I know what I love most about business

As our business has been growing it is hard not to get stressed out. It happens. In fact it happens more than I would like to admit. Though I have been trying to do all of things that are supposed to help with stress like eating right, decreasing caffeine intake, taking yoga, going running and the such it really never seemed to help.

And just recently, I think I figured out what has been helping me stay focused and stress free. Mentoring. We have been taking on new interns and while the stresses of getting someone up to speed, it cannot compare to how it feels to watch someone else succeed.

If anything, it makes me want to be a better person and better leader. So while I am forever grateful for my mentors I cannot forgot to also be great for those who I develop. They have been truly instrumental to me.

Summer is here, lets start the party!

Doesn’t it seem as though everyone is loves a good party!  Of course they do, and here is why.  They know they are going to be taken of very well and treated like a V.I.P., they know they will be fed, they know they will feel comfortable at the party and they know they will not be pushed into doing things they do not want to do.

Funny, sounds little like business, eh?  Customer Services is so important in a business!  I cannot emphasize this enough.  Marketing can be exceptional for you business as in how we can generate leads and traffic to your business but if you are not able to service your customer and make them feel like they are the most important person in the space you loose everything.

One of my favorite stories demonstrating this, is a friend of mine who went out to purchase a new grill.  He had cash in hand and was ready to buy.  When he went into the first store, he couldn’t get any sales people to give him attention.  Even when he asked for help they told him they would be right with him and then never showed up.

Finally after waiting and continuing to look around the location he left.  He ended up purchasing a grill from down the street when he lived, at a higher price but at least they were able to service him.

Your sales team, and front line employees are critical to the ongoing success of your business.  Without properly understanding how to service your guests money is left on the table.  One of the best ways to develop the right culture in business is top down.  Make sure the highest level management treats and expects the same level of serve and what needs to go to your end customer.

Happy hosting!

 

How fresh are you?

Let’s talk about sass!  No matter what you do, whether for yourself your family or your business give it some color!   I work with businesses in all industries and what becomes evident is give your business some personality.  Even when you think of law and accounting firms it is difficult to see them as more than just a serious location.  While it is true that in those industries you want someone who is knowledgeable and serious you still want someone that you can connect with.

How do you do this?

With one of our most recent clients, RAM Law located in New Brunswick we are working on refreshing their brand by  focusing on new ways to use photography in their website.  The focus of the piece is to show their audience that they are accessible, down to earth, ” people just like them” and therefore are relatable.

One of the quickest ways you can put a little spring cleaning is through video and photography.  Our client, I Can Kids Childcare & Learning Center in Edison, NJ (www.icankidschildcare.com)   Just added a great reel to their site.  What an amazing way for prospects to see what the childcare can offer.

SO… What have you been doing with video and photography lately?

Add lemons to melt away all this snow

So as always, mother nature continues to teach us lessons — constantly proving to us that our schedules and plans are not something we have 100% control over.  I was thinking about the continuous shoveling that I have been doing this month and I started thinking about surfing. I remember being in Mal Pais, Costa Rica surfing the outside breaks that would bring the these wonderful sets.  But getting out there felt next to impossible!  Every time you would get a little further out another wave would break pushing  you back.  But the trick wad to not give up.  You weren’t going to get out there in the first, second, third or even 20th wave.  Yet if you kept focusing on going farther, you eventually got beyond the the break.

Surfing the outside waves were incredible!  Super long, clean, and gave an amazing rush.  So back to discussing shoveling another 12 inches of snow — perhaps what is most frustrating about this snow is that it stops everything.  Our business has had to reschedule multiple meetings, employees have been more sick than not, and speed of work has slowed down.

Well, as always we had to put our spin on things to keep moving and and lighten this winter’s wrath.  We’ve set up all our systems so that we can work virtually.  By bringing on an account executive we have been able to be more hands on with our clients.  We have used more online marketing to drive customers sales, especially when customers cannot get to locations.

Don’t let the snow down.  Instead use this as an opportunity to find processes that can work when you have snow days, and processes to push the business when working from home. Putting constant effort to push through the season will ultimately deliver better results.

Stay warm.

Loving our newest clients!

We have been very busy this fall season! Looks likes tons of businesses are really ramping up to put their best foot forward.  We helped out in several marketing projects and campaigns over the last few weeks.  Take a look at some of these amazing local companies!

Vangelis Construction, located inHighland Park, breaks into the residential market of the Princeton area, serving customers who need help with cracks in their Lateral/Main Sewer lines.  www.vangelisconstruction.com.  Whether you think you need something as simple as a plumber or as intense as a trenchless later/main sewer replacement.  Angelo has proven to a phenomenally talented contractor in his field. Which is critical to older homes.

One of the newest companies we are working is I Can Kids Childcare and Learning Center in Edison!  Check out their new website: http://www.icankidschildcare.com/.  This group of individuals are focusing on teaching children how to be leaders.  How to be “i can” kids!  What a great thing to learn as a young age.  The achieve this type of behavior through action-based learning techniques.  Currently I Can Kids is proud to partner with several car dealerships in the areas, giving great promotions to the employees and customers alike!

Finally we are proud to promote the launching of the Alternative Construction Solution’s website: http://www.altconstructionsolutions.com/.  This Rahway based company is incredible!  They really are a one stop shop delivering extraordinary results to both commercial and residential projects.  So if you are ready to see what they can do for you, or if you just want to keep track of the projects they are working on — be sure to follow them on facebook.

It is an inspiration to work with such innovative, and passionate companies! Keep up the good work you  are an inspiration to the people around you!

Is there really a thing called loyalty anymore?

