Thriving in a Competitive Business Environment

Nationwide business owners are either working harder to thrive or they are cutting back to survive. Increased competition and economic uncertainties, often trigger business owners to cut back on their investment in marketing and advertising. While it may seem like a good idea in the short-term, this is a decision that can end up being quite costly...even deadly to your business.

Instead of cutting back, keen business owners are using the tight economy as an opportunity to re-think and re-work their product and service offerings. One of the most important things these business owners are doing is saturating every marketing and advertising venue with their message. After all, what better time to get the word out when other businesses are cutting back?

Slow and steady wins the race. And little actions over time add up to give you a big impact. When figuring out what you want to do with your company next year, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Develop a plan. It is always surprising how many small companies neglect to do any kind of business or marketing planning. Figure out where you want to go and how you are going to get there. Then write the plan down and update it periodically.
2. View marketing as an investment. The more you strategically market to the people who need your product or service, the more customers you will attract.
3. Evaluate what you are currently doing to make sure the money you are spending on building your business is working for you. Don’t use strategies just because they are part of a traditional marketing program. Focus your efforts on a program that will get you the best results.
4. Stop using strategies that are not working, and always remember to test and measure so you know whether you are effectively reaching your target audience.
5. Review your marketing message. You want to be certain it clearly and concisely demonstrates “What’s in it for me?”.
6. Don’t forget to have fun. If you love what you do and have fun doing it, you will have no choice but to succeed.
   

The Importance of Promoting "Team"

Business owners looking to create a stronger, more cohesive working environment are constantly searching for ways to motivate their employees. There are a number of things you can do to promote commitment from the people who work for you, like developing a learning culture in your organization and communicating your values and goals; however, there's more.

Click HERE to read this article in its entirety and learn how you can begin to create success in the workplace.

Feeling the Blahs During the Holidays?

How do you get rid of the blahs during the holidays? In one word...Give. In Proverbs 11:24-25, it says: "And there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.” Zig Ziglar said it this way, “We sometimes need a check up from the neck up.”

When I think of self, I tend to get in a rut and all that is a grave with the ends knocked out. Dr. Karl Menninger responded to a question asking “What would you advise a person to do, if he felt a nervous breakdown coming on?" Most people expected him to reply, "Consult a psychiatrist," because that was his profession. To their astonishment Menninger replied, "Lock up your house, go across the railway tracks, find someone in need, and do something to help that person."

A good friend of mine said “Wayne, you can't receive unless you have your arms open.” He’s right. If we always keep our arms crossed, how can we ever receive. This holiday season is here, so develop a giving spirit. Dr, Menninger also implied people need to overcomes feelings of deficiency in a positive and healthy way. That's why Menninger says, "Generous people are rarely mentally ill people."

When you’re busy looking at yourself, it’s hard to focus on someone else. Warren Buffett said it this way, "Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks." If what’s not working for you today, go find another boat or a way to give yourself away.

Wayne Bailey is a Distributor with SendOutCards. He has recognized tremendous growth in his personal and business relationships by implementing the strategies he talks about in his articles. You can visit: www.sendoutcards.com/waynebailey.

Fuel Success and Performance with the "Happiness Advantage"

"If you observe the people around you, you'll find most individuals follow a formula that has been subtly or not so subtly taught to them by their schools, their company, their parents, or society. That is: If you work hard, you will become successful, and once you become successful, then you'll be happy." Shawn Achor in The Happiness Advantage

For years we've all been lead to believe that by working harder, we'll achieve the success that will bring us the happiness we so desire. We push ourselves and our employees to do more, be more productive... achieve, achieve, achieve. The problem with this is that it doesn't work. We've now created a society of people who are burned out and unhealthy from stress.

Shawn Achor's book, "The Happiness Advantage" gives some powerful insight into happiness and how studies have shown that positive and happy attitudes fuel success. His book provides business owners with seven practical and actionable principles that have been tried and tested to improve performance and maximize potential.

The Power of a Unique Positioning Statement

There's a lot of competition in the small business world. Knowing what sets you apart from your competition is what will help "position" you in the marketplace. There's power in identifying and incorporating a unique positioning statement into your marketing materials. It helps bring greater awareness and identification to your company. So how do you identify your company's unique positioning statement?

Click HERE to read this entire article.

Mastermind Groups Help Build Strong Businesses

Often times the tasks of running a business as a sole proprietor can become daunting. It's easy to get caught up working "in" your business that you don't have time to work "on" your business. Daily tasks become mundane and you may even start to lose your passion. The best way to spark that fire of entrepreneurship is with a Mastermind Group. The article link below will show you how and why a Mastermind Group helps build a strong business.

Read Mastermind Groups Help Build Strong Businesses.

Confrontation

When’s the last time you had to confront a spouse, child, employee or employer? Was it fun? Most of the time it’s not. Why? What was so difficult?

Confrontation is usually misunderstood. It’s not meant to make someone feel bad nor is it a tool to punish someone. Confrontation is a warning sign or flag that can be used to restore a cracked or broken relationship. As a leader, it’s your job to act as a leader and do the right thing.

John Maxwell is one of my favorite authors. Below are some points from him on making confrontation a little easier to deal with:

• Do you want a leader, head of household to be wimpy or take a stand. There’s security in knowing someone’s in charge.
• As the word gets out to others in the organization, people will know that the problem has to be addressed and a healing will start to take place.
• There may have been a misunderstanding. By addressing the issue, everything is out in the open. Seeing the big picture can bring mutual respect towards each other.
• How do you gain respect? By having respect for others. Make sure respect is used in the confrontation and the respect by the person you are addressing and your peers will increase.
  

King Abdulla II said this about confrontation, “Over the past few years, the road to confrontation has shown its consequences: loss of innocent lives, destruction and fear. Most costly, however, was the loss of hope. The most precious gift that you can present to your peoples over the coming weeks is renewed hope born out of tangible progress on the ground.”

