It is really easy to believe that you're doing everything you can to help your business grow, but the economy is just not working in your favor. It is easy to sit back and complain that no matter what you do, nothing changes. It is easy to look at your calendar and say, oh yeah, there's a meeting tonight, but I'm really tired. I'll go next time. Any of these sound familiar? I know they do to me. My SO tells me all the time, do you have any cheese to go along with that "whine"? Money is tight for us all these days, and it seems that it is ever harder to get -- and keep -- customers; even when doing a great job providing the service or product that that customer came for in the first place. There's always going to be somebody cheaper, friendlier, more convenient, or something. What do we do to make sure that we keep our client base coming back?
In the SSBI Thursday, business development training sessions, I talk repeatedly about having to give your marketing time to work. Most marketing experts tell us that you need to have at least seven "touches" (different ways of communicating with and to your target market) before someone will even consider talking to you or using your business. You must have a commitment to your business and to your self (marketing, goals, values, etc.) in order to see any growth take place. This is why we're starting something new at SSBI.
It's all too easy to say, I've had a hard day, I just want to go home. Or, I really need to put some time in on this job. I'll catch up with meetings next week or next month. And then what happens? What happens is that there is a chain reaction. We start out with 30 people coming to a meeting; several decide not to go for some reason next month, and when a new person comes, they don't see a crowded room, so they think, why bother? OR -- we're talking about creating a budget and the bookkeeper who's part of the group doesn't come to that meeting and thus doesn't share some vary valuable advice. Everyone loses out.
The mission and philosophy of SSBI is that people come because they WANT to learn, they want to share and they want to form a community. Yet, if they don't have commitment to the program, then everyone loses. Sure, life happens and we can't ALWAYS be a part of everything, but I'm asking you to stop and think, figure out how many (which meetings) you can commit to attending and then try your best to be there for those meetings. Not only will you be helping yourself, but you'll be helping others and passing on the good vibes to us all! We will be sending out a Commitment Letter soon. Please take the time to read through it, sign it and send it back. I think you'll find it helps with your focus and goal setting for your own business as well.
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Along those same lines, there are two challenges being given this month: the first comes from Ed Becher, of Michigan Security Training. He is setting forth the challenge to us all to stand up and be accountable to ourselves, our businesses, and our colleagues... For the person who attends the most meetings between now and the end of December, he will present a gift certificate to Martell's in the amount of $75.00. This is a great incentive for us all ... not only will we be meeting our colleagues and creating business relationships, we will be learning about great topics and perhaps winning a wonderful dinner out!
And the other challenge comes from me, Nancy. Since the benefits of this organization come from sharing with each other and becoming advocates for each other's business, we need to have members and new members, coming to all the meetings. From now through the end of the year, when a member signs up another member, they get a $10 gift card to Biggby Coffee. If they sign up two members, they get a $15 gift certificate to a local store; and if they sign up three members, they get a $25 gift certificate to Pasta Pasta downtown Kalamazoo. Pretty good deal for sharing something that people want to share anyway.
It really is all about all of us...marketing and growing our businesses takes time. It is not like we're Jeannie in I Dream of Jeannie. We can't just blink our eyes and have all the business we need. We have to study, learn, share and work our tails off to get ahead. And we need to have supporters and cheerleaders along the way. This is a great way to do that! Come on you guys, you just might learn something useful!
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