Tip #370: 10 Strategies For Improving Client Retention In 2012

With 2011 drawing to a close, many business owners we know are looking to put this year behind them and start finding ways to increase their businesses in 2012.

In today's competitive business environment, we have learned that it is highly important to focus on building stronger relationships with existing clients. And to help you do a better job at this, we have compiled 10 tips that could easily turn your existing clients into proactive advocates for your business.

The 10 Tips To Help With Your Client Retention Are:

Tip #1: Spend 10 To 20 Minutes Every Day Speaking With Two Existing Clients -- Even though e-mail has become the communication method of choice for most businesses, we highly recommend picking up the phone and calling your clients. Once you have a client on the phone, ask them, "If you had a magic wand and could wave it over us, what would you have us do that we are not already doing?" Also, ask "What do you need from us that we are not providing?" After listening to your clients, execute the best ideas that work for your business.

Tip #2: Ask A Select Group Of Clients To Serve On Your Board -- By assigning your top or most creative clients to your board, you will have access to top-level thinking. Chances are they will come up with ideas that you never thought of or did not think were important enough to implement.

Tip #3: Send Your Clients Articles About Their Business And/Or Industry -- Your clients like to know that you have their best interest in mind. Make an effort to send relevant articles to them. This small and simple gesture will help create a much more loyal customer base.

Tip #4: Invite Clients To Test A New Product Or Service (At A Discounted Price/Fee) Before You Offer It To Everyone Else -- Exclusivity, or "invitation only," is an excellent way to get someone linked to your business. Not only that, but it will also save you time by acting as a beta test program. Their feedback will help you either fine-tune the deliverables or decide to dismiss them all together.

Tip #5: Start An Alliance With Your Clients Via A Seminar, Marketing Effort/Workshop Or Special Affair -- The more opportunities you take to spend time with your clients, the more connected they will become to your business. And the more connected they are, the stronger an advocate or referral source they become.

Tip #6: Give Them Added Value -- There is nothing wrong with giving your clients something special, like 2-for-1 deals, buy 1 get X free deals, dollar or percentage discounts, free or discounted design services, etc.

Tip #7: Connect Clients Who Share Similar Interests Or Ideas -- If you have a client who needs help in a particular area in which you know another client is proficient, get the two clients together. You will look like a hero by finding someone who could solve their problem and, in the process, foster a sense of friendship and trust.

Tip #8: Know Your Competition -- In today's ever-shrinking business world, you need to know how your competition is doing. Google your competition, visit their website and call them up as if you were a prospective buyer. What you find will amaze you, not to mention provide you with valuable information that will help your business.

Tip #9: Shop Your Own Company -- Hire a third party and have them call your company posing as a prospective buyer. Afterwards, ask them about their experience. The details they can provide will help you develop a better understanding of how you should be handling new clients.

Tip #10: Your Customers Are Always Right -- For many, practicing this philosophy can be tough, especially when you know a customer is wrong. No matter what, work on making a client happy.

Executive Summary: Word-of-mouth advertising is the most powerful advertising there is for any business, but it is only attained by having clients who already trust and believe in you. If your clients hold you in high esteem, they will not only tell people about you, but also buy from you repeatedly.

For more information, visit our website.

Tip #369: The Power Of Giving A Corporate Gift

Normally, our e-tips focus on ways to improve someone's leadership skills and strengthen his/her management skills. Nevertheless, with the holiday season only weeks away, we decided to discuss a leadership tool often overlooked or underused -- the value and power of corporate gift giving.

Corporate gift giving is more than just an exercise in tradition -- it is a source of energy for team unity and for positive employee attitude. Corporate gifts show employees that you value them and have proven to increase morale and drive throughout the office.

The Best & Worst Corporate Gifts Of 2010.

Incentivemag.com conducted a survey of 501 respondents about corporate holiday gift giving. In the article, you will find the "do's and don'ts" of corporate gift giving along with some great visual charts.

Here Is A Small Example From The Article...

"Corporations seem to be giving a smaller selection of awards, as every single type of award-gift cards, electronics, jewelry, etc-was used by a smaller number of companies than in 2010."

Click here to read the rest of the article

Ultimately, it is virtually impossible to please everyone who you give a gift to, but that does not mean that you should not give one. What we suggest is to try to put a more personalized touch on your corporate gift giving.

