This is the third part of a three part series by Maggie Curran, University of Utah Instructor for Create a Small Business Marketing Plan That Works. Her workshop will be held on January 31, 2015
I DON’T HIRE CONSULTANTS!
I’m Going to Do Everything Myself Because I’m Smart & I'll Save Money
This is the small business person’s most destructive habit.
I myself was guilty of this the first few years of being a small business person.
You focus on retaining as much revenue as possible from each sale by doing as much as you can yourself.
So,
instead of building your business by cold calling, pitching potential clients, up-selling current clients, teaching classes/seminars/webinars, speaking at luncheons and conferences - instead, you’re building websites, designing your own logos and flyers, doing miscellaneous, unstrategized advertising, plus doing all the bookkeeping and miscellaneous business activities, as well as cleaning your office.
Let’s be honest, as smart and self-sufficient as we may be, the results of this type of work won’t be professional. Plus, you'll be exhausted and your quality of life will decrease.
You might be in love with the logo you just designed or the website you just spent three weeks on, but if it’s not at the same level of professionalism or greater of your competitors, then it’s not going to work for you and you’ve wasted your time.
You know your business best. That’s what you should be focusing on – growing your business.
You’ll actually make more money by growing your business and outsourcing all that other stuff, than by trying to squeeze every penny out of a sale by doing things that aren’t your area of expertise.
Needless to say, your business will also come across a lot more professionally.
There are many inexpensive options for graphic designers, programmers, virtual assistants and pretty much every business function you can think of. I’ll share my actual resources with you, so you can put your energy into making money.
I myself was guilty of this the first few years of being a small business person.
You focus on retaining as much revenue as possible from each sale by doing as much as you can yourself.
So,
instead of building your business by cold calling, pitching potential clients, up-selling current clients, teaching classes/seminars/webinars, speaking at luncheons and conferences - instead, you’re building websites, designing your own logos and flyers, doing miscellaneous, unstrategized advertising, plus doing all the bookkeeping and miscellaneous business activities, as well as cleaning your office.
Let’s be honest, as smart and self-sufficient as we may be, the results of this type of work won’t be professional. Plus, you'll be exhausted and your quality of life will decrease.
You might be in love with the logo you just designed or the website you just spent three weeks on, but if it’s not at the same level of professionalism or greater of your competitors, then it’s not going to work for you and you’ve wasted your time.
You know your business best. That’s what you should be focusing on – growing your business.
You’ll actually make more money by growing your business and outsourcing all that other stuff, than by trying to squeeze every penny out of a sale by doing things that aren’t your area of expertise.
Needless to say, your business will also come across a lot more professionally.
There are many inexpensive options for graphic designers, programmers, virtual assistants and pretty much every business function you can think of. I’ll share my actual resources with you, so you can put your energy into making money.
Bad Consultants!
There are many people who give consulting a bad reputation. They’ve
dabbled in this or that marketing activity, and suddenly they’re experts.
When I lived in South Florida, it seemed you could throw a rock and hit a social media guru or expert. All they did was write updates or blogs with a couple of keywords thrown in, but with no strategy and no idea whether what they did actually helped bring their clients leads - but they called themselves “experts”!
When I lived in South Florida, it seemed you could throw a rock and hit a social media guru or expert. All they did was write updates or blogs with a couple of keywords thrown in, but with no strategy and no idea whether what they did actually helped bring their clients leads - but they called themselves “experts”!
Consultants
may charge what you consider to be a lot or a little, yet you may still not be
satisfied. Do your homework on what makes for a good strategic marketing plan –
or better yet, take my class! Be clear on what exactly is to be done, how
reporting will be done, and make sure you ask to see a portfolio of work.
Remember what the average value of a new customer is for you, and keep that in mind before you decide that someone is too expensive. Ask that any marketing activities they are performing be measured for effectiveness.
Be fair though. Don’t expect to get 100 new clients by the second month. Good marketing must be done consistently, and it takes time.
Maggie Curran is a seasoned business development & strategic marketing professional with international experience. She's lectured on marketing at the University of Miami and Florida International University, among many other private workshops and classes online and in person. She's known for being instrumental in making retired baseball great Sammy Sosa, the "Social Media King" in 2013/14.
She is teaching the one day seminar on Saturday, January 31. Register here Create a Small Business Marketing Plan That Works
MaggieCurran.com
Remember what the average value of a new customer is for you, and keep that in mind before you decide that someone is too expensive. Ask that any marketing activities they are performing be measured for effectiveness.
Be fair though. Don’t expect to get 100 new clients by the second month. Good marketing must be done consistently, and it takes time.
And Remember!
And, please, remember - just like you have bills to pay and children to send through school, so do we marketing & business development professionals. There are costs to what we do, and we also deserve to earn a profit – so long as we’re delivering results!Maggie Curran is a seasoned business development & strategic marketing professional with international experience. She's lectured on marketing at the University of Miami and Florida International University, among many other private workshops and classes online and in person. She's known for being instrumental in making retired baseball great Sammy Sosa, the "Social Media King" in 2013/14.
She is teaching the one day seminar on Saturday, January 31. Register here Create a Small Business Marketing Plan That Works
MaggieCurran.com
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