“Getting people to commit! We had SO many more people interested than actually signed on. I’d love some tips on how to convert interest to sales.”

“Keeping up with our marketing on a regular basis.  It’s so easy to get distracted!”

…and tips:

“The database we’ve built over time has been very useful. When we run a promotion, we’ll blast out to all of the companies in our database and we usually get a handful of responses. So we recommend every company start building a database – don’t neglect a single email address you come across!” 

Any thoughts or advice to offer?  How are you doing in moving toward your goals?

The owners of the soon-to-be “StitchLA” have been immersed in the process of looking for space.  Aside from sharpening up their negotiating skills, they have added to their vocabulary new terms like “triple net” (where you pay a base rent plus a share of the operating expenses such as taxes, insurance, utilities, common area maintenance).  

One possibility was a storefront on Pico which was asking for affordable rent but lacked parking, heating and a/c. While negotiations went back and forth a couple of rounds, the place also came with a very difficult landlord, so Lauren and Annie decided to pass.   Their focus now is on a much nicer space (wood floors, a/c, heat, parking) that–you guessed it–has a higher monthly price tag. The negotiations continue.  Cross your fingers.  

In addition to the space search,  Lauren and Annie sat down with me this week so that I could help them think through partnership issues.  The two are good friends and want to keep it that way.  So it’s even more important that they discuss and agree upfront on major issues including: how decisions will be made, how/when money will be distributed, expectations of one another, and creating a system that will ensure consistent communication between them.  

Any strategies for negotiating for space in the current market?  Was renting space a learning curve for you?

Angela

In her own words:   “Wishing I could re-create myself multiple times over so there would be enough of me to get all of the work done.  While there is great joy in being on your own, the downside is you have to do everything – the work, the administration and management.  While I am thrilled things are going so well in terms of client-development, I am feeling a bit tired and its only the 1^st month of the year.  That’s the price we pay as entrepreneurs.  My goal over the next week is to work hard but definitely smarter.”

Who hasn’t been where Angela is?  What are your best tips for working smarter?

Many years ago, a colleague asked me to take her place as a speaker, to talk marketing with a group of directors of various arts organizations-dance companies, art galleries, theater groups and the like.

So I began my shpiel-talked about market research as a way to determine your target audience and its needs, the importance of examining your competition, figuring out how purchase decisions are made, and how all this leads you to determine what to offer and how to craft an effective marketing message.  I could feel the temperature in the room dropping steadily as I yammered on, the jaws of those in my audience clenching tighter and tighter.  I was getting some pretty ugly stares when one listener finally gave voice to what they were all feeling.  She said something like “The audience doesn’t get to tell us what dances to do.  We’re artists. This is about our self-expression. ”

I told them that, while I wasn’t suggesting they have focus group participants choreograph their performances, they had a choice to make.  They could create their art and be satisfied with simply performing it, regardless of whether they had an audience or not.  But if the objective was to fill the seats, like it or not, they were in business.  And once you’re in business, you must consider your audience if you’re going to be effective.

Despite my genuine desire to be helpful, I was a most unwelcome messenger that day, telling that audience things they were in no mood to hear.  And I’m sure they all left that day consoling one another about how wrong I was.

In running my own businesses, I, too, have kept myself in various stages of denial at times, shielding myself from finding out that something I was putting a whole lot of effort into, just wasn’t working, or that an idea I thought was brilliant, only seemed that way to me.

Human as it is, looking the other way can waste a lot of time, energy and resources.  So here’s the question:  What is it in your business that needs examination, but that you’re choosing to look away from?

Public Persona Marketing:
–    Created a bi-weekly newsletter that gives business advice, marketing tips, cool finds and profiles of our clients. This e-newsletter is then sent out to press, consumers and boutiques, and other businesses creating exposure for both  ourselves and our clients. Our first newsletter will be sent out tomorrow (1/22/08).
–    Created “All-inclusive” Media Kit. The all-inclusive retainer allows clients to allocate hours differently each month between our three departments – PR, marketing and design – based on their particular needs for that month. This week we started sending the media kit out to potential clients. In the media kit, we also included an offer for a free website design or corporate identity and materials for signing on.
–    We created a “New Business Start Up Package” promotion and will start sending out next week. We have created the emailable materials for this promotion, but won’t be aggressive about sending them out since there’s far fewer new businesses popping up right now. We feel our time is better invested in targeting existing business with our all-inclusive retainer package.
–    We created a referral promotion for our existing retail clients. The offers would give our retail clients six months of free email marketing (our e-ditorials) if they refer a designer for PR services and the designers signs a minimum of a six month contract.
–    We sent out a promotion for our e-ditorials. Interested retailers would receive a reduced rate plus the seventh month free.
–    We followed up with some potential clients that we had originally met with a while ago, but didn’t seem to go anywhere. We have a couple interested (see results below.)

