Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

7 Tips for thanking your customers

One of the main things your mother taught you

The number of value-based, humanizing things your mother taught you is much more than you can quantify, and you carry them with you subconsciously always. If we cared to be still and consider the way we approach different experiences, we would also identify the skills we pass on to our own children and families. Suddenly, it becomes clear that one extremely important thing we learned as children that is essential to your business today is so simple – it is the act of saying “thank you.”

Without too much focus, we all know the power of saying thank you is undeniable, and this information is borne out in numerous studies showing that thanking your customers regularly and sincerely goes a long way towards building long-term relationships. You can make your “thanks” even more powerful with these simple tips that will make your “thanks” really count.

Be clear what you’re thanking them for!

When you thank your customer, make it count by being as specific as possible. A generic “thank you” might do just fine, but a specific message works much more effectively. Use the TWS method of thanking your customers: Tell them what you’re thanking them for; Tell them what it means to you and Show them how they’ve helped you.

Make it as personal as possible

Use the customer’s name and take the time to make the message as personal as possible. Include a few personal details that show that you know your customer and understand them. As in personal relationships, don’t use a template or automated messages. If possible, create a handwritten note that warmly acknowledges something the customer values. Remember, it’s not about you – it’s about them. You also have the chance to stand out from the crowd by taking the time to create your handwritten note instead of sending an email or private message on social media.

Integrate “Thank You” into the Sales Process

Build your culture of “Thanks.” There are certain key times when it’s best to say thank you, such as after a purchase, when a customer subscribes to your newsletter, when you get a referral, and so on. Choose the times that are most important to your business and make it a regular part of your process at that time.

Show your appreciation with a gift

For an even more impactful “thank you,” offer a simple gift. This can be a discount or another goodie that doesn’t cost you anything. The most important thing is that it offers value to your customer. Just like your “thank you” message, the best gift is one that’s personal and not generic. If you know your customer, choose something they would like.

Yes, thank angry customers too

Thank your customers equally and fairly, even the ones who are angry or give you a great deal of trouble. In fact, thanking these disgruntled customers may help to turn their attitudes around and win them back over by creating powerful “wow” experiences.

Think outside the box

Try to think of creative, outside-the-box ways to thank your customers. A few ideas include:

  • Saying “thanks” and telling them about an informational resource that can help them solve a common problem or a problem you know they’re facing
  • Sharing valuable information with them, such as statistics or a special tool that can help them
  • Inviting your customer to an industry event or other event that might be valuable to them
  • Offering a surprise service upgrade if you offer services
  • Thanking your customer publicly on social media, or in your blog or newsletter

Get feedback

Use your message thanking your customer as an opportunity to open two-way communication. Along with thanking them, ask them if everything is going alright or whether they have any questions or concerns. You can get some valuable feedback, and this gives you an excellent way to communicate directly with your customer.

The most important thing is to make your “thank you” all about the customer. Make it specific, personal and sincere. They’ll thank you for it!

 

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well as implement change and streamline operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

A Mindset of Gratitude

At this time of year there’s a lot of attention paid to how grateful we are for the memories we’ve made and shared through the last few months. Truth be told, we can have that same feeling for our own business, if we’re in the gratitude mindset zone.

When you finally achieve success in your business it feels AMAZING! Finally, all your hard work and dedication to your goal has started to pay off and you’re achieving those goals you spent the time to map out. You have arrived. It can often feel as if this success is owed you – weren’t you the one who put in all the hours to get here?

You know it’s normal, healthy, and expected to feel a sense of pride when you reach certain levels in your business, and you do have a lot to be proud of, after all! But a problem arises when, instead of feeling grateful for your success, you begin to expect it instead.

Many business owners find that without gratitude in their lives, their businesses fail to deliver – in many ways. Being self-absorbed to the point of believing success is owed to you is a slow poison to your business mindset, and in turn, your business itself.

Success in business – or in any area of our lives – is something that must be planned, focused on, worked towards, and above all, earned. Most of all, it must be appreciated, not taken for granted as something that is owed to us.

One of the best ways to create an attitude of gratitude is to share what has helped create your success with other business-owners – maybe those who haven’t yet reached your level of success. You can do this in many ways – business consulting at no charge, business mentoring – and your local Small Business Administration will be able to help you in finding up-and-coming business owners that truly need a helping hand up.

