve the exact same clients you do with non-competing products and services.
Create an exclusive special offer for their clients. Then have them mail this special offer to their list of clients. Now you may be wondering, “Why on earth would anyone do this for you?” They will do it because it will help them stay in touch with their clients. It will create goodwill for them by giving them such a great offer. You made it simple and easy to do. And you reciprocated and mailed a special promotion to your own client list, promoting their business.
In a nutshell a good JV or joint venture consists of the following.
1. A letter of introduction or endorsement printed on the JV partner’s letterhead, and signed by the JV partner (And yes, you should offer to replace the letterhead that is used).
2. A sales letter from yourself, promoting the exclusive special offer, which you and your JV partner created just for them.
3. A coupon summarizing the offer, as a secondary response mechanism.
4. Your business card and brochure.
5. Mail all the above in the JV partners envelopes (and yes, you will need to replace the envelopes as well).
Later in this article I will share with you how to simply and easily find your JV partners.
JV Thank-you Gifts: Remember the coupon that was to be enclosed in the mailing? Give your JV Partner these same coupons to give away to their new clients. The ones that did not receive the mailing. Everyone loves a gift. It cements relationships. Everyone loves giving gifts. Most of all everyone loves giving away valuable FREE gifts.
Prior Clients: Contact 15 prior clients every day. Let them know you are still alive. Advise them when you call that you are making a courtesy follow up call. Make sure they are happy with their last purchase. Ask them if there is any way you can be of service. In some cases, you may generate new business with your clients. More often than naught, you will find your referral rate soaring after making these calls.
Cold Call: Very few people enjoy cold calling. I am one of them. But if I had a choice of cold calling or starving, I’ll cold call. Contact 30 cold prospects every day, in the market area you want to work in.
Market To Your Client’s Neighbor’s: You just finished your service or delivered your product. Tell your client’s neighbors. Birds of a feather tend to flock together. Chances are good your client’s neighbor would be a qualified prospect for you as well.
Reward Referrals: Offer a cash reward or store/business credit to anyone that gives you a referral now. Appeal to people’s greed and pay them for their referrals. If you currently use a referral reward program, increase the value of the reward.
I have conducted countless management workshops in my professional life for various clients and the question that continuously is asked during the workshop is, "how do I manage my manager"? I hear such comments as, "my manager should attend this workshop" or, "my manager requires this workshop badly".Unfortunately, the participants who are saying these comments are not alone in their frustration. Based on my calculations, previous experiences and reading data based networks, approximately twenty eight per cent of all working Canadians believe that they work for a good manager; thirty eight per cent say they would fire their manager if they could; four per cent would have their manager assessed by a psychologist and thirty per cent would send their manager to management training.No doubt, many people are a victim of circumstance and wind up working for a manager who is weak and ineffective. We don’t often choose the manager we work for and we do notd? I knew it would take them until May or June just to catch up on the expenses they were behind on unless they could make the phone ring now.
So I put together what has since become known as the “Paul Douglas Action Plan”. I took the steps outlined in this plan and modified it to fit any business that needs to blast out of a slow season slump. So with that said, here is the 13 step plan of action for everyone that needs more business now.
Flyers: Put out twice as many of your most productive flyers every week for every sales rep in your business. New prospects are the life blood of every business. Without them sales will wither and die. Sales slumps can usually be broken by simply doubling your marketing effort.
Direct Mail: Direct mail works. It has been used ever since the invention of the postage stamp. Buy or rent a list of names and addresses of prospects that fit your ideal client demographic. Mail one hundred prospecting letters a week out to this list for every person in your company that needs a new lead. A 1% response means one new client/lead per week.
The letter you send out does not have to be perfect. It just needs to be sent. Split testing future mailings will allow you to improve on the letter you mail. So don’t worry about the letter you are sending. Just send it. And send it once a week.
Follow up: Here is a seldom used secret of direct mail that will at least double the response of your mailing. Call them. People are very busy. Many times they will receive an offer that is irresistible. They are about to take the desired action and BANG! Something sidetracks them. The sales momentum is gone. Your offer is forgotten.
Contact the recipient. Jar their memory and convert more sales out of your mailing. This step alone will put you head and shoulders above your competition that doesn’t follow up
Joint Ventures: One of the fastest ways to build a client list is to use someone else’s. Every industry and profession has natural referral partners. These are companies that serve the exact same clients you do with non-competing products and services.
Create an exclusive special offer for their clients. Then have them mail this special offer to their list of clients. Now you may be wondering, “Why on earth would anyone do this for you?” They will do it because it will help them stay in touch with their clients. It will create goodwill for them by giving them such a great offer. You made it simple and easy to do. And you reciprocated and mailed a special promotion to your own client list, promoting their business.
In a nutshell a good JV or joint venture consists of the following.
1. A letter of introduction or endorsement printed on the JV partner’s letterhead, and signed by the JV partner (And yes, you should offer to replace the letterhead that is used).
2. A sales letter from yourself, promoting the exclusive special offer, which you and your JV partner created just for them.