Go out and give your people some renewed hope for a better future.

Wayne Bailey is a Distributor with SendOutCards. He has recognized tremendous growth in his personal and business relationships by implementing the strategies he talks about in his articles. You can visit: www.sendoutcards.com/waynebailey.

Where will you be concentrating your business development efforts in 2012?

We'd love to know what you'll be focusing on for the development of your business in 2012. We've put together a quick one-question survey you can answer by clicking on the link below. Then check back periodically to see what other business owners are saying.

Take Survey Now

Our Latest E-Newsletter: How to Decide Where to Network & Building a Learning Culture

Running a successful business is about "people." Building relationships and being an effective business leader means helping others see their potential, thereby enabling them to achieve their potential. This issue of our Profit-Driven Tips e-newsletter focuses on how to determine where to network as well as building a learning culture in your organization.

Click HERE to read this issue.

Were You Aware? Some Ways We Help You Succeed in Business...

Eagle Soars is Authorized to Deliver Situational Leadership II Training on behalf of The Ken Blanchard Companies. To learn more about our instructor-led training programs, click HERE.

Promote your product or service with a discount coupon in our e-newsletter - One of the benefits of being an Eagle Soars' client is that we promote your business wherever we promote ours. Include a discount coupon in our Profit Driven Tips newsletter. Not a client? Contact us to find out how you can be included.

Tips on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter! - If you want more tips on marketing and training, you can connect with us on any of the following social networking sites. You'll find more great tips and we'll be featuring some of our favorite businesses! Will your business be one of them?

Networking in 2011 and Beyond

"The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being." – Lee Iacocca

How do you see yourself networking in today’s market? Networking is not some spooky magical thing that happens all by itself, but it’s a way to build relationships. When do you actually do networking? At the local LinkedIn event (by the way an excellent way to network) when you are in need? Looking to bail yourself out from some business transaction that’s gone bad? You start now and before there is a need. You start where there is two or more gathered. Networking is really a two-way flow process of information between two people.

I’ve always heard it’s better to give than receive. Some will even say, before you can receive, you must give of yourself first. Armstrong Williams said, “Networking is an essential part of building wealth.” Do you think if you went around giving important information away you would be important to others? I would say, “Yes.” Think of a dam holding back all of its water. What good is it doing the folks downstream for fishing, tourism and eco life?

Here are some bullets that will help your grow as a networker:

1. Always carry business cards and a pen with you. Have them in your car’s glove box (Old school term), planner and for smart phone users, have your contact information as a personal contact so you can share data electronically. What do you do with these business cards? See the next bullet.
2. The next time you’re at an event, meet and get to know two or three people. This is not place to do a marathon and meet everyone. Take the new business card you just collected and immediately write on the back where, when and the topic of discussion during your encounter. Write down their needs and services offered. Even write the person’s month and day of their birthday. When you return back to the office, log in the data to your contact manager for an easy look up the next time someone needs their services. I use keywords such as “Private Money," “Real-estate Investor," and “Landscaper.” If you are always sending business their way, that person will be indebted to you (most of the time) to return the favor when you need something.
3. In a couple of days after meeting this new contact, follow-up with a phone call and or send them a card thanking them for their time and a “nice to meet you” note. Also, send them a birthday card. Remember, you're building a relationship and what better way to do this than to recognize them on their birthday. On your last birthday, how many cards did you receive? One, two or 200? These two methods will make you stand out from the rest of the crowd.
   

Happy Networking!

Wayne Bailey is a Distributor with SendOutCards. He has recognized tremendous growth in his personal and business relationships by implementing the strategies he talks about in his articles. You can email Wayne at wayne_bailey642@hotmail.com or visit: www.sendoutcards.com/waynebailey. Want to try SendOutCards for your business? Send Wayne an email and he'll be happy to show you how.

How will you be marketing your business in 2012?

Now that we're in the last quarter of 2011, it's time to start thinking about your marketing plans for next year. Here are some items you should be considering during the planning process:

1. Calculate 3rd quarter marketing data and compare it to the first two quarters and previous years.
   
2. From your marketing ROI reports, identify whether or not there are any slow times that are consistently demonstrated in your numbers.
3. Evaluate your marketing ROI reports to determine the strategies that worked and those that should be eliminated in 2012.
   
4. Conduct a survey to see how customers feel about your business right now.
5. Review your marketing collateral to make sure your message is on target for the needs of your customers and is in line with your corporate image.
   
6. Evaluate every part of your business from the customer's point of view.

Once you've armed yourself with the knowledge on how your past marketing efforts have been performing, you'll be able to create a cost-effective plan for 2012.

Don't know where to start in creating that plan? Click here to see how our marketing experts can help.

Avail yourself of our marketing and training expertise!

Connect with any one of our social media pages and you'll be constantly in the know when it comes to the latest in marketing and training news. We provide valuable tips and links to resources. You can also get in on the conversation and share your experiences! Connect with us now:

The Benefits of Outsourcing

With an economy that's struggling, many companies are turning to outsourcing instead of hiring employees. That's because there are a number of benefits to outsourcing that make the investment pay off. Outsourcing isn't for big business only. It's for any business that wants to be more effective at what they do. Here are some reasons why outsourcing works:

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

Team Effort

A team effort brings benefits to everyone on the team. US President Lyndon Johnson said, “There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.” Here are ten steps you should take when you invest in your team.

