Small businesses Archives

Slowing Down

Are you too busy?

We all live incredibly busy lives, often at 100mph without even registering what we’re doing and without being in the moment. We have jobs, there may be children to take to school and take to activities or parties, we might go to the gym, try and have a social life and then spend quality time with our loved ones.

There are a few simple things that you can take on board to start to slow down and maybe have time to think about self care – you might be like me and looking after number 1 goes to the bottom of the ‘to-do list’ every single day.

Switching off

If you run your own business, chances are you have your emails synced with your mobile phone meaning that you are ALWAYS connected to work. You may have a ‘9-5 job’ where you have the same situation. Try not to reply to work emails out of office hours (i.e. after 6pm). We need to be able to switch off from work mode in the evenings and weekends allowing my already busy minds to unwind.

Slowing down

After a break from work or you’re normal routine, it’s obviously going to be busy catching up with emails and client work. For some, a list is the ultimate organisation tool – ploughing through to tick everything off is extremely satisfying! However, we need to remind ourselves that not everything needs to be done right this instant. Something’s can wait until tomorrow, next week or even next month.

Saying no

This leads on from slowing down. Some weeks our diaries are packed with work appointments, life appointments and social gatherings. Stop and think about what you are saying yes to and start to say no to every invite or meeting. We’re not going to miss out. Busy people often find it difficult to just sit and relax some times, doing nothing. Work on this, if only for 15 minutes day but it again allows you start to unwind and relax.

None of these points are new and groundbreaking, but essentially we want to keep that chilled holiday mode going for as long as possible!!

I think sometimes we also just need to take a step back and look at how BUSY we’ve become.

Leave a commentBlog, Small businessesadvice, business owner, family business, local business, local people, small business, work life balance

How To Brief A Creative Agency

Maybe you’re a growing business looking for an agency to create a marketing campaign? Or you’ve already found one, but their work isn’t delivering the results you were expecting? Either way, you can increase your chances of success next time (or first time) ’round by immersing yourself in the brief-writing process.

Learning to put a good brief together is essential. Great briefs inspire the agency to bring your campaign vision to life. Poor ones create ambiguity and stifle creativity. Your brief doesn’t have to be complicated or convoluted, but it does need a few essential ingredients.

WHAT?

Set out in straightforward terms and simple language what it is that you are trying to promote. If it’s a product, give as much background information as possible; category performance, competitor products, any research you’ve conducted. Maybe it’s an offer or seasonal campaign, in which case the exact details are vital. Also, what’s worked well in previous campaigns? What hasn’t?

The other “what” is a practical one: the deliverables. What is it that you want to be produced, and in what format(s)?

WHY?

Why are you running this campaign? What are the objectives behind it and what would you like it to achieve? Success is best achieved when everyone involved knows what success looks like! So being as precise as possible about the KPIs is vital. We regularly get briefs asking for a campaign to increase sales. But without knowing by how much, how do we know whether it’s worked?

WHO?

You may know your customers inside out, but if your relationship with your agency is at an early stage, chances are they won’t.

The agency will want to really get under the skin of your audience, so they will need access to as much information as possible about your customers` demographics, habits, likes, dislikes, relationship with your brand, shoe size. OK, maybe not the last one. But don’t be afraid to include as much info as you have. Particularly consumer insight; you can pop any research documents in the appendix.

Download our FREE Creative Brief Template here.

WHEN?

Perhaps it’s a little obvious to say, but it’s vital that timings are outlined in the brief. When do you want the campaign to launch and how long do you envisage it running for? The other timescale issue is the response to the brief itself. Recent research from the University of the West Of England found that a major bugbear within agencies is lack of time to respond to briefs. So it’s advisable to plan ahead, and make sure Christmas campaign briefs aren’t sent out in November.

HOW?

How much money would you like to spend on this activity? Even if it’s a ballpark or bookended figure (between £x and £x), being upfront about this from the beginning means that the agency can tailor their solution to your budget. It can be tempting to simply ask for a quote, particularly if you’re unsure how much to commit. But this is counterproductive, as your agency won’t be able to propose an appropriate solution without at least an idea of what you’d like to spend. So even a rough figure is crucial.

Good luck with your next campaign!

Did you enjoy this post? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Leave a commentBlog, Business Tips, creative, Marketing, Small businessesagency brief, brief template, creative agency, creative industry, marketing campaign, marketing project

How To Get New Business Through Referrals

How much time do you or your sales team spend looking for new prospects rather than developing a stronger relationship with your best clients? Referrals can be one of the most effective ways of gaining new business but are often under-estimated.