3. A coupon summarizing the offer, as a secondary response mechanism.
4. Your business card and brochure.
5. Mail all the above in the JV partners envelopes (and yes, you will need to replace the envelopes as well).
Later in this article I will share with you how to simply and easily find your JV partners.
JV Thank-you Gifts: Remember the coupon that was to be enclosed in the mailing? Give your JV Partner these same coupons to give away to their new clients. The ones that did not receive the mailing. Everyone loves a gift. It cements relationships. Everyone loves giving gifts. Most of all everyone loves giving away valuable FREE gifts.
Prior Clients: Contact 15 prior clients every day. Let them know you are still alive. Advise them when you call that you are making a courtesy follow up call. Make sure they are happy with their last purchase. Ask them if there is any way you can be of service. In some cases, you may generate new business with your clients. More often than naught, you will find your referral rate soaring after making these calls.
Cold Call: Very few people enjoy cold calling. I am one of them. But if I had a choice of cold calling or starving, I’ll cold call. Contact 30 cold prospects every day, in the market area you want to work in.
Market To Your Client’s Neighbor’s: You just finished your service or delivered your product. Tell your client’s neighbors. Birds of a feather tend to flock together. Chances are good your client’s neighbor would be a qualified prospect for you as well.
Reward Referrals: Offer a cash reward or store/business credit to anyone that gives you a referral now. Appeal to people’s greed and pay them for their referrals. If you currently use a referral reward program, increase the value of the reward.
When you use a resume, you should use one that specifically targets the job you are applying for. Don't recycle the same old resume that you've been using for the past 2 jobs and just tack on the most recent job experiences as you go along. If you are applying for different types of jobs, you need to update your resume to reflect that difference. Effective resumes are not "one size fits all", and you should target the particular company and job you want with your resume.That may mean revising it multiple times, or creating a totally new one. But it also may mean that you get the job because you used a more effective and appropriate resume.
For example, if you used to run a real estate office and then you worked as the manager of a restaurant but now you are applying for a job in human resources at a hotel, you will want to create a new resume. Your new resume will be intentionally designed to showcase all your people skills and abilities to hire and mangs will allow you to improve on the letter you mail. So don’t worry about the letter you are sending. Just send it. And send it once a week.
Follow up: Here is a seldom used secret of direct mail that will at least double the response of your mailing. Call them. People are very busy. Many times they will receive an offer that is irresistible. They are about to take the desired action and BANG! Something sidetracks them. The sales momentum is gone. Your offer is forgotten.
Contact the recipient. Jar their memory and convert more sales out of your mailing. This step alone will put you head and shoulders above your competition that doesn’t follow up
Joint Ventures: One of the fastest ways to build a client list is to use someone else’s. Every industry and profession has natural referral partners. These are companies that serve the exact same clients you do with non-competing products and services.
Create an exclusive special offer for their clients. Then have them mail this special offer to their list of clients. Now you may be wondering, “Why on earth would anyone do this for you?” They will do it because it will help them stay in touch with their clients. It will create goodwill for them by giving them such a great offer. You made it simple and easy to do. And you reciprocated and mailed a special promotion to your own client list, promoting their business.
In a nutshell a good JV or joint venture consists of the following.
1. A letter of introduction or endorsement printed on the JV partner’s letterhead, and signed by the JV partner (And yes, you should offer to replace the letterhead that is used).
2. A sales letter from yourself, promoting the exclusive special offer, which you and your JV partner created just for them.
3. A coupon summarizing the offer, as a secondary response mechanism.
4. Your business card and brochure.
5. Mail all the above in the JV partners envelopes (and yes, you will need to replace the envelopes as well).
Later in this article I will share with you how to simply and easily find your JV partners.
JV Thank-you Gifts: Remember the coupon that was to be enclosed in the mailing? Give your JV Partner these same coupons to give away to their new clients. The ones that did not receive the mailing. Everyone loves a gift. It cements relationships. Everyone loves giving gifts. Most of all everyone loves giving away valuable FREE gifts.
Prior Clients: Contact 15 prior clients every day. Let them know you are still alive. Advise them when you call that you are making a courtesy follow up call. Make sure they are happy with their last purchase. Ask them if there is any way you can be of service. In some cases, you may generate new business with your clients. More often than naught, you will find your referral rate soaring after making these calls.
Cold Call: Very few people enjoy cold calling. I am one of them. But if I had a choice of cold calling or starving, I’ll cold call. Contact 30 cold prospects every day, in the market area you want to work in.
Market To Your Client’s Neighbor’s: You just finished your service or delivered your product. Tell your client’s neighbors. Birds of a feather tend to flock together. Chances are good your client’s neighbor would be a qualified prospect for you as well.
Reward Referrals: Offer a cash reward or store/business credit to anyone that gives you a referral now. Appeal to people’s greed and pay them for their referrals. If you currently use a referral reward program, increase the value of the reward.
