So …how did you get on with your Marketing Plan since my last article?
Have you taken action? Or was it just another idea that you momentarily got excited about and then got swamped in the daily grind of the operational aspects of your business?
I hope not. Otherwise you can finish this sentence:
“Continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _”
I was talking with a Melbourne-based business during the week (again no names to protect the innocent) but their turnover is down 40 per cent on last year - and that represents a fall in over $1 million in sales. Ouch … that hurts.
Yet the reality is that they now recognise with the benefit of hindsight that when times were good they did not appropriately manage the risk within their business.
And so, when the economic cycle turned and the impact of the GFC bit, they got bitten hard. So what could they have done to protect themselves from such a situation?
Here’s list of essentials that should be in place:
1. Have Strategic, Operational Business and Marketing Plans in place.
2. Understand who your customer is (do you really know)
3. Manage and continually market and educate your database. (What - you don’t have a database or CRM package. Hmmm)
4. Really know what your USP or Unique Selling Edge, with all staff from the CEO to point-of-sale and field staff able to concisely articulate it in a meaningful way for your customers (leave behind the mumbo jumbo of corporate-ese and just talk plainly of the benefits to your customers of using your service/product)
5. Have a workplace culture that is empowering and “can do” rather than one of blame shifting and “butt protecting” (you know what I mean)
6. Ensure that they are getting the best deals from their suppliers
7. Have clarity around who are your most profitable clients and where the greatest potential for gaining further market share is
8. Have a business “Dashboard” of 4 – 6 key business indicators in place that tell you at a glance how your business is going
9. Ensure sales/field staff are crystal clear on their KPIs and sales targets
10.Ensure sales staff get access to ongoing professional sales training that will hone their skills and improve their sales conversion rates.
Perhaps, some of these essentials resonate with you.
If so, the good news is that The Right Team Business Growth Specialists (through my other company, The Results In Business Institute) have an on-line interactive program called, RIBI Business Mastery, which will address many of these issues on a step-by-step basis.
Now, because it’s the start of the financial year and because we know that many of you are loyal readers and wanting to get the greatest bang for your invested buck, I have a Very Special Offer that will run for 1 week only from Tuesday 4 August 2009 through till midnight on Monday 10 August 2009.
RIBI Business Mastery usually retails for $5500 GST inclusive (this links to my website)
However, as a very unique offer and for the first 12 businesses to respond I will provide RIBI Business Mastery for a one-off paid in full payment of $4389 GST inclusive -that’s a saving of $1111 GST inclusive).
I only have space in my program for the first 12 businesses and only on a-paid-in-full basis to make the saving.
This offer is genuinely time limited till midnight on 10 August 2009 and is NOT available to the general public. So do not procrastinate; take action, invest in yourself and your business so that the current financial year can be your best yet.
To take up this offer you need to SMS + 61413266515 with “count me in 4 Business Mastery” or email businessmastery@rightteam.com.au and we will be in touch to finalise paperwork and get you set up on the system.
Finally, as promised in my last article, if you write and request it I will send you a copy of our 100 Strategies to Increase the Number of Your Prospects document but there is one condition.
In your email you must include your name and contact details and tell me what the Top 3 Strategies you currently use are for gaining new prospects. That’s fair enough isn’t it? I do a straw poll and you gain some valuable information. | 
