How's your business going to keep growing
with the holidays and tax time coming? What can you do when most people don't want to
spend money now?
If you are concerned the cash flow won't flow and you won't
have enough income for the next months, check out these ten tips:
1. Create written copy to email your subscribers and other
email lists.
Just for your faithful customers, send a free how-to
report, a thoughtful poem to celebrate the holidays, or a free offer of answering a
question via email. This action keeps your name out in front of your audience, and it
makes them feel acknowledged.
2. Create a form letter to send by email to your potential
clients.
It reminds them you are available for them if they are
ready to make a decision. Sample: "Dear name or group, Just wondering if this is the
time for you to begin action on your book, internet marketing or web project? As you know
I work with small business people who want to write, publish and sell their books, that
will make a difference in others' lives, become the savvy expert and household name, and
build business profits consistently."
Follow with a special offer like a half hour phone session,
or your free ezine or articles. Send it during or after the holiday.
3. Organize your computer files to locate the gold.
Perhaps you keep a folder called Articles to Edit as I do.
When the muse calls, check it out for an unfinished article that you can edit and send to
high traffic web sites and article directories. When you submit articles you will get your
web site much higher on the Google and other lists. Slow time is a good time to clean out
folders and files and keep only what's important to your business.
4. Offer a strategic alliance with top people in your
field.
This can take the form of exchanging tips for ezines,
exchanging web links, or even promotional copy to add to your site called,
"Professional Resources." When I did this with a large company's ezine of 30,000
subscribers, I received back a spot where my monthly column sits--with a different how to
article each time. Just another way to get yourself out there.
Email people who complement your skill area and offer to
have them as mentor in teleseminar program, or offer yourself to them. Their email lists
add many more prospective clients and sales coming your way.
5. Hire a part-time organizer-computer assistant.
Call your local high school or craigslist.com and place an
ad for a virtual or in house assistant. It's a bit more than minimum wage usually, and you
can double, even triple your business results with just a little help. If you don't
promote each day, you lose your momentum and potential buyer’s responses. You can do
the creating, your assistant can send the emails out, clean up your files, and do article
marketing for you.
6. Send out an email survey to discover what's on your
potential customer's or client's minds.
Ask them what is the number one question they would like to
have you answer for them. Then compile the questions and answers. Leverage them to place
on your web site, place a few in several ezines to add new content, send out as an article
to the high-traffic web sites and article directories where you'll be read regularly and
attract these same readers to your web site.
7. Take some time off.
Renew yourself with a walk to hear the birds, see the green
and enjoy the smells. On my walks I take a big whiff of Starbucks coffee aromas as I pass
by to my local lake. Check out nearby places such as a spa, hot mineral springs, or
gardens to be silent. Include more yoga in your day. One favorite way to relax is to read
a good book.
8. Get your expenses tallied before tax season.
See what else you can do to get more deductions before the
year's end.
9. Stop spending time on things you don't enjoy.
Say, "I let go of all that doesn't serve me."
Look over your daily to do pages, and instead of dashing from one thing to another, list
just 3 High Level Activities you want to accomplish for each day. The trick is to finish
them before you wander to another lesser priority.
10. Make promotion and marketing part of your daily life.
Doing a little each day does bring great rewards. You may
not get to pick the time someone uses your service or product, but ongoing promotion does
work. When I found an email from one year ago from a potential client, I realize today he
is with me as a full time client.
These tips are just the beginning. Put an easy attitude on
as your build your business even during the down times. Then, reward yourself with quality
time with friends and family.
Judy Cullins c. 2007 |