Your business knowledge, wisdom, experience and advice are worth sharing to help others achieve their own goals and dreams in business. In this way, you help “pay it forward”, while acting on your feelings of gratitude and thankfulness for getting where you are today.

Another way to express gratitude is to actively reach out to your own business mentors and thank them for sharing their knowledge and experience with you. Your mentors have helped you get to where you are now and letting them know that they are appreciated goes a long way towards creating that gratitude mindset that you need in business.

The success of your business may not rise or fall depending on your level of gratitude but having a mindset that is full of gratitude will help your business and will also help in all areas of your life!

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well implement change and streamline operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

Winning communicate skills for entrepreneurs

 

There are more than a few necessary skillsets you need for the success of your business, and the one you cannot underestimate is the art of communication. How we do this is varied, ever changing and necessary for attracting and keeping your current customers. It is so important it may be best to think of communication as your actual income strategy because it’s impact controls how much money you can and will make.

If we recognize how crucial good communication skills to the value of your business, it’s going to make prioritizing your skills development as important as any other area in your business. A key place to start this development is with a focus on the “art of the follow up.” With work in this area you can hone your communication skills to develop the most effective ways to talk to your customers. What would it mean to focus on this area? It would mean showing the people who you communicate with that they matter to you. So, how do you do that?

Most of these items you already know but here are a few thoughts:

  • Deal with and return any communications in a timely manner – do you have a plan for managing instant messaging, phone calls and email inquiries successfully? What does that structure look like?
  • Consider having a written response plan covering the eventualities that can affect your connections. Guarantee to respond within 2 hours (or less) using the same method your customer reached out to you and let them know about this guarantee in your customer info outlets.
  • As your business grows, you may find (because of your great communication skills) that responding to your customer enquiries is something you can outsource to a competent VA. You may find that setting up a “self-serve” appointment booking system would free up the back and forth activities that happen when trying to line up schedules and services. There are many cost-effective systems that can streamline this task and take some of the pressure off.
  • Use your email signature to best effect with helpful links to areas of interest for your clients.
  • Create a meaningful FAQ section that helps customers to get the information they need and free you up to provide personalized, high quality service and connection that represents the quality of your business.
  • Check if (Facebook) messenger bots can help support your business. Many people use instant messaging to get quick responses these days, which is great if not disruptive to say the least. How will you manage this type of activity and can these messenger bots help you connect, support and communicate in ways that work for you and your customer.

Using these types of processes bring several business-building results, such as: letting the people you communicate with that they matter to them, and you are acknowledging them in their moment of need, even more than just being polite about returning their call.

You will build your business reputation as you become reliably responsive to your customers. Setting expectations around your response times and methods will also help streamline your operations and provide space to provide the services you’ve worked so hard to create while providing space for business growth. All this brings opportunity knocking at your door as it grows your bottom line. This reputation growth also leads to great things like joint ventures and partnerships as it brings you closer to your financial goals. Everyone wins when we finetune communication skills and serve our customers where they live. Something we can measure and improve by putting communication with our customers first.

 

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well implement change and streamline operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

What’s YOUR Unique Value Proposition?

When was the last time you reviewed your Unique Value Proposition, or made sure it applied to your new products or service? Now is a good time to make sure your proposition speaks to the audience you intend to serve.

It’s tough to experience the success you’ve looking for if you don’t have something that sets you apart from your competitors. In case you’re new to this concept, we are referring to your unique value proposition (UVP), also called your unique selling proposition. Why should someone buy from you vs. anyone else? What’s the extra value can you offer? Take a close look at what you want to offer to people as part of your business model, then be prepared to answer the following questions from the start of your business, and continuously thereafter. These seemingly easy questions need to be answered:

1.     What do you offer?

Lay out the details of the product or service you plan to sell. What are its features? What does it do and what does it look like? For example, is it a 7-day e-course on how to set up a WordPress blog? Is it a 6-month coaching program that gives people direct access via email and Skype to you personally? Be very specific.

 

2. How does it solve customers’ problems?

How does your product offering solve your customers’ problems? State the problems your customer is facing, which you know from doing your market research. Describe how each feature of your product or service solves those problems. Think about how your customer would see your solution, not knowing you at all. If you can answer the question “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM) from the customer’s point of view, you’re already halfway there.

