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December 2, 2015 by RonTester Leave a Comment

How the Chamber of Commerce Can Help Your Business

DoThisNotThatMarketing.com How the Chamber of Commerce Can Help Your BusinessMarketing as a Member of the Chamber of Commerce

Unsure of where to go to market your business? You should strongly consider getting involved with various community organizations and groups to get your name and business out there. You’ll recognize many of the organizations we’re going to talk about on this blog. Perhaps some will be new to you. Let’s take a look how they can benefit marketing your business. Today, let’s take a look at the Chamber of Commerce.

I’m going to be honest. I’ve been a member of the Chamber of Commerce a couple of times in the past. The first time I joined, I paid my annual membership fee and waited for good things to happen. They didn’t. The second time I joined, I paid my annual membership fee and got involved. Instead of waiting for good things to happen, I made the most of the opportunities the Chamber offered and made good things happen.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Chamber of Commerce. What you may not have known is not only is there a local Chamber of Commerce, but also a national membership. Take a look at the US Chamber of Commerce website for more information about membership. Joining the local chapter does not always automatically enroll you at the national level though, nor does joining at the national level guarantee you membership in the local chapter. Be sure to look online for your local chapter’s website and phone number. There are benefits to both organizations. You can find more information regarding the differences in membership on the US Chamber of Commerce website’s FAQ. Your business, like most small businesses, will have a monthly membership fee of around $30-40 with yearly memberships being around $300-400 a year. This is an average and may be more or less depending on number of employees and your location. Of course, the benefits of joining will ultimately depend on how much time you spend attending events and getting involved with your Chamber of Commerce.

Did you know how important being a member of the Chamber of Commerce in your area is to marketing your business? It’s primary function is to help business owners, like you, network and grow. Not only is joining the Chamber of Commerce great for fostering your business’ B2B (business to business) relationships, but also, customers are more likely to look at you more favorably if you are a member of the Chamber of Commerce and are more likely to use your business. The Chamber of Commerce can help you get in touch with local businesses for your needs, and some of those businesses provide discounts to Chamber of Commerce members. Also, you can learn something new from other members at luncheon’s and you can provide expertise as well in your field of business allowing businesses to think of you when they have a problem. How about some free press? Often the Chamber of Commerce publishes newsletters and they usually have a website that features their members. Some even organize ribbon cuttings for your business gaining more exposure for you for a grand opening. If you’re still unsure how you joining the Chamber of Commerce will benefit your business, get some referrals and ask a few business owners their experiences with being a member.

Next, I’ll be focusing on local service organizations, like Rotary, Kiwanis, Optimists, Kiwanis, and Jaycees. How can being a member of one or some of these help foster your business relationships and bring about growth.

To make sure you get more information to help you grow your businesses, join my mailing list and I’ll send you great information.

Filed Under: Small Business Marketing Tagged With: Chamber of Commerce, DoThisNotThatMarketing.com, Ron Tester

November 28, 2015 by RonTester Leave a Comment

How to Market with Local Networking Groups

DoThisNotThatMarketing.com local networking meetingLocal Networking Meetings Can Help You Grow Your Business

Many small business owners have heard of local networking meetings but aren’t sure where to find them or how they might help them grow their businesses. You might be convinced of the benefits of marketing your small business but you may not know where to start. If it seems like an impossible task to find places to market your business—read on! There are plenty of resources you can tap in the form of local networking groups. These various groups will allow you to grow your business, get referrals and make money. 

Business Networking International (BNI) is one of the largest groups created specifically to help members increase their business through networking. Not only can you get referrals for your business, but you can gain networking knowledge, be a part of business trade shows, and periodically free workshops on networking. You’ll also receive newsletters that provide valuable networking education. Joining a chapter means that you’ll be the only business that provides that service or product, so you’ll have exclusivity within the chapter. To find out more information, search their website to find a chapter near you.

Have you heard of Mastermind Groups? Mastermind groups offer a place to brainstorm, get peer support, education, and ultimately achieve success. By collaborating with others, you will be able to cross-promote your business and extend your network. Do you feel like you are all alone in your business? Joining a mastermind group can help you get rid of that feeling because you will be working with others that can advise you and vice versa. There are quite a few places to find mastermind groups, including Meetup.com, Craigslist.org,  Plant Dreams and MasterMind Finder. Mastermind groups can be conducted in person or online. If you can’t find one geared towards your needs, you can start your own group. For more information, check out this post from the Smart Passive Income blog.

Are you a woman looking for a networking group that caters to you? Joining a group such as Women in Business Networking can help you as a woman tackle specific issues and challenges related to running and networking your business. Groups are area specific, so you will want to search for one in your area.

Local merchants associations are another great tool for networking your business. These are specific to your area and doing an online search will allow you to find one near you. These associations are non-profit groups that promote unity among business owners and help business owners pave their way to long-term success. Need help with a marketing campaign? Local merchant’s associations can also help you with multiparty marketing campaigns.

As I mentioned before, I’m a big believer in Meetup.com. Meetup is a great way to join groups in your area with a focus on small businesses. Go here and search for a group near you. Some Meetups require fees for joining their group or for specific functions. Each group has their own page with the information you need to join. Group activities include workshops in social media marketing, get advice from other business owners, and help avoid costly mistakes in your own business.

