Unusual But Real Holidays For JULY

These are real holidays that you can use in your business for fun, advertising and profit!

 1 International Joke Day
 2 I Forgot Day
 6 Cherry Popover Day
 7 Chocolate Day
 9 Sugar Cookie Day
 11 Swimming Pool Day
 13 National Skeptics Day
 13 International Puzzle Day
 16 Got Out of Doghouse Day
 18 Cow Day
 21 Monkey Day
 23 Hypnosis Day
 24 National Cousins Day
 25 Merry-Go-Round Day
 27 Walk Your Houseplants Day
 28 National Soap Box Derby Day
 29 Rocket Day

Follow-Up on Sub-Par Business

In an earlier article I stated some of the reasons why in some cases buying a sub-par business (one not very profitable, if at all) can be a wise decision because of the potential higher return on your investment. This is based on your ability and insight to "see the light at the end of the tunnel" as we say. The current owners may not be doing the things needed to be successful; expenses may be too high, cost of sales not realistic and lack of effective marketing are some areas to consider. As a new owner you can change these things and should see some turn-around in 6 to 12 months.  Even debt on the business can be restructured or partially paid by the current owner out of the sale proceeds.

Sure, buying this type of business takes some work and new ideas but if you're up to and and can tolerate some risk this may be the way to bigger success. If not, buy a high priced profitable turn-key business or a franchise with a proven track record. But even then with a higher probability of success a small percentage still can struggle or even fail. All the extra money paid up front (including franchise fee) is gone the day you take over or sign the contract. If you are more of an entrepreneur you can use that extra up front money you didn't pay, to improve, renovate and increase marketing on that business that's more of a risk. Then the money is your investment not someone else's profit.

It's your decision and I know some people can't stand the risk and put their money in the bank at a guaranteed 1% and lose to inflation instead of a mutual fund which usually averages 7-10% most years. For me, I have always taken the risk and in most cases have come out ahead. As soon a someone says it can't be done, I perk up and figure out a way to at least try it as a calculated risk. When I'm successful I know I will have little or no competition because everyone else gave up or didn't try. If it doesn't work I just keep looking for another opportunity that always seems to turn up. Whatever your decision success is waiting for you, unless you don't try at all.

Barry is a marketing and customer service speaker, trainer, author and business consultant. www.idealetter.com

Tips For a Valuable Distributor Sales Meeting

Distributor sales meetings are perhaps the single most time effective way to make an impact on your distributors sales force. It allows you face to face time with the entire sales force and helps put a personal touch on your brand. Distributors should allow you access to a group sales meeting on a quarterly basis. Sales meetings can vary significantly from distributor to distributor. Some wholesalers will only allow you a short 15 or so minutes, often sandwiched in between numerous other suppliers also giving a presentation. Other distributors may give you the opportunity to speak for most of the meeting.

How to best utilize that valuable time? Here are 10 tips for conducting a distributor sales meeting:

1. Have a plan - Have a written outline for your meeting and stick to it. Writing it down helps you stay on course. Be concise and precise. Have specific goals you want to achieve during the meeting; such as introduce a new incentive program, present sales goals or increase sales of a new style.

2. Visual tools - Visual tools add “color’ to your presentation. But don’t overwhelm with a Powerpoint presentation or handouts. These can be good in short blasts, but tend to draw focus away from your presentation and from you. Hanging up banners or other POS, placing six packs around the room or even a mock-up of a ten case store stack adds a positive appeal and shows that you care about the presentation. Be creative!

3. Engage - Grab their attention right away! Be self-assured, speak up so that all can hear, and start the meeting off with something of interest. A short review of a humorous event during the day or other short intro that is light, funny or of broad interest to the whole group personalizes your presentation and gets everyone – including you – relaxed and into a flow. Don’t pass out handouts before you get started! Wait until sometime during or even after your presentation. Otherwise the sales staff will be engaged with your handouts – not you.

4. Provide value - Provide market or industry information that the sales staff would not get otherwise such as industry stats or trends in retailing. Provide them with tools that will help them sell not only your brand, but make them better sales people. Make their job easier!

5. Motivate - How can you motivate the sales staff to sell your beer? Have at least a few ideas for each meeting. If you can’t think of reasons that they should be selling your brand over the brands in their portfolio, then you can’t expect them to sell your beer.

6. Say thanks to reps who did well – Always give notice to specific sales people that have done well with your brand. Acknowledge them in person and by name during the meeting. This shows the staff that you are in touch with their efforts.