As any successful leader knows, maximizing internal and external relationships is the fastest way to build strong, dynamic teams and a more loyal base of customers. They also know that giving a corporate gift is another tool that can help them achieve this and should not be dismissed as just a handout to the recipients.

Executive Summary: The past few years have been hard on the American workforce; companies everywhere have endured tremendous stress and pressure from the tumultuous economic climate. This holiday season, more than ever before, it is important for companies to celebrate a client's loyalty (and their employees' hard work) through holiday gifts. By taking heed of Incentivemag.com's findings, you can avoid giving gifts that feel like handouts and instead give gifts that make people feel appreciated, and that appreciation will translate to increased loyalty and work drive.

For more information, visit our website.

Tip #368: Are Your Prospects Saying This To You: "Call Me After The Holidays."?

At last, we have reached December, a time of the year when salespeople start to hear prospective buyers say things like:

• "Call me after the holidays."
• "Our business is slow right now, so we won't be buying anything until after the first of the year."
• "We're going to wait until after the first of the year before we change _________."

Unless what you sell can be given as a holiday gift, this time of year presents a unique and difficult challenge for many salespeople.

Here Are Just A Few Responses For Handling A Prospect Who Is Delaying A Buying Decision:

• "I understand. Some businesses are putting off _____________ until after the first of the year, and because of that, I wanted to see if your company qualifies for our new cost saving ____________ program (or whatever your special offer is called), which has an extra bonus if you sign up by December 31st . This would save you X%."
• "I can relate to things being slow right now. By the way, I wanted to share with you a new _______ package to introduce our (insert your products/services here). How many employees are on your payroll?"
• "I can relate to things being slow right now, but tell me, will anything change after the first of the year that will prevent you from starting then?"
• "I understand. What day after the first of the year would you like to start your _____________?"
• "I understand. We can deliver the products now and bill you after the first of the year. Does that work for you? On top of that, you will save X% by avoiding the 2012 price increase."

What You Say After Being Told "No" Will Prompt Prospects To Tell You Their Real Objection.

Often times, the reason prospects stalls their buying decision is because they are afraid of taking a risk. They may be thinking, "Suppose this _________ doesn't work for our situation-then I'll be in trouble." In addition to fear, another reason prospects may be stalling is if their cash flow is off and they are not authorized to make any purchases. Whatever the real reason may be, you need to flush-it-out and solve it.

If A Prospect Still Says "No" Here Is What You Need To Do:

Here are three suggestions for when you run into people who want to put things off until after the first of the year.

• Schedule a follow-up call for the first week of the year.
• Place them in your weekly e-marketing campaign, so your company's name stays in their conscious and subconscious mind.
• Send them relevant information about their industry versus notes asking, "Are you ready to buy yet?"

Executive Summary: If prospects are delaying their decision to buy from you, we recommend offering an alternative close. By doing so, you will most likely find the underlying cause of why they are not buying from you - remember, people like "end-of-the-year" deals to make them feel good about getting a great deal.

For more information, visit our website.

Tip #367: 9 Things A Customer Expects From You (After Buying From Your Business)

Once you have gained new customers, you will have to manage their expectations in order to keep them happy. Although managing new customers' expectation is not that difficult, it does take some time and effort by you and your employees to keep them happy.

Managing Expectations Begins With Knowing What The Customer Will Expect.

To help you with your current (and future) customer base, we have listed 9 key points to help you and your employees.
Read this article on how Disney exceeded one customer's expectations and the lesson we can learn from this.

1. People Want You To Show An Interest In Them: You need to not only know about their business but who they are and the things they like and enjoy.

2. People Want You To Respond FAST: Face it, your customers want their products and services yesterday, not tomorrow or 10 days from now. If you are slow, your customers will find someone else who can provide faster service.

3. People Want A Live Person To Be Available: Your customers want to know they can immediately reach a live person when there is a problem or question with your products or services. In addition, provide numerous ways for customers to reach you, including business phone, home phone, fax, e-mail, and cell phone.

4. People Want A Friendly Person To Talk To When They Call: No matter who talks with your customers, make sure that they are smiling on the phone - and yes, a customer can tell when they in fact do.

