Purple Diamond Marketing Blog

5 Quick Tips to “Turn-On”
Your Chamber Membership!

A chamber membership is like a new computer ~ if you never turn the computer on and use it, you will never see the real value of owning a computer. Being active in your local Chamber of Commerce will help you to grow your business. It is time to “turn on” your membership!

1.) Join and get listed in the Chamber Directory book and Website!

Note: The directory is printed and distributed to the entire membership. Often they print and distribute many more membership books and offer them around the community. My own chamber, Beverly Chamber of Commerce, distributed over 1900 membership books last year! This, along with being able to get a listing on the chamber website with a direct hyper-link to your own website has an equal value to the cost of your membership. Most memberships equal the cost of 2 cups of coffee a week!

2.) Meet with the director and drop off brochures for chamber office.

This is important even for the older members who have not been in to the
office in awhile. The more you connect with the director and staff, the better they understand about your business and who is a good referral for you.

3.) Have a Ribbon Cutting or Host a Networking Event at YOUR Location and take pictures for a press release.

If you are a new business be sure to jump at the opportunity to get the local mayor and the chamber to come to your place of business. Even if the event is not well attended you still get great press coverage with the chamber promoting your event and sometimes this makes it in the local paper. Use the press release about this event on your company website to show you are active in the business community, TWEET about it on Twitter.com, list it on your
status on Linkedin.com and also post it on your fans page on Facebook.com and blog.

4.)Attend Coffee Connections, Ribbon Cuttings, and other chamber events several times per month & at different times of the day.

“Out of site out of mind”, we have all heard this phrase, but today’s business climate requires that you do not sit and wait for business to walk in the doors. Beyond doing traditional advertising campaigns, businesses are finding that social networking is the key to getting new business and maintaining existing clients within the business community. If possible, attend chamber events at different times of the day. If you only go to the morning events or the afternoon events you could be missing a section of members who can only attend at a specific time.

Networking Tip: Less is better!
Meeting everyone in the room and collecting a stack of business cards is not the most effective way of networking. The goal of networking is to make an initial connection. Go with the objective to meet a handful of people and then follow-up with them after the event if possible. Relationship building requires more than showing up to one event and collecting cards. Think of it the same way you think of dating. You do not marry someone on the first date. It requires many dates and learning to mutually trust each other over time. It is the same thing with business relationships, they need time to develop before you are someone they do business with or refer business to.

5.)Advertise & Connect with fellow Chamber Members.

-My chamber offers a set of free mailing labels from our member database & $100 for subsequent ones. Check with your own chamber to see what they offer.

Opportunity to be featured on local access TV. In our community we have a show on BevCam-“Beverly Business Today”

-Check to see if your chamber offers a Mass mailing annually to members or residents and be sure to advertise in it if it is offered.

-Member to member discounts – see if your chamber offers this and puts it on their website.

-Sponsor chamber events as another way to connect with members.

-Advertise in the chamber monthly newsletter.

Procrastination, or putting off what you “should” do today for another day, is one of the biggest reasons why businesses do not grow and often struggle to survive during challenging times. We all have times when we just do not feel like doing something. However, chronic procrastinators seriously hurt the health of their business, the confidence of their staff and/or customers, and miss so many great opportunities that would save money and increase sales.

The first thing I tell clients about how to be successful in their business is to recognize how their personal life is connected to their business. Yesterday’s blog was about having balance with business and family, but one of the biggest reasons business owners do not excel in their business is that their home is not in order. They come to the office lacking sleep, eating fast food and stressing over some crisis in the family. Their cell phone is ringing or they are getting texts from family and they are just not able to clear their head and get “back in to the game” of succeeding at work. Not that you can avoid many home challenges, but finding ways to be your best when they come at you will give you an edge. Eat healthy, get a great mattress so you sleep soundly, disconnect from your cell phone personal calls and maybe join a yoga class or take a long hot shower every night. If reading relaxes you, shut off the TV and read more. Use the time away from your business wisely so that when you are back in your office you are rested and ready to go. Explain to loved ones that even though you have a cell phone that you would appreciate that during business hours that they limit the calls and texts so that you can concentrate on business.

