Something to Ponder

by James Fowler
http://www.mywebsource1.com/

I grew up in what is now known as the Rust Belt of America. The corpses of long-forgotten factories lie in ruins along streets that can no longer be maintained. Yet, somewhere amongst the ghosts of the Industrial Revolution, small business thrives. Time is almost reversing and people are making their livelihoods in local shops and home offices where they promote their skills rather than follow direction from big business management.

But, how do we get an entrepreneurial spirit? It isn’t like we were given this roadmap to look outside the box and do things on our own. Actually, it has been just the opposite. We are taught that there is structure in everything and it is our job to follow that structure. It is trained within our makeup to follow the establishment.

When you are young, we are told to listen to our parents. Meals are a set schedule, we are given orders to clean our rooms and take out the garbage, we go to bed at a certain time, and do what we are told by the management, i.e. our parents.

Next, we go to school and it is more of the establishment. The teacher puts you in a class, sits you in an assigned seat, and you study what the teacher instructs you to learn. In actuality, it isn’t even learning, it is memorization and regurgitation. If you do wrong, you are punished. If you do something right, you are rewarded with a foil star.

Finally, we graduate from high school and/or college, we go out to find a job and we are expected to be leaders – but we’ve never been trained to think on our own. We are still looking for direction.

So how does a person become a leader? How do these small business owners get the nerve to stand up against what we’ve all been trained to embrace?

Question: What made you decide to go into business for yourself?

Small Business Can Succeed No Matter What The Economy

by Jimm Fowler
http://www.mywebsource1.com/

“How is business going?”

I ask this question almost 50 times a week while trying to sell my web design and marketing business. The economy is in the tank. The lending to businesses is teetering on the edge of calamity. What are small business owners supposed to do?

They advertise. They advertise and they are realizing the benefit of a web site. This is obvious because I see more and more people building their own business to stave off the failing economy. I see people working on small business ideas because they are so unsure of what tomorrow is going to bring. Our presidential candidates are offering vague suggestions of what they are going to do to help us.

It would seem by the bleak economic news that we see each day, starting a small business would be bad, but people are falling back and becoming self-reliant. What’s more, they are getting business! People still need things. The big businesses are not what drives today’s economy. Small businesses do.

Here is some advice to continue your business in our current financial state:

1. Stick to your guns. Don’t cut your prices even though you may have the instinct to go that route. The money is out there, you just need to find it. People don’t buy things they don’t need because it is 15% off. They buy things they need because they need them. The only thing you succeed in doing when you undercut your product is your profits and the perceived value what you offer.

2. Network and grow. What is your percentage of closing a sale? You need to know that number and then get in front of the people to reach those goals. Waiting for the phone to ring or come in through the door is a failing business plan. Go out and spread your name. Get people to know who you are and then get them to purchase from you. If you can close 25% of the sales you get, and you need 25 sales a month to survive, you better be talking to 100 people each month.

3. Contact those people that you have spoke with in the past. Whether you are sending out a newsletter, blogging, or just picking up the phone – you need to TALK to people that have shown interest in your product. Keep in touch with suppliers, too. These are your lifeline to future business and being on a friendly basis with them will keep you moving forward in the future.

4. Keep looking for financing. Just because the news is saying that we are in a money crunch doesn’t mean you can’t get the funding you need to continue your business to grow. You just have to be smarter in getting the funds for your business. This means you need to have a well, drawn out plan. You have to illustrate how that plan will be implemented and then you have to go after the people who will see your vision and offer you the money to succeed.

5. Finally, keep looking forward. It really doesn’t matter what the economy is doing at this time if you have a great idea. You may have to curtail portions of your idea to meet with the times, but a money-making idea will always make money – no matter what the environment says. If you don’t believe that, go out to your local restaurant area and see if their parking lots are empty. Go into your local shopping district and see if it is a ghost town. Sales may be at different levels, but people are still shopping.

Go forth with your business and succeed. The only thing stopping you IS you.

Email: The Practically Free Marketing Strategy

by James Fowler
www.mywebsource1.com

Do you email your customers?

Email marketing can be very effective, but you have to be careful. The difference between an email marketing letter and spam is a razor-thin line. You must know your customer to email them. Most businesses don’t even know their customers to email them. It amazes me how many places I have worked with don’t collect an email with every person that walks through their door or purchases from them. I’ve even run into businesses that don’t keep the emails from the people who have purchased from them online! While you can rent email lists, the email method of contacting your customers is almost free and should be a staple in your marketing strategy!

Some simple rules to follow in making your own email campaign:

• Email specials to your customers once a month. Too little and they forget who you are, too many and you become a nuisance.
• Your email could be special, but better yet, if you want to get the emails opened on a regular basis, combine your special with some news-related items. Make it a newsletter if you have the time and mix in a special.
• If you want to email more than once a month, offer the customer something like a coupon aimed directly at them. Example: “Thank you for shopping with us. Here is an extra 10% off coupon if you buy something else in the next 60 days.”
• Invite your customers to open houses or meet-and-greets at your storefront.
• Always, always, always collect an email and keep it for your list. Have your customer service people automatically ask for an email when the phone rings.
• Add a spot on your web site to collect emails from potential customers.
• Every person you meet, every business card you collect should be added to your email list.
  

Hopefully, in time, your list will grow to thousands of people and your business will grow as your advertising costs go down!

Who Is Your Customer?

Who is important to your business?

Who should you sell to on your web site?

Who do you want to contact?

An existing customer is easier to sell to than prospecting a new customer. You want to keep in contact with people that have already given you money. Someone that has already said "Yes! I want your product or service!" should be at the top of your marketing plan.

In any business word-of-mouth (or "word-of-mouse" on the web) is generated by people that know you and your existing customers. Keeping these people happy is a keystone to your business success.

Finally, don't write someone off just because you "thought" they were going to be a customer. Keep their name and information. Email them or call from time to time. A "no" today, may be just a "not yet, thanks".

Expect Exactly What You Expect...

Great Expectations

I live in a small town with a lot of small town sentiments. People living here like the fact that we live in a small town and they resist big business. There are two grocery store chains in town.

The first is a one-stop shop. They have everything you can possibly find or need. When you leave, they have automated, self-service check out lanes. Getting in and out of this store is fast and efficient.

The other store is more expensive and may or may not have what you are looking for. However, they offer fully cooked meals for two with a different menu every night and not only will they take your purchases out to your vehicle, they put them away for you and say, "Have a nice day."

Can you guess which store does more business in my small town?
The "small town" store would do poorly in a major city. At the "small town" store (which incidentally is a large chain), things move slower and you are liable to run into people you know – and that is what people who go there expect.

Live up to what is expected of you and your business.
For more information about local business, subscribe to this blog or contact James Fowler directly.

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Tangled up in the World Wide Web?

Is Your Local Business Tangled in the World Wide Web?
by James Fowler
www.mywebsource1.com

How would your local business benefit from having a web site?

Isn't the internet geared towards the world, as in world wide web?


Ask yourself five questions.
1. Do people in your community own computers?
2. Are there new people coming into your community that do not know about your business?
3. Do your customers come into your business as much as you would like?
4. Do you know who your customers are and know how to reach them?
5. If you only had a way to contact your customers when they did not come into your store that was cheaper than the U.S. mail, would you use it?

Obviously, the answers to the first two questions are 'YES' and NO your customers don't come in as often as you'd like them. So how do you get the positive results that you want from your business and how can this be accomplished with a web site?

If you don't know….don't be shy, click this link and ask me. There are no stupid questions.

I welcome all questions that you may have about Search Engine Marketing or getting your local business up on the web and making it work for you.