Posts Tagged ‘clients’
Purveyors of conventional wisdom would have you believe that the very first thing you ought to do when setting up a new business is to create a business plan.
It doesn’t matter whether you are selling odds and ends on eBay from your living room or something larger and more complex,
Business plans are excellent and necessary. Far too few of us self-employed and freelance people use them.
They force us to spell out our objectives. We have to assign numbers to our expectations and assign a time-line to our goals. They become our roadmap and keep us on track.
But I suggest that you can’t make a business plan that is worth anything until you’ve done your homework.
And that means knowing what you want to do and how you want to do it. And determining that there is sufficient demand for your product to generate enough income to cover your costs and allow a profit.
In other words, before the business plan comes research.
If a body of knowledge already exists, it makes sense to tap into it and save you some work. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics and other such sources, for example, publish a great deal of demographic information. Some of it is very useful.
But it is also likely that as a creative sole-proprietor, meaningful statistics don’t exist about your specialty.
Many micro-businesses target a very specialized niche. And many owned by creative types exist to sell a product or service that don’t follow well-worn prototypes.
It is particularly difficult for such people to find meaningful published data.
If you fall into these categories, you’ll have to generate your own information.
Don’t limit your research to purely business data. You are building a life as well as a business.
Are the demands and conditions of your proposed business compatible with the life you want to create?
For example, illustrators often work on short deadlines – meaning that sometimes they have to work far into the night to complete a project on deadline. Plus, some clients are demanding and some do not pay on a timely basis. After all of that, can you still “love it” enough?
Or, maybe your business is such that sales fluctuate during the year. How will you make it through the lean months? Can you handle the uncertainty of a fluctuating income?
So, how do you find information?
First, if other people provide services similar to yours, talk to them. You will gain a lot of information quickly. Their answers to your questions will save you a lot of legwork and open your eyes to factors you may not have considered.
Try to talk to at least five or six people so you can get a range of viewpoints.
You can find them through trade associations, schools, word-of-mouth. If the locals are reluctant to share information – perhaps because they see you as direct competition – look for similar people in a different locale.
Second, create the information you need.
Mimic and simplify what large businesses do. Reduce their methods down to a level that is practical and affordable.
For example, perhaps you want to survey potential clients and customers to get feedback.
If you are a creating a micro-business on a shoe-string, it may not be affordable nor practical to commission a focus group. But you may be able to speak to potential targets informally or use direct mail to send a simplesurvey.
Eventually you’ll have to ‘put your toe in the water.’ Try it out in a small way – so you won’t lose much if it doesn’t work – and observe the results. Then experiment and modify as needed. Once it works to your liking you can plunge right in.
This approach, known by the technical term “trial and error,” can be applied to any facet of your business.
After all, even the largest producers test market new products before rolling them out.
Put some parameters around your efforts. Decide, in advance, how much time you want to allow and how much you want to budget.
Then test, test, test.
Use trial and error for every aspect of your business. Experiment with different ways of packaging your services, different rates and prices, different types of marketing, etc.
You’ll soon find that certain approaches work better than others. Eventually your experience and data will suggest viable strategies.
And then you’ll be ready to create your business plan.
By: George Francis, President / CEO at Alta Vista Insurance Agency
As social media platforms become vehicles for businesses to steer down the vast Internet freeway, the complexities of these once simple applications are growing. It’s no secret that what was once considered “hip” niche marketing has now evolved into a strategy that many businesses are now utilizing. Social media was previously thought of as a tool used by younger generations to interact and network on the web. Now, while remaining that, it has become an avenue for businesses to expand their brand awareness and reach new customers they may have not encountered before—not to mention it allows independent insurance agencies like ours, to be visible and active right where our consumers are.
Brand awareness ultimately is the goal companies have in mind when creating these online accounts and they do this by acquiring as many Facebook fans as possible. But how is this accomplished? How does a business go from 100 fans to 1,000? The answer is simpler than you’d think; although it takes the proper diligence and patience – you can’t expect massive social success overnight. Below we’ve broken down some social media best practices that have proved successful for our agency:
• Call to action for your current fans: The easiest and most direct way to accumulate more Facebook fans is to ask the fans you already have to spread the word among their friends telling them to “like” your business page. Your current friends can do this by using the “suggest to friends” link under your profile in the left-hand column.
• Put links on your website and blog: Make sure your website has links for your Facebook and Twitter in a prominent spot on your homepage while suggesting that they like your Facebook and follow your Twitter somewhere near the links.
• Have fun! Above all, social media should be a fun, refreshing way to interact with current clients and build relationships with prospects. Sometimes it’s good to think outside the box, such as spicing up your social efforts with things like having contests or polls on a certain day of the week. Be creative and make sure you are appealing to the public with news and information you know people will find value in. Sharing information about California business insurance may not seem all that glamorous; but with a little imagination and creativity you can find ways to make the topic exciting and appealing to your audience.