When asking businesses if they use their existing clients to help them find new business, the answer I typically get is; “I’ve already gotten my current clients to buy, it’s time to move on to the next prospect!”. OK, but how do you get that next prospect? There’s business directories, newspaper advertising, cold calling, networking, trade shows, radio, TV.. The list goes on and on. What’s missing? Asking current clients for qualified referrals.

A few months ago, I was talking to a business owner whose company has serviced the Bristol community for more than 50 years. He spent nearly an hour discussing the difficulties of identifying and landing new business in today’s market. He informed me that the traditional mediums aren’t as effective as they used to be and that most sales people struggle to find new leads. I asked him if he provides his customers with a good service, and he was proud to say that he does. He also mentioned that he has between 175 and 200 current customers and that he hadn’t received any complaints for more than six months.

The next question I asked would tell me what I really wanted to know, and what I probably already knew; I asked him if he asks current customers for more business or for referrals. He then explained that he was much too busy taking care of current orders and managing his sales staff to bother his current customers with that type of request. So, he has 200 satisfied customers that it took him years to find, but he still thinks that the best way to grow his business is to continue working on strategies that he already admitted doesn’t work very well? I next explained to him that it would make more sense to ask those 200 satisfied customers if they wouldn’t mind helping him find a new client. After all, has he not earned the right to ask after years of great service?

For the first time during our meeting he was silent. Although a little embarrassed, he admitted that I was right. In the bestselling book The Power of Focus, the authors recommend the following steps to growing your business:

Create a list of your most valuable ‘core clients.’
Take a close look at this list and review the amount of time you spend with these clients. Is it sufficient? Do you enjoy quality time with them, or just a few seconds on the telephone?

So, how do you identify and stay in touch with these core clients?

Determine the characteristics of your best clients. These clients typically bring you the most business (and profit), appreciate your product/service, regularly refer you to others and are strategically related to your target market.
Compile a simple strategy for keeping in touch with these clients. This could include a phone call, lunch or stopping buy to visit their staff. The key is making sure that you have regular and meaningful contact – tickets to the big game every 6 months isn’t necessarily good enough. Remember, the stronger these relationships and the more satisfied these core clients are, the better and more qualified referrals will be.
Once you are satisfied that you have adequately developed a solid relationship with your clients, it is time to ask for those referrals. Don’t just send your client an email or mention it in passing. Remember, you have earned the right (through the delivery of a good product or service) to ask for this referral. Schedule a meeting to talk about your request and remember to be specific about the perfect candidate for your services.

Now, I am not saying that prospecting is a bad idea. Every business needs new customers and prospecting has to be a key component in your growth strategy. But before you hire a new salesperson or send out another direct mail piece, make sure that you have a solid strategy for developing meaningful relationships with your best customers. These relationships will result in your most qualified and profitable prospects.

I encourage you to spend the next few minutes thinking about your best customers. Who are they? And more importantly, when is the last time you spoke to them? Start your list today!

Leave a commentBlog, Business Tips, Small businessesbusiness tips, customer loyalty, customer referrals, customer relationships, referrals

Why Research Your Competitors?

I am a firm believer in the idea that there is enough business for everyone; you just need to go out and get it. Saying that, I don’t think businesses should forget about their competitors all together. There are lots of things you can learn from your competitors:

Model yourself against your biggest, most successful competitor
Learn how not to do business from the your worst performing competitor
Find out how your competitors are profiling themselves
Understand where you need to advertise or make an appearance to keep your place in the industry

You don’t need to be worrying about your competition to want to understand how they operate. It’s a great way to make sure you are keeping up. So how you could carry out a quick review of your main competitors?

Choose your top four competitors; look at a variety from your top local competitor to the biggest or best company in the market.

Have a look on their website considering the following:

How is the design and overall look of the website?
How are they presenting their story, ethos and USP?
Who are their target markets?
What are they writing about in their blogs?
What do their client reviews say?

Have a look at their social media platforms:

Which platforms are they using?
What is the general message and image?
Who are they approaching?
How many followers and likes have they got?

Have a look through local and industry magazines:

Are they advertising?
Have they placed any editorials?
What image are they portraying?
What are they promoting?

Now that you have the information, ask yourself how you and your company compare to those you consider to be your competition. What nuggets could you take and adopt to make your image and marketing better?

We hope that you found this blog post useful. Are you already monitoring your competitors? Please comment below and share some examples of how you use competitor research to your advantage!

