Karen Skidmore's Kick-Ass Blog | CanDoCanBe

Do You Do Business With Your Competitors?

Attracting new clients is one of the toughest challenges to most small business owners.  You can spend thousands on advertising without hearing your phone ring once. 

And you can spend hours and hours going to networking events only to find yourself on everyone else's mailing lists and yours remain small and unresponsive.

That's hard work, demoralising and does nothing to help with the cashflow, does it?

I am sure you know there has to be easier ways of creating leads and enquiries.

But did you know that one of the quickest ways of attracting new clients to your business is to use other business' databases?

And that even includes using your direct competitors.

Now I am not suggesting in the slightest that you are to break in to their offices overnight and steal their client information! But what I am suggesting is that you collaborate and look at what joint ventures you can create.

Joint ventures are when two [or more] businesses join forces to create a more powerful force in the marketplace.  Think of as two heads are better than one.

Or more importantly, two databases are better than one!

Let me give you an example.

Jenny is a fitness trainer.  She works primarily with her clients on a 1-2-1 basis but is finding it hard going fitting enough sessions in to her day whilst still generating the income that she is aiming for.

She has decided to start offering group sessions and fitness training programmes as a way of working with more clients, increasing her cash flow yet reducing the number of hours she works.  But the big problem is her database.  It's just not big enough to market her programmes to.

So rather than spend hundreds on advertising in the local newspaper or even more on buying a database, she decides to seek out other business' who have the clients she is looking for.

She approaches her local gym.  Some may think this is a crazy idea as her local gym is a direct competitor of her business, but the manager of the gym is interested in talking. 

You see, although they have a strong membership at present, very few people are coming in and using the gym.  And they know when this happens, they start getting lots of cancellations.  By offering the gym members a discount on Jenny's fitness programme, this gives the gym a great benefit to add to their membership subscription without it costing them a thing.  It should also encourage the members to train more in the gym in between Jenny's sessions, thus reducing the chance of cancellations.

OK, so this story is hypothetical and there are probably many more gym managers who just wouldn't entertain this idea and turn Jenny down flat.

But we are in a very interesting economy at the moment.  Many businesses are experiencing huge slow downs and one of the positive things about a recession is that slow downs cause problems.  If you can solve the right problems, it's good for your business. And, of course, good for other businesses as you solve their problems, too.

More and more businesses are looking at joint ventures and building collaborative partnerships - even with direct competitors!  And if you are struggling to attract the right clients to your business, joint ventures could be the quickest [and cheapest] way of moving your business forward right now.

Who could you start talking to and create a win-win situation for you both?

You could have a business opportunity right there, in front of you!

Oh and before you click away ... would you want to know how to use joint ventures to promote your teleseminar events?

A couple of weeks ago, I ran the "Get Started With TeleSeminars" masterclass, a two hour live event where everything you need to know about running your own teleseminars was covered.  From what conference call systems to use and kit that you need through to marketing strategies and how to write effective email promotions.

But there was a lot of information to cover!  And the topic of using joint ventures to promote teleseminars was of particular interest.

So, by popular demand, you can access a special teleseminar session on this very topic: "How to Promote Your Teleseminars Using Joint Ventures".

This session is free to everyone who has already invested in the "Get Started with TeleSeminars" programme but as I know there are many of you already using teleseminars and would like to access this information, you can book a place for this session, too.

The live event is happening on Tuesday, 10th March and, as always, will be recorded.

So if you can't dial in live on the day, you will automatically receive the audio recording AND a workbook to accompany the session.

But hurry, it's less than 2 weeks away.  Click here for more information and to register for your place.

Are you just creating social media noise?

Whether you are facebooking, tweeting, linking up or connecting in any other way online, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the numbers of friends or followers some people have.

There are lots of people focusing on getting the highest number of followers and friends - chasing the numbers and thinking that size really does matter.

And yes, people with bigger networks do tend to have more opportunities come their way because of the six degrees of separation theory.

But the people out there who are chasing and creating a big network for the sake of having a big network, IMHO, are wasting their time.