• Be consistent, relevant & valuable: Again, remember that social media success takes time, you really are aiming to build lifelong relationships with your insurance clientele, and that doesn’t come easy. It’s recommended that you post every day on your agency’s Facebook page. Try posting at least once per day, and no more that once every 3 or so hours – you don’t want to over-stimulate and cripple your Facebook Fans with meaningless content. Make sure what you are posting is relevant – does it tie into a product or service you offer? Is it beneficial to the surrounding community? Try sharing links to recent, educational blog posts you may have written or sharing information about an upcoming community event – ask yourself if what you’re posting will or can benefit your consumer in a positive way.
It’s important that you diversify your Facebook account in order to make it more appealing and add more traffic. If you fill it with only insurance related posts, you won’t get much traction. Keep the content informative, interesting, and entertaining and you’ll see your “likes” go up in no time!
Marc D. Manoff: Entrepreneurial Expert And Business Consultant Helping Companies Achieve Measurable Successes
Marc D. Manoff’s entrepreneurial mind and spirit first appeared back when he was in elementary school. Realizing his stickers and candy supply were in high demand among his grade-school classmates, he created his very first business by selling these items in the schoolyard. From there, his corporate capabilities flourished, as he’s demonstrated in the number of successful businesses he has started, managed and sold in a variety of industries. Whether manning the helm of an employment verification organization, acting as owner and broker of a real estate firm or leading the team at his automobile services company, Marc D. Manoff has consistently proven that he is a force in the corporate arena.
Marc D. Manoff Consulting: Uniquely Designed Strategies And Customized Business Solutions
Marc Manoff has proudly announced that Marc D. Manoff Consulting is his latest commercial endeavor. Drawing on his unique experience as both an attorney and lifetime entrepreneur, Marc Manoff is partnering with companies to help them successfully engineer a new business path to success.
As a business owner himself, Marc Manoff empathizes with the obstacles and hurdles endured by entrepreneurs. He uses his firsthand experience and knowledge of his clients’ business needs, objectives and visions to design a specific strategy focused for success. Whether looking to redefine, realign or rekindle your business approach, Marc D. Manoff Consulting can help!
Howard Kaye of Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, Inc. Recommends Life Insurance As Vehicle for Wealth
Howard Kaye knows a thing or two about growing wealth. The son of the famous Barry Kaye, Howard Kaye has been a leader in the field of wealth creation since 1984. Under his leadership and guidance, Barry Kaye Associates grew to become a leading provider of life insurance. Now running his own firm, the Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, Inc., Howard Kaye assists his clients in growing and managing their wealth with the goal of passing it down to their heirs or charities as part of their estate plan. Life insurance is a prime vehicle for doing this.
Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, Inc. Explains The True Worth Of Life Insurance to Clients
At the Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, Inc., advisers spend a lot of time counseling clients on the benefits of life insurance policies as a means to grow wealth. Unlike investments that are dependent on the stock market, and hence, susceptible to ups and downs, life insurance is oftentimes a safer and more steady product that can provide its beneficiary with a guaranteed* sum upon payout. At Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, Inc., advisers spend time getting to know the client and their estate planning goals before recommending appropriate life insurance policies.
*Guaranteed payment of insurance proceeds is based upon the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance carrier and sufficient premium payments to keep the policy in force.
Discover why you need business coaching, and why which business coach you choose is so vitally important to your business.
A business coach is like a personal trainer–for your business. A good business coach will help you to realize your dreams, goals, and achieve success through careful step by step planning and processes. The business coach is there to help you with resources, support, motivation, and planning of your business venture. If you already have a business, the business coach is there to help your business succeed and grow in ways that you could only imagine. You can find a business coach in a number of different ways, and in many places. The key is to find the right business coach for you and your company.
There are several things to consider when looking for a business coach. The first thing that you will be likely to consider is cost. Many business coaches are quite expensive, but there are some that are extremely cost effective. The important thing to remember when considering the cost of a business coach is the cost of not getting the business coach. Starting a business can be difficult and costly, but starting that same business can be more costly if you are not sure what you are doing. When you have a business that seems to be failing, or if your business is simply not going anywhere, you are more likely to lose money by doing nothing than by spending the money on a good business coach.
There are several steps that your business coach will lead you through to help you create a successful business. First, your business coach will make sure that the business that you want to develop is a sound business venture. To do this, the coach will take your skills, talents, experience, and resources into consideration. Once these assessments are completed, the coach will help you with your business development by walking you through the steps of a marketing and business plan. When you are ready, the business coach will help you to develop your business by implementing the plans that you made while under their care and tutelage. If any problems arise or you begin to have doubts, your business coach will be there for support, guidance, and resources.
You also want to make sure that the business coach that you choose specializes in business start ups and development, not one or the other. Someone that can only assist in business development will not be able to help you start your business effectively. Likewise, you will quickly outgrow a business coach that can help you start your business but not manage it effectively. Our business coaches are trained and educated in all aspects of starting, running, and growing a business. We are committed to building long lasting relationships will all of our clients, and taking your business from conception to perfection.
Our group of business coaches and professionals are available to you with inside information about legal matters, tax matters, registration requirements, and the best structure options for your business venture. This type of information is important and likely one of the reasons that you are looking for a business coach in the first place. Like other business coaches, we will also have information available to you about resources for funding, grants, loans, and other financial resources that you may be unaware of.