Grow Sales through Small Business Marketing

Small Business Marketing

In today’s economic times, as a business owner, it requires you think differently about small business marketing to grow sales.

Always have at least three small business marketing initiatives going on at all time to grow sales. The intent is to make sure at least one is always producing. Three small business marketing initiatives that can help grow sales could include:

Blogging

Develop referrals

Email marketing

I get at least six leads a month over the internet. I belong to a referral group that helps small business market themselves through using others networks. Lastly, I follow up with everyone I meet using email.

Remember to grow sales through small business marketing.

Sincerely,

Ron Finklestein

Small Business Coach

330-990-0788

ron@akris.net

www.akris.net   

Five Powerful Reasons for Small Business Coaching

Five Powerful Reasons for Business Coaching

1.     Introduction of Best practices

2.     Objective Feedback

3.     Keeping You Focused

4.     Hold You Accountable

5.     Reduction of Risk on Your Difficult Decisions

Ron Finklestein

Small Business Coach

330-990-0788

ron@akris.net

10 Reasons for a Personal Executive Coach

10 Reasons You Need an Executive Coach

1.     Objective feedback on pending actions

2.     Honest feedback of impact of your action

3.     New ideas

4.     Introduction to best practices from other organizations

5.     Brainstorming the best approach

6.     Accountability to work on what is important not whati s easy

7.     Keep you focused

8.     Introductions

9.     Continuous Learning

10.  Personal and Professional Growth

11. Results

Ron Finklestein

Executive Coaching

330-990-0788

ron@akris.net

26 Ways to Improve People Skills (both at work & home)

26 ways to improve your people skills

At work

1.     Ask questions so you understand

2.     Listen so others feel hear

3.     Do a lunch and learn on a topic of interest to all parties

4.     Be clear on your expectations

5.     Treat others the way they want to be treated (The Platinum Rule)

6.     Build relationships with people the way they want to build relationships

7.     Let others be right

8.     Let others ask questions

9.     Build an effective sense of team

10.  Be a leader and create a vision for people to rally around

11.  Ask for feedback

12.  Give deadlines

13.  Define roles and responsibilities

At home (create a great marriage)

1.     Get your wife a cup of coffee in the morning before she gets out of bed

2.     Tell your wife how beautiful she is at least once a day

3.     Wake your wife up with a kiss every day

4.     Load and run the dishwasher

5.     Load and run the washing machine

6.     Give her a hug when she gets home every day

7.     Watch TV with her – even if it is a chick flick

8.     Cook a meal so it is ready when she gets home

9.     Clean up after you cook the meal

10.  Gas up her car

11.  Just listen and do not try to fix

12.  Get her oil changed for her

13.  Let her sleep late

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788

ron@akris.net

A Bad Presentation

I do a lot of public speaking, training programs, workshops and seminars. I need to know my way around a presentation.

As president of our local toastmasters, I have a good idea on the presentation skills someone needs when they speak or present in public.

Some common mistakes include:
1.    Reading from the slide of a PowerPoint presentation
2.    Not staying focused on the material
3.    Not engaging the audience
4.    Lecturing instead of having a discussion
5.    Improper lighting and room setup
6.    Not practicing your presentation/speech

Have respect for your audience. Practice your presentation before delivering it. Nothing looks more unprofessional than being unprepared. Tape your presentation. Do a dry run. Know how much time it will take.

A bad presentation can do more harm to your business than you can possibly imagine.

Ron Finklestein
Small Business Coach
330-990-0788
ron@akris.net

14 Principles for Success

Let us move our attention to why they succeed. How does a small company become successful? It’s such a provocative question that it prompted me to do some research. Despite the bad news we so often hear about businesses closing or moving, I found some encouraging news. After interviewing and working with many small companies, common trends began to emerge regarding what they did to be successful. There are a total of fourteen principles and the successful companies implement most, of not all of these principles: attitude, sales, business strategy, marketing, information technology, risk taking, process improvement, company culture, work-life balance, customer service, finance and budget, general advice, discipline and training.

It is essential to build effective team, create powerful relationship, become an effective leader and implement these concepts in the fourteen principles above to get results.

Ron Finklestein
Small Business Coach
330-990-0788
info@yourbusinesscoach.net

Great Sales is About People Effectiveness

As a business coach and consultant I am surprised by the number of business owners who have responsibility for sales but don’t have a clearly defined sales process. They do not understand that making sales is about clear and effective communications. It is also about leadership. The art of helping people make good decisions.   