After you have worked on you, the next step is to take an honest appraisal of your office. Do you have piles on your desk? Is the office space set-up for high performance or wasted time because the printer is in the other room and your filing cabinet is across the room? Consider hiring a professional organizer to help you to organize your work space and teach you better filing systems and ways to keep your office de-cluttered. This is an area I have always struggled with. It wasn’t until I met Nancy Black of Organization Plus, www.organizationplus.com, that I realized that I was wasting too many hours a day with the set-up of my office space and that each day, looking at boxes of old files in my room and piles of papers, actually drained my energy and left me feeling tired. My office just was not a place where I could be my best. I even recognized that a fresh coat of paint [purple of course] and a newly organized and better system was the medicine I needed to feel better and stop procrastinating at work.

Finally, once you have a balanced home and work life and an organized office, you need to now look at creating a calendar system and a “real” daily and monthly “To Do” List. The calendar system is based on history of your company. Look at your old Day Timers [if you still have them] and see when you attended Trade Shows in your industry, launched advertising campaigns and worked on projects. See when client annual contracts expire. Make a note of the important things for your business on the calendar so that nothing slips past you and you no longer need to weigh down your brain trying to remember everything. Next, think of what you want to accomplish as a business. Having a Business Plan and understanding your goals makes this an easy task. You should know exactly how much you need to sell each week and month to make a profit. If you do not, please work with an accountant or bookkeeper to get a better understanding of your business numbers. Once you know the goal it is much easier to make a real “To Do” list. Do not write more items than you know you can honestly achieve. It will actually zap your energy and have you procrastinating at attacking the entire list. I have found creating the list at the end of my work day for the next day has given me a jump start, but if that list will have you not sleeping then come in to your office a few minutes early and create it then. If you have the monthly list it is much easier to know what you need to do weekly to reach your goal. Make sure that you tackle the ones that are the hardest first when you have the most energy. This will help you to avoid being mentally drained knowing you still need to do something you do not feel like doing. Be sure to recognize your accomplishments with completing tasks. Even if the immediate results you get are not what you expected, the daily positive work habits will build in your life and you will notice that your business is in a healthier place than before you lived with “procrastination” as your office buddy.

All my best to YOUR success!

Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

Starting a new business or keeping an old business going in 2009 can often take much of your time and energy. How do you balance owning a business with making time for the people you live with and love?

This weekend my uncle passed away and as arrangements were being planned and cousins from out-of-town were calling to say they would be coming, I was faced with the small business owner dilemma of how to juggle my busy work week, a lecture seminar I was in charge of and speaking at, with saying good-bye to a loved one and being a support to his children and my mother. The balancing act of work and life has long been a struggle for families. Your job “funds” your life, but when the job becomes your life what was the purpose?

Researchers have found that your mental health and well being is enhanced when you spend time with family and friends. Playing with your kids, laughing with your friends or just relaxing with your spouse is actually a great way to be successful in your business life. These activities actually can relieve stress from your job. Learning to “walk away from your desk” and back in to your family life will help you to smile more and enjoy the time you are both at work and home. Balance is the key to everything we do. Too much of one activity will lead to “burn-out” and loss of other things in your life or people. If all you have is your job what happens if your business fails or you get sick and can no longer work?

So, as I am changing my work schedule to allow the time with family this week to say good-bye to an uncle I dearly loved, I recognize that my company is only a fraction of my life. Yes, it is important and I love my advertising agency, but I love many other things and people and that is why it is easy to smile during my work week and after hours. I recognize that “balance” between family and business is why my company is doing well and my family is happy. What have you created for your business and family life? It is never too late to find a balance and an inner peace.

All my best to YOUR success!
~ Charlene

“SUCCESS WEARS THE PURPLE DIAMOND!”

