Business Development

August
01 2018

3 Power Moves for Women Business Owners to Level UP!

As women entrepreneurs and business owners, in order to move to the next level and ELEVATE our businesses, we have to deal with the issues that STOP us from growing.

First, as women, we have to manage a lot of things both personally and professionally and this can lead to stress and anxiety. So how do we manage stress and anxiety in a way that allows us to succeed in business?

Second, many of us struggle with negative thoughts that lead to self-sabotaging behavior which can impact the results of our businesses. So what can we do to take control of this so we can take the necessary actions to grow our businesses?

And last, but not least, we have to compete in a crowded marketplace with lots of people doing what we do. So how do we stand out in a crowded marketplace so we can attract our ideal clients?

In this week’s blog post I am joined by Astra Farquharson, Founder of Therapy Yoga and Clestine Herbert, Purpose Coach and we discuss some POWER MOVES you can use that help you to address the struggles listed above.  Watch the video below, or read the post to learn more.

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Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 3 Power Moves for Women Business Owners to Level UP!  |  in Blog, Educating, Marketing, Networking
June
09 2016

4 Stages of Growing Your Business that I learned from My 3 Yr Old Nephew

4 Stages of Growing Your Business that I learned from My 3 Yr Old Nephew

I officially started my business in January 2012, and my nephew was born a year later on January 31, 2013.  As I watch my nephew grow up, I realized that the first few years of a child’s life is similar to the first few years of the growth of a business.  In this blog post I will share the four stages of growing a business that I learned from my 3 yr old nephew.

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Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 4 Stages of Growing Your Business that I learned from My 3 Yr Old Nephew  |  in Business, Business Development, Small Business
September
04 2013

4 ways to make sure your next business event is a hit

Successful Business Events

People want to get to know you and your business.  The best way to accomplish this is by having events.  Events are a great way to showcase your business and let people know about your products and services.  When planning an event it doesn’t have to be a large event sometimes the smaller more intimate events are a better way for you to get to know your clients and your prospects, and for them to get to know you and your business.  Here are four main things to consider when having an event to promote your business:

  1. Create a theme for your event–  Is this event a workshop, seminar, product or service launch party, etc.?  Use a creative name to draw attention to your event and to keep it fun for the attendees (i.e. Cards & Cocktails, Women Investing Wisely, Bling Bash, etc.).  You can even create a special event logo that you can use on all your event promotional material to keep the look and feel of the event consistent.
  2. Select a nice venue–  the look and feel of the place where you have your business event leaves an impression on your prospects and clients, so be sure to pick a nice venue and create a very professional atmosphere.  Consider hiring an event planner to take care of the details of the event the day of the event, so you have more time to relax, present your product or service and enjoy your guests.
  3. Promote your event online–  Of course now a days this kind of goes without saying that you have to promote your event online.  This includes on your website, social media, and e-mails.  Emails are a great way to get the word out about your event to your existing customers and clients, and social media channels are a great way to  get the word out about your event and reach new prospects.  You can even create a hashtag for your event (i.e. #MyFunEvent) so people can follow that hashtag on popular social media sites that use the hashtag as a search criteria.  Sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all allow users to search for posts grouped by a hashtag.
  4. Send special invitations to your VIP customers–  As old fashioned as this may sound, sending an invitation to your special clients via old fashioned snail mail is a great way for you and your event to stand out in the mind of your client, so take the time to mail out invitations to your event.

Are you consistently having events to showcase your services or products?  If so, what types of events do you have, and how do you make sure your events are successful?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  2 Comments  |  in Business, Business Development, Business Events, Event Marketing, Marketing
August
12 2013

What are you focusing on to get NEW business? Leads v. Referrals

picmonkey_imageWhen it comes to GROWING your business, getting NEW business is very important.  As business owners we look for various ways to get leads or referrals, but leads and referrals are not the same, and should be treated very differently.  Here is the difference between the two, and which one you should be focusing on:

Leads

According to dictionary.com, a lead is a suggestion or piece of information that helps to direct or guide.  A business lead is a suggestion that this person or business may be a good potential for new business for you.  A lead does not come with a recommendation it is merely a suggestion that this company or person may have the services or products you are interested in.  Therefore, before a lead will turn into new business, he or she will need additional proof or a sense of trust to feel comfortable with giving the business to you.  A lead provided by  a third party usually includes the person/company’s name, number or e-mail address for someone who is possibly in the market for your service or product.