Leave a commentBusiness Tips, Small businessescompetitor analysis, competitor research, local business, small business

Get Motivated: A Step-by-Step Guide For A Small Business

The kids are back to school and summer is over. We’ve always loved this time of year because it feels like a time to make a fresh start without the pressures we all put on ourselves in January to completely change “this” or “that” about our business, life or career. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure you head into autumn motivated and ready to make some changes, and it’s as easy as 1,2,3.

Pause
You might have taken time to do this over the summer, but if not, why not do it now? It could be as little as a few hours one afternoon. Life happens at such a quick pace these days, just having a chance to change your scenery and breathe a little deeper can do you and your business the world
of good.

Reflect
Give yourself the head space to think about the last eight months of the year. Ask yourself some poignant questions and be brutally honest with your answers. What were your goals? How are you tracking against them? Are you on track to achieve what you wanted to in the time frame you gave
yourself? If you are, then great – you should celebrate. But if not, why not? No excuses allowed.

This isn’t an exercise in beating yourself up but more one of reflection. We’re all caught up in the day to day madness that is running your own business, but without taking the time to look at where we’ve come from and where we’re heading you leave no room to manoeuvre, or to change
direction.

Adjust
Once you’ve figured out what’s worked well for you, and what hasn’t, it’s time to adjust. You are the master of your own ship and it’s never too late to change course. Make a new set of goals to reach by year end. Make them SMART.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time Based

There’s plenty of blogs and articles out there on goal setting and planning. Here are a few to get you started:

We would love to hear from you. Comment below with one of your goals – after all, sharing them helps keep you accountable!

Leave a commentBlog, Business Tips, Small businessesbusiness owner, inspiration, local business, motivation, small business

More Leads = More Customers? Think Again.

I am often reminded of getting back to basics to build revenues and profits in business. But none more so than when I am confronted with a business owner who shows me they need more new customers. If you really want to grow your business and you really want to do it fast, then take a look at grasping these few simple ideas.

You are already getting people contacting you, coming in, emailing you and so on. Your people are already messing up and not selling to anywhere near enough of these potential customers. Want to know just how bad it is, ask one of your friends to call your business and try to buy, just wait and see how they go.

Almost every business owner I meet believes that they are selling to the majority of prospects they come into contact with. Well, put bluntly, you are not. How do I know? After doing this exercise with hundreds of business owners, I have only twice been proven wrong.

For the next two weeks keep a record of every phone call, every email enquiry, every walk in every single prospective buyer that contacts your business. Ask every single one of them how they found out about your business and keep a record of it. Was it referral, direct search etc.? Then, at the end of the two weeks see how many of them have bought from you. If you think you are at about 6 or 7 out of 10, it will be about 3 or 4 out of 10. I have seen this with so many companies, even restaurants who think they get everybody, then measure the people that call versus the people that book, and the people that read the menu out front versus those who actually come in.

Your Conversion Rate is a massive opportunity. If it is lower than say 50%, then we’ve got to get to work!

First, you’ve got to start measuring it every day. That focus alone will get it up to 10% higher than it is right now.

Add to that, here’s another 11 ways to boost your conversion rate right now, this week:

Get your salesperson with the best conversion rate to train everybody else for a day or two.
Script your sales process. Use a lot of questions in the script (it’s NOT a sales pitch) and learn from what the best sales people are doing.
Break your sales process down into each and every critical step and work on one step at a time.
Measure your conversion from one step to the next and work on improving each step by just 10% more than it was.
Work on the letters, brochures and other written or audio and video material you use during each step of the sales process.
Use my magic question for phone selling, “Thanks for your call, just so I can help you best would it be OK if I asked you a couple of questions?
Run a competition among your sales people for a week or two around the one area you need to see the most improvement in, then learn from the new ways they start doing things.
Learn the critical buying step in your sale, for example in female fashion stores, it’s trying the clothes on, with it you have more than a 50% chance at making a sale, without it, less than 10%.
Follow up and follow through, too many sales are lost by salespeople who can’t be bothered to follow up again and again and again at least 7 times.
Make an offer that is either limited or a bonus offer or something to get customers to act now and to give sales people some ammunition
Just plain ask people to buy, usually in sales training the one biggest reason sales people are not getting the sale is that they don’t ask for it.

Stay focused on your conversion rate for 3 months and watch the dramatic effect it has on your bottom line.

Once you’ve got it right, or at least much better than it is today, then and only then is it time to go to work getting more potential customers and investing more money into your marketing and fixing the marketing you are doing now.

Leave a commentBusiness Tips, Sales, Small businessesadvice, business owner, Conversion Rate, measure, phone selling, profit, revenue, sales process, small business, tips

How To Make Your Business Cards Stand Out

A Guide From Graphic Designer Tania Taber

Business cards are a great marketing opportunity. If you haven’t got one to give out to prospective clients, you will be missing out on potential business.