So I was reading a new article today that was on PR Newswire (full article posted in my prior blog). It was discussing the new forms of loyalty marketing through social media. It made me think about what 20 Lemons has been doing as a company, how we offer loyalty cards and programs for restaurant groups and wondering if this trend is simply a thing of the past.

Perhaps the question is, is there such as a thing as loyalty anymore? And from a marketing and business perspective can we reward it? With the changes in the economy, unfortunately you are still seeing companies continuing to make cuts, departments being moved around, job descriptions changing faster than ever.

To me it seems that this is the time to say that loyalty is more important than ever. When things get tough, that is when you can truly find your alliances, you can find who has integrity, and which companies are worth their weight.

Loyalty is about developing a relationship where you can trust the brand you are working with. Loyalty is knowing that you are receiving a great deal by working with this person. Loyalty is knowing that when you need to put on an amazing presentation, your alliances will help you to shine. Loyalty is about creating relationships, and knowing who is dependable.

So how do we track and measure this? Luckily, there are new technologies out there such as pongr, foursquare and social rewards to help with building these communities and how to track them. Yet, even this these apps is loyalty still something that sticks around as longer than a fad? People have been drinking Coke for years and dads have been purchasing barbie for their daughters. Maybe “loyalty” is just a way of “short-term” answer, but if you want a “long-term” answer maybe your brand needs to be strong enough that it is a legacy.

Social Rewards Launches Loyalty Program Using the Power of Viral Marketing

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/social-rewards-launches-loyalty-program-using-the-power-of-viral-marketing-101088929.html

How do you define your service “sweetspot”?

Marketing can bring a huge amount of people into your business, but if the service isn’t there a business cannot expect to keep there customers.

So I encourage you to look at you business and think about what is your service “sweetspot”.  Then get really good and it will market itself.

There is a saying out there that says “be the most enthusiastic person you know.”  While  there was a time in my life I thought the comment was a little over the top I’ve recently remembered the importance of how it is the little things that we do, and perceive, and how we are treated and talked to that make all the different in the world.

Here’s just an example or two:

1. I was in a restaurant the other day, ordered myself a delicious Fresh Berry Martini, while my mom who is a little more discerning of her wines  was having a hard time choosing which she would have for dinner.  The bartender was extremely knowledgeable of which wines would fit her palate, not just the dish she ordered.  Sure enough, she continues to frequent the restaurant as she does with other restaurants that have strong knowledge based employees. Simply going through the routine, doesn’t cut it.

2.  This morning I went for an oil change — totally routine — right?  Wrong!  I was blown away by the service that I received this morning.  The mechanic had a personally that literally lightened up my day.  He was polite, informative, funny, quick and efficient. He showed my old filters and how new ones should look, he showed me the color my oil should look and most importantly he did it with gusto! People want to buy — and the frontline staff is responsible for making his as easy a possible for the consumer. I can’t wait to drive 3,000 more miles just to go back.

Figure out what your company can offer someone who goes above and beyond what they thought they would receive by working with you.  Then hon it, and repeat.

So I am curious tell me a little about what makes your company unique with how you handle you customers?

Just Keep Putting One Step in Front of the Other

I was very excited today when I saw that publisher, Karen Hodges Miller, had a new article out in US1 about both the launch of her new book, “Unlocking Your Ideas.” While her book is actually a workbook  , she helps to walk aspiring authors through all the necessary steps of how to get your ideas on paper. Check out her article here: http://bit.ly/blS2y4

What I like most about what Karen has done with her book, is that she is launching it in conjunction with a workshop, which is happening at the end of June. This limited ticket event will allow for writers to start the writing process and receive insight from Karen who just finished publishing two additional books under Open Door Publications label. Find out more about this event at www.unlockingyourideas.eventbrite.com

Hope to see you there!

It’s all about Targeting!

The question of “how” we want to reach a market never seems to be a problem for my clients.  In conversation, they begin to rattle off a million different ways that they want to approach and get in front of the masses: car wraps, TV commercials, direct mail pieces, email, social media, etc.  But this are a few things that they are forgetting — this all takes time and money.  Last time I checked, it appeared to me that clients have a cap on both.

Therefore, when developing your marketing plan, the number one thing that you should remember and focus on is: who is your target market!  What is the reason that you want to put yourself in front of someone?  if you understand the objectives for reaching out to group it changes the vehicles that you would decide to use, as well as the messages that you are putting out for your audience .

Often, I suggest that you segment your market into several (between 3-5) categories.  This will give you smaller and more manageable groups to work with and understand.  Let’s look at an example:

If I was working with a restaurant that has been in the marketplace for a while, and they are trying to figure out how they want to position themselves considering the fact that they perhaps have a new menu and wine offerings, who is the market?

One recommendation for defining your targets would be: current customers who drink wine, current customers who do not drink wine, and customers at large.  Here are some assumptions we could make moving forward on this.  Customers who drink wine would be interested in perhaps “tasting” the new selections or pairing with dishes. Customers who do not drink wine might drink something else, in which case we can persuade them to try new wines as a substitute for their current beverage selections.  In terms of customers at large we want to let them know that we have new wine at our location.

So here is what a campaign for our Restaurant X would look like:   1. Offer a sample of wine with dinner.  For this scenario it is critical that your staff has been training properly.  This introduces the wine to guest in your restaurant, if they have been unaware of the offerings.  2. Promote special wine events highlighting different wines. Utilize pairing such as several courses, or simply cheese or chocolate.  3.  Release press on the changes and events to inform the customers at large.

In conclusion when you see certain concerns in your business, step back and ask yourself, “who is my target, what am I saying to them ad how am I saying it.”