 

3. What’s different about it?

You must create a product or service that is distinct from your competitors. While it is possible to be successful by creating a “me-too” business, it will be much more difficult. How is your solution different from other people’s solutions? Are you offering something extra, such as training or additional services? Do you offer your product in multiple formats, such as audio and video? Do you provide extra tools to make your solution easier to use? If you can’t identify any features that are different about your product, now is the time to go back and create something.

 

4. Why should someone buy from you versus your competitors?

This will be one of the most important parts of your sales copy. It will also be the toughest part of creating your UVP, by far. Connect the problems your potential customers are facing, the features of your product, and how they solve those problems. Then pull in your extra “proof” of why people should buy from you.

Your testimonials of how well your solution works is great social proof. You might have a track record of experience in your industry. You could also have great examples of your solution in action. Which of these are most important to your market? Pick one or use them all depending on what you think your prospects need to hear.

If you really understand what your target customers want, and what your competitors are already offering, you’ll be able to identify just what you can add remarkable value, because you took the time to do your market research. When you put these pieces together, you’ll have your Unique Value Proposition. What’s Your Unique Value Proposition?

 

 

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well implement change and streamline operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

 

Four ways to beat content marketing overwhelm

For many small business owners, trying to keep up with content marketing and social media as ways to grow business is a lesson in overwhelm that happens on a regular basis! It’s time for an intervention! There are a few simple steps you can take to break through the overwhelm and get content marketing working for you. Let’s look at a few (4) of those now:

Identify your goal

What are your goals for you content marketing? Having a goal of making more sales is way too broad and will lead to a sense of overwhelm. Instead, break that broad goal down into specific, measurable goals such as turning leads into customers or driving traffic to your website.

Get a strategy

It’s easy to fall into spending too many hours creating and posting content with no plan or strategy in place. For your content marketing to work well and to return the results you want and need, a solid strategy is required. Never create content for the sake of creating content – always have a strategy. Take the time to plan this important step.

Once you’ve identified who you are trying to reach, where they spend time online, what types of content they like and respond to and what you want them to do with it (like, share, join your mailing list, buy your product…) you’ll be able to design a strategy for meeting your marketing goals.

Make sure to gather leads

You’ve heard the one where social media has killed off email? Not so much. In fact, that’s simply not true.  Social media is great to build and strengthen relationships but aim to entice your followers to join your mailing list, as well. Not only does this make good business sense but it will also fight those feelings of overwhelm because your email list is an asset you own. Those frequent changes made by social media have no impact on your email list and nobody can take that away from you (as long as you regularly back up your data).

Outsource what you can

Before you think about outsourcing, it’s essential that you work out your strategy and goals beforehand. If you don’t you could end up paying someone to do work that has no benefit to your business. You can avoid this once you know exactly what needs to be done and how you’ll measure your results, you’ll find some tasks that would be better done by someone other than you. We know that overwhelm can be the result of too much work, but it can also come from trying to do work that isn’t using your strengths when you could be doing great work elsewhere.

Now take some time to look at your own content marketing – which areas could you work on to break through your sense of overwhelm?

 

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well implement change and streamline operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

Is video a serious part of your marketing strategy?

In talking to several of my solopreneur clients and coaching members, the conversation is growing around the increase in video usage popping up everywhere, and it’s coming from a place of stress. Some blame it on how easy it is to whip out your phone and take a short, sometimes wobbly video. Some blame it on the growing need for “instant gratification” when looking for answers or “being authentic”, whatever that means. Others say the “selfie world” has exposed us to all kinds of poor quality video out there in the guise of “keeping it real.” Regardless of your immediate thoughts on the subject, we must recognize the impact video has on the way we communicate, and it’s only going to become more prelevant. This brings us to the point of this post.

What are some of the barriers to adding video to your marketing properties? There are few that come to mind, and here are a couple of big ones I hear from clients.

Barrier #1 Fear of being on camera: For many people, the idea of using video conjures up the picture of them being in front of the camera, sternly touting the benefits of their services. An idea, by the way, that seems to shine a light on our personal insecurities and fears that can sometimes render people speechless. For many this is right up there with public speaking – something to be avoided at all costs. For these time-strapped business people, at the initial suggestion of adding video to the mix, many hesitate. I hear things like: Well, I’d have to get into full make up, get a haircut and probably a couple of new outfits before I’d do that, or this one: I’d prefer to lose a few pounds/kilos before I’d be comfortable doing that… We’ve all said something like this at one time or another. In this case though, this thinking can be a real barrier to seeing the possibilities of getting the benefits of video in all it’s forms in your business.