To save money, a lot of companies go to one of those online print companies and get a card churned out – you know the sort of thing – perhaps a bit of that infamous typeface “comic sans” and a cheeky cartoon or a bland clip art image – these are usually a disappointment in terms of the look and feel of the card and the general design, creating a not-so-professional image. And of course, others may use the same image as is on your card so it’s not unique to you. There are several business cards I have come across supplied by an online printers using the very same stylised illustration of animals for their business – one was for an animal acupuncturist and the other for a dog walking business. This is very confusing!

So, it’s important to get it right. It needs to stand out against the many competitors in your marketplace. You will be handing these cards out to people you meet and they will take a very quick look and then put it in their purse or wallet. So you have to grab their attention in a few seconds and this will ensure they remember you and your business.

The first thing worth mentioning is to make sure everything is spelt correctly and the information is spot-on. It may seem silly to mention this, but you’d be surprised what gets through. If there are any spelling errors, it will give the impression that your business is unprofessional and not up to the job.

You need to make sure that nothing wanders off the edge of the card so make sure you keep all written informationÂ 5mm from the edge. Any images used need to be of high quality – the higher the resolution, the better. Typography also needs to be legible – 7.5pt is the minimum size – but not too big though, as there is limited space on the card.

Be careful not to overcrowd it with information too. A typical business card size is: 85mm x 55mm. Even though the space is limited, you can still get creative! The only things that need to be on the card are: Name, job title, address, telephone numbers, email address and website, and of course THE LOGO! There is no need for company registration numbers. There might be some room for a strap line though (think “Every Little Helps” by Tesco or “I’m lovin’ it” by McDonald’s). A strap line should be as succinct as possible, five words or less if possible, and should convey the essence of your brand.

To really make the business cards stand out you can use special finishes on it to make it more tactile and memorable. Things like a spot UV (a shiny bit!) or a metallic ink or perhaps a die-cut (a funny shape cut out of the card). Of course, this makes the printing more expensive but can more than make up for that by reaping the rewards in terms of new business afterwards. Or sometimes companies go one step further and have their cards made out of materials other than card. Be as creative as your imagination or your designer’s flair allows!

Choose fonts to match your logo – either a sans serif (like Helvetica) or a serif face (like Times Roman which have flourishes at the end of the strokes). Colours must also reflect your logo with black as a good colour choice for the type information so it’s as readable as possible.

So in summary, the business cards must reflect your business and what you are trying to convey – perhaps your business was established by a family member in centuries past – you may wish to convey this with a classic design indicating a company that can be relied on, that’s classic, that is traditional, that has stood the test of time, or a new company wanting to convey structure, modernity, simplicity or freshness. Let your imagination take you to the recesses of your mind and go create!

Leave a commentBranding, Business Tips, Design, Print, Small businessesbranding, business card, design, graphic design, small business

How To Organise Your Home Office

Hello – welcome back! Or if you’re new here – welcome, pull up a chair and stay for a while. We’re passionate about all things ‘small business’. We’ve talked on the blog previously about ideas on how to create your dream office but this week we’re focusing on the practical side of things. Keeping your home office space organised is by no means easy – especially when you’re busy running a business. Here are a few things we think are essential to an organised and efficient space.
Drawers
It goes without saying that all businesses and home offices have one thing in common: paperwork. Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic trick to making it organise itself but luckily there are plenty of storage systems available these days that make it look a lot more appealing. Filing cabinets still have their place, but there are tons of drawer based solutions available too. We’re loving the look of this one from Ikea.

Shelves
Shelves are also great places to store paperwork, as long as it’s organised in an attractive way. Although, if you’re unlikely to want to put things back in their designated spot on the shelf it’s better to opt for a closed system. A row of sleek magazine files can look great, and you can also keep any books, ornaments or memorabilia relating to your business on them too. Just try to keep it minimal – when it comes to shelves, less is often more otherwise they can become hotspots for piles of receipts!

Pin Board

A pin board above your desk is a great addition to your home office. Perfect for popping up day-to-day reminders, or you can also use it to pin inspirational images or quotes. It’s the perfect spot for anything that’s going to make you smile when you’re sending invoices at 9.30pm.

Bull Dog Clips

This may sound random but organising your wires helps keep your desktop clear. And a clear, organised desk is proven to help with productivity. We found this hack online and recently implemented it in our home – it totally works! No more scrabbling around trying to match the cable with the device – they’re all at the side of the desk ready to go.

Desk Life
All home offices will need a desk or clear surface which you can work from, and often you will need to keep a few items on hand. Pens, pencils, note books, tape measures (!) you get the idea! Why not add a couple of nicer items to your desktop to inspire you to keep it clean and tidy? A nice
lamp, or a nice coaster for your morning coffee all help to create a work space that feels intentional. We all want to spend as little time as possible at our desks, but whilst you’re there you may as well enjoy the view.

What are your tips for creating an organised home office? Any tips and tricks for those pesky but oh-so-necessary receipts? Comment below – we would love to hear from you!

Team LP

Leave a commentBusiness Tips, Office Designs, Small businesseshome office, ideas, inspiration, organisation, paper work, pin board

Home Office Inspiration

When we last talked about work space on the blog. We were day-dreaming about our ultimate Local Pages office. This week we’re looking at inspiration for that all important home office. Many of our clients are busy running their businesses during the day and then complete all the paperwork surrounding that business from home. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an inspiring and calming space to get productive in?
Monochrome Clean Lines
We love how super-sleek this space is. Monochrome mixed with the wooden floor creates a laid back, streamlined space to work in.

Creative Corner
Maybe you don’t have an entire room of your home to dedicate to a home office (we know the feeling!), you can still make a corner of the room feel put together and inspirational.

Light and Bright
Just look at all those windows surrounding the desk. Natural light in a work space is high on our home office lust list. And the plant too.

The Executive
Leather chair, dark panelling, bookshelves? Check, check, check. We love this modern take on executive chic.

Space for Two
Maybe you need a space for you and a partner to work side by side. An office for two is quite common these days as businesses become more open to working from home and more of us are taking the plunge and starting our own ventures.

What does your home office space look like? Are you tempted to put some effort into creating something different? We would love to hear from you – comment below!

Leave a commentBusiness Tips, Office Designs, Small businesseshome office, office design, office inspiration, small business

8 Essential Branding Tips For Small Businesses

If you think that branding is just something for big businesses with big budgets, think again. Branding is just as important for small businesses, maybe even more so. If you don’t have the budget to hire a big branding agency (and not many small businesses do) here are 8 simple steps you can take to keep your brand in check.

Remember – It’s not all about your logo

Your logo is important, but branding is about far more than just that. Your logo is a badge that will represent you to the world, it’ll help distinguish your business from your competitors and it may even help customers to understand what you do. But it’s just one small part of a much bigger picture and even the best logo won’t build a successful brand on its own.

Know what you stand for

What values and ideals are at the core of your business? What motivated you to start and what keeps you going? If you’re unsure of where you’re going and why your customers will be even less sure. Keep a list of at least three core values and make sure that any new products, services and marketing campaigns are true to them.

Know what value your business provides

Whatever type of business you run, one thing is guaranteed your customers are not interested in just buying your products or your services. What they’re interested in is results. It’s the real life benefits that your products can offer them that will really get them engaged. A lot of businesses make the mistake of focusing on the features of their products and wonder why they’re not getting results. By taking a step back and communicating the benefits they offer you can give customers a really compelling reason to part with their money.

Get inside your customers heads

Knowing your customers inside out is crucial. Forget about your taste and your preferences and focus on the people you’re trying to serve. Who are they? What are they looking for? What gets them excited? Keep your focus very narrow to start with; just think about your ideal customer.

Keep this profile in mind whenever you’re planning a new piece of marketing and build it just for them. This will really help to keep your message focused and effective.

Keep a close eye on the competition

Identify your closest competitors and make sure you check up on them regularly. Who are they targeting? How are they doing it? What messages are they putting out? Where are they falling short? By doing this you can stay ahead of the game and fill gaps that they’re leaving. Remember, they’re probably watching your every move too.

Find something unique to offer

Every business has something unique to offer, but many don’t take the time to identify it and use it to their advantage. Strong brands clearly stand out even in a crowded market. You might sell the same products as everyone else but that doesn’t mean you have to offer exactly the same service. If you’re struggling to find something that makes you stand out, go back to your customers, think about what they need and where your competitors might be falling short.

Be consistent

Whatever direction you choose to take your brand in, make sure you’re consistent about it. That means keeping an eye on every tiny detail from how your logo looks, to the colours and fonts you use right through to your website and the kind of language you use when you talk to your customers. All this will build up to give the impression of professional, credible and trustworthy business.

Keep it simple

We all lead busy lives and few people have the time to unravel complex messages. Simple, well thought out communication is more likely to get through and be remembered. This applies to your logo, your marketing material, your customer communications – even your business processes.

Leave a commentBranding, Design, Marketing, Small businessesbranding, marketing, small business, tips