There is a six step process that anyone can learn to grow sales. Like anything else, it takes a bit of practice to master. This material is not designed for the professional sales person who is out on the street every day, through this is something they can use as well, it is designed for the business owner who needs to sell but does not know how, and does not want to look or becomes a “slick willie” kind of sales person (or anyone in the organization who has sales responsibility but is not a professional sales person.

The sales process to grow sales looks like this:

A. Action – What action do you want the client to take, or stated another way, what is the desired outcome for this sales call.

B. Build Rapport – Building rapport, if done incorrectly, can ruin any chance for creating a buyer/seller relationship. In this section we will discuss different ways to do that.

C. Create and agree on an agenda – Many sales people fail because the buyer does not know the reason for the meeting or how the selling process can and should work. In this step you gain agreement on the sales process, ask permission to ask questions and agree on the reason for the appointment.

D. Define Pain – Here is where you ask question that allows the client to tell you the problems they are experiencing.

E. Explore Pain – In this step you explore with the prospect the impact of the pains uncovered in the Define Pain step. The step explores what will happen (especially to the prospect) if action is not taken.

F. Finalize nest steps – this is a logical outcome of a well structured sales call. Is the outcome another meeting to further explore specific issues, is it time to ask for the order, is it time to ask for introduction to others in the organization that will help you further the sales process. This should have been defined in the action step and here is where you determine your success.

To improving your people skills,

Ron Finklestein

Small Business Coach

330-990-0788

ron@akris.net

17 Actions Small Business Owners can do to Improve Business Performance

17 action small business owners can do to Improve Business Performance:

1.     Improve people skills. We call all get better in this area.  

2.     Improve your people/leadership skills

3.     Develop the people skills of your managers  

4.     Hire a personal executive coach to get an outside perspective and to hold you accountable

5.     Create effective communication training so everyone in the organization knows the rules for communicating

6.     Manage people and their performance  

7.     Teach people to support performance management

8.     Perform activities that support building an effective team

9.     Understand workplace team building and its impact on your business

10.  Create a team building challenge

11.  Attend management negotiating skills training to create win/win opportunity 

12.  Provide negotiation skills seminar for your team so they can create win/win opportunities

13.  Learn presentation skills tips to improve your effectiveness when delivering your message  

14.  Implement a business coaching program to receive ideas on implementing these 17 actions

15.  Attend a business advisory board to gain feedback from your peers

16.  Take time to communicate & coach communication skills you want in the organization

17.  Celebrate your small business success stories. This keep morale strong. 

This is a long list but the good news is you do not have to do them all at the same time. Pick any three and get started.

Ron Finklestein

Small Business Coaching

330-990-0788

ron@akris.net

Group Coaching Testimonials

Group Coaching Testimonials

You really are a class act! Marie Cutlip, Better Financial Solutions

Thanks again for moderating a great workshop! J.L

For starters, I so appreciated your comments about “Don’t move away from what I don’t want” but Move “Forward” to what I do want”. Putting the mind in the positive mindset is the right thing to do – always. As an accountant, we are trained to find the problem and fix it. The result is often a negative feedback. I have heard it said, “CPAs cause trouble because you guys always find the negative.” “CPA stands for Certified Pain the in Ass”. – That was a quote given in humor this week. But this has me thinking not only about me moving forward to what I want – but to focus more on the forward move of my client and the solution.

I like the interaction of your group. The comments given by everyone contained nuggets of and for myself and useful thought provoking ideas – from you, Randy, Scott, Jacci, Shaun and others. So often when groups like this one come together, they lack something and we are left feeling as if time has been wasted. Not so with your group. I think that happened for two reasons: you as the leader did an excellent job with the material, your personal insight and natural manner. And second, the very group of people you mixed together. People you qualified as sincerely desiring to improve and having the ability to do so. Thanks. M. C.

Individual Coaching Testimonials

Ron served as a personal coach and mentor for nearly a year where our focus was on Strategic Plan implementation, process improvement, public relations, personnel and communications for Chapel Hill Christian Schools.

I feel the Ron’s objectivity and frank honesty provided a much needed “outside” voice for my personal and professional development. I always found Ron to be well prepared and actively engaged in my personal success and that of our school.