Think about it. If you receive an invitation to friend or connect you will probably accept. They become part of your list but do you make the effort to check them out? Possibly a quick glance through their profile but that's all you have time for. 

And when the messages, invitations or tweets come through, do you take any notice?

Probably not!  They just become part of the social media noise that we filter out subconsciously.

But what about the tweets and updates from people you have proactively requested to be their friends.  Do you read them, retweet them or comment on them?

Absolutely.  These aren't noise to you.  You have consciously made a decision to seek out the information that they are sharing.

So when you are deciding on how to build up your friends, followers and connections, don't get caught up with all the hype of number chasing.  Take a step back and make a decision on what value you are going to offer and why people should reach out to you.

I got this message attached to a facebook friend request today:

"Hi I've been very inspired by your business approach and heard off my friend who's on your list that you post useful links on here, and was hoping you could add me?"

Be a magnet rather than an automatic follow-back and your voice will reach out through the social media noise.

Have you got a comment to add? Spend a second or two to leave your voice.

Why building snowmen will help you attract clients

I live in a cul-de-sac.  It’s a quiet road with only 30 odd houses but we rarely see each other.  It’s a classic example of modern day life, everyone works and we all go about our busy lives, driving in and out of the road in our cars.

Today was different.  Today we were snowed in and no-one was going anywhere.  And with both children at home because of school closure, the best way to spend the morning was to get out there and build snowmen.

I phoned up two neighbours and invited their children to come and help us.  Within 15 minutes of being out, one of the other neighbours came over with 2 bright red toboggans.  We have never met each other in the 7 years of us living in this road and yet the snow brought us together, not only in a conversation, but with an exchange of her grown-up sons’ treasured possessions.  

Another 30 minutes later and 2 other children come bounding out of their house to join in the fun.  This family moved in about 6 months ago and we had never met.  Within another 30 minutes I was sharing a cup of tea in their kitchen with both the mum and dad, being shown around their house.

Today I have had more conversations with my neighbours than I think I have had in the seven years of living on my street.  And the only reason being was because we were spending time out in the street, being visible.

Why am I sharing my day with you?  Running your own business can be a very lonely business.  Stuck in front of your PC, returning emails and hiding in your home office.  Not conducive to making you very visible.

To attract clients you need to be build relationships.  And to build relationships you need to visible.  Whether that is going out to network meetings, being active on Facebook or getting articles published in your industry’s magazines; visibility is crucial to attracting clients and building your business.

Where could you go and build a snowman today?

Are your clients eating more beans and less organic?

Yet more figures have come out today highlighting the downturn of our economy and how retail customers are changing their shopping habits.

The BBC are reporting that there is an increase of 22.6% in Baked Beans sales and 11% decrease in the amount of organic foods purchased. 

Not surprising really when everyone, me included, is looking at prices more carefully and making decisions on how they can decrease the price of their shopping basket.

But what about your clients?  Have you been able to take a step back and work out what your clients are doing at the moment?

People haven't stopped spending - they are just spending their money more wisely.  And this will be true of your clients, too.

So either get a survey out or pick up the phone and call a few target clients.  It doesn't matter what you actually do to find out, but find out you must.

Find out what your clients are spending more on and less on.  And you can still grow your business by offering more beans instead.

Business Mindset: Every recession has a silver lining

It's easy to look around and feel that the economy is gloomy.  The property market is in trouble, retailers are struggling and business is getting tighter.

But do all the headlines that we read every day really apply to every business out there?

I was speaking to an interior designer yesterday who was saying she was so busy she has had to take on an extra help to keep up her client inquires.

The other week I met a HR consultant at a networking event who told me that she was booked solid for the next 9 months running outplacement sessions for a company who was having to re-structure their business.

And I am currently working with a spiritual trainer whose workshops and training weeks are bursting at the seams full of people wanting to find a new meaning to their lives.

There is no doubt that there are businesses out there who are suffering.  But don't let their suffering and economic downturn affect your business mindset.

