Want More Sales? Be Open For Business!
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New Business are being created all the time There are nearly 5M businesses registered in the UK 4.9M are official SMEs, and 4.4M have less than 25 employees i.e. The owner(s) is the face of the business & responsible for sales. No one else is! Whilst it’s true for all businesses, the issue is magnified for SMEs. Unless the OWNER is perceived to be open for business, sales will be lost each and every time. Their enough challenges for new or small businesses - why add to your stresses by being seen as unresponsive and unreliable! Look for the 9 signs of being open for business and check if you fail any of them....
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Want More Sales? Be Open For Business!
- 1. Want More Sales? Be Open For Business! www.conspicuous-cbm.com
- 3. What You Will See www.conspicuous-cbm.com • Introduction • Challenges For New Businesses • 9 Signs You’re Open For Business • Final Thoughts
- 4. Introduction www.conspicuous-cbm.com • New Business are being created all the time • There are nearly 5M businesses registered in the UK • 4.9M are official SMEs, and 4.4M have less than 25 employees • i.e. The owner(s) is the face of the business & responsible for sales. No one else is! • Whilst it’s true for all businesses, the issue is magnified for SMEs. Unless the OWNER is perceived to be open for business, sales will be lost each and every time. • Their enough challenges for new or small businesses - why add to your stresses by being seen as unresponsive and unreliable! • Look for the 9 signs of being open for business and check if you fail any of them....
- 5. New or Old - SMEs You Have Enough Challenges!!! Why Add To them! www.conspicuous-cbm.com
- 6. Sign 1 - Do you answer your phone and return phone calls? www.conspicuous-cbm.com • A business that I called, the answerphone said ‘Sorry I can’t answer my phone. I’m on holiday until…(date given) and I’ll call you back on my return!’ I didn’t leave a message.If you can’t answer your phone put it through to someone who can. Return the call ASAP.If you are in a meeting and it is possible to do so quickly, take the call and say you’ll ring them back later - And do so! Otherwise please respect the person you are currently talking to and give them your undivided attention. Turn your phone off or to Silent. And Don’t look at it!! Particularly if they are paying for your Time. Put on the answerphone or auto text and call them back ASAP.If you ring someone - do leave a message or send a text
- 7. Sign 2 - Answer e-mails www.conspicuous-cbm.com • Get back to someone immediately if it deserves a reply there and then. Send a ‘holding’ message and then get back to them asapAuto messages are great if you cant get back to someone. However make sure its current (review it daily). Don’t allow it to get into a ‘loop’ with another auto-message. Tick the ‘stop’ box so this doesn’t happen. Part of the auto-reply setup.Set up an out of office folder and send all new messages to that. Its easier to see which is the latest emails rather than fill up your in-box.As with answerphone messages leave a positive outcome. Give a phone number or email address where you can be contacted in an emergency.Forward the email to a colleague or friend who can be relied on to deal with your business whilst you are away.Have a email footer with all your contact detailsDon’t use hotmail, GMail etc for your business email address
- 8. Sign 3 - Be on time for meetings… any Meeting! www.conspicuous-cbm.com • Don’t be late. Be there slightly early!Time is money and that includes your own. Don’t waste it.If you can’t make a meeting and it’s possible to send a representative in your place, do so!Why would you want to leave yourself or your company unrepresented?Particularly if you’d paid for the meeting.
- 9. Sign 4 - Have A Plan! www.conspicuous-cbm.com What is your business?What are you trying to achieve? And by when!Know your marketKnow your aims Know your sales targetsBut keep it relevant and up to dateHave an Emergency strategy for Illness, Fire, Flood or Death.Have an Exit Strategy - Bored, Business not happening? Time to move on graciously.
- 10. Sign 5 - Be on Social Media www.conspicuous-cbm.com • Keep it up to dateKeep it relevantKeep it interestingLink to your website or Blog extensivelyHave more than 500 LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter connectionsJoin Google PlusBe the Expert on YouTube
- 11. Sign 6 - Have business cards on you at all times www.conspicuous-cbm.com • Have business cards on you at all timesAnd get the best you can affordGet them professionally designed. Keep it clean and simpleAddress is not always necessaryBut Phone, Mobile, Email, Website, Your name and Company name are a MUST HAVE!Aim to give out at least two per day
- 12. Sign 7 - Have a Website www.conspicuous-cbm.com • Be congruent with your company image/logoKeep it up to date. Particularly the home page.Keep the SEO up to date.Have links to other sites.Have a twitter or LinkedIn feedHave news itemsHave testimonialsHave a picture galleryMake it interesting and only a couple of clicks away to the important stuff.Have your contact details mobile friendly
- 13. Sign 8 - Go Networking www.conspicuous-cbm.com • One letter difference between nEtworking & nOtworking • BforB, BNI, BOB, 4N - does not matter as long as you are doing itFSB, Chamber, IoD - does not matter as long as you are doing itLocal groups of many flavours and types - does not matter as long as you are doing itThe possibilities are endless. Grab them with hard work, discipline, perseverance & a plan of attack!
- 14. Sign 9 - Doing The Business www.conspicuous-cbm.com • Fulfill it as promised and deliver earlier if you canA happy customer is going to give you repeat business and refer you to others.Deal with any conflicts or problems immediately.On successful completion request a testimonial. • Remember to ask for the referral - early & often! • Make sure you keep in touch with them at all times
- 15. Final Thoughts www.conspicuous-cbm.com • Its easy when you start in business to be overwhelmed by the challenges • Its easy to focus on what your good or passionate about but that’s often not what makes you successful! • Its easy to get overwhelmed by admin tasks & sales administration which hurts your reputation and your business. Get help if you need it! • Don’t be a victim of the 9 Signs of “Not Being In Business” - once a victim, always a victim to them!
- 16. Contact Us www.conspicuous-cbm.com Phone - 07706 171851 email - stuart@conspicuous-cbm.com Twitter - @conspicuouscbm Linked-in - uk.linkedin.com/in/stuartwalton/ Linked-in - www.linkedin.com/company/conspicuous-cbm Facebook - www.facebook.com/conspicuousCBM
Editor's Notes
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities
- - Biography - why I' m entitled to be speaking - its a business process like quality, safety, environment, marketing, finance etc - small projects vs big projects - both have the same attributes but big projects often fail because they are ego & vanity projects - key success factors of a project - know what you have come to do, how much you have to spend and what time you have to do it in - contract management - the sign of people who know what they are doing - project reviews are key - when you are wrong admit it and spend the money to get it right - optimism vs realism - people always underestimate risk & overestimate opportunities