Remove this barrier by recognizing that you don’t have to step out of your comfort zone immediately by turning the camera on yourself and suffering through those heart palpitations as you try to look relaxed on camera. You can work up to putting your best foot forward after you’ve spent some time deciding how to deliver your message. You can create video with a musical background over text if you wish. You can do your own voice-overs and not be on camera at all. If you feel you need to you can hire professional voice actors for a fee that can give you that “polish” you might feel you need. There is value in using your own voice if you won’t be on camera though.

Barrier #2 Cost, time and commitment: People raise this one right after the first barrier noted above. Creating video is seen as costly, time and pressure-filled to getting a video completed. They feel it should be approached it like it’s a Hollywood movie requiring the technical knowledge and costs associated with producing something worth putting out there. With technology moving along at such a pace there are many tools out there to fit any budget. You may quite rightly need help in making sure you get the best result with what you’re using, but the argument that the cost is outside what can be afforded is not longer what it was.

Why should you take video seriously?

You know yourself that video is creeping into your daily life – as it will your business. Have you thought about making changes in how you market yourself going forward? Here is some information from HubSpot about video in the near future:

  • Video is projected to claim more than 80% of all web traffic by 2019.
  • Adding a video to marketing emails can boost click-through rates by 200-300%
  • According to YouTube, mobile video consumption grows by 100% every year
  • 59% of company decision makers would rather watch a video than read an article or blog post
  • Digital marketing expert James McQuivey estimates that a single minute of video content is the equivalent of 1.8 million words.

This post isn’t going to delve into the how’s of adding video – that’s a post for another day, but what I wanted to do it to get you thinking about your current outlook on how you see using video. I’ll offer you a challenge at this point: How will this knowledge be included in your marketing direction? Will you seriously make room for this new marketing opportunity along side your more traditional activities?

 

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well implement change and streamline operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

Are you obsessed with time management?

I think we can all agree that time management is a very good thing, however, there are situations where people tend to take the whole idea of using their time wisely to the extreme. When this happens, the crucial goal of managing your time gets lost in “the busy” and the drive to cram too much into too little time. When it gets to this point, the process of managing your time ceases to be a help and becomes a burden instead. It may be that you can become obsessed with managing your time!

There are several early warning signs that you are may be on the edge of abusing time management rather than use it to your best advantage:

 

Multitasking is your thing

In today’s world, as women we tend to pride ourselves at being able to multitask our way through the day. It’s not unusual for us to handle more than two or more tasks at a time, and we start to do this without thinking. If the tasks in question can be conducted concurrently without causing a great deal of stress we tend to overlook what’s really going on and work on autopilot by dividing our focus and our talent to get through the day. How often, for example, do we participate on a webinar or conference call while also sending instant messages and email to keep things flowing? Ok, two activities can actually work together without any real difficulty.

Things can get tricky when you attempt to take on two or more labor-intensive tasks at the same time, however. This can lead to a great deal of inner conflict and possibly have a negative impact on the quality applied to each of the tasks involved. In other words, instead of ending up with one task done well, you have two (or more) tasks that may be completed but are barely acceptable.

Some people find they just can’t stop multitasking even when it is not necessary. The idea behind this approach is that the multitasking will make it easier to finish all the action items currently on the agenda and enjoy some well-earned downtime. Unfortunately, when you become obsessed with multitasking to manage your time you’ll never really get around to having any downtime. Instead, you’ll finish one set of projects and immediately start looking for another set to do.

Multitasking as part of time management is fine, provided it’s done wisely. When it becomes an end in and of itself rather than a means to reach a goal, it is time to step back and re-evaluate your approach.

 

You Feel Guilty If You Are Not Doing Something

Many of us live our lives from the edge of guilt. We worry about doing the right thing, for the right people, at the right time and we often find ourselves agonizing over the way we do things. Guilt can be an effective tool when it comes to keeping us on track, but guilty feelings when there is nothing to feel guilty about is another matter altogether (and we’re very good at finding those matters). When guilt creeps into the time management process, it is usually an indicator that you have begun to believe on some level that unless you’re are not actively engaged in some task, you’re are not managing your time well.

