Need to refresh your strategy for 2014? Here are 10 business tips to get you started…
1. If you misstate your point, spell-check won’t correct you or suggest alternative wording. And if you’ve taken too long to get to your point, spell-check won’t suggest how to say more with fewer words. If an error damages your reputation, it costs you business and money. Make sure you have a staff member on hand who is qualified to review any marketing messages. If you don’t have one, hire someone or contract the work. Your reputation is worth more than just ‘good enough.’
2. Update your social media profiles for accuracy. Oftentimes, businesses cater to clients first and take care of themselves last. But it ought to be the other way around. Potential clients need to know that your business changes with the times and doesn’t remain static. When you take care of your business needs first (marketing, advertising, etc.), you put your customer needs first at the same time.
3. Find out what your customers’ pains are and solve them. Then back it up with great customer service. Enough said.
4. Make every communication about your customer: their needs, hopes, wants, and desires. Use ‘You’ and ‘Your’ in your communications, and avoid ‘We’ and ‘Our’ whenever possible. Make it personal, and they will heed your call to action.
5. Get to the point with your brand messaging. Use the fewest words possible and get the most impact. Find out how effective your message is by hiring an editor to review your online and printed content before distribution.
6. Celebrate with food! Who doesn’t love meeting over lunch or a mid-afternoon, company-provided treat? It’s a small investment, and your employees will feel appreciated.
7. A great leader knows how to assemble a great team. Don’t feel intimidated by someone who is smarter than you. Whether it’s sales, marketing or answering the phone, always hire people more talented than yourself. You can rest knowing that a job is being done well, and you can focus your energy on other company matters.
8. Listen to your customers…it goes a long way. People get turned off when they feel they’re not being heard. Listening is the greatest tool in your business tool box. Use it well and you will find clients knocking on your door!
9. When communicating online, be yourself, be honest & be always willing to help. As Ashton (Chris) Kutcher said, nothing is sexier than being smart, thoughtful, and generous. Take the time to show these qualities to your customers and they and their friends will flock to you.
10. Separate yourself from your competitors by ALWAYS putting customer service first. When you can do something for your customer that your competitor(s) is not doing, then that’s exactly the thing you should be doing. Make it happen today. If you don’t, someone else will.