Results
–    From the “all-inclusive” retainer package we’ve sent out thus far, we have secured one appoint with a fashion designer for next week!
–    After following up with several previous potential clients, we have one meeting this Friday and one next week (both designers as well.) For another company that has been stalling on making any decisions on PR/Marketing, we offered some added value to entice them. They sounded interested are we are waiting to hear back from them.
–    From the e-ditorials promotion, we signed on three new clients – two retailers and one corporate business. The corporate business is actually a business advisor for retailers and she has already referred us one of her clients for web design! She thinks she has many more clients that would be interested in our services!!

Moving Forward
–    Pitch members of our team for personal press. Haven’t started on this one. More towards the bottom of our priority list, but we are going to start in the next couple of weeks.
–    Network, network, network! We’ve been bad about this one because we’ve been so busy, but next week we are going to work on mapping out a schedule with interesting events in the area that we would like to attend and that we think would be beneficial to us. We also talked about making each person responsible for finding one event per month that sounds interesting to them and we will all attend.
–    Continue targeting new companies with our “all-inclusive” retainer package

My two cents:

Wow!  What a week!  Sounds like you are making amazing progress!  I hope that next time you’ll share with us what is working (and not working, if anything) in implementing your plan.

I think your package ideas are great and will be particularly attractive to prospects in the current economic climate.  Also, I understand your reasoning about fewer businesses starting up, however, there are many emerging businesses that, while not literally new, have owners who consider them start-ups because they haven’t reached the point where they’re really working yet.  If you can provide a compelling solution to those prospects, they may be promotable.

Do you have any questions for or thoughts to offer Jenn and Nicole?

P.S.  I’m competing in the Start-Up Nation/Ladies Who Launch “Leading Moms in Business Contest.”   If my blog has been helpful, enjoyable or inspiring to you, would you please take a second and cast your vote?  Just click here. Thanks so much for your support!  Roberta

• I solidified the contract for my new office space and began organizing my new office.

• I hired a part-time legal assistant.

• I spoke to a consultant regarding building and optimization of my law firm website.

• I obtained two new clients. One is a large non-profit organization.  I will be assisting them in overhauling their human resources and employee relations infrastructure.  The other is a small restaurant/caterer who is retaining me to provide advice and counsel on personnel and labor law matters as needed.

• I also found time for civic activities – I participated in the “National Day of Service” collecting food for a food bank.  I also participated in the Kingdom Day Parade in celebration of Dr. King’s Birthday. This is part of the reason I returned to my own practice – so I could carve time out for my political and civic life.

Do you have any questions or thoughts to share with Angela?  Are you comtemplating any major transitions this year?

I firmly believe in the power of planning.  So if you find yourself plan-less on January 19, I hope you will consider the following:

• Personally and professionally, if you don’t know where you want to go, it’s pretty hard to get there.

• It’s incredibly easy for human beings to simply be swept along by day-to-day events, spend all of their time just fighting fires, and never stop to figure out what they really want and how to make it happen.

• A plan is:

1. a sequential list which details discrete tasks to be completed and deadlines for when they must be completed
2. an organizing tool
3. a roadmap, a blueprint
4. a live, working, fluid document, intended to be revisited and revised as life happens and circumstances change
5. a contract with yourself

• A plan is not:

1. intended to be pristine or perfect or beautifully written
2. static or set in stone
3. supposed to be shoved in a drawer

• Having a plan gives you more flexibility, not less.

• It’s not too late.  If you haven’t done your planning yet, today is a great time to start.

If I’ve been of help to you, please vote for me in the Start-Up Nation/Ladies Who Launch “Leading Moms in Business” contest.  Thanks in advance for your support!

(If you don’t know their story, read about them in last week’s post.)