While it is important to take care of necessary tasks in a timely manner, you do need some time to simply relax and recharge. If you look at it from this perspective, failing to include time for rest and recreation is a breach of good time management policies. If you deny your mind and your body of what it needs to be healthy, you are defeating the purpose of time management, and setting yourself up for a fall at some future point.

 

You become annoyed with others who don’t do as you do

One of the ways people validate their actions is by comparing them with what other people do. After all, if others are using the same approaches and methods to time management that we are, that means we are on the right track. However, when you’re in your zone and people do things differently, we may assume they are wrong and we are right, something has gone wrong with our sense of time management.

We know that everyone brings different talents and abilities to a given task, so taking this to the next level means there are in fact more than one right approach when tackling the same tasks or projects. People who have a balanced view of time management realize this and even welcome the opportunity to learn something new. However, if you assume your way is the only right way you may be on the defensive and find fault with as many aspects of the alternative method as possible.

Again, this negative point of view isn’t really in keeping with true time management principles. Not only does this mindset make it impossible to be exposed to new ways of managing tasks and possibly saving time, it also can create a great deal of stress and friction for everyone concerned. If you are working with a team or delegating responsibilities, having this mindset can upset everyone’s ability to manage time effectively, meaning no one progresses as quickly as they would if all parties could learn from one another and respect individual working styles.

It may be time to check in with yourself and the way you manage your time! The bottom line is that you can become so obsessed with time management that the good you’ve created may start to unravel, putting you in a position where you are more likely to struggle and fail. When this happens, you’ll find your obsession with structured time management may be worse than when you didn’t attempt any time management practices at all.

 

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well as implementing change and streamlining operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

 

 

Now’s the time to refresh your website

Now the weather is changing and we’re moving out of the gloom and cold of the winter season, we can feel the returning spring in our step and the sense of renewal that this new season brings. For most people it has us starting to refresh, renew and reset in many areas of our lives and spring cleaning is a right of passage at this time of year. An area that is often overlooked though (for several reasons) is your business website. What can you do to remove the stale and encourage the sale? You can take some time and refresh in a few of the areas shown here.

Start with a review: When was the last time you updated your website? It’s not a bad idea to refresh a couple of times a year to keep your content current and to keep things fresh. Take a walk through your site as a visitor, or a potential client. Is it easy to find the information you want to highlight? Does the content support your directive and speak to your ideal client’s pain points? With some focus here, you can improve the visitor experience, and that can really help.

Refresh your colour palette: If you have a branded colour palette have you been using it? You can freshen up the how visitors feel about your content by selecting images and photos that reflect your colour palette, when you update font colours for your headings, quotes, and pull-out text you can get a huge bang for your buck. Is it worth it? Yes. A simple change in this area can work wonders and give you a brand-new vibe within your chosen palette.

How’s your blog? If you’ve been a little lax about your blogging lately there’s great value in getting back in the swing. Your clients and potential clients can learn so much from what you have to offer, and blogging is a way to share that knowledge as you spread your word. As an entrepreneur or small business owner you will get love from search engines such as Google, Bing and others because they love fresh content. Remember, growing your blog doesn’t have to be about writing. There are different options to creating content for your blog – think video blogging, audio (podcasting), or having guest writers provide content for your blog.

Add a survey: You can encourage your visitors to interact with your site and you can learn from them at the same time! Choose a topic of interest and use one of the many survey tools out there to learn more. Looking for an easy to use survey tool? Consider Type Form for an elegant solution. There’s lots of options out there from the plain (Google forms) to the complicated and expensive. You can find a solution to meet your needs.

Set objectives for your website: Create your key objectives for your site, then work to meet them. For many website owners an important objective is to build your subscriber list. Make it easy to find and use your opt-in boxes by placing them strategically and make it valuable to the visitor to trade their email address for what you have to offer.

Ready for video (or audio)? Using either of these items on your website can make it so much more interesting, particularly in these days of mobile devices and short attention spans. It’s becoming easier and more affordable to use either or both options. You can do something as simple as adding a Facebook Live video to your website or add an audio file to your about page for better effect.