When people ask me how I am doing I respond with, “I’m better than good!” That was the result of attending a GET MOTIVATED seminar in New Hampshire back in 2006 that Zig Ziglar spoke at. I was fortunate to attend many of these motivational seminars over the decade I spent working in TV advertising and I became a HUGE fan of Zig Ziglar and inspirational messages. There is a great company, SIMPLE TRUTHS www.simpletruths.com , that puts out the best books and videos and I have several of them and have even given them as gifts. I believe they help us to have that “aha moment”. To help us connect with our inner strengths to bring forth the extraordinary results that would not happen if we just stayed doing the same thing every day.

So, why do you go to motivational seminars and read motivational books and inspiring quotes? Well, Zig Ziglar says it best when he was approached by someone in the audience who attended his seminar:

“Zig, it was a great speech, but…motivation doesn’t last.”

Zig said, “Bathing doesn’t either. That’s why I recommend it daily!”

So, for those of you who shower or take a bath each day….why not consider a daily dose of inspiration? Post your most powerful quotes in a place you can read them daily and seek out people who inspire you. Look for books in the library or in bookstores that will inspire you and your dream. And, if you have never checked out Simple Truths website go and enjoy and order yourself a book and share them with others. You will be amazed at how contagious positive thinking can be.

I leave you with a quote, author unknown, that I have posted on the wall in my office. It gets me smiling and reminds me to live every day to the fullest and so I do!

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body. But rather to skid broadside, thoroughly used-up, totally worn-out, and loudly proclaiming: WOW—What A RIDE!!!”

Please post your own inspiring quotes! I would love to know what gets your day going.

All my best to YOUR success!~Charlene

Today I went to my Purple Diamond LLC fans page on Facebook and was alarmed to see the 24 Discussion topics I have posted over the past couple of months were gone. Cyberland never never land? Were they gone for good? I quickly tried to contact Facebook, but saw only a list of “help” topics that didn’t answer my question of where all my written works had gone. I then reached out to my spouse who is the smartest man I know in the IT field and he asked if I had backed up all that I had written and I had to admit that I didn’t. Thankfully, within 15 minutes the topics were back on my fans page. Not real sure what was happening with Facebook, but I was relieved to see all my written work. Quickly, I started to copy and past each of the 24 topics in to a word document file and I backed it up to my system so that I would not lose everything I have written.

Keeping a copy of everything you write for your business as a blog topic post or Facebook Fans page will help you to build a portfolio to draw from if you are ever need something for a client, a seminar you are talking at or to add to a new site that you have joined. And, if the cyberland squirrels get in to your Fans page or blog and everything disappears…..you have back-up!

All my best to your success!

Charlene

What does a company do when they have very little money for marketing or advertising? Beyond hiring an affordable specialist like Purple Diamond to coach your company through the marketing and advertising maze of options, the first thing a business owner must know is what their product or service is, who the right target market is for this product and what budget do they have to work with.

TIPS:
*Attend business networking groups [join the local chamber if your budget allows and be active on committees and attend events].

*Seek out free business help and mentors in your area.

*Print-up tons of business cards [both sided....it costs pennies to add another message to the backside of your card] and give people more than one card and ask them to give it to someone who could use your services.

*Make sure you use an email signature and it has ALL your contact info and a tag-line where you promote your brand or tell of a special offer. Have an active link in your signature to your website! Use this signature ALWAYS!

* Hand-out flyers and post them on Bulletin Boards where they allow flyers to be posted. Give extra flyers to family and friends about your services in case they have opportunity to hand them out or display them at work.

*Email ready to print press releases about your business. [Contact the papers and other publications in your area to find out who the contact person is, what format to type the press release in and try to connect with someone on that staff so you have a better chance to get your press release in the newspaper.]

*Reach out to local colleges, business groups and chambers to lecture about your expertise in business.

*Put magnetic signs on your car promoting your business.

*Create an internet presence. Have your own company website and blog. Make sure you list your site and have a profile on the many on-line networking sites so that it links back to your business website. Many on-line sites offer affordable web templates that will save you money on design and hosting services for your site. Take advantage of the free social media sites that will help you to draw attention to your business like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.

*No money to have a table at a business expo? Walk the floor with plenty of business cards and connect with someone at each booth if possible. Follow-up with them either by phone, mail or email and create the connection back to the business expo.