1. Make a decision you are going to build the best team ever.
2. When you start gathering your team, look for the brightest, smartest people. You want to gather people that are your level and above.
3. Put in the effort and time to build the team. Have them attend seminars, read books, listen to books on CD and watch DVDs to sharpen their skills.
4. Do things together as a team. Do a pizza and movie night or go do zip lines. Mountain biking, road trips are fun too.
5. Give each team member responsibility and authority. Give them the goal and let them figure out the way to accomplish it.
6. Give credit for success to the team. Always give praise in public and constructive criticism in private.
7. Monitor the team. Make sure your investment is paying off. If not, first do a check-up from the neck up and ask, “What can I do better or change that’s best for the team?”
8. Do not invest time into team members that are not growing. Spend 80% of your time with the people that are growing and making things happen. If you've got to drag someone into your business, you’re going to have to drag them in the business.
9. Always be creating new opportunities for the team. When we meet our goals, we get complacent. Always have new goals for your team once they have met their current goals.
10. Help the team succeed. Your job is to be their cheerleader and provide them tools and resources for them to be prosperous.

Wayne Bailey is a Distributor with SendOutCards. He has recognized tremendous growth in his personal and business relationships by implementing the strategies he talks about in his articles. You can email Wayne at wayne_bailey642@hotmail.com or visit: www.sendoutcards.com/waynebailey.

Instructor-Led Training: The Foundation of Strategic Negotiation

Eagle Soars Consulting offers a number of Instructor-Led training programs for professional development and leadership skills. Here's some information on one of our programs:

The Foundation of Strategic Negotiation© course provides participants with a solid foundation of core strategic negotiation skills. This interactive program focuses on the benefits of using a strategic negotiation process that results in win-win outcomes for both parties involved in the negotiation. The program is designed to establish a common language for the strategic negotiation process and also equip employees with the skills and knowledge to effectively manage all types of negotiation situations.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Just imagine how much your company or organization would benefit from using integrative approaches to negotiating...

Tips for a Tough Economy

Our Profit-Driven Tips E-Newsletter just went out and it's got a lot of valuable information on how to generate business in a tough economy. Sticking with what's worked for you in the past and capitalizing on your existing customer database is where you'll be most effective.

The e-newsletter also talks about how you can have a positive outlook in a negative economy. It's hard to avoid the doom and gloom of the news, but your positive attitude helped bring you to this point in your business. Don't lose sight of your strengths now!

To read these articles and more, click on this link.

Surviving in a Bad Economy

A bad economy means business owners can't rely on the old ways of doing business, where the thought was, "If you build it, they will come." If you're noticing a decrease in business, don't wait until things get so bad that panic sets in and decisions are made out of fear. Instead, take a proactive approach.

The founder and owner of Business Know-How, Janet Attard, has an excellent article called, "10 Business Survival Strategies for a Bad Economy." She calls for taking a cold, hard look at your business and revising your business plan to better meet the needs of customers and prospects. To read her full article, click here.

Common Traits Among Leaders

Forbes magazine interviewed 1,600 people in the top of their game. Five common traits emerged. They had:

1) Common sense. The next time you work on a project, do a deal, make two columns with one marked "Right things done" and one marked "Wrong things done." Take the “Wrong” side and learn from your mistakes and take the "Right" side and do those actions again.

2) Expertise. When someone is looking to repair a vehicle, paint a house, or sell a house, who is the first person that comes to thir mind? Have you done business with this person? Be a person of expertise and when your product or service comes up in a conversation, your name will be one of the first mentioned.

3) Self reliance. Be a self starter. The Online Dictionary says "self-reliance" is the ability to do things and make decisions by yourself, without needing other people to help you. Some examples would be the freedom to be yourself, learn to cut your stings and stop being a puppet because dependency makes you a slave to other people.

4) Intelligence. Someone may of not done well in school, or had a low IQ . So what? When you stand in the shadows and watch this person, do they act intelligently or stupidly? Just remember, "stupid" moves you away from your goals and "intelligent" moves you closer to your goals. Common senses will go a long way.

5) Result orientation. A lot of folks are great at starting but never finish. In order to get things done, you’ve got to follow through. Always go the extra mile. As Zig Zigalr says, "the second mile is never crowded."

Wayne Bailey is a Distributor with SendOutCards. He has recognized tremendous growth in his personal and business relationships by implementing the strategies he talks about in his articles. You can email Wayne at wayne_bailey642@hotmail.com or visit: www.sendoutcards.com/waynebailey. Want to try SendOutCards for your business? Take advantage of his coupon below.

Benefits of Training & Development

Were you aware that training and development is an important factor in employee retention? The right employee training, development and education will increase productivity, knowledge, loyalty and contribution to the success of your business. It's an investment that's well worth making considering the pay-offs for everyone involved.

How much are you investing in the professional development of your employees? In 2010, it's estimated that the total training expenditures by U.S. companies was $52.8 billion. The average training expenditure per learner was $1,041, while the average number of hours of training per employee was 40. Companies that make investments in their people typically have lower employee turnover, higher customer satisfaction, and have been found to be more profitable.

Here are some other good reasons for implementing an employee training and development program:

1. Increased job satisfaction/morale among employees
2. Increased motivation
3. Increased efficiencies in processes that ultimately result in financial gain
4. Increased capacity to adopt new technologies/methods
5. Increased innovation in strategies and products
6. Enhanced company image

Simply put, the right investment in training and development, can make your business better. Click here for more information on the training and development services from Eagle Soars Consulting.

Google Alerts & Negative Reviews: How to Handle Them

If you're running a business, you should have it listed in all the local directories for Google, Yahoo, and Bing. That way when people are searching locally for what you do, they'll be able to find your business quickly.

These listings also give customers the opportunity to provide feedback on your business. If it's positive feedback, that's great! In an ideal world, we'd all like to think we can make everyone happy. Since that isn't the case, what do you do when someone gives your business a poor rating and posts it up on the web for everyone to see?

To read the rest of this article, visit our website by clicking here.

Recent Website Changes Geared to Improve Communications

Because communication is the key to successful management of any project, Eagle Soars Consulting recently added two new features to their website.

Our first website improvement is the addition of a live support feature. Site visitors with questions have the ability to click on the live support image to be connected to an Eagle Soars' representative. The icon and feature only show on the site when someone is available to answer questions.