Referrals

According to dictionary.com, a referral is a person recommended to someone or something.  A referral results in more business than a lead because it is a recommendation.  When someone is interested in a product or service, they like to know if it is recommended, so if you come highly recommended by someone, you have a higher chance of getting that business.  A referral goes something like this, “Jane I would like you to meet John, John has a business with the services that you are in need of, I wanted to connect the two of you because I know that John does good work and I knew it would be a good connection for guys to meet”

The difference between a lead and a referral is really whether an introduction was made, and if the person was recommended.  If an introduction was not made and the person/company was not recommended, that is considered a lead.  If an introduction was made and the person was recommended, that is a referral.  Businesses close more business from referrals than leads, so what are you focused on getting?  Leads or Referrals?

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on What are you focusing on to get NEW business? Leads v. Referrals  |  in Business, Business Development, Business Planning, Marketing, Uncategorized
June
20 2013

Are You Chasing New Business or Attracting New Business? Find out 4 Steps to Attract New Business!

Have you ever wondered why despite a down turn in the economy, some businesses are still able to attract a lot of customers?  Most of the time they have mastered the art of attracting new business.  Here are four steps for you to stop chasing new business and start attracting new business:

  1. KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET–  Too many businesses are trying to get EVERYONE as a customer.  When you focus on everyone, you are really focusing on no one, so the key here is to target a specific type of person or group who would find your product or service EXTREMELY useful.  Once you have narrowed down your target market including specific demographics and psychographics, then you are better able to attract that specific person to your business because you know WHO you are looking for.  Also, once you understand WHO your target market is, you are better able to communicate with them in a way that shows you understand their needs.
  2. OFFER SOLUTIONS SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUR TARGET MARKET–  Make sure that your marketing message is specifically talking to the needs of your target market.  When a person knows that your product of service was specifically designed to alleviate a problem or situation he is having, he is more likely to pay attention to you and your product or service.  You have to be able to communicate how your product or service is the PERFECT solution for the problem your target market may be having, but you have to do this in subtle way, not necessarily just saying, “we have the solution”, but by communicating in a subtle way how your product or service provides a solution.
  3. MAKE YOUR BUSINESS ATTRACTIVE–  How does your business look to the public?  This means everything from what your business card looks like, down to the look of your website, and even how you present yourself and your business when you are at a function.  If your business comes of as unprofessional, unorganized, or confusing, then you will not be able to attract new business.  The key is to make sure that every aspect of your business is PROFESSIONAL, your product or service is ORGANIZED well, and your message about what your company offers and how your product of service will help your target market is CLEAR.
  4. MAKE YOUR BUSINESS KNOWN IN YOUR COMMUNITY–  If your target market has never heard of you, it will be hard for you to get their business, so it is important that your business shows up both online and offline in the areas where your target market is, and not only show up, but show up consistently, so people will get to know you and your business and over time will understand more about your business and how it will be beneficial to them.

So be sure that you are not CHASING new customers, but you are ATTRACTING new customers by using the steps listed above.  What other techniques do you think helps to attract new customers to your business?  Be sure to leave a comment below:

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on Are You Chasing New Business or Attracting New Business? Find out 4 Steps to Attract New Business!  |  in Business, Business Development, Marketing, Networking
May
06 2013

5 Techniques to Convert Educating Prospects into Paying Customers

I have listened in on several webinars and tele-seminars over the last year or so, and I have noticed a trend with the format of each one.  A lot of the webinars and tele-seminars are aimed at educating you on a particular topic or subject, so you willing sign-up to learn more about this topic or subject.  Usually after about 30 minutes or so of good information, the speaker tells you that you can get more of this information by paying for a seminar, CD, book, program, etc.  Depending on the cost of the particular item, the tactic usually works because you are already talking to an active audience who signed up to learn more about this specific subject, so they are obviously interested in the topic.

When I think about the last two items that I purchased from a webinar, I feel there were five main things that enticed me to make a purchase, and as business owners, we should consider these factors when trying to sell a product or service based on an educational webinar or tele-seminar.