There are so many options you can bring to your website that can help clear the cobwebs and breathe fresh air into your content and your visitor experience and it doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming as these examples demonstrate. If you haven’t refreshed your website in the last year, where will you start to bring it into the same realm as your business strategy right now? Pick as least two things to refresh because it will make a difference to you and your visitors, and now is a great time to start!

 

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well implement change and streamline operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

 

Celebrate your Creativity!

When working with a client last week it came to light that this talented woman had grave doubts about her creativity. She bemoaned her “lack of creative spark” that she senses in other entrepreneurial women in her orbit. So, after sensing a theme in her conversation it was time to look at things from a slightly different perspective, so we decided to celebrate her creativity here and now. That celebration became the basis for this blog post.

Do you know when your own creative spark will strike? Perhaps you have a “tell” that signals when you’re entering your own creative zone. Personally, I should be so lucky. For most of us that creative spark seems to happen in a place where you can’t capture it, but that doesn’t mean that spark doesn’t happen.

If you really spend a little time thinking about it, you’d recognize that you disregard that spark when it appears, or that you seem to be more receptive to being creative under certain conditions. You may find that writing in any or all areas of your life and business seems to flow more easily in the mornings, before the email deluge hits you. With a little quiet time and that second beverage-of-choice, that proposal you’ve been stressing over seems to flow effortlessly through to completion. Many ignore this and struggle through trying to get things done at times when their energy levels are low, or they are unfocussed or multitasking. It’s easy to overlook your creativity under these conditions.

It’s time for a little introspection here. Can you acknowledge your own creativity in these areas?

Problem solving in your business: Consider all the times that supposedly “quick and easy” business issue dragged on, unraveled or morphed into something you didn’t foresee? How did you come up with what you needed to move forward with your business building or project completion? I think you’ll have to admit there were more than a couple of creative moves necessary to get you where you needed to go. You got to breathe a sigh of relieve once the problem was over, and you know what? That was you being creative.

Developing new products for your business: It’s time to freshen your product or service offerings and you really want to add something special that your customers are going to love, and will add more customers who have yet to discover what you have to offer. Remember the last time you brought something new and fresh? That was you being creative. What about this next example?

Developing solutions for your clients: When your client came to you with a particularly interesting problem. As you worked through the process and came to the solution that made a big difference for the client, you spent time stepping outside of what you thought you knew and brought your creativity to bare. Yes, that was you – being creative.

The last example I’d like to share is that as women, we are nothing if not creative. Our days and lives are spent creating anything and everything in service of what we hold dear, either personally or professionally. Being creative is how we live, and we shouldn’t overlook or play down what we do. If we pay attention our own rhythms, surroundings and energy-giving environments we can start to see where our creativity comes from. We need to add one more thing to this process. We should celebrate each of these “creative opportunities” as a confirmation of the strength we bring to all areas of our lives. I hope you have a favourite way of celebrating your own creativity, and that you’ll make time to do so on a regular basis. You deserve it!

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping businesses understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well implement change and streamline operations. With experience and responsibilities to design, develop and deliver training for small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

Top 3 resolutions for business success this year

 

It’s the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year came so quickly. As part of this transition period for the business owner, it’s a great time to 3 identify business growth as goals are set for the upcoming year. Goals that outline hopes, plans and strategies towards more success. You’ll need all these resolutions to grow your business so what should they be? Here are the questions you’ll use to define your 3 resolutions:

You want to make more money this year. What’s your Money Resolution?

You want more new customers this year. What’s your People Resolution?

What will you do about your products and/or services this year. What’s your Product Resolution?

It’s all well and good to have hopes, dreams and plans, after all most of us hold personal (new years’ resolutions, anyone?) and business goals.  Before we get too deep in the weeds when we look at our business goals it would be wise to use high-level business growth categories where you can place the goals that support those categories.

These categories? They roll right back into to your Success Resolution. You can get the most effect by making sure these powerful categories support your:

  • Money growth category
  • People category
  • Products development category

Step #1 in creating your Success Resolution would be to:

Define the 3 main resolutions. State the amount you want to make or exceed this year. State your intentions as to what networking events, business organizations you intend to become part of to grow your prospect/customers when you provide your pain-relieving services and products. Are you going to add, remove or update any of your services or products this year? Specify these items here.

