Bill Gluth's Creative Business Strategy Blog

Are You a Valued Client or a Pain?

Bill Gluth — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:50:21 -0700

When you buy from a company, what kind of client are you. Are you valued or a pain?

The distinction is important to consider for two reasons.

1. Valued clients receive better service and often get better deals. Vendors want to do more for people they enjoy working with.

2. Clients who are a pain tend to pay more because few vendors really care if they stay or leave. They don’t get the service they attempt to demand and are in search of new vendors frequently.

If you’re a valued client you will:

Be a joy to work with. You have a great attitude even if things get off track. You know that the vendor is doing her or his best to resolve the situation quickly.

Respect the vendor’s staff and reflect a kind attitude in all interactions with vendors and other people.

Want the best deal but also realize that the best service comes from your vendor earning a fair profit. Instead of trying to beat the vendor down you look for the balance between fair price and exceptional client care.

If you’re a client who is a pain you will:

Be demanding and difficult to work with. You will constantly remind the vendor of what a great client you are so they give you priority treatment. If you’re this type of client, vendors seldom treat you as a priority.

Think that if the staff member you’re talking to now can’t do what you want, there is a supervisor who may. You constantly badger the person who is trying to help and demand to talk to a higher authority.

Constantly try to beat down your vendor on price. Once again, the tactic you use is to remind the vendor of what a great client you are as you ask them to shave their profit line down to make you happy.

Here's what to do if your clients are frequently a pain.

As a vendor you will have to deal with a few clients who are a pain. There are always a few people who are difficult to deal with.

But if a lot of your clients are a pain to deal with, it’s time to look at the niche carefully. In some cases, entire niches can be tough to deal with profitably.

If this is the case, make sure you understand why and consider dropping the niche completely. The clients you gain may be eating away at your profits and causing you undue hardship with staff members at the same time.

Make sure your thinking and attitude is helping you attract the kind of clients you want.

Think of every client as a friend and not as a money source.

Express appreciation for your clients frequently with small, meaningful gestures.

Care about the results your clients your clients gain. When they excel because of you, you’ll excel because of them.

What is Your Business Really All About

Bill Gluth — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:37:41 -0700

Who is the authentic you in business?

A powerful question no doubt. The great thing is you can create or recreate the authentic you at anytime.

All it takes is imagination and admitting/realizing what you want to accomplish with your business.

Adult human beings like to play, but the game we enjoy is deep and diverse.

As adults, we play by creating a value that enhances the lives of other people and then sharing it.

In an ideal world, that's why we all started a business. We wanted to share something we were passionate about.

If the passion has waned (as it does for many people) it's time to refocus on the value you've created.

How does what you're offering make another person's life better?

Answer that question and focus on it in your marketing and sales efforts.

Before you know it, demand will increase, your happiness will soar and profits will reflect this newly rediscovered frame of mine.

How to Ensure You Never Receive Referrals Again

Bill Gluth — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:46:03 -0700

I gave a referral to a person I met recently. I told him what my client needed and what the budget range and outcome should be. He assured me that he could deliver the value required and take good care of my client.

Later I found out that the referred vendor did not act in my client’s best interest at all. He tried to up sell a service my client was not ready for. The price was too high and the service too broad.

This was obviously a case of building a commission that served the referred instead of building a relationship that served my client.

Needless to say, the sale did not happen. It also ensured that I would not give a referral to this vendor again.

Referrals are precious. When you receive one, understand what the referrer hopes to gain and then deliver a value that serves that need.

You’ll be rewarded with more business by referral because you’ll become a trusted partner instead of the vendor who serves their own best interests first.

The Shortest Path to Yes or No

Bill Gluth — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:35:23 -0700

When it comes to closing sales, helping your prospect make a decision of yes or no in the shortest time frame possible is certainly an area where many business owners struggle.

There are a number of reasons why this is tough to do.

One common reason a buying decision is never made is because the prospect is not asked if they want to buy during the initial sales meeting.

Another is the sales person does not understand how a prospect makes a decision.

But the most common reason sales opportunities are not closed or are lost to attrition is due to a clear and focused next follow up step is never set after a sales conversation.

Follow up seems simple but is missing in many businesses.

Here is a typical scenario. A sales person (or business owner) attempts to make a sale. The meeting went well but the sale does not close in the initial meeting.

The sales person thanks the prospect and leaves. They drop an email with a requested proposal. Maybe one phone call or another email follows.

The sale is left in the pipeline unclosed but is still listed as an open opportunity. Or worse yet, there is no sales data base to track prospects progress so it is left to a written note, a vague entry in Outlook or memory.

How do you create a working sales follow up plan?

Follow up begins at the tracking/database level. You need a consistent method to categorize and track prospect and client follow up activity consistently.