Copy makeovers can work magic.Perhaps all you need is a little medicine... and not major surgery. Take whatever sales copy you have now and modify it. Recast, rework and repackage what you've got.Chances are you’re sitting on some solid (yet hidden) sales material. Often simple copy makeovers can work wonders in terms of response. So, before you crumple it up and toss your sales letter in the trash, try tweaking it first. You might be surprised at the result.Here are 3 simple steps to complete copy makeovers...Copy Makeovers -- Strategy #1: Create A More Compelling Headline.This is critical. The headline is the first thing your audience sees. It either "grabs" prospects by the jugular... or it doesn't. If the headline fails, nothing else matters much because it won’t even get a fair reading.Make your headline and/or sub-heading alluring. Talk to your prospect about what is most important to her. Think in terms of the BIG goodwill for them by giving them such a great offer. You made it simple and easy to do. And you reciprocated and mailed a special promotion to your own client list, promoting their business.
In a nutshell a good JV or joint venture consists of the following.
1. A letter of introduction or endorsement printed on the JV partner’s letterhead, and signed by the JV partner (And yes, you should offer to replace the letterhead that is used).
2. A sales letter from yourself, promoting the exclusive special offer, which you and your JV partner created just for them.
3. A coupon summarizing the offer, as a secondary response mechanism.
4. Your business card and brochure.
5. Mail all the above in the JV partners envelopes (and yes, you will need to replace the envelopes as well).
Later in this article I will share with you how to simply and easily find your JV partners.
JV Thank-you Gifts: Remember the coupon that was to be enclosed in the mailing? Give your JV Partner these same coupons to give away to their new clients. The ones that did not receive the mailing. Everyone loves a gift. It cements relationships. Everyone loves giving gifts. Most of all everyone loves giving away valuable FREE gifts.
Prior Clients: Contact 15 prior clients every day. Let them know you are still alive. Advise them when you call that you are making a courtesy follow up call. Make sure they are happy with their last purchase. Ask them if there is any way you can be of service. In some cases, you may generate new business with your clients. More often than naught, you will find your referral rate soaring after making these calls.
Cold Call: Very few people enjoy cold calling. I am one of them. But if I had a choice of cold calling or starving, I’ll cold call. Contact 30 cold prospects every day, in the market area you want to work in.
Market To Your Client’s Neighbor’s: You just finished your service or delivered your product. Tell your client’s neighbors. Birds of a feather tend to flock together. Chances are good your client’s neighbor would be a qualified prospect for you as well.
Reward Referrals: Offer a cash reward or store/business credit to anyone that gives you a referral now. Appeal to people’s greed and pay them for their referrals. If you currently use a referral reward program, increase the value of the reward.
There is no such thing as a “small” job. Each function within our society aids our detailed technical lifestyles and well being. From a store clerk to a business executive, each position is an intricate part of the matrix of our world. We rely on these functions without even realizing their value or contribution to our daily activity. Each person has there place and each person has their purpose. The key is discovering and taking the time to find out what exactly you are to contribute to the world.What is even more challenging is that often we are presented with serving multiple roles in our lives besides just our “purpose.” We are parents, workers, spouses, and children. All of which demand time and effort from our daily lives. What is important though is that we balance our time and our roles to nurture our purpose and inner abilities. It takes time and effort to discover your goals and ambitions, but it is a quest that need not go unnoticed.A cofts.
Prior Clients: Contact 15 prior clients every day. Let them know you are still alive. Advise them when you call that you are making a courtesy follow up call. Make sure they are happy with their last purchase. Ask them if there is any way you can be of service. In some cases, you may generate new business with your clients. More often than naught, you will find your referral rate soaring after making these calls.
Cold Call: Very few people enjoy cold calling. I am one of them. But if I had a choice of cold calling or starving, I’ll cold call. Contact 30 cold prospects every day, in the market area you want to work in.
Market To Your Client’s Neighbor’s: You just finished your service or delivered your product. Tell your client’s neighbors. Birds of a feather tend to flock together. Chances are good your client’s neighbor would be a qualified prospect for you as well.
Reward Referrals: Offer a cash reward or store/business credit to anyone that gives you a referral now. Appeal to people’s greed and pay them for their referrals. If you currently use a referral reward program, increase the value of the reward.
Referral Clubs: A great networking opportunity. The biggest organization that I know of is BNI. In a nutshell a referral club is a group of business owners, like yourself who are constantly on the lookout to help their clients with preferred service providers. The key secret here is to give more referrals than you receive. This is where you should start looking for JV Partners.
Service clubs: Join a service club or your local chamber of commerce. Attend the meetings, do the service and volunteer work. This is another great networking opportunity and JV Partner source
Shameless Bribe: Offer a strong incentive to use your services now. It will be too late when you get past your slow season. A discount, a contest, whatever, be creative.
Your Own Ideas: I am sure you came up with a few of your own ideas to increase business. Implement them
Now here is the biggest key. Don't do one at a time. Don't just do the ones you like and ignore the rest. Do them all right now. Not tomorrow, not next week, NOW! This is the success law of taking massive action. It doesn't matter which success guru you subscribe to, they all tell you to take action. Massive action yields massive results. Taking action, even if it happens to be the wrong action, will produce results simply because you created momentum. So take action. Don't think about it, DO IT NOW!
© 2007 Paul Douglas. All rights reserved.
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