Step #2 in your Success Resolution would be to:

Define your Categories and explain how they contribute to the corresponding resolution.

Start with the statement “My XXX category contains:” Add your main headings here (eg: Promotion, Planning, etc)

Step #3 in your Success Resolution would be to:

Define your goals under the appropriate category. Each goal should follow the SMART strategy (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based). Consider adding these beneficial properties to your SMART goal. An element of challenge to get you out of your comfort zone. Make it motivate you to move you to the next step on the path you’re taking. One last reminder: make it doable so you can safely follow through.

Consider these goals when making your plans:

Money goals

With your money resolution in mind, determine how you’re going to reach those goals. Are there items you will be adding or revising?

Promote your business – sometimes small businesses fail to properly prioritize this important activity. You will need to create your marketing plan or hire a marketing expert to take care of this task for you. If you are just starting out you can get started by finding low cost ways to promote your business. Remember the promotional opportunities you can access through your own website (it can serve you more appropriately with some review). Don’t overlook this resource!

Business planning (regular) – Make this a must do weekly activity. Doing this weekly means you are acting “in the moment” to understand what’s working and what’s not. Set aside time each week to reflect, adjust and look ahead. A suggestion might be to make this non-negotiable time in your business week.

Delegate weaknesses – It’s time to admit to those things you don’t do as well as your business needs, and to get help for those important areas of your business that can be better served by someone who is an expert in that area. It will serve you well to remember the adage. “Sell your strengths and buy your weaknesses.”

 

People goals

With your People resolution in mind, determine how you’re going to reach those goals.

Want new customers & prospects? When was the last time you reviewed your client avatars? Do you still interact with these identified customers where they are most likely to get together? Are there new avatars you can add that will open new doors for you?

Networking groups – Are there new ones you can investigate to help connect with your potential customers? Plan to attend their meetings for at least 3-6 months and add it to your calendar as “must-do” commitments.

Get out in your community and join causes you are passionate about. These are easy ways to grow goodwill as you give what you can. A side benefit is the goodwill shown to you and your business while you get to do something you love doing. Everyone wins with this strategy.

Use social media, email and your online presence to grow your connections. Serve value to your prospects the way they like to be served. When you take the time to plan out your online presence you grow an extra pair of hands that are focused on staying in contact with potential and current customers, making sure they received the message you intended.

Product goals

Do you have new products or services created or planned? You need to plan, develop, cost, promote and price your new offerings. What does this mean to your customer? Have you researched the need for this offering, and the pain point will it address? Proper planning in this area can refresh a service offering or successfully launch a new one. More products or services finely tuned to your customers will grow your bottom line exponentially and possibly lead the way to other opportunities, such as passive income. Are you ready to take advantage of something like this?

What’s working & what’s not

You may have a tired, ineffective product or service you’ve not had time to evaluate. It may even be costing you in terms of branding, perception or relevance – all things that impact the buying decisions your customers are looking to make. Take the time to review and eliminate any product or service that no longer serves either you or your market. Look to your data (including any sales figures/download rates, etc. that inform you of the effectiveness of this item. Keep your product goals front and centre as you determine what’s working (and you need to keep/update) vs what’s not working any more. Be clear on what you want to achieve in this area.

So, there you have it – your 3 New Years’ Resolutions for your business. Each one is key to the success of your business and will bring you closer to your goals. Now’s the time to make a real difference. Start with your Resolution, identify the proper Category, and then finally break it down to the S.M.A.R.T goals you’ve identified. Doing this will help you work your magic and achieve your resolutions in a build-it for success strategy. Can you do it? Of course, you can! It will be Happy New Year to you because you have resolutions you can keep!

 

Barbara Jemmott is the founder and business strategist at Your Entrepreneurial Spirit. Her 4-point YES to Customer Acquisition Program (C.A.P.) allows her to work her passion which is helping entrepreneurial women grow their audiences and income, online. She got here through her 20+ years of experience helping business understand and implement systems, strategies and procedures to increase productivity as well as implement change and streamline operations. With responsibilities designing, developing and training small to large technology training initiatives for Fortune 100 companies, she brings “Big Business” expertise to the small business space. Learn more about Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and the YES to Customer Acquisition Program at www.yourentrepreneurialspirit.com

 

 

Stay Social with Canadian Small Business Women: