business Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Nadine MullingsNadine Mullings

May

09 2017

How your T.A.G.S. can help you build a successful business

I recently attended a conference for women entrepreneurs and one of the speakers talked about knowing and living in your purpose. This topic is something that is near and dear to my heart as I think that we ALL have a purpose here on earth and it’s up to us to discover our purpose and live in our purpose, and since work takes up a large percentage of our time, I believe a lot of times our work is included in our purpose.

The speaker said that we all have specific gifts, talents, skills, and abilities and because my brain works in acronyms, it made me think of the acronym T.A.G.S. (Talents, Abilities, Gifts and Skills). The clothes that we wear have tags on them that tells us what the clothing is made out of, and how to care for it, which made me think that we have invisible tags made up of our talents, abilities, gifts and skills, and our tags show what we are made of and how we should show up in the world.

Have you thought about your TAGS and if you are using your TAGS in your business? If not, let’s break down the importance of your TAGS and the role it plays in building a successful business.

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Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Business

June

09 2016

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 | in Business, Business Development, Small Business

March

01 2016

5 Ways My Faith Plays a Role in Building My Business

In the beginning of this year, I announced that I had refreshed my brand, which included a new logo, pictures, vision, and name. If you missed that blog post, be sure to check it out.

Although all of those items I mentioned in the blog post are important to a brand refresh, one item that is also important, but was not mentioned in the post is refreshing the voice of my brand. An aspect of my voice that has been eliminated in the past and will be included with my brand refresh is the importance the role of faith plays in my business.

We are taught that we should separate business and religion (or spirituality), so many people shy away from talking about the role faith plays in their business. Well, with my brand refresh, I have decided to include sharing how faith plays a role in growing my business.

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Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Blog, Business, Business Development, Business Planning, Marketing, Marketing for Coaches, Marketing for Consultants, Small Business

February

23 2016

How often should you blog to get more business? (Part 4)

Blogging for business can be an effective long-term marketing strategy. When used correctly, it can bring consistent leads, prospects, and clients to your business. Over the last couple of blog posts, I explored the why, what, and how of blogging for business.

First we looked at why you should blog for business with the blog post ,5 Awesome Reasons Why Coaches Should Have a Blog (Part 1), then we looked at what exactly a blog is and what type of content you can place on your blog with the post, 4 Types of Awesome Blog Content That Can Grow Your Business (Part 2), then we looked at how to use your blog to grow your business with the blog post, 4 Smart Ways to Use Your Blog to Grow Your Business (Part 3), in the last post in this series, we will look at when you should blog, specifically how often should you blog for business?

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Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Blog, Business, Business Development, Marketing, Marketing for Coaches, Marketing for Consultants

November

11 2014

Do You Have a Business M.A.P.?

Do you have a business M.A.P.? Wondering what a business M.A.P. is, and why you would need one?

It’s a Marketing Action Plan (M.A.P.), and you need one in order to take your business from one place to the next.

When you need to go somewhere, and you are not sure how to get there, you need directions. You can use a map to get the directions, now a days that map is within your GPS either in your smartphone or in your car. Well just like the map in your GPS, you need a M.A.P. for your business that is designed to take your business from point A to point B. The destination may be different for each business, but the need to have a plan and take action is always necessary to get your business from point A to point B.

Similar to when you are following the directions in your GPS, you may at times need to make a u-turn or change routes, but the overall map in the GPS is there to guide you and get you to your final destination. In fact, after we have made several miss steps or u-turns we love when we hear the words, “you have reached your destination“. With a business MAP, you may not hear a GPS system say, “you have reached your destination”, but you know you have reached your destination when you achieve the business goal that you set out to achieve.

For example, if your business goal is to increase your sales by 20%, you need to create a M.A.P. on how to get there. Instead of turns on highways and streets, the M.A.P. includes turns you can make in your marketing activity that can help you to reach your destination, so in the case of increasing sales, a M.A.P. could look something like this:

Point A- Sales are 50 units a month

Step 1- Increase leads by doing the following actions:

a. Attending more networking events

b. Placing ads on Social Media

c. Creating an email campaign

d. Creating an AdWord campaign

Step 2- Increase referrals by doing the following actions:

a. Joining a referral networking group

b. Looking for referral partners

c. Creating a referral partner program

d. Having a referral incentive

Step 3- Increase sales conversations by doing the following actions:

a. Having monthly webinars

b. Having monthly teleseminars

c. Having monthly in-person events

d. Having more one-on-one meetings with prospects

Step 4- Increase your conversion rate by doing the following actions:

a. Creating sales pages with good content and strong calls to actions

b. Creating emails with good content and strong call to actions

c. Creating videos with good content and strong call to actions

d. Adding testimonials to your website and sales pages

Point B- Measure the increase in sales

So as you can see the action that you take in your marketing action plan will determine the outcome of the destination of your business. You can create a plan for each business goal that you have and make adjustments to the actions when necessary.

Have you created your business M.A.P.? If so, what marketing activities do you include in order to reach your goals?

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Business, Business Planning, Marketing, Small Business

November

04 2013

Top 3 Ways to Get More Business

If you own a small business (or any sized business for that matter), you’re always looking for ways to get more business. Most companies look for NEW business and neglect their most important source of more business…… CURRENT customers.

Here are three ways to get more business from your CURRENT customers.

RELATIONSHIP MARKETING– There are several definitions of what Relationship Marketing is, but for me it means creating a long lasting relationship with your CURRENT clients in order to get additional business in the future. There are many ways that you can use this marketing technique, both online and offline, but no matter what channel you use, the goal of Relationship Marketing is to continue to develop a relationship with your customers beyond the first purchase. This could include showing your gratitude for their business by sending a “Thank You” card, remembering important dates like the anniversary date of services received by your company, sending a birthday card, sending holiday emails, etc. Each time you connect with your customers it keeps your service top of mind, and it builds the know, like and trust factor for your company.
REWARDS PROGRAM– Are you rewarding your customers for choosing your company? Rewards and loyalty programs are super popular now. Many credit card companies offer rewards programs to ensure repeat business and to keep their customers loyal to their credit card. The same type of rewards program can be applied to any industry. The goal of a rewards program is to encourage loyalty, get repeat business, and to keep your service or product top of mind with your CURRENT customers.
REFERRAL PROGRAM– Are you currently offering your clients an incentive for referring someone to you? This really is a no brainer technique. If you have customers who already know, like and trust your company use that to your advantage by asking them to refer their friends and family for your services. People like to do business with companies that a trusted friend or family has referred them to, so it is almost guaranteed business for you. The goal is to get your current customers to send you more business in the form of a referral by offering some type of incentive for the referral.

What ways do you use to get more business from your existing customers?

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Business, Business Development, Marketing

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:

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.
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.
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.
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 | 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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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 | in Business, Business Development, Educating

April

23 2013

3 things to consider BEFORE making ANY business decision

As a business owner you have to make many business decisions all the time, but how do you know if you are making the right decision for your business? I feel there are 3 things you should ALWAYS consider before making ANY business decision. These 3 things are:

Logic– this is when we use our mind to think about the consequences of the decision. We try to decide will this decision make logical sense for my business mission or goal? Most business owners always consider the logical reasoning before making a business decision. Logical reasoning includes things like:
- Does this make sense for my business?
- How much will it cost me if I do this, or what will it cost me if I don’t do this?
- How will this affect the bottom line?
- How profitable could this be?
- How much time and energy would I have to spend on this?
Emotion– Some business owners consider the emotional side of making a business decision, but not all business owners do. The emotional reasoning includes:
- How would this decision make me feel about the business?
- How do I feel about working with the individuals involved?
- Do I feel this could really work?
- Is my heart in it?
Spirit- Now this factor is overlooked by many business owners, but could quite possibly be the most important factor. The spirit is the small voice inside of you (your gut) that usually tells you whether this is right for your business or not. It is not based on logic or feelings, but on your intuition! Sometimes we overlook the spirit in making business decisions because logically the decision looks like it makes sense, or even emotionally we really feel that it could work, but the spirit is somewhat like knowing but not recognizing. The spiritual reasoning includes:

Not really being able to explain why it makes sense or does not make sense, but you just know
Not being able to reason whether a decision is right or wrong, but you just know
Not relying total on your feelings, but relying on the sense or the direction the decision will take you
Paying attention to those small clues that are usually overlooked that give you guidance and direction on the right decision to make

Each decision factor is very different, but all are necessary and should be considered before making ANY business decision!

Posted by Nadine Mullings | Comments Off | in Business, Business Development, Business Planning

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 | in Business, Business Development, Networking