Donald Lichi
President
Chapel Hill Christian School

“Our company recently went through a rather substantial reorganization following the resignation of some key resources. As part of this reorganization, I was given a much larger role in the company. It would have taken 6 to 12 months to become effective but by having Ron Finklestein here for coaching sessions and best practices advice, I’ve collapsed that learning curve to just a few months. He has been a great resource for bouncing ideas off of and getting objective feedback on the progress of my department.”

Kier Selinsky
Manager, FirstLine Support
Internet Association Corporation

“If I had built a professional relationship with Ron Finklestein in 2002 – when he and I first encountered one another – I would not have lost my company in 2004. In March, 2005, I came on board with Akris and Ron has been indispensable in helping me develop and grow my latest venture. Lesson learned.”

Alan L. Plastow
Founder
The Business Technology Consumer Network
biztechnet.org
“I just wanted to write a note of thanks for the service that AKRIS has provided. Your knowledge of business process and strategy is unparalleled and is a strong presence in the growth of my business. I would recommend that any business large or small that has the drive to take it to the next level use AKRIS as a part of their plan.”

James Clark
President
Debt Management Group

“Among all the consultants my firms has employed in the past, AKRIS has provided my firm the best value, the best return on investment, the best attention we have experienced!”

Don Philabaum
President
Internet Association Corporation
www.iaccorp.com

Consulting, Speaking and Other Testimonials

Thank you again, for giving your evening to E CITY and serving as a judge at the Whitney Young business plan competition…you gave so much of yourselves to celebrating and teaching the students- you were remarkable! Our 70-hour program teaches many of the nuts and bolts of business start-up, but you brought it all together by giving the bigger view. You made things authentic for them and you helped them understand what they should carry forward into their lives, beyond this program. We were all inspired! E.T.

Cleveland Bridge Builders defines a leader as an individual able to inspire and align others to reach a common goal.

By putting your personal time, energy and resources into an initiative that strengthens businesses, by overlooking geo-political boundaries in your work, and by selflessly investing your profits in the community, you inspire and align others to reach common goals. … you are a leader and our community is lucky that you call it home.

Laura Steinbrink
Executive Director
Cleveland Bridge Builders

“Although I am certainly not a morning person, your speaking is worth getting up early for. I had a terrific day yesterday and I am trying to implement the great stuff I learned yesterday already. THANKS!!!”

Ruthie DeGood
Miracle Resources

“Congratulations – Thanks for being a voice for us we need it, especially for the small business owners!”

Renea A Woods, PA, CEO, President
Getting Started Inc.

“It is without reservation that I recommend Ron Finklestein for any project that requires both the depth and breadth of an expert in project implementations that must be coupled with strict business requirements. In summary……the project was a success and was completed on time and well within the specified budget.”

Matt Taylor
Voyant
MIS Director
www.voyanttech.com

“A prime example of your expertise at work in the development of Nextstage Training Solutions is the selection of the very name! Your assistance in clarifying the need for a clear and understandable name for my business, as the interpreter of my services, was very important.”

Gordon J. Svoboda II
Nextstage Training Solutions
President

“It’s great to have open communication between each other and get the final results so quickly. I recognize that you burned some hours getting this done. I’m sure you have established yourself with KBB for follow on work. I just have to find another project for you!”

Rich Finkle
Kelley Blue Book
Manager of Product Development

“Ron was on our account and provided excellent leadership and technical expertise to our organization when it was needed most.”

Denni Interliggi
GenCorp
Chief Information Officer

“Ron brings tremendous energy and leadership to any endeavor. I have been very impress with his creating the NEOSA Business & Technology Group from a clean sheet of paper. When you need to get a job done right and fast, call Ron, he can deliver.”

Anita Campbell
Anita Campbell Associates Ltd
President

These testimonials relate to various business coaching programs that Akris offers.

Small Business Success Stories – Akris

Below are some examples of problems and challenges addressed by AKRIS LLC. In some cases the company name was used (with permission), in other cases it was requested that we not use the company name. If you are interested in the details of a specific study please contact me (info@yourbusinesscoach.net or 330-990-0788) and I will answer any questions you may have. New studies will be added so check back frequently.

Company: IAC
Case Study
IAC is a technology organization that creates on-line communities for alumni organizations. They have clients in institutions of higher education all around the world.