The second feature is the back-end administration of project schedules. Project Managers and clients can log into this private area to view the status of their project(s). They can add project progress schedules and notes as well as initiate discussions and enter time sheet information.

These are just a few of the ways Eagle Soars is combining technology with client communications to bring a personal touch back to business and project management.

Spare Change

Love and truth form a good leader; sound leadership is founded on loving integrity. Proverbs 20:28 (The Message)

It's a little like earning and spending pocket change. Each time I make a good leadership decision, it puts change into my pockets. Each time I make a poor decision, I end up paying a late fee and lose money. All leaders have a certain amount of change in their pockets when they start in new positions.

The half dollars are from an amazing project that I did and the pennies were given to me for keeping something from falling through the cracks. I always come to the next project with change in my pocket from our last job. From then on, I either build up change or I pay it out. It doesn't matter if the mess up was my fault or not. If it happens on my shift, it’s my responsibility. If I make one bad decision, I lose a coin or two. If I keep making bad decisions, I will run out of change and I’m out as a leader.

What usually makes the difference in keeping or losing change? Credibility. A leader's history of successes and failures will make a big difference in this category. Changingminds.org says “Build your credibility before persuading. Understand what builds and destroys it. Protect it like a baby, because once lost it can be impossible to recover. Use it to gain commitment without having to argue your case.

Wayne Bailey is a Distributor with SendOutCards. He has recognized tremendous growth in his personal and business relationships by implementing the strategies he talks about in his articles. You can email Wayne at wayne_bailey642@hotmail.com or visit: www.sendoutcards.com/waynebailey.

Turning Customers into Profitable Business Partners

Building good customer relations and word-of-mouth advertising go hand-in-hand. Business owners should never under-estimate or neglect the relationships they have with their customers. Your customers can be solicited for valuable feedback on improving your products/services. They can also be great assets when it comes to referring you to others. Click on the following link to read how you can turn your customers into profitable business partners.

Click HERE to read more.

Successful Email Marketing

Is your marketing budget tight? Follow this link to read more on how you can make email campaigns a cost-effective part of your business' marketing plan.

7 Tips to Make Email Marketing Work for Your Business

Customer Testimonials that Tell a Story & Build on Trust

Customer testimonials are powerful tools to help you build credibility and trust with your prospects. For some tips on how to get testimonials that tell a story and have an impact on your trust factor, visit the link below.

How to Get and Use a Customer Testimonial to Build Trust

Small Business Optimism

A recent CBS report indicated small business optimism is continuing to decline. Unfortunately, this is the reality of doing business in the current economic climate, and for the business featured in the CBS interview, it comes despite aggressive marketing.



Does this mean marketing dollars have been wasted? Absolutely not! Can you imagine what this business owner's outlook would be if he wasn't aggressively marketing his business? In a tight economy, it's a tough decision to market aggressively, especially when business owners need to find ways to cut back. But drastically reducing or eliminating marketing is like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Instead of eliminating or greatly reducing their investment in marketing, business owners should seriously consider evaluating how their marketing dollars are performing for their company. Many may not want to admit this, but it's a prudent idea to have an expert in marketing help with this task. That way, a business owner can be confident any revisions to the marketing plan will be favorable toward maximizing ROI.

Remember, marketing is an investment (not an expense) that is vitally important if you want to remain in business.

The Analogies of Running to Marketing a Business

Running is often thought of as an analogy for life. When one begins to give it greater thought, you may find that the similarities are uncanny and can be applied to the successful marketing of a business. Click on this link to read more.

Quick Marketing Tip: One Way to Ask for a Referral

The best time to ask for a referral is at the point of sale, when you know your customer was happy with the product or service they received. Here's an example of how you can ask for that referral:

Create a postcard that is a win-win-win for everyone. The postcard should include a special offer for the person who receives the referral (e.g. Offer something for free or give a special discount) and a special offer for the person who is giving the referral (e.g. $10 OFF their next purchase).

When your customer is checking out, hand them the postcard and mention the special referral offer to them. If you've done your job well, they'll be very happy to give the postcard to a friend.

Remaining fearless and positively-focused in a recession

It's hard to remain positive when financial reports and the nation's economy seem to be tanking. Just watching the daily news is enough to set fears ablaze. When we allow fear to dominate our thoughts, we begin to make poor business decisions. We may react by cutting back on marketing or not rewarding our employees for jobs well-done. Fear is not your friend, especially in business. Here are some tips to remaining fearless and staying positively-focused:

1. Stop focusing on the news! That doesn't mean you have to put your head in the sand, but remember from where the media is coming. They are in the news business to make money, and they've been quite successful at it by managing its "shock" value. The more dreadful or shocking the news, the more listeners, watchers and readers.
   
2. Remind yourself that you're a business owner because you had a vision and enough guts to make it happen. You've survived tough times in the past, and your business will weather this storm, too.
3. Never lose sight of the good you are providing for your family, employees, and your community.
4. When those negative thoughts try to come in, replace them with thoughts of success.
   
5. Speak positively.

Quick Tips on Improving Your Opt-In Email Campaign

As most business owners have discovered, email campaigns are a very inexpensive marketing investment. If done correctly, a consistent email campaign will increase awareness on the various products/service you offer. It will also be instrumental in bringing in new business. Here are some quick tips to improve your opt-in email campaign.

1. The first key to the success of any email campaign starts with... "opt-in." That means you have permission from the recipient to periodically send them emails. Not only is an opt-in email campaign part of good business practices, it increases its cost-effectiveness since it's directed to individuals who have already expressed an interest in your business.
2. Build your opt-in list by having a sign-up form on every page of your website, within your social media pages, and on all your email signatures. If you have a brick and mortar establishment, create a hand-written sign-up sheet and have it at the point of purchase. Direct your sales staff to actively ask customers to sign-up.
   