After a sales meeting an entry that outlines what you talked about, what was proposed and the clear and focused next step you agreed upon is essential.

If the prospect doesn't want to talk to you but wants to “get back to you” realize that they are probably not really interested. They are simply too nice to tell you no so they say “I’ll get back to you” instead.

You also have to realize that unexpected things come up for your prospect, just like they do in your business.

If a prospect misses your follow up appointment leave a message. Then send a note in the mail (cards work very well for this) and tell them when you’ll try to reach them again.

If you call three times and never hear back, take the opportunity away.

On your third call say something like, “I tried to reach you a few times but have been unsuccessful. Since I don’t want to be a pest and only want to help if I can, I’ll assume that timing is not good on your side and will take you off of my call back list.”

You’ll be surprised at how many times people will call you back after this take away call.

When you do this, however, be sure to make a note to check back in 90-days.

Just because the timing is not right now does not mean that it won't be a viable opportunity in the future. Newsletters, cards and blogs are good ways to remain in touch with prospects who did not purchase.

Always remember that the value you deliver drives the decision.

Good sales follow up starts with caring about other people and the results they gain from working with you more than the profit you’ll earn from their business.

The Art of Appreciating

Bill Gluth — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:30:12 -0700

When it comes to expressing appreciation, we can all use small reminders and new ideas that inspire us to express gratitude to others more.

After all, appreciation is the cornerstone of Human Touch Marketing – it’s the least expensive and most impacting way any small business can increase their sales and marketing effectiveness quickly.

If you haven’t expressed appreciation recently try these 5-easy ideas.

Say thank you to everyone who did business with you this week. Express true thanks, from your heart. Really appreciate the other person.

Call a large client who completed a big project with you recently. See how they are doing and thank them for their business.

Call a small client and let them know they are important to you. Thank them for their business.

Send a greeting card to a client who you feel in your heart needs to hear from you. This video will show you why appreciation wins out over self promotion every time.

Whenever another person provides you with a service or does you a favor, genuinely thank them. When you do you’ll attract even more favors.

Bonus Appreciation Idea

Take 30-seconds right now to appreciate all the wonderful things in your life. After all, American’s are among the most abundant people in the world.

Appreciate the fact that you are here, today, right now – with the ability and now the inspiration to appreciate others in your life.

Energize Your Small Business With Love

Bill Gluth — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:54:33 -0700

For decades sales wisdom has pointed out that people do business with the people they know, like and trust. I agree but I’d like to add a missing piece to this puzzle.

People like to do business most with people they know, like and trust who LOVE what they do for a living.

The missing piece is true love of your work. When you love what you do, you and your business become magnetic.

When the Law of Attraction is mentioned, seldom does it convey this idea. When you love what you do others want to find out what you know. The want your secret for themselves.

Your potential clients will want to engage with you when given the choice between your company and another.

Loving what you do shows up before the sale, during the sale and in the depth of relationship you're able to develop with your clients. It's a genuine feeling that attracts new business consistently.

Simple Steps to Creating Sales

Bill Gluth — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:55:18 -0700

Creating sales is often viewed as very difficult by small business owners. If you suffer from feeling overwhelmed by sales the reason is simple to understand. You don’t have a process in place to follow.

In working with small businesses, I’ve found that simple sales processes work best. Here are the basic steps that need to occur, in order, to create sales consistently for any business.

Step 1: Sales Lead Attraction.

This step is commonly called marketing. Business owners often confuse marketing with advertising, when in fact, advertising is simply one tactic of 100’s possible in the marketing mix.

The most effective marketing and the quickest way to attract people to your offer is by establishing yourself as an expert. Try conducting monthly teleseminars as a way to educate interested buyers.

If you combine teleseminars with telephone outreach as a way to get your message out quickly you can expect to experience a lower cost per new client acquisition and results that grow consistently over time for the effort you expend.

Step 2: The System of Selling.

Once you have gained interest from your attraction/marketing campaign, you must convert that attraction into revenue at least one in five times. This is done through your sales system.

Direct sales can be done one-to-one or in mass via the internet or some other automated sales closing method. A good rule of thumb to follow is the higher the price point of the item you’re selling the more important direct contact becomes.

Start your sales meetings by understanding the value your prospect hopes to gain from talking to you. Understand their challenge, be sure you’re clear on how they go about making a decision and then recommend services that solve the challenge.

As you present your recommendation make sure you show the dollar value or Return on Investment (ROI) your solution provides the prospect.

Always remember, people buy solutions to problems that provide great value. Prove that value in your sales meetings and you’ll be on your way to more sales in less time.

Step 3: Client Relationship Management (CRM).

The majority of businesses completely ignore clients once they purchase. A ‘hunting’ mentality ensures that small businesses have to keep working hard for every sale they generate.