With all of these local networking groups available to you, from online mastermind and Meetup groups to merchant associations in you area, you’ve got tons of opportunities to join and grow your business. Visit several groups before joining and making that commitment to a particular group. Be sure to ask questions about how often they meet and any obligations required of you. Once you find one you that is convenient and interesting, make the commitment to join. Once you join, make the commitment to go regularly. Make joining a local networking group fun and profitable to you and your business.

If you’ve participated in a local networking group and would like to share your experience, comment below.

Filed Under: Small Business Marketing Tagged With: DoThisNotThatMarketing.com, Local Networking Groups, Ron Tester

November 18, 2015 by RonTester 1 Comment

Creating a Sales Funnel for Your Small Business

DoThisNotThatMarketing.com simple sales funnelSales Funnel = Clarity

One way to help make your sales strategy meaningful is for you to create and draw out a sales funnel. I know you’ve probably seen sees funnels before, but have you ever created one? Not just thought about it, but actually put pencil to paper and drew it out? You should. Go get a piece of paper and a pencil. I’ll wait….

Now we all know what a funnel looks like and a sales funnel is very similar. The sales funnel is called that because it’s wide at the top, which allows for lots of potential customers to go through, and narrow at the bottom, where potential customers are turning into actual paying customers and repeat customers. Creating a sales funnel helps you visualize your sales process and the specific steps that lead to sales. Although you know where the money comes from, seeing it in black and white can make it stick in your mind’s eye and keep you focused there.

A Quick Explanation of the Sales Funnel Stages 

As people enter the sales funnel as potential customers, some will drop out immediately as they will not be interested or in need of your product or business. You walk into a fancy jewelry shop and find out they don’t change batteries on your Timex watch. You slip out of their sales funnel.

The next tier of the funnel is for potential customers who have shown some interest in your business. They sign up for your email list, request a brochure or a meeting, etc. You should be thinking about how to get the right customers from this stage to the next stage of commitment. Eventually, your goal is to funnel all of these prospects into the next stage of commitment or funnel out all those that are ultimately uninterested or not a good fit for your business. It’s dangerously seductive to look at a ton of prospects sitting at this stage of the funnel and think, “If only half of them convert to buying customers, I’ll be rich!” It makes wishful thinking your strategy and can make you think you don’t have to work as hard to keep filling your funnel. If they’ve been sitting at this stage of your sales funnel for a long time, you want them to choose to go one way or the other. Either move them forward in the sales process or let them go.

Those that remain can be converted to customers who buy one time and ultimately become repeat customers. Once you draw it out, the sales funnel will help you identify problems along the process, perhaps identifying a lack of exposure to potential clients or the need for additional sales training. In the end, you’ll save a lot of time and money by pinpointing the right customers identified through your sales funnel.

When creating a sales funnel, the best thing to do is make them personalized. There is no “right way” for everyone. Some are simple (see above) and some are more complex. DoThisNotThatMarketing.com complex sales funnelWhich one is the right one for you? Potentially both. Potentially neither. The real question is, what meets your needs? Ultimately, what’s going to help you turn prospects into customers? If you’ve never created a sales funnel before, or if your business is fairly straightforward with a relatively short sales cycle, I would recommend a simpler sales funnel to start out with.

  • First, you need to create a way to introduce your business to your leads. How do they find you?
  • Second, you need something that leads your prospect into the funnel, a low-cost/no-cost, low barrier to entry offer. This should require very little commitment from your prospect, like entering their email address in exchange for a report or a checklist.
  • Third, you need to educate your prospect. Teach them what they need to know to make an informed decision. Help them understand why your offering is the reasonable choice to help them meet their needs or solve their problem.  While you might fear this will delay the final sale, it gives you a way to position yourself to demonstrate your expertise or the repeated need for your product.
  • Fourth, you’ll ask for the sale. Make the offer. If you’ve made a good case for your offering, you shouldn’t have to trick people into buying. If you have to trick people into buying, you’re not making a good offer. Improve your product or service or improve the way you present it so that it make sense to the customer. Then asking for the sale becomes easier.
  • Finally, you need to follow up with your customer after the sale. When your prospect becomes a customer they usually like you more at that time than any other. They are on your side. Let them know you appreciate them. Ask them for referrals. Ask them what was most helpful in getting them from a “maybe” to a “yes.” 

There are some things you need to keep in mind after you’ve created a sales funnel. Be sure to revise your sales funnel and find ways to fix “leaks” or places that potential sales have fallen through. Make your funnel stronger over time. You will want to keep track of your results and be sure to measure your leads and conversions. Always look for ways to improve your numbers.

Having a sales funnel is a great way resource in your business. You will want to plan your sales funnel and not just wing it. A good funnel will move prospects through to becoming your customer and remove those that aren’t a good match for your business. That’s exactly what you want, right? More prospects converting to more customers generating more revenue and more profit.

Please leave a comment and let us know: if you are using a sales funnel in your business, how has it helped you? And if you aren’t using one, why not?

Filed Under: Small Business Marketing Tagged With: DoThisNotThatMarketing.com, Ron Tester, Sales

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