5. They Want You To Under-Promise And Over-Deliver: If you are over-promising and under-delivering on your products and services, we can assure you that your clients will NOT recommend you to someone they know.

6. People Want You To Help Them Solve A Problem: If a customer calls you with a particular problem, they want your help in solving it. Once you do that, you will find yourself with a huge base of customers.

7. Tell Your Customers "Yes, I can do that" Vs. "No, We Can't Do That:" Once you empower your staff to help your customers, you will find your employees not only happy but your customers, too.

8. Don't Nickel And Dime Your Customers: No matter what you sell, don't charge your customers for small or simple requests - it only makes you look cheap.

9. Your Customers Like To Hear You Say "Thank You For Your Business:" Whenever you have a chance, tell your customers "thank you for your business." The key is saying it with sincerity.

Executive Summary: How customers perceive your business is their reality - so take a step back and examine how you do business. Additionally, you may want to consider e-mailing a customer satisfaction survey to learn what you can do to improve your products and services. These surveys can also be a revenue generator for your business as they are a great venue for asking your client base this one magic question: What other products or services do you have an interest in learning more of: (then bullet list your products and or services).

For more information, visit our website.

Tip #366: How To Get FREE Word-of-Mouth Advertising

We all know that word-of-mouth advertising is one of the cheapest and most effective types of advertising that you and your company can get. In order to make this happen, you need to get out of your office and network with people at your local Chamber of Commerce, industry association or a business card exchange event. However, the reality is this: Very few people go to these events to buy what you are selling.

When You Are Networking, You Are Not Selling.

When you are at a networking event, don't focus on trying to sell to everyone. Look at it as an opportunity to be a teacher, a center of influence and a fountain of knowledge for buying what you are selling. By making a few changes to your approach, you can become a center of influence in any industry and, in effect, generate a considerable amount of word-of-mouth advertising.

Go Into A Networking Event To Do Just That. . .Network.

One of the biggest mistakes most people make when they network is trying to sell to someone (this happens whether or not they are showing buying signals). This is the LAST thing you should do. Don't talk about how great you are or why someone should buy from you. Just have a general one or two sentence overview of what you do and the type of people you work with. Tell people this, along with how much fun you have doing your job, and you will find people asking you more about what you do. If you go into a heavy sales pitch, you will only end up pushing opportunities away.

If They Like And Trust You, You Will Have A Better Chance Of Making A Sale.

Networking is one of the best ways for increasing your field of influence to help promote what you sell. Moreover, the reality of being in business is that people do business with (and recommend) those whom they like and trust. To facilitate this bond, you should help other people get what they want.

Take An Interest In Other People.

Experts have proven that people like those who are interested in them. One of the fastest ways of getting people to talk is to ask them questions about what they do. So, what type of questions can you ask someone? Here are a few questions that you can ask at your next networking event (write them down on a small card and read them before you go into your next event):

• What is your name?
• What line of work are you in?
• Do you own the company (never assume that people are at the low end of their company)?
• Where are you located?
• What made you start your own company (owner question), or how long have you been working for this company? This keeps the conversation rolling and provides you with some interesting background information.
• I know a lot of people here. What type of person would be a good prospect who I could introduce to you? Once you ask this question, you will be shocked at the positive effect this will have on the conversation.
• Ask everyone for a business card and for their permission to send your newsletter to them.

By asking these questions at your next networking event, you will quickly get to know people and learn what they do. Now, don't stop here. Get out a pen and write down on their business cards some key information about them. When you get back to the office, enter their names in a CRM tool, like ACT! or Goldmine, so you can keep track of these people electronically. This will make it easier when it comes time to send them electronic newsletters or direct-mail campaigns.

Executive Summary: If you do this at every networking event you attend, the word will spread rather quickly that YOU are the person everyone needs to turn to when buying what you are selling. You can also leverage your sales by sending these same people a series of e-mail newsletters and direct mail campaigns.

For more information, visit our website.

Tip #365: 6 Secrets To Giving A Great Presentation

Research has proven that if you have some snap in your step, excitement in your voice, and a command on your subject matter people pay attention. So, if you want to win over your audience during a presentation, the number one secret is to provide them with a high degree of enthusiastic energy on a subject matter you know cold.