An easier way to grow a business is by “farming” your existing client base. In other words, create ongoing sales by continuously providing value to existing clients instead of always having to look for new people to work with.

A big part of a successful CRM program is staying in touch. It can be easy, with many steps automated.

A weekly or monthly email newsletter will help you maintain top of mind awareness with clients.

Sending greeting cards to announce specials, provide tips or to let clients know you appreciate their business works very well.

You can even go low tech by picking up the phone and calling once in a while. Just remember, if you don’t stay in touch you will quickly be forgotten.

A winning sales process combines all three step into one distinct strategy. Taking a little time to accomplish this step now will ensure healthy sales today and in the years to come.

Blog Writing Made Easy

Bill Gluth — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:38:32 -0700

If you’re new to blogging or if you haven’t yet caught the blogging fever, you may find it challenging to write consistently.

The first thing to realize is that blogging is a habit that has to form before it will gain true momentum.

At first, it’s hard to find things to write about. You may sit in front of your keyboard wondering what to say or in some cases why even bother.

It takes a shift in perspective to gain blogging momentum.

Every day you notice things in your local area, nation or world that catch your attention. Make a note of it and blog about it.

You have a great shopping or customer service experience. Blog about it. Share the story of what happened with your blog readers.

The same holds true of experiences that aren’t so good. Blog about them too.

You have a “break through a barriers” moment occur. Blog about it.

Something in the news or events in the media catch your attention. Blog about why you found the story interesting.

Blogging is really a conversation from you to the known world. Show your readers what you see. Share your ideas. Point out what you notice. Give your opinion.

Once you start blogging, before you know it, you’ll be on fire; watching for new ideas to blog about constantly.

All it takes is the first step. Share your vision with us today on a blog – will you?

Focus on Just One Thing

Bill Gluth — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:17:40 -0700

In today's competitive sales and marketing world, gaining attention is often quite a challenge.

In interviewing independent professionals for my new book, Human Touch Marketing: the Sales Strategies You're NOT Using Today, I am finding that the happiest and most successful professionals are those who have a very tightly defined niche.

For example, I ran into one person who is focused only on serving one specific not for profit niche. The energy of that focus is helping helping him gain attention in a crowded field of NFP experts.

Because he's focused on providing one service to one specific group of people his marketing message is heard over the crowd.

Niche focus will lower marketing costs, make gaining attention much easier and lead to sales lead generation success in less time than you may think possible.

Balance, Satisfaction and Profit With Freedom

Bill Gluth — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:59:35 -0700

When you started your small business, you probably imagined breaking free from the daily grind of a J O B. You pictured having more free time to do as you want, spend time with family and enjoy life more.

Then the realities of running a business hit you and before you know it you’re trading time for dollars, working 10 to 12 hour days – six or even seven days a week. It’s a grind that you quickly learn to dislike with a disdain so strong hate is often the first word that comes up.

Here’s why the bright future you desired turned into the toughest job you’ve ever had.

You built your business on the wrong platform. You probably thought solely about the business and its structure. You gave no thought to the outcome you wanted to create.

You can still change the tide but it will take some creative thinking.

If you’re like most people you want to:

Work for yourself so you have more control over your time; in other words you want to create greater life balance.

You want to do work that matters. Whenever you help others gain what they want out of life you have greater work satisfaction than you can imagine. Most people get stuck in running a business instead of adding value to the lives of others, so this goal is never reached.

And you want to be paid well for the talents you posses. In other words you want to profit but have more freedom to enjoy it.

These are very common desires for people who go into business for themselves.

If you want balance in your life you need to build a career that provides time flexibility.

If you want satisfaction from the work you’re doing you must create something that enhances the lives of others.

If you want profit with freedom you will need to have a career where you are being paid for the value you actually create and not for the time you spend creating it.

Here’s the quickest way to turn the tide and begin making changes right now.

Start with your best case career scenario in mind. Write it down. I am talking about using the most powerful force you have at your disposal; your ability to envision, imagine and create a new reality with your thoughts.

Now consider what happened just before you reached that desired outcome. Then imagined what occurred before that and before that.

Repeat this backward planning exercise until you get all the way back to where you are today. Once you have that written down all you have to do is simply follow the steps or ‘plan’ you just created and move forward.

The secret is to follow the plan.

Always remember, when you create a business value that enhances the lives of others you will find the balance, satisfaction and profit with freedom you’re looking for.

If you need help making this change there is a great tool I use and recommend called Simple.ology.

When you visit this site you can take Simple.ology 101 for free. It will help you realize what you really are going after and show you how to create a framework to achieve it.

Taking action is the secret to creating lasting change. One small step can lead to amazing new discoveries. Try it. All you have to lose is the dissatisfaction you are feeling right now.