*Encourage customers to sign-up for your email newsletters and special offers. Use an email newsletter hosting company that will offer easy to use newsletter template designs and provide the opt-in link for your home page of your website and a way for members on your list to opt-out of the newsletter if they no longer wish to receive it. A company can harm their on-line reputation by emailing people without their permission which is known as SPAMMING and potentially lose clients and potential clients.

*Always thank your clients for being a client and ask for referrals. And, refer business to others when possible!

*Word of Mouth Advertising! Make sure you contact everyone you know and tell them that you now have a business. This is where connecting with old friends and family on Facebook will help.

*Make time for one on ones where you learn about someone else’s business and they learn about yours.

*Never buy rate card for your advertising and don’t jump at every advertising sales rep that walks in the door promising great results.

*Cut the size of your ad, but be sure to get ATTENTION within the ad.

*Create a clever tag line to brand on all marketing materials and be sure to use it at networking events! My tag-line is “Success wears the Purple Diamond!” This immediately tells my clients that I am focused on making them successful in business.

*Create a MARKETING THINK GROUP with employees, friends, family who know your product and can help to come up with creative marketing ideas

*Create a Client Questionnaire and learn the pros and cons of your service or product so you can compete in the market place. Never be afraid to ask the tough questions and find out the areas you need to improve in. This will help you to retain your existing clients and discover why others may not be doing business with you.

*Promotional Product is your silent salesman! Make it something they will keep.

*Stay positive! No matter what is happening behind the scenes at your business, always smile and stay positive. People worry about doing business with struggling companies because they may not be around if there is a problem with the product later. Lead by example. If you believe in your product…..others will follow!

As we are about to enjoy Columbus Day weekend and our friends in Canada are celebrating their Thanksgiving, it reminds me that the holiday season is fast approaching. Companies for years have used this time as a way to reconnect with clients and build a stronger relationship with key accounts by sending a holiday cards and / or gifts. As a business owner and marketing coach I am often asked if this is necessary for a small business. The decision remains a personal choice, but if you had an in-house marketing department or worked with an advertising or marketing consulting firm they would share with you that this is the BEST opportunity you will have to re-connect with old customers and possibly open the door to new business. It is also a great way to show your top customers how much you appreciate their business and thank them for choosing to work with you or buy from you.

There are companies like Send Out Cards [ www.Mailboxhappiness.biz ] in which you can personalize a holiday card on-line and it is sent to your entire list quick and easily. Or, you can choose to have cards with your own business name printed on it and then hand-write a personal note. The key is to not let this opportunity pass by. It is the best direct mail piece you can send and often you will see your card hanging in your client’s business. Last year I sent out over 120 purple holiday cards with my company name, Purple Diamond, on the cover. The emails and thank you calls I received were wonderful, but the power of that card stood out when I walked in to a local store and saw it hanging by the register.

As for corporate gifts, this can be challenging for a small business. It is not always something one can afford for their entire client list, but choosing a few of your top clients and selecting a gift that they would appreciate will go a long way in the building of your relationship with your key accounts. Try to get something they would use or display in their office or home. Candy and edible items are appreciated, but that same gift can have a stronger impact if you place it in a glass candy dish with a cover that has either their logo on it or yours.

Today, I attended a business networking event in which a local glass artist from Salem, Jack Walsh, who owns Dancing Sand, www.DancingSand.com , surprised me with 2 PURPLE wine glasses with my company logo etched in to the glass. WOW….he got my attention and he sure made a lasting impression with me. In addition to many of the large glass sculptured art that this artist is known for, Jack designs custom bottles for gifts for all occasions. What a great way of thanking that top client for their business!

So, if you are considering doing nothing this year for corporate holiday cards and gifts because of the challenging economy, I urge you to reconsider. Work within a budget, but try not to let this marketing opportunity pass that could help you to keep your own business strong and ready for 2010.

All my best to your success!

Charlene

Your business is nothing without your customers! So, why do so many companies fail to understand the importance of GREAT customer service and being open to hearing ALL customer complaints?

TIPS TO HANDLE CUSTOMER CONCERNS:

1.Understand that KNOWLEDGE is KEY! Open your mind to hearing what your customers are saying about your service. LISTEN to their concerns!

