Success secrets for 2009!

With the downturn of the economy many businesses feel it's time to tighten their belts and focus on surviving instead of what keeps them in business. Businesses are closing every day. With these 4 easy steps you can ensure a successful new year.


#1-Plan your work and work your plan. Take time to plot out your marketing plan for the entire year. Include tradeshows, e-mail blasts, direct mail, etc. How often do you want to "touch" your clients? Can you work time in monthly to personally "touch" each of them? If not focus on your top 20%. Acknowledge their birthdays, send articles that pertain to their business. After each order and every referral send them a thank you card/gift. Ask yourself, what can you do to keep a personal relationship with your clients so they stay loyal to you. Are you using social networks for your clients to keep in touch with you? Make your list reasonable. Doing too much can give you paralysis.


#2-Make a list of 5-7 things that you will NOT do this year. These are items that aren't productive or work against your goals. Such as cleaning your office during normal business hours. Wasting time and energy on projects that produce small or no results. This list is as important as #1 above.

#3-Follow-up! It's important to keep your client abreast of the status of their order. If it is supposed to ship on Monday. Contact them on Monday afternoon and let them know it did with the expected arrival date and tracking number. Within 1-2 days of it's arrival contact your client and confirm that it was received and that they are happy with it. If they aren't do what it takes to fix the problem. Ensuring their satisfaction keeps them as your client! Fall in love with your clients and they will fall in love with you.

#4-Motivate your TEAM! Make sure your employees are on the same team. Getting them to buy into your vision is the only way your company can survive. Your employees are the only people who are more important than your customers. Take time to recognize the employees who make a difference to your company. Reward them. Up their benefit package, give them a bonus, a gift, an extra day off. So many possibilites that don't have to break the bank.

Implement these ideas a little and you will gain a little, implement them a lot and you will gain a lot. If you decide not to implement them at all you will get nothing.

Happy promoting,
Shana Anderson
Complete Workplace, Inc.
Promoting your business is our business!
www.CompleteWorkplace.com

Stand out above the competition!

With so much competition how can your company stand out? Get up close and personal with them!

How do I do that? If you have a mascot, brand it. Use it in all of your advertising. Make it come to life. Have a costume made and take it to the streets. This is a great way to get your name out there. People love to take pictures with mascots. Don't stop there! Have a present ready for them so your company stays "top of mind". Give a T-shirt away and they advertise and endorse your company for you. Walking billboards for your brand!

Don't have a mascot. Put together a "street team". Put together a small group of "brand enthusiasts" to dispurse throughout an event or area. With a consistent look throughout, wearing the brand message and giving away your logoed merchandise, free products, etc. your event will be a success and will save you hundreds even thousands of dollars over radio, print and TV advertising. Great for lead generation as well!

The goal of the "street team" is to place your brand into the hands of the targeted consumer and build an immediate and intimate relationship. Outgoing personalities, fun giveaways, free items, etc. bring the consumer to them.

Consumers like street teams because they can touch and feel the product in a safe environment without the pressure to buy. They also put a face on your brand. Give the appearance of being a large company even if you are working out of your home office.

Before you send your street team out, spend a little time educating them on your company, the products and what you expect to accomplish.

Think through what you would like to hand out. Most business owners don't understand that there is a difference between a give away and a promotion. Which one do you want to do? A give away can not be tracked. It is handed to the consumer and you have no way of knowing if they ever used it. A promotion requests an action needs to be done in order to get to the next step. For example, hand out a key with a keychain that says "Bring this key to ________(company name) on ______(date & time). For your chance to win a new car. "

By really showing your target market that you understand them you ensure a deeper emotional connection.

Promotional ideas for your street team:

*At a tradeshow? Give away an item with your booth number. When they arrive they play a game which puts them in the drawing to win a grand prize.

*Drive consumers to your website. Give away a game piece that drives people to your site for a chance to win.

*Split your targeted consumers up into groups and go where they are. Example....Consumers: athletes, Moms, Partiers, etc. Location: parks, malls, night clubs, etc. Gifts: watches, beauty supplies, glow sticks.

*At Christmas time get into the holidays by dressing your street team in Santa gear. Give away items that are gift wrapped. Everyone likes gifts, especially when you have to unwrap it to see what's inside. Encourage everyone to celebrate the holiday's.


Street team checklist:

#1-Hire attractive, outgoing people that represent your brand & target clients. First impressions do matter.

#2-Create demand. If the consumers believe there is enough to go around then they won't jump on it. If they think they need to jump on it quickly to get their share they will jump!

#3-Don't be cheap! Spend a few extra dollars and get the results you want. Make the promotion memorable, useful or interactive. Surprise them. Delight them with your gift. If you go cheap the item will probably end up in the trash.

#4-Include a call to action. Drive foot traffic to the retail store or online for redemption. Request and incent your target clients to take action. Then keep track of the effectiveness of your offer.

Street teams are gaining in popularity. They save money, build your brand, generate leads and increase market share. What are you waiting for?

Need help with your street team promotion or any others? Just let me know.
Thank you,
Shana
Complete Workplace, Inc.