6 Tips To Help You Give A Great Presentation.

For anyone who gets a little nervous talking in front of people, it has been proven that concern over appearing nervous doesn't matter, as people cannot even see it. To reduce your nervousness, we recommend the following:

1. Become The Subject Matter Expert -- You can quickly impress your audience by having a clear command of your subject matter. If you know your data, content, and handouts cold, you will woo your audience within a short period of time.
2. Limit How Much "Copy" You Use On Each Slide -- Go through each slide and make sure that your copy is "bullet point" driven vs. "sentence" driven. Your presentation should be built around the highlights of your subject matter; you are there to expand on each point, for you want your audience focused on you and not the projected screen. If you are giving a detailed presentation, make sure you have a supplemental handout to support your presentation.
3. Control Which Questions You Will Answer -- There is nothing worse than seeing a speaker get sidetracked with irrelevant questions. If someone asks you a question that is not relative to your content, address it by telling that person that you will answer his/her question after your presentation.
4. Start Off By Telling People That You Are Nervous -- After you have told everyone that you are nervous, tell them, "Now that I got that out of the way, let me tell you a little bit about what I am going to present today. . ."
5. Slow Down -- If you are nervous, there is a good chance that you have sped up your speech or skipped over certain things. Keep little reminders in your presentation to prompt you to slow down. You could have a little stop sign in your presentation that acts like a trigger.
6. Walk Around The Room If Possible -- When giving a presentation where the venue is more casual, make an effort to walk around the room and interact with some of the people who are watching you. You will be surprised how this will help you become more "at ease" during the presentation.

Executive Summary: As you can see, enthusiasm plays a huge part in giving a great presentation, but it also needs to be combined with a number of other components. Once you master this, you will quickly become great at presenting and winning your audience over and over again.

For more information, visit our website.

Tip #364: Three Tips For Preventing Sexual Harassment In The Workplace

Unfortunately, sexual harassment is a rather common issue in the workplace. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, there are two basic forms of actionable sexual harassment:

1. Quid pro quo- conditioning employment or some aspect of employment on a favorable response to sexual advances in the workplace; and
2. Hostile environment harassment - sexual comments and conduct so pervasive that the workplace becomes intimidating, hostile, or offensive.

Both forms of sexual harassment involve unwelcomed conduct. Yes, if we lived in a perfect world, everyone would be able to act, dress, and do whatever he or she wanted and never be bothered. But unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world, and often our actions and appearance can be misinterpreted.

Here are some tips that will help you avoid these misinterpretations.

Three Tips For Preventing Sexual Harassment In The Workplace.

Tip #1: Don't Be Overly Friendly -- Sadly, coworkers might mistake friendliness for flirting. If you are a naturally expressive person and often touch others while talking or laugh and smile a lot, try to control this during work hours. While you are in a professional environment, act accordingly. This doesn't mean you have to be serious and boring all the time, it simply means that you need to act properly. This will avoid misunderstandings with your coworkers, especially if they are just getting to know you.

Tip #2: Dress Appropriately And Conservatively -- Even if you are allowed to dress informally at your work place or often come in jeans for casual Fridays, dress conservatively for your work. That means, take care to pick clothes that aren't too tight or too revealing. You also need to know that certain types of clothes are not appropriate in a work situation. You want to be taken seriously, right? Then why not dress seriously? That said, it doesn't hurt to dress a bit more professional, especially if you really want to avoid your coworkers from being tempted to see you as an object of interest.

Tip #3: Be Specific And Be Firm When A Comment Is Made -- Despite all your efforts, there may be a coworker that keeps making inappropriate comments or keeps looking at you in a way that bothers you. Do not encourage him or her by smiling or laughing. Do be firm in your rejection. If they keep "dropping by" your work area, ask them pointedly, "Don't you have work to do?" or say, "I am uncomfortable with you stopping by all the time." If a coworker tries giving you gifts, do not accept these gifts. Although you might be worried about hurting his or her feelings, they need to understand that their actions are not appropriate.

Executive Summary: If you follow these tips among whatever else your common sense might dictate, you will be able to avoid all forms of harassment. If you still have problems after doing this, you might have to talk to your supervisor or report the aggressor to human resources.

For more information, visit our website.