2.Be PROACTIVE instead of reactive. Customer Surveys and asking clients for feedback on a regular basis will open lines of communications and help to avoid problems in the future with your services. Be thankful for their valuable input!

3.Don’t hide your mistakes from your client! No matter the mistake or error, a client will appreciate you calling immediately and telling them what happened than to discover it later on.

4.Treat customers as you would like to be treated. This is an old saying, but often people forget this when dealing with customers. They worry too much about their own bottom line and fail to see that pleasing a client is more valuable than the one sale.

5.Put your customer’s needs first! We often wear many hats today in our companies, but the most important hat we wear is being a “concierge clerk” for our client. It is key to being successful in today’s business world when you can meet and go above and beyond the needs of every customer. Stay positive when your clients ask more of you than what you thought possible….find solutions and STAY POSITIVE!

6.Stay in touch and always ask for referrals. If you stay active with your clients they remain active with you. Often we sell with one time in mind and fail to see that a customer is forever a client and friend providing we allow it. Know your clients interests, hobbies, birthday, etc. Be more than “just” the person who sold them a service! Standout from your competitors.

7.Return calls and emails within that same day! The key is to getting back to your customers as fast as possible. Even if they have asked for something that takes more time than a day, be sure to connect with them to let them know you are aware of the problem and that you are addressing it. People will judge your company by your actions. If you take days to follow-up on emails it appears like you are too busy for their business.

8.Leave your problems at home. Your customers are your business….without them you have no business. No matter what is happening in your own personal life, when you are at work it must be about work!

9.Stay POSITIVE! We all hear horror stories about the economy and companies that are one the verge of closing, but you are in business TODAY and the best thing for business and your customers is stay focused on the positive sides of your business. Be kind to customers and potential customers and never let them see you sweat!

10.Make sure ALL employees [no matter what their position in the company is] follow the above tips and realize that ALL customers are important!
Negativity can spread like a cancer in a company if lines of communications are broken in a company. Be sure that your entire staff sees the importance of Customer Service and that you reward excellence and that you are open to hearing when staff is overwhelmed with a difficult client. Take precautions and have a policy in place that will assist your staff in difficult situations. One suggestion is to have them offer the client a manager to speak with who might be able to refund the cost of the service or give something extra.

Note from Charlene: As a marketing coach and owner of an advertising agency, I see maintaining great customer relations as essential to the success of a company. Relationship building is the key to growing your business. Your current customers are the people who can give positive word of mouth advertising or negative. With the internet and social sites like Twitter or Facebook, your company can gain tremendous growth with some vocal happy customers or be sunk quickly by the unhappy ones.

Every day I am asked by local companies how they can increase business and still cut costs on advertising. There is no magic formula to getting new customers, but there is something that will help your business and give you the lift you need during this interesting economy…..join and be ACTIVE in your local chamber of commerce! The first month my advertising agency, Purple Diamond, became a member of the Beverly Chamber, I signed 3 new clients. Within the first couple of months, I had 2 more members seek out my services from meeting me at a Coffee Connection event.

Is this typical for all companies? Well, as I coach my marketing clients, the chamber offers you the opportunity to connect with prospects, but it is up to you to jump in and take advantage of the services and make it work. People prefer to do business with people they know and if business isn’t walking through the front door of your company, then you need to actively go out and network in the community and remind them that you are still in business and looking to do business with them today.

October 22nd the Beverly Chamber has scheduled an event for me and other chamber members to speak at. The topic is: “How To Work With The Chamber To Grow Your Business.” To learn more about this event you can contact me directly or go to www.beverlychamber.com

Welcome to the Purple Diamond blog.  What is Purple Diamond? Purple Diamond is a marketing coaching and advertising agency committed to the success of small to mid size businesses.  From coaching clients on having a clear message, to placing effective advertising and teaching sales techniques that get results, Purple Diamond offers a unique solution without the big price tag.  Honest and affordable assistance that explains why our tagline is…”Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

The purpose of our blog is to offer useful information to small businesses and to offer them a place to promote their own business and services.