3. Make sure your emails provide value. Advertising is coming at us from everywhere. Most people have become so immune to advertisements, they just tune them out. If your newsletter educates your customers, you'll begin to build upon that trust factor that's so important to your success.
4. Consistency and frequency are extremely important issues. Finding the best frequency to send out emails really depends on the type of product or service you offer. You don't want to send out too many, yet you want to make sure your business remains in the forefront of your prospects and customers. It's also important to make sure you send them out according to the schedule you select.

Need help with an email campaign? We can do it for you; saving you time while increasing the return on your email marketing investment. For more on our email campaigns, visit our website at:

http://eaglesoars-marketing.com/our-services/marketing/email-campaigns

Does your business need a marketing plan tune-up?

Once upon a time, when the economy was booming, a small business could prosper with very little effort and investment in marketing. Now that times have changed, so have the buying habits of consumers and most businesses have noticed a decline in new business.

If you have seen a slowing trend in your business you may want to ask yourself one question, "Is it because times are tough or is the marketing message of my business no longer effective?" I would even go one step further to ask, "Was my company's marketing message ever really on target or was I just reaping the benefits of a good economy?"

Regardless, if you are beginning to notice a slow-down, it might be time for a marketing plan tune-up. This is especially true if you notice any of the following:

1. Your marketing materials don't have a consistent look to foster a brand image. Take a look at all your marketing materials. If they lack consistency in message, logo, colors, etc., you are giving your customers mixed messages.
   
2. Your vision for the business has changed. When you first opened the doors to your business, you had a fairly concrete idea of what you wanted to accomplish. Over time, every business evolves. You may have created new products or services to meet the needs of customers. Maybe the demand for certain products or services has changed.
3. Your marketing materials are focused on "you" instead of your customer. Building relationships is the key to building a successful business. To build strong relationships, you've got to be focused on your customer - their needs and their desires.

Remember, first impressions are critical. You've got to clearly and concisely communicate who you are and how a prospect can benefit from doing business with you. More importantly, you have to build in that trust factor right from the start.

A marketing plan tune-up will make sure your marketing message is on target and that you are current with the needs of your customers. At the very least, you should have an expert in marketing take a look at what you are doing to see if there are ways to make improvements and maximize the return on your marketing investment.

Eagle Soars Consulting can do that for you. To learn about our marketing plan tune-ups, visit our website at:

http://eaglesoars-marketing.com/our-services/marketing/marketing-plans

Building Customer Loyalty

When you capture the loyalty of your customers, not only will they continue to purchase from your business, they'll be more than willing to refer their family and friends. Here are a few tips on how to build customer loyalty.

1. The most important character your business needs to portray is integrity. There are no compromises when it comes to integrity. It starts with you, the business owner, and filters down to every employee.
2. Remember that marketing and customer relations is all about building trust and developing relationships.
3. You've got to listen to your customers and their needs and then create a product or service that exceeds customer expectations.
   
4. Identify and build your brand image. Think about what you'd like your customers to say about your business when they refer you to others and work to develop that image.
5. Take a genuine interest in your customers as you focus on their needs.
   
6. Never take customer loyalty for granted. There's plenty of competition out there, and your customers can very easily go somewhere else, but they choose to purchase from your business. Let them know you appreciate them and their business.

Simple Ways to Expand Your Client Database

The goal of every business is to expand their client database. These days most business owners are cutting back on their marketing investments and they are searching for ways to creatively bring in new business. Instead of trying to be ultra-creative, why not get back to some basics of business development? Here are some simple ways you can expand your client database:

1. Network with the goal of building lasting relationships. Many business owners look at networking as a fast-track way to get new business. When things don't go in their favor or they don't see quick results from their networking, they get disappointed or discouraged and give up. When one looks at their own interests first, he or she loses sight of what networking is really all about... building relationships. The key to networking is to listen more than you speak. When you take the approach of getting to know someone and being a resource to them, the relationship can and will grow. When they need the type of product or service you sell, they'll be sure to come to you first. They'll also be quite willing to refer you to others.
   
2. Build strategic alliances. The right kind of business alliances can be quite instrumental in growing your business. By developing strategic alliances with like-minded business owners, you can share in your marketing investment by co-creating advertising materials. It also gives you greater exposure for your business.
   
3. Ask for referrals, and don't be shy about it either! You might feel awkward coming right out and asking for a referral, but let me tell you, it's one of the best ways to increase business. If you served your customer well, they will be all too happy to give you a referral. You can ask them personally or you can create a survey system where you solicit this information.
4. Make sure you have a system in place to follow-up on leads. Without a system in place, you are probably leaving a lot of business on the table. One of the best ways to cost-efficiently follow up on leads is through lead scoring (see our last blog post for more information on this).

With these four strategies in place, in no time you'll begin to see your customer database expanding.

How to Prioritize Your Prospects with Lead Scoring

How well do you know your target audience? Have you evaluated your customer database to the point where you can pinpoint your target demographic? With a tighter economy, it's more important than ever to make sure your marketing investment is being used wisely.

You can't risk marketing to everyone hoping something will stick somewhere along the way and you'll get new customers. Rarely is everyone in the marketplace seeking your product or service. Given that fact, you've got to make sure you can accurately pinpoint and target your marketing message to the people who will be the ones most likely to purchase your product or service.

Survival of the fittest, or natural selection, is a biological term that means, "only the fittest organisms will prevail." The same holds true with business. One aspect of natural selection is the expenditure of energy. Those animals that expend the least amount of energy to accomplish a task, like hunting, become more efficient and stronger.

An example of how this would apply to business would be targeting your existing customers for repeat business before going out "hunting" for new customers. It takes a smaller investment in marketing to target those who already know your business than it does to go out and find new prospects.

