Market, Assess and Success By Leslie Truex Updated August 10, 2016 This is the fourth part of a four-part series on starti...
Market, Assess and Success
By Leslie
Truex
Updated
August 10, 2016
This
is the fourth part of a four-part series on starting a home business
in a month. If you missed the first three weeks, which are about
planning and putting your business foundation in place, and
marketing, you can review them here:
At
this point, you’ve done your research and put your business
foundation in place, and began marketing.
During
this last week, you’ll do more marketing, create programs to
ensure you’re getting the most bang for your marketing effort, and
assess to make sure you’re being effective and efficient.
Day 22: Answer Questions on Forums
Marketing
is about offering a solution to your target market. One of the best
ways to do this is to go to the places they’re talking about their
“problem” and help them. Online groups and forums are the ideal
spot to learn what your market needs, and to give free advice as a
way to build rapport and trust that will have them checking out your
business. You can find groups and forums through a search on your
topic and through social media (i.e. Facebook and LinkedIn have many
groups). The key to success in groups is to be helpful, not a sales
person.
Day 23: Consider Paid Advertising Options
To
be honest, I avoid paid advertising as much as possible; however,
depending on your business, it might be a great way to get customers
and clients quickly.
Today,
many people are getting great results from Facebook Ads, which
offers the ability to target your ad to specific market segments.
Other advertising options include buying banner space on websites,
sponsoring features on websites, and ezine ads. When paying
for advertising, make sure your ad is going in front of your target
market and write an offer
that speaks directly to them.
Day 24: Develop a Reward Program for Loyal Customers/Clients to Encourage Referrals
The
most responsive and least expensive form of marketing comes through
referrals. Word-of-mouth marketing is free and the people who are
referred to you are more likely to buy because someone has said
something nice about you.
Encourage
people to make referrals by
offering great products and services. Go beyond that by offering
rewards, such as a discount when they send a referral. In fact,
consider having a loyalty program (for repeat business), regardless
of referrals. People like to do business with companies that
appreciate them.
Day 25: Create a Customer Service Policy
Many
people don’t think about customer service until they have
customers asking questions or complaining. How you respond
to customers will
affect not only if they continue to work with you, but also what
they tell others about you. Start by having guarantees and refund
policies clearly outlined on your website or contract. Make it easy
for clients and customers to get support and respond to them
quickly.
Always
be professional, even toward customers or clients who might not
deserve it.
Day 26: Deliver Quality Products and Services
This
is a no-brainer, but now that you’re a few weeks into your
business, it’s a great time to review your products and services
to make sure they’re delivering on your promise. Is there
something you can do to make them better? Remember, the better
your products and services, the more likely people will buy from you
again and tell others about you.
Day 27: Creating a Marketing Schedule
Now
that you’ve implemented many marketing techniques, review what’s
working and what isn’t to develop a marketing
calendar that
includes something each day of the week. For example, I don’t
write or update every day, but I post Home Business content to
social media daily. Items to have on your schedule include social
media posts, email marketing, blog updates, group/forum visits and
whatever else you’re using to find and attract your customers and
clients.
Day 28: Follow up with prospects.
Prospects
are people in your target market, many of whom may have expressed
interest in what you have, but haven’t actually bought from or
hired you. Too many entrepreneurs don’t follow up with their
prospects, which is unfortunate, because many future sales can be
made by staying in touch. Following up doesn’t mean you have
pester people for a sale. Following up can include contacting
prospects by phone or email to see if they have questions. They can
be added to your updates list where you can periodically let them
know about news, sales and other goings-ons in your business. When
it comes to buying, timing is often a key. You can’t be there at
the right time, if you’re not staying in touch.
Day 29: Follow up with current and past clients and customers.
Are
your clients and customers happy with your product or service? Are
they struggling to get the results they wanted from what they bought
from you? The best way to find out is to ask. A great way to
build repeat and referral clients and customers is by following up
after the sale to ask them if they have questions or feedback. Once
or twice a year, do a survey asking for feedback and ideas on your
business. Successful business es deliver what customers/clients
need. The best way to know if you’re doing a good job is to ask
your current and past clients. Further, by staying in touch, you
give them an opportunity to buy again, plus your attentiveness will
encourage referrals.
Day 30: Fortify Yourself
You
have started a business, you’re marketing it, and hopefully,
you’re beginning to see results. However, you might also be
experiencing setbacks, frustrations, and even failures. Success in a
home requires stamina, persistence, tenacity and anever
give-up attitude.
You need commitment and
tricks to keep you moving forward when
you feel like quitting. Some of these tricks include:
- Reading or listening to success and motivational materials.
-
Attending trainings or seminars in your industry to get new ideas and connect with others.
-
Participate in a mastermind group or get a mentor for feedback and tips.
-
Take care of yourself physically as well, with lots of sleep, a healthy diet, and regular exercise.
Day 31: Evaluate, Tweak, and Keep On Keepin’ On
Every
month or so, assess
what’s going on in your business.
What marketing efforts brought the most results. Of those that fell
short, study them and see if you can’t improve them. Or simply get
rid of them and focus instead on what’s working. Are there common
customer support issues that you can fix? Efficiency, getting
top results from the least amount of effort, is all about focusing
on what’s working and eliminating the stuff that doesn’t. You
can’t become efficient if you don’t evaluate what’s going on
in your business.
You’ve
done it. In 31 days you’ve started and begun building a business.
Now it’s time to keep doing what you need to do to find and reach
your market, and provide the best quality product and service
possible.
COMMENTS