The interior designer is flat out because the property market is in trouble. No one is moving so they are thinking about how to improve the property they are in at the moment.  The HR consultant has suddenly become in demand because of her knowledge of redundancy processes.  And the spiritual trainer is finding that her clients are no longer using holidays and new TVs as an excuse for not having the money for her programmes - their priorities have shifted and they want to find a better way of living.

So, how has the global recession created opportunities for you?

If your business is struggling, is because your mindset is struggling? And what can you do differently to adapt what you offer to suit the current economic climate?

Is it OK to put your business on cruise control for a while?

When you run your own business and work for yourself, you have to keep focused and push your business forward.  Yes, you need a good team around you and yes, you need others to support you, collaborate with you and do the things that you need delegating. 

However, you are the one with the dream, the goals and the aspirations and only you can make your business happen the way you want it to.

That said, is it OK to put your business on cruise control once in a while?

There's a lot going on around me at the moment.  Yet again, I have numerous projects on the go, events to publicise and action plans to be ticked off.  I like to be goal focused and I enjoy the challenge of moving on up all the time.

But sometimes life throws a curve ball at you.  Your priorities are questioned and you wonder if you have the energy to carry on.

This year has seen an enourmous curve ball come at me - not just once but twice.  And I need to hit cruise control.

So why write this blog post?  I just wanted to share that no matter how hard you push yourself, how focused you stay to your targets and how much marketing activity you concentrate on to attract clients - that is it OK to take your foot off the pedal sometimes.

You are your business.  If you go down, then your business goes down.

Take good care of yourself and re-prioritise every once in a while.

Do home business owners need to be worried about the global recession

So, you don’t need me to tell you what is happening in the global markets, do you?  You just need to pick up a newspaper or switch on the TV to get the latest headlines about what is happening to the economy.

But what does all this mean to you - a self-employed professional or home business owner.

The important word in all of this is “Confidence”.

There is no doubt that some of your potential (and even some of your current) clients and customers are battening down the hatches.  They may be watching what they are spending and possibly cutting down on their budgets.

But to every down there is always an up.

I know of one trainer who has work scheduled until middle of next year - she focuses on helping companies through redundancies and provides out-placement services.

I know of another good friend who is suddenly looking at properties and making silly offers on one bedroom flats to have a few buy-to-lets up his sleeve for when the housing market goes back up.

Now, I’m not suggesting for one moment that you all decide to re-focus your businesses and become out-placement experts or go crazy with mortgages you can't pay! But now is the time to look carefully at what you offer and make sure it is desirable to your target client in the current climate.

And if you are confident about this re-thinking and confident that what it is you offer will make a difference to particular businesses and individuals out there, then there will be a greater chance that those businesses and individuals will make sure that their is a room in their budget for what you offer.

Keep your confidence high.  Take note of what is happening but remember to listen out carefully for the opportunities out there.  There are plenty out there for the taking.

What we achieve depends on what we believe

For those of you who don't know, I ran a half marathon on Sunday.  And very proud of my time I was too  -  2 hours 19 minutes!  But training and running this race reinforced to me how important our beliefs are in ourselves when it comes to achieving our goals.

Because I had run a half marathon already - albeit 20 years ago when I was at Poly! - I knew physically it was possible.  I ran a 8 mile run as well as a 10 mile run in my training which again reinforced my belief that I could run this race and finish without stopping.

Running past the 10 mile mark on the day was a real mental push for me, because I knew I was running further than any of my training.  And for the last 3 miles I was pushed along by sheer will power.  At the end of the race I felt like collapsing and knew I couldn't run any further.*

Many people have congratulated me on my run (and sponsored me too, hint hint www.justgiving.com/karenskidmore!!) which has been amazing.  But a few have also commented how mad I must have been to do it.  "The furthest I have ever run is 4 miles" one friend said to me.

But what we achieve depends on what we believe.  I was no fitter or slimmer or healthier or stronger than the friend who made the 4 mile comment.  The only difference between us was that I believed that I could run this half marathon and went out there and trained for the day.

I am reflecting on my business once again and I think there are some things that I need to start making happen :)  What about you?

* But I bet I could have if I believed I had to run another mile or two to complete the race!