The same holds true in how you market to your prospects... people who have had some sort of contact with you in the past but have not yet made a decision to purchase from your business.

So, the first order of business is to make sure you've got a plan in place to market to existing customers. It should spell out how you will actively communicate with them either by email or mail. It's also a good idea to create a process for soliciting referrals from your existing customers. Once you've got a marketing program in place for your existing customers, you can then start to target the prospects that are in your customer database.

The best way to target the prospects in your database is with "Lead Scoring." With lead scoring, you rank prospects according to their likeliness to purchase your product or service. Lead scoring matters and it works. With lead scoring a point value is assigned to things like how the prospect heard of your company, who they are, how they are interacting with you and what their need is for your product. If done correctly, the higher the score, the further they should be in the buying process.

Here's an example:

You sell bathroom cabinets, showers, and fixtures out of a retail storefront and online. A homeowner walks in with a sketch of their dream bathroom remodel. After collecting their name and contact information, you ask about the project and walk them around your showroom. They leave without making a purchase. Does that mean they won't make a purchase and your job is done? Not at all. Here's where you begin the lead scoring process.

While their visit is fresh in your mind, enter their information into your customer relationship management program and score the visit. Walking in the door might be worth one point, having a design plan may be worth five points, and asking for a price quote might be worth another five. If they return to the store another time, that would be worth additional points. You set up your scoring system by taking a look at the typical buying process and then stick to it for every prospect that comes in the door. If you've got an online store, you can create a similar type of scoring system.

When applied consistently with each prospect, the higher the score, the further along they are in the buying process. Once you add up all the points, you will be able to approximate the level of interest someone has in buying your product or service and then prioritize which leads to pursue first and which ones to hold off on.

One final note to mention. Not everyone will fit perfectly into your lead scoring system so you need to be attentive to building relationships with all your leads. The important thing is to be consistent and to periodically evaluate the system to see if it needs to be tweaked and improved upon.

Building Your T.E.A.M.: Motives

What do you focus on, your dream or your team? If you focus on your team, the dream will take care of itself. Have you ever heard, "If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want: from Zig Ziglar? It's true. Sow how do you achieve your dreams? Grow your team.

Think of a company that grows a sales team. The owner gets a percentage of everything that is sold. Does it happen automatically? No. They are willing to provide the capital to start up the company. Provide the team with the tools, encouragement, resources and a commission to be the best they can be. They may send you back to school and pay for it. They are giving before receiving. They are helping others get what they want so they can get what they want. If you build the team to just benefit yourself, watch out. You're heading for disappointing times.

When you build your team, you will build community. You will do fun things together like going bowling and having pizza parties, road trips, and picnics. You will celebrate birthdays and new babies coming into the family and you'll be there to help them move into that new house. I remember working in a bank and we had a social every month. We built community because we were together more than we were with our families. You'll be there for the highs and the lows in their lives and they'll be there for yours. John Churton Collins, a critic, said, "In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.

If your desires and wants are to build a team, to add value to others, to help them accomplish their dreams and goals, to see them not live a poverty mindset, but to live life abundantly, you're right on track. I encourage you to start today and send a word of encouragement to someone on your team and tell 'em how much you appreciate them.

Wayne Bailey is a Distributor with SendOutCards. He has recognized tremendous growth in his personal and business relationships by implementing the strategies he talks about in his articles. You can email Wayne at wayne_bailey642@hotmail.com or visit: www.sendoutcards.com/waynebailey. Want to try SendOutCards for your business? Take advantage of his coupon below.

Spring Cleaning

When you do a spring cleaning in your home, you're taking a good look at everything around you and putting in extra effort to clean and de-clutter. The tradition of "Spring Cleaning" can also apply to your business' marketing strategies.

If a marketing strategy isn't giving you a good return on your investment, there's a very simple response...stop doing it. Marketing a business is not something that is a "one size fits all" investment. What may work for one business type may not work for yours. Even changes in location will have an effect on the response of similar marketing campaigns.

To illustrate, here are some of our client examples:

1. One of our clients was spending over $1,000 a month on a large advertisement in the Yellow Pages. After implementing a tracking program to determine from where new business was generated, they learned that only 1 or 2 people a quarter were coming to them through the Yellow Pages. The investment was definitely not giving them a good return so they cut back to a basic listing and saved thousands of dollars.
   
2. Two of our clients own automotive repair shops (our client referred us to the second shop). The first automotive repair shop had a great deal of success with placing an insert in the local AAA newspaper. We tried the same strategy for the second shop. Though their business was located in a nearby county, they received very little response from the inserts, despite testing and measuring for six months.

The point of these two examples is this. Every business owner should test and measure each marketing strategy to determine how well it's working for the money invested. Capitalize on the ones that are working and discard the ones that aren't. And don't be afraid to try new things! Just remember to test and measure each new campaign.

Measuring ROI

With the end of the first quarter quickly approaching, it's important for business owners to step back and evaluate the return on investment for the marketing strategies they're using to generate new business. It's not difficult to do, but many will leave this task undone thinking they have a general idea of what's working well. Others may be so overworked, they don't have the extra time in their schedule.

What you don't know, may be hurting your business. Taking the time to formally measure ROI (return on investment) will let you know where your money is being invested wisely and where it's being wasted. Thinking you have a general idea is a lot different than actually seeing the figures on paper. The results may even surprise you!

Our marketing clients are required to ask all new customers how they heard about them. When a new customer calls or comes in, this information is hand-written on a very short form along with the gross dollar amount of the sale. At the end of every quarter, we take that information and tally it up against what they've spent on each marketing strategy.

When these clients first implemented this tracking program, they were amazed at what the data showed. Strategies they thought were bringing in a lot of business were, in fact, not performing the way they should. After six months of tracking, we were able to eliminate the strategies that weren't working and expand on the ones that were performing well.