  1. VALUABLE INFORMATION–  Did your webinar or tele-seminar provide valuable information?  I define valuable information as information presented in a way that is DIFFERENT or NEW to most people.  When people receive information and they never really thought of that topic in that way before, you are encouraging someone to look at things differently.  This usually brings about an “Ah Ha!” moment, people love “Ah Ha” moments because it allows them to think differently and thinking differently can lead to different results.  If the information presented is information you’ve heard already or presented in a way you have seen before, you would be less likely to buy into the information.  Also, how the information is presented makes a difference.  A professional format with visuals are key!  When people not only hear what you have to say, but see it through the presentation slides or video, it makes a HUGE difference in the effectiveness of the presentation.
  2. PRICED RIGHT–  The product or service offered at the end of the webinar or tele-seminar needs to be priced right.  Now when I say priced right I don’t mean “cheap” or “inexpensive”, because if the participants believe in the value of information presented, they will pay the monetary equivalent as to what they feel it is valued to them.  However, the product or service must be priced in a way that is affordable, but also expensive enough to show its value.  For some reason most people are pricing their product or service ending with a “7” $97, $197, $297.  I am sure there is some information out there that says that pricing ending with a 7 tends to work well, why so many people are pricing their products or services that way.
  3. ADDED INCENTIVES–  I have purchased many items because of the added bonus that was included in the offer, so not only did I feel the information presented was valuable, but the bonus that they offered made it even more enticing to purchase the item, so think about adding a bonus course, a live seminar ticket, additional tips, etc.
  4. TIME SENSITIVE–  Of course the offer of the product or service is usually only available for a LIMITED TIME, so this encourages a sense of urgency for individuals to make the purchase.  It is human nature that if we know something is only available for a limited time we have to seriously consider whether we want to take advantage of the opportunity while we have the time.  People who are serious about getting the information will be sure to make the purchase before the time period runs out.
  5. OFFERED SEVERAL TIMES–  Some people require hearing or seeing an item more than three times before making a decision, so it helps to make the offer more than one time on the webinar or tele-seminar and even following up with a couple of e-mails regarding the offer.  The last purchase that I made from a webinar was after I had signed-up for the webinar twice (I missed the first one and signed up several months later for the 2nd one),  and received about six e-mails about the webinar and two follow-up e-mails about the offer, so technically it took about 8 contacts before I actually placed an order, so don’t neglect the power of following up.

If educating consumers about a subject or topic is a part of your marketing strategy, then be sure to consider the techniques listed above as a part of your formula to successful covert educating prospects into paying customers of your product or service.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 5 Techniques to Convert Educating Prospects into Paying Customers  |  in Business, Business Development, Educating
April
09 2013

5 Reasons Why Your Networking Should Be Organic

Image Source:  Boston North Business Association

I recently hosted a webinar for Independent Ladies Club entitled, “Master the Art of Successful Networking”, the speaker Erika Anderson talked about how networking should be organic and not forced, and we should think of networking as building friendships.  This made me think about the top 5 ways to network organically:

1.  Treat networking like dating–  When you meet someone at a networking event you shouldn’t think of them as someone who should be ready to purchase your product or service today, tomorrow, or even next week for that matter, but someone who you would like to get to know more about and to find out if there is a possible business connection.  Just like dating, successful networking takes time and effort to get to know someone on a deeper level.

2.  Listen more than you talk–  Communication is key with any type of relationship and is especially important when learning about someone at a networking event.  Some people have a habit of talking about how great their business is and what a great product they have, and they never take the time to truly listen and learn from the other person.  When you truly listen and understand, you get to know what the needs of an individual may be and you can think about how you can help him or her.

3. Make a connection on a personal level–  No matter how different we all are, there are usually key things that we can connect on, like hobbies, places we’ve lived, places we’ve traveled to, schools, sports, music, etc.  There is always something you can find in common with someone.  Try to connect on that personal level.

4.  Always think of someone in your network that would be a good referral or referral source for the other person–  When you listen carefully, you understand the needs or target market of the other person and  you can think about who you know that would be good to introduce them to or connect them with.  This is a great way to strengthen your connection with someone by showing you’re making an effort to help them out by introducing them to other people in your network.

5.  Strengthen the connection by connecting on social media-  more and more people find it acceptable to connect online for networking purposes.  If you meet someone at a networking event follow-up with them and deepen your connection by connecting online.  I recommend connecting on professional social networking sites like LinkedIn instead of more personal social networking sites like Facebook.  It’s a great way to keep the connection going long after the networking event has ended.

Posted by Nadine Mullings  |  Comments Off on 5 Reasons Why Your Networking Should Be Organic  |  in Business, Business Development, Networking