Business cards that get you the business

I was talking to a colleague over the weekend about her new business cards and it got me thinking about how important business cards are to your marketing campaign. So, why is this little 2 x 1 card powerful yet so important to you and your business?

Your business card is one of the biggest marketing tools you have, so don’t waste it!  Your card should talk to your ideal clients and let them know exactly what you do in much the same way that your elevator speech does.  You can do this by developing a tag line that leaves no doubt about what you do or what results you get, e.g. mine is “more clients, in less time with less effort.”  When I give that out, people know exactly what I do so that if they pick it up at a later date, even if they have forgotten the conversation we had, this will instantly remind them.

• Put your photograph on your card.  This doesn’t mean that you are being vein!  You are trying to raise your profile and get yourself remembered.  People meet so many others on the networking circuit that it is easy to forget who they spoke to last week.  Your photograph will remind them.
• Don’t leave the back of your business card blank, this is a waste of great marketing space. Give them a “call to action,”  i.e. what do you want them to do next, or create some pull marketing questions. 

A card like this will not only get you remembered on the networking circuit, but you are giving your referral sources a great tool that describes exactly what you do when talking to others about you.

Don’t forget, you want to make it as easy as possible for people to get in touch with you so always include your email address and phone number, and make sure you have a good voice box message. So, order your sales generating business cards today and starting handing them out and placing them in locations that your target audience can get their hands on them.

Also, don’t forget your copy is still available for download, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You”, Get it today!

The First Rule of Networking…..Is To Build A Relationship

Happy Monday Marketers! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Last week during a coaching subject a client and I worked on how he can promote himself and his new business successfully. Think of business as a game and in a game there are rules. Today I would like to share with you some of the many rules of the business game. One part of the business game is to network. So, what is the first rule to networking?

People only do business with people they know, like and trust, and this goes for passing referrals too.  You need to come across as genuine and start building solid relationships.  Networking is not about getting as many business cards as possible, or pushing your card onto others.

When you are talking to people at a networking event, don’t go straight in and start talking about yourself.  People like nothing more than to talk about themselves, so if you give them the first chance, they will remember that you took an interest in them.  Listen to what they have to say and take a genuine interest in them. 

They will automatically start to ask about you which means that now you can talk about what you do without making it seem as though you are pushing yourself on them.  Be subtle though, just because they show interest doesn’t mean they want you to bombard them with information about all the products or services that you provide!  This will make you look needy and there is nothing that will repel a potential client quicker than being needy.

If you feel you have met a good contact make sure that you get their business card and arrange that you will call them to set up a coffee date (a one to one in network speak).  Unfortunately, when people say that they will ring you, they rarely do.  Life gets in the way, they meet with other networkers, they get busy, what ever the reason, it is up to you to take the lead to avoid this happening.  Don’t leave it too long before you follow-up and get the appointment booked within 48 hours.

Don’t expect too much, too soon.  It takes a while to build strong relationships so just turning up at one event really isn’t enough.  Get along to as many as you can and get your face remembered.  Soon you will get people passing you referrals.  When someone passes you a referral, send them a hand written thank you note. 

Also, don’t forget to To find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, by downloading “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!

Happy Marketing!

Why are you not promoting?

Happy Monday! Hope everybody had a great weekend. Lately, I have heard a lot of clients talk about not promoting themselves or marketing themselves, but my question is, if you don’t promote how do you expect to get business? These clients left me wondering why are you not promoting?

So, why are so many people nervous about promoting themselves and their services?  Well, one reason is fear:

• Fear of the unknown
• Fear of spending time and money and not getting any work from it
• Fear that you are not good enough
• Fear that you are not worth the money you are charging
• Fear of failure

Another reason that people keep themselves a secret is that they feel they will be perceived as being pushy if they talk too much about themselves. The result is that you don’t speak up clearly and proudly about who you are and what you do because you don’t want to stand out from the crowd.  Standing out and getting attention is exactly what you need to do to be successful.

Are you procrastinating by perfecting that brochure or busying yourself with administrative tasks that aren’t going to bring you in money? I believe that so many of us know we should network on a consistent basis, but don’t because we’ve never been taught HOW! We go about it not really knowing what to do, and not seeing any results, which makes us think that it doesn’t work. In a way, this is good news because it means that there is nothing wrong with you, you are not the only one and if others like myself and my clients can make it work, then so can you.

You do need to start getting out there and start networking effectively! You need to start making connections and letting people know that you exist and what you can do for them. The good news is that once we are taught exactly what to do and say in networking, then we start seeing real results.  Then you gain the confidence to push to the next level and your results just carry on increasing.

Most people who are holding themselves back are holding themselves back due to their own fears. Fears can be overcome so stop fearing and start promoting today! To find out why your potential customers aren’t buying from you and what you can do to get clients to your door, download “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!

Medicine for the Marketing Blues

Happy Monday All!!! Lately I have run into many clients all suffering from the same problem…..discouragement. This discouragement seems to stem from the same few sources.

So what are the sources of so much discouragement? The sources of most clients discouragement is the economy, their business is not going the way they planned, and goals aren’t being meet.

These sources of discouragement don’t have easy solutions, but with will power and determination there is a solution, a solution that works. Now time for the pep talk.

Some solutions to discouragement is….

Don’t give up so quickly. Giving up is one mistake I see the most. Success takes time especially when first starting out. Also, when first starting out you won’t get everything perfect, even when not first starting out all things won’t be perfect. Just remember in business most things are going to be trial and error until you find what works for you and your business. It’s rare anybody gets it right the first time, so don’t give up so quickly, take your time, and give it time.

Do more research and try something new. If you ever feel something isn’t going right for your business or isn’t working then change it. Now saying change it is easier said than done, so let’s talk about some ways to change it.

1. A way to change something you don’t like is do some research. Research what others in your niche are doing and take what you view as successful and think might work for you and make it your own.

2. Another way to make a change is by trying something new. This is your chance to be creative. Got some great ideas, TRY THEM! You won’t know if your ideas are ideas that work until you try them, all you can do is try. If you don’t have any ideas at this moment have a thinking session and get creative!

Do a re-evaluation. If goals aren’t being met then reevaluate yo goals. When re-evaluating your goals look at two things: The goal it’s self and the length time you gave yourself to achieve it. You want to make sure all your goals are realistic and achievable. Once you have achievable goals then make sure the goal deadlines are also achievable and realistic. Also, realize things happen so not everything will go according to schedule so be flexible.

Discouragement happens, but don’t let it define you. Discouragement can be overcame, so let discouragement only last a moment not a lifetime. Nothing is impossible. Until next time marketers…Stay encouraged and I’m here to help if you need advice or a pep talk. Also, don’t forget to download your free report, “12 Reasons Why People Aren’t Buying From You” NOW!