Jenn and Nicole have made great progress in clarifying their first quarter tasks.   Here is their action plan:

• Find point of differentiation from competitors and promote it! For us, it would be the added value we can offer in the form of marketing programs and design/creative. (i.e. all-inclusive retainer as opposed to other firms where clients solely pay for PR services)
• Add value for clients such as: create monthly e-newsletter with tip and advice for businesses
• Create “Referral Program” for current clients to receive a discount and/or free services
• Create “New Business Package” for new businesses in need of identity system, collateral material, website, etc.
• Create sales/informational packet for Public Persona and set weekly goal of companies to target and introduce Public Persona to
• Pitch members of our team for personal press
• Follow up with previous/current leads and offer them an incentive to sign on
• Network, network, network!

Great work, ladies!  I like your emphasis on providing added value and incentives to prospects at a moment when they are likely struggling financially.   Beyond the money angle, it indicates that you understand their pain.

As a next step, I would suggest that you break down each action item into individual tasks, assign the task to a specific person and create a “real” deadline.   Think, too, about how you will hold everyone accountable for their part of the implementation.

Do you have any questions or suggestions for Jenn and Nicole?

Lauren has made some big decisions in the past week:

(If you don’t know Lauren’s story, check last week’s post about her)

1. She’s invited a partner, her friend Annie, to open the sewing lounge with her.
2. They’ve decided on a name:  Stitch L.A.
3. Their business structure is an LLC and Lauren is the managing member.
4. The lease will be in the name of the corporation.
5. They are still negotiating terms with the landlady.

My questions/comments for Lauren:

• Congrats on your progress!
• Love the name!
• Why did you decide on an LLC?
• Have you and Annie discussed your thoughts about partnership in detail?  Check out my blog post, “Howdy Partner” for a comprehensive list of issues.

Have you or are you interested in starting a small business?  What are your questions and tips for Lauren?  Can I help you?

Making The Decision

“When I decided to go back out on my own the most difficult thing to overcome was fear – the fear of failure, the fear of what others might say, the fear of not having the financial safety net that a large firm provides.  But when I saw that my clients hired me because of me and not because of the firm I was associated with, that gave me the confidence to go back out on my own.  Now, my goal is to learn from the mistakes of my past and to build the firm smartly and wisely.”

Opportunities  And Challenges in 2009

Opportunities:

“I see the opportunity for me, as a small business owner, to distinguish myself in the marketplace based on experience, personalized service and competitive rates. ”

Challenges:

“The challenge will be growing the business beyond me and having sufficient capital to expand.”

2009 Goals

• Find a niche in the legal marketplace
• Maintain existing client base and expand by 2-3  clients
• Be profitable

First Quarter 2009 Goals

• Solidify the logistics of reopening the practice
• Launch a strategic marketing plan
• Maintain good relations and  provide excellent services to current clients


Ever left or thought about leaving a corporate gig to go out on your own?  How did it work out for you?  Got any questions or advice for Angela?  Can I help you?

Sisters Jennifer and Nicole Disotell are, respectively, the CEO and Managing Partner of Public Persona Inc., a full-service branding firm that caters to clients in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle industries.  Founded in 2007, Public Persona has three full-time employees and a handful of interns. Their clients are small and medium-sized companies that, because of tight budgets, require a high level of creativity to service.

2008 Highlights

The past year was a time of tremendous expansion.  They:

* Doubled revenues
* Added a PR department
* Branched out beyond just retail clients
* Hired three people 
* Fired three people  

Focus in 2009

Stability is a priority in the new year.  They are focused on:

• Keeping current clients happy by creating greater “bang for their buck”

• Finding opportunities in the current down economy

2009 Business Goals

* Add four new PR retainer clients–two at $2,500+, two at $5,000+
* Procure one website design project per quarter
* Increase our brand awareness within the fashion industry

First Quarter Goals

* Retain one $5,000+ budget PR retainer client
* Launch a concerted marketing effort

In 2 years, Jennifer and Nicole have managed to create a viable enterprise and significantly expand both its offerings and its earnings.  As they enter the new year, it appears that their biggest obstacle will be one over which they have no control–the economy.  As businesses in their industry go under every day, they are wise to pay special attention to keeping their current clients–who will all be experiencing the same downturn–happy.

How do you expect the economy to affect your small business?  Have you re-thought your plan to avoid the bumps and capitalize on the opportunities?  Do you have any questions or advice to offer Jennifer and Nicole?