In summary, every savvy business owner should be implementing formal strategies to measure the ROI on their marketing. When you do, you will be able to capitalize on the strategies that are performing and have more funds available to test and measure new marketing strategies.

Building Your T.E.A.M. Leader's Self-Evaluation

When you look around at your friends, co-workers, associates, do you seem them being an asset or a liability? An asset could be someone that's looking out for your or keeping you from being blindsided. A liability may stand back and giggle or say, "Watch this," when you get the news you were not expecting.

A team member would be the person that's being helpful and looking out for your best interest. Someone who encourages you and does not wear or tear you down. A non-team member might think, "I'll keep this to myself and I'll make myself look good." Some points to ponder about as you go through the day:

• Always check your motives when you make a decision that affect you and your team. Your goal should always be to help genuinely build up others and not tear them down or make them look bad.
• Pick your battles. Is this a mountain to die for or to fight on? Some mountains are worth fighting for, so pick your battles carefully.
• If there is a problem, let it be known by going directly to the source. Telling a third party can't help and may even make it worse.
• If there are corrections to be made, do it fast. Don't wait. Waiting will only cause the problem to get worse.
• Always give value towards others. When John Maxwell speaks to a group, he sees a "10" over their heads, meaning they are all 10s and go-getters. He knows he's not wasting his time because he feels the information he is giving is falling on fertile ground.
• When you do have to be critical with others, do it with a positive attitude and always finish with a compliment.
• If you're attitude was duplicated into others, how would you like the world?

In closing, it's often said, when, and not if, you've done someone else wrong, go apologize quickly. Eating crow is always better when it's warm.

Wayne Bailey is a Distributor with SendOutCards. He has recognized tremendous growth in his personal and business relationships by implementing the strategies he talks about in his articles. You can email Wayne at wayne_bailey642@hotmail.com or visit: www.sendoutcards.com/waynebailey.

Great Ways to Jump Start Sales - Part 7: A Heart for Giving

In today's environment, social responsibility is taking on a greater role and good corporate citizenship is important for the success of any business. Aligning with a non-profit with a "cause" close to your heart is an excellent way to show customer, prospects and your community that you care. It's known as "Cause Marketing," and should be part of your business' marketing plan.

A lot of business owners will give to local charitable organizations in the form of gift baskets, door prizes or monetary donations. These are good ways to bring awareness to your business, but when it comes to Cause Marketing, we're talking about actually aligning your business with a local non-profit.

If you don't have a formal Cause Marketing plan in place, you may be wondering where you should start. Here are some tips:

1. Think about the issues that are closest to your heart and find a local non-profit organization that is addressing one or more of those issues. For example, if you love animals, you may want to partner with a local animal rescue or shelter.
   
2. Contact that organization and ask for the person in charge of their marketing. The goal is to set up some time to meet and discuss how you can create a mutually beneficial partnership.
   
3. During the meeting talk about ways you can promote their organization and ask them to do the same for you.
4. Follow up the meeting with a written letter of understanding so both parties know what is expected of the relationship.
5. Begin your Cause Marketing plan.
6. Maintain communication with the non-profit organization.
   

You can provide pro bono services or undertake a promotional campaign to raise charitable funds. Just be sure that both you and the non-profit are promoting the undertaking through mailings, emails, websites and press releases. To work, it must be a partnership where you and the non-profit are bringing awareness to one another.

Remember, Cause Marketing is a win-win-win. You'll provide help where it's needed most, the non-profit will benefit from your giving, and your business will earn appreciation from customers that leads to sales.

Understanding Customer Needs

Take a look at the latest edition of our e-newsletter "Profit Driven Tips"

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Understanding-Customer-Needs.html?soid=1101807119440&aid=VXJA0U_fUVs

Great Ways to Jump Start Sales - Part 6: Review Your Marketing Message

If you've been watching, reading, or listening to the news lately, you will notice that times have changed...and so have the buying habits of consumers. The things that motivated consumers to buy in the past, may not be the motivating factor to get them to make that purchase today. That's why it's so very important to make sure your marketing message is hitting the right chords with your target audience.

Hopefully you've been doing some tracking of your marketing investments so you know what's working and have cut out what's not performing. If not, that's the first place you need to start. Tracking is simple. All you have to do is ask your prospect how they heard about your company. If business hasn't changed or it's increased, you're in a great place. Even so, you will still want to periodically evaluate your message and advertising.

Let's say you believe business could be better. Well then, you have to start asking some questions. When was the last time you updated the content of your website? Have you read through one of your brochures lately or taken a look at how well your advertising campaigns were performing? At this juncture, it's important to take out all of your marketing tools and evaluate whether or not the message needs to be revised.

Since your website is on the front line, you should probably start there. Take a look at how your site looks. Is the design outdated or is it a site you put together on a tight budget many years ago? Does it contain a lot of flash components? How old is the information on your site? Is it easy to navigate? Since first impressions count, your website's appearance is a crucial tool in creating that trust factor between you and your prospect. If it's old and outdated, it's time to seek the help of a professional.

If you're not sure where to begin, consult the advice of a professional marketing consultant. Companies like Eagle Soars Consulting have the expertise needed to help small business owners get the exposure they need to succeed.

Customer Appreciation: Building Your T.E.A.M.

Team stands for "Together Everyone Achieves More." Michael Jordan said, "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships." Jordan played ball for Carolina and went on to be one of, if not the best basketball player in the NBA. What was different about Jordan? The times I watch him play, he was a good tempered player and motivated his team through words and actions. A team player does what's best for the team. The attention is off the leader and on the team.

When there is too much attention on the dream of winning a Championship or building a big multi-level networking business, this can cause the team to lose sight of today and be over confident. Jordan said "Just think about the basketball game. If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, you've lost your focus."