Tip #363: 6 Tips To Promote Yourself In 2012

You may have the most outstanding service, product, idea or talent in the world -- but in order to be successful, you have to let your target audience know about it. Whether you arehoping to climb the corporate ladder or independently promote yourself, you will need a plan of action - a plan of action that requires your focus.

The Key Is Getting Noticed For Doing The Right Things.

Gaining a promotion at your place of employment has more to do with what you can do to make your boss's workload lighter and their life a little easier. In addition, looking at things differently than someone else will get you noticed. That being said, successfully promoting yourself in the world is more so related to your degrees of diligence and perseverance. And depending upon your circumstances, mastering a few techniques will help move you forward next year.

Click here to read a blog about ways to promote yourself.

6 Tips To Promote Yourself In 2012:

Tip #1. Know Your Organization: It is a good idea to fully understand the goals and objectives of your business. After you have a complete understanding, assess your skills and resources and make a list of things you can do to help the company achieve its goals. Be sure to proof your propositions before presenting them to your boss. If you are independently employed, make sure you have your own clearly defined goals and objectives and that you are maintaining fidelity in attempting to achieve them.

Tip #2. Take On More Responsibility: Increasing your responsibility is good way to show you are ready for that promotion. As long as you are truly prepared to take on more responsibility, your boss will notice the increased production. Keep a log of projects and tasks so you have a record of your capabilities. However, do not arbitrarily undertake more work if you are having trouble keeping up with your current workload. Instead, find a way to organize and effectively manage what is already on your desk to show you are taking the steps to becoming a better employee. Additionally, you may need to put in some extra time (which will most likely be noticed) to become familiar with and acclimated to your new responsibilities.

Tip #3. Display Confidence And Conviction In The Things That You Do: Your expertise and opinions count so stand up and offer suggestions with confidence. The worst your boss can say is, "Thanks but no thanks." And if you are working for yourself, the worst that can happen is your prospect turns you down. Ultimately, your opinion will be valued, and voicing it (without being arrogant, of course) will display the confidence and willingness to promote the company your boss is looking for.

Tip #4. Work On Bartering Services: When independently promoting yourself, offer your services in exchange for goods or services that are useful to you. You will get your name out there with a sample of your work without you or your prospect having to commit to anything long-term. If your product or performance exceeds expectations, it is likely you will be hearing from that person again as well as any referrals he or she may have contacted on your behalf. In turn, you can reciprocate by promoting their business as well.

Tip #5. Use Social Networking (Selectively): Aside from telling the world what you are having for lunch, you can just as easily tell the world the goods or services you have to offer. People actually read and respond to the newsfeeds, and when they do, your post can potentially be viewed by their contacts. Thus, instant networking is literally at your fingertips. You may find that starting a blog would also be a good way to position yourself as an expert.

Tip #6. Use Your Business Card: A timeless marketing tool, the business card can pack a lot of information on a small, convenient and portable piece of paper. With careful consideration, you can come up with a catchy tagline that sums up what you are offering. Use graphics that are relevant to your business without overdoing it. It is also important that you follow up with your prospect; otherwise, your card may end up in a drawer with all the others.

Executive Summary: Promoting yourself can be a challenge, especially if you are typically modest. A little self-knowledge and confidence in your abilities can go a long way if you spend some time refining the skills it takes to advance your cause, whether it is for yourself or ultimately for your company. Additionally, don't forget to start a website (with a blog page) and an e-mail marketing campaign to help position yourself as an expert in your industry.

For more information, visit our website.

Tip #362: 4 Tips To Having More Effective Meetings

Internal meetings can often times be unproductive, wasting time that could be better spent by employees working at their desks or out in the field. Sometimes, a meeting can be avoided if the material can be effectively presented in a memo or e-mail. But when a meeting is unavoidable and important for production and growth, take some time to prepare before, during and after the meeting to ensure the organization's purpose is met.

More effective meetings will be possible when you follow these simple tips.

4 Tips To Having More Effective Meetings:

Tip #1. Invite Only Necessary Attendees: Cut down on the wasted time by employees that really do not have a vested interest in the topic of the meeting. Fewer people in attendance also means less time discussing and answering questions. Additionally, give your attendees the resources they need to prepare for the meeting such as materials to bring, questions to think about and a copy of an agenda.