Situation: Renewal rate for contracts was at 48%. This caused significant cash flow problems and other customer service issues.

Opportunity: Goal was to raise renewal rate to 80% within 12 months and increase cash flow.

Action: Moved responsibility for sales of renewals to sales and started to treat it as a sales opportunity instead of a maintenance issue to be handled in customer service

Results: Renewal rate was 85% within 4 months resulting is a significant improvement in sales and cash flow.

Company: IAC
Case Study

Situation: Clients were unhappy because of problems that were occurring. As a result customer service was spending too much time on problem resolution for clients and testing products before they went to the customer. This resulted in significant non-selling activities.

Opportunity: Create an opportunity to allow the customer service to implement processes that changed how the company did business. This created more selling opportunities for IAC.

Action: Diagnosed the root causes of the problem and implemented business processes to address the problems at the source. The Customer Service department was reorganized to allow a dedicated team to up sell and cross sell products and services to the client.

Processes were implemented to ensure the quality of the products before it was received in customer service, created a first line support organization to address all customer service and maintenance issues while driving those changes through out the company.

Results: Client Relations is now accountable to up sell $3K to each of its 156 customers. This resulted in an entirely new revenue stream.

Case Study

A new CEO was hired to increase enrollment in this private school. The business plan was created but there were challenges in getting the plan implemented. There was also personnel issues that needed to be addressed.

Situation: A new CEO was hire to make significant changes in the organization. Progress was being made but not nearly as quickly as necessary.

Opportunity: New senior management personnel were to be replaced and it was necessary to create an alignment of the organizations goals and objectives with the new management team. This required that we drive new behaviors thoughout the organization.

Action: Aligned the business plan goals and objectives with a expectation of each individual manager. Implemented a change management strategy in the organization.

Results: Plan currently being implemented. New personnel identified.

Company: Kelley Blue Book
Case Study

Situation: A west coast company had an obsolete technology infrastructure and needed to have a Request for Proposal written quickly.

Opportunity: Staff evaluations were in process to determine who would step up and accept their new roles and responsibilities within the organization. This proposal needed to be done quickly and at the same time the staff was being evaluated.

Action: The request for proposal was written in 5 business days and management release the proposal within 10 of receiving it.

Results: Within six weeks a contact was negotiated with a company to create a new corporate infrastructure (valued at over $750k)

Case Study

Situation: A large insurance company wanted to create A business case to see if it was financially feasible to automate a critical business process within the organization.

Opportunity: There was a significant opportunity to increase productivity, drive out expense and reduce stress on employees. This would reduce employee turnover and allow the company to reduce the costs associated with processing a claim.

Action: Two teams were created that traveled to remote office to interview management and define the business objectives that this upgraded process would need to meet (i.e., minimum user impact, cost saving, increased productivity).

Results: It was determined that there was cost saving that warranted moving forward with a proof of concept. The location was identified, the application created and the project was approved.

Some more food for thought!

Reduce Web Product Development Time from 9 Months to 1 Day – A web development company needed help implementing a process that would reduce product development time. Implementing business discipline and defining the process allowed his company to reduce its product development time to 1day.

Reduce Invoice Processing Time From 90 Days to One Day
This was done by redesigning the workflow and implementing tools to capture and route invoices to the correct Accounts Payable specialist for processing.

Saved $140,000 in Overtime
This was done by automating the workflow used in the tax department of a mid-sized Ohio city. Productivity increased by a whopping 150%; not including the elimination of yearly overtime expense of $140,000.

Reduced Three Weeks to One Day
A manufacturing company that was growing through acquisitions was having problems getting sales orders and sales history reports. In the market where price changes happen quickly, waiting three weeks for reports was a problem. After the installation of a data warehouse, current sales reporting was available within 24 hours, allowing the organization to respond much faster to changes in the market.

Aligning I.T. and Business Objectives
New Revenue Stream
A company in the voice conferencing industry needed an IT strategy that integrated into their business strategy. This strategy played a key role in defining their long-term business strategy. The company was moving from large dollar, low volume sales to low dollars, high volume sales and needed the infrastructure to support this transition. A plan was developed that integrated the Business and IT strategies, resulting in the implementation of a CRM system and a redesign of the associated business processes. This resulted in tracking customers’ maintenance requirements and the billing for different maintenance plans that were previously offered at no charge.