John Maxwell, in "The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork" says, "If you want to build and grow your team, make sure your motives are right and not on yourself." Are you building this team to benefit yourself? Create a sense of community? Build an organization? If your desire comes from doing only one of the above, more than likely we need to examine our motives. If your desire is to do all the above, then you want to add value to the team and that's what it's all about.

Wayne Bailey is a Distributor with SendOutCards. He has recognized tremendous growth in his personal and business relationships by implementing the strategies he talks about in his articles. You can email Wayne at wayne_bailey642@hotmail.com or visit: www.sendoutcards.com/waynebailey.

Great Ways to Jump Start Sales - Part 5: Stay in Front of Customers

So many business owners have a lot on their plates. Not only are they working on their business, but they're working in it. Often times, this leaves some things, like marketing, undone...or at the very least, not done as consistently or frequently as needed.

If this is the case, and before you do anything else, find a professional to assist you with the marketing of your business. There are many great outsource companies, like Eagle Soars Consulting, that can help you with your marketing.

When you decide to take the step to outsource, you will find that this investment will very quickly pay for itself. The time you once expended on marketing can now be spent on other important business tasks. You'll also see an increase in buying from customers. That's because your name will be in front of them more often.

Still not convinced and want to go it on your own? Here are some ways you can stay in front of customers.

1. Email - This is a very cost-effective way to market your business, but don't get caught up in hawking your products or services. Instead, make your e-newsletter one of value by providing information that is helpful. Your readers will not only view you as an expert who should be consulted when the time comes for a purchase, but you'll continue to nurture the trust factor that fosters customer referrals. Setting and keeping a scheduling for sending your email campaign is imperative for its success.
   
2. Direct Mail - Yes, direct mail continues to be a good way to stay in the front of customers, especially if you want to offer discount coupons and promotions. A good print house should be able to handle every aspect of the project...design, print and mail. Like emails, this needs to be done on a consistent schedule.
   
3. Social Media - This is one of the fastest growing areas for marketing a business, especially if you are targeting those in their twenties and thirties. At a minimum, consider Facebook pages, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and a blog.
   
4. Mobile Web - If your website is not mobile-friendly, you're losing out on business. It's not hard, nor should it be costly, to have a professional design a mobile website for your business.

In summary, you've got to stay in front of customers so they'll think of you before they think of your competition. Right now is the best time to take advantage of consistent marketing.

Great Ways to Jump Start Sales - Part 4: Promote Creative Thinking & Ideas

In getting back to the our series on Jump Starting Sales, this post will focus on promoting creative thinking and fresh ideas. Entrepreneurs never seem to be out of ideas and that's great when it comes to building a business. However, you may be limiting the growth and success of your business if you're the only one coming up with the ideas. Here are several ways you can generate some fresh and innovative ideas for your business.

Ask Your Team - Seems like a "no-brainer," but many times business owners get so caught up in the day-to-day they forget there is a great resource of ideas within their team of employees. Your employees are on the front line. If they're doing their jobs correctly, they should know exactly what your customers need and whether or not their needs are changing. To promote creativity from within, schedule brainstorming sessions or company retreats. Make your employees feel as though their input is valuable and give recognition to everyone who makes constructive suggestions.

Ask Your Customers - Your customers have come to trust and have developed confidence in your services or products and want to see your business succeed. Their input is extremely valuable so listen to what they have to say. Develop a system to solicit their opinions and suggestions.

Ask Your Peers - Maybe your business is a one-person shop or you don't have a lot of employees. In that case, you may want to consider assembling an "advisory group" to help you generate ideas. An advisory group can help you "flush out" any ideas you may have and will also help with accountability so you stay focused on your business plan.

Customer Appreciation: Conversations

Publisher's Note: Wayne Bailey is the newest contributor to our "Profit-Driven Tips" e-newsletter.

Sigmond Freud said, "A man with a toothache cannot be in love." What was Mr. Freud referring to when he said this? I think he was trying to say we can't listen to others when we are focused on ourselves. Ouch!

When was the last time you were having a conversation with someone and you were multi-tasking at the computer, making a grocery list or checking incoming emails on your BlackBerry? I'm guilty. Are we really that busy that we can't give someone five minutes of our undivided attention?

It's important that we not just give lip service, but we do listen. We're even made to listen more than we talk. Why do you think we have two ears and one mouth? Next time you're having a conversation with someone, especially face-to-face, try looking the person in the eye and interact in the conversation.

Leading author, John Maxwell said, "Any time a person has an axe to grind; the words of others are drowned out by the sound of the grindstone." We are unable to listen to someone if we're more interested in getting our words heard.

A good rule of thumb I use when I'm having a conversation with someone...if the subject gets changed and we're interrupted, I don't bring that subject back up unless the other person brings it up. If they don't, guess what? It wasn't that important to the other person to begin with or you have exhausted that part of the conversation.

A great book that's in my library is "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. It's a wonderful book that was written 50 plus years ago but still holds true today. He tells how to carry a conversation with friends, family or business associates. It's definitely worth the read.

As Mr. Maxwell put it, "People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care." One way to do that is to take the time to send a card with a personal note. Tell them how much they mean to you and watch that relationship grow!

Wayne Bailey is a Distributor with SendOutCards. He has recognized tremendous growth in his personal and business relationships by implementing the strategies he talks about in his articles. You can email Wayne at wayne_bailey642@hotmail.com or visit: www.sendoutcards.com/waynebailey.

Social Media Marketing

With social media at the forefront, it's important for the small business to take advantage of the opportunities to further build relationships with existing customers and market to new ones. The problem... most business owners don't have the time or resources to devote to actively posting on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networking sites. Many business owners also don't know there's a right way and wrong way to post on these sites.

In response, Eagle Soars Consulting has created several different social media marketing plans for the small business owner. We do all the work for you so you can concentrate on other areas of your business. Each plan is available for monthly subscription. To learn more and sign up on-line, business owners can go to: http://eaglesoars-marketing.com/our-services/marketing/social-media