Tip #2. Prepare An Agenda: Perhaps one of the most important pieces in a meeting is an agenda. It enables all participants to fully understand the topics that are to be discussed. Create your agenda to address the most important topics first to ensure enough time is available to finish your discussion. Discuss only the subjects that are listed on the agenda and make notes of anything extra that needs to be addressed at a later time. e-Mail a copy of the agenda several days before the meeting (if possible) to allow for suggestions, then prepare a final agenda to distribute at the meeting. It will also be helpful for the facilitator to have clearly stated objectives for his or her team, such as "By the end of the meeting, the group will [understand something, list something, make a decision, etc.]."

Tip #3. Designate A Note-Taker To Summarize The Meeting: Using the supplied agenda, a note-taker can record key concepts, questions and decisions that were addressed and finalized. The notes themselves do not have to be in complete sentences, but an outline of meeting highlights should be typed up and presented to all involved after the meeting (especially those who could not attend). The follow-up can include attendance, due dates and other pertinent information decided at the meeting.

Tip #4. Summarize The Meeting's Action Items: At the conclusion of the meeting, make sure the meeting's leader summarizes the action steps or to-do items. Additionally, it is also recommended to ask for feedback and suggestions. Make sure all attendees have a clear picture of what it is they should have learned or what their next move will be.

Executive Summary: Meetings are a very useful tool in increasing productivity and involvement when facilitated properly. Preparedness is essential to an organized and fruitful meeting, so make sure you have goals and objectives stated and an agenda prepared - and stick to it. But most importantly, have a summary at the end of the meeting with a list of action items for those delegated items.

For more information, visit our website.

Tip #361: 4 Quick Tips For Remembering Names

Remembering someone's name is an important aspect of any business relationship. You do not want people to perceive your forgetfulness as indifference, causing them to think they are just another client, employee or prospect.

It Is To Your Advantage To Remember Someone's Name.

Everyone is often required to pay attention to many different things at once; and when we are introduced to someone, a name can literally go in one ear and out the other. Unfortunately, this has happened to most people.

Avoid The Embarrassment Of Forgetting A Name.

Remembering anything requires making connections and often using more than just your sense of hearing; but remembering names sometimes takes extra practice because you are often introduced to someone while otherwise engaged. You also need to believe that you are going to remember rather than convincing yourself that you will "never remember anyone's name."

4 Quick Tips To Help You Avoid Forgetting A Name:

Tip #1. Become Genuinely Interested In That Person: Stop what you are doing for a moment and purposely focus on that person's face. Give them your undivided attention and actively listen by asking questions about their statements and using their name in the process. If time allows, ask personal questions about their hometown or their family. You can even ask them what they prefer to be called. If you find a commonality during your conversation, you will identify with that person even more.

Tip #2. Use Word Play: Remember elementary school rhymes and mnemonic devices? They work when remembering names, too. Say the person's name is Jessica and she appears disheveled. You might remember that Jess is a mess. If Joe Smith moves around a lot, use alliteration - Jumpin' Joe Smith. Humor has a way of not being forgotten. You can also exaggerate the syllables in someone's name - Stelllllllaaaaaaaa!

Here is a really cool link that can help you create a memorable string of words. Mnemonic Device Device.

Tip #3. Create A Visual: Pull in your other senses and use images to help you remember names. If the person's name is Frank, envision them inside a hot dog bun. Dawn can be remembered by a sunrise behind her head. And of course Joe is standing in front of you with a cup of coffee. You can also picture Joe's name written in heavy-duty marker on his forehead (choose your favorite color). Or, you can associate someone with a celebrity of the same name. Another visual to create in your mind is to imagine writing the name, thus programming it into your brain.

Tip #4. When All Else Fails, Ask Again And Use Their Name In A Sentence: There is no shame in politely asking them to repeat their name, or even to spell it for clarification. In addition, say something positive about them personally (as you repeat their name in a sentence).

Executive Summary: We all have a ton of things on our minds, from our businesses to our families and on to our to-do lists. Some people have a natural ability to remember a new acquaintance's name while others have to work at it. If you spend a little time and put a little extra thought and effort into remembering names, you will be remembered for making someone feel special.

For more information, visit our website.