7. Ask questions - Listen. Get input from the sales staff – it shows that you care about what they think. It also allows you to learn about the specifics of their market. Ask what barriers and problems they have in selling your beer, and work though these problems by offering solutions. Also ask them what works well – this will help share the positives with the whole group.

8. Know the local terrain - Use local examples, names of local accounts and landmarks. This shows that you know and understand their market. Know the top ten accounts in their territory, both on-premise and off. Know the routes that have favorable demographics to your brand and other craft beers.

9. Know your stats - Study the depletions and trends of the distributor you are meeting with before the meeting. Know which sales people are selling your brand, where your brand is selling and how the numbers are trending. Do your homework!

10. Review your meeting - After the meeting, take a honest look inward and review your performance. Did you meet your objectives and goals? Did you motivate the staff? Did you make a difference and was the time spent of value to the sales staff? Ask a manager who was in the meeting to give you honest feedback about what worked and what didn’t. Make notes and apply what you did right to your next meeting.

11. Bonus - Have Fun! If you don’t have fun at the meeting, the sales staff won’t have fun.

Source: probrewer.com

Don't Be a Lifer !

Most of us think that if we give our loyalty to a business or organization over a long period of time that we will get some perks or at least be treated better because of it. The big companies don't think this way (at least most of them) and give no preferential treatment regardless of how long you have been a customer or client. They think nothing of raising prices, reducing services or quantity per package and expect us to just grin and bear it. The worst offenders are the big banks and insurance companies that could care less how long you have been their clients. They have big banners saying "Gold Star Service" which mean nothing when you ask about them.

This is where a small and growing company can carve into the big business customer base. The big guys just use massive advertising and sometimes low prices to try to lure their customers back. What irks me the most is when I see "For New Customers Only", doesn't that tell you that your loyalty is worth nothing to them. Small business can reverse that by saying "For Current Customer Only" and make new customers see how they will be treated for their future loyalty. It's time that we all see what our continued loyal business is getting us and decide if it's time to give that smaller company the chance to make us happy for spending our money with them. Think about it.

Barry is a Marketing and Customer Experience speaker and trainer. www.idealetter.com

Your Code of Doing Business

To build a long term business that is profitable and supports it's owner and employees you must live by some rules that will make desirable to do business with. Purchasers of your products and services wil be in a comfort zone when considering you as the Only Place to spend their hard earned dollars. Here are some ways to build your code of doing business.

 *Be Honest - don't over promise things that your products or services won't fulfill
 *Establish Trust - The marketplace will know that you are a fair competitor
 *Keep Promises - Do what you say you will do and is written in any guarantees
 *Solve Problems Quickly - when disputes or problems are promptly taken care of the buyer will remember the solution and forget the problem.
 *Be Open - transparency in business and no "fine print" will convinve customer to buy with confidence
 *Promote Honestly - advertise, sell and promote with established code of ethics
 *Privacy Policy - Safeguard cutomer data, credit and personal information and do not sell or trade it.
 *Integrity - athis takes time to build and one stupid mistake to lose, watch your business carefully at all times

Work to become a business that is respected bu not only you customers and clints but your peers as well.

Barry is a business peaker & author. www.idealetter.com

Buying a Sub-Par Business

Every business that's for sale is not rolling in profits and on the track to future success. Some of them are actually on the verge of closing with the current owner and management. And that could be the reason that it's not really successful right now, The owner may be tired of the business, have medical issues, be older and  wants to relax or any number of reasons. That does not mean that the business is not worth buying if you think the concept is still good but needs a little work. Take a close look and see if it can be salvaged.

If it has been open more than 5 years there must have been some profitably times to keep it going that long. If the industry is still reasonably strong and customers/clients are still around and within reach it may be worth a second look. A very successful business will have a high price tag based on that success and you must pay more to get it. A less or no profit business will be priced much lower because it needs ideas and work to turn it around which the current owner doesn't want to do. In the long run the less profitably business will give you a much better overall return and resell much higher when the situation is better.

My wife (before I knew her) bought a mail box store that was failing and close to being shut down for half of what a more profitable store would cost. She was on her own with 3 kids to raise and get them through school. She immediately gave it a little facelift inside, added more box sizes, additional merchandise she purchased wholesale and offered longer open hours. She was very friendly with customers and did little extras for them and small discounts for loyalty. Within a year she was more profitable and it was more growth from there. She put 3 kids through college and the store is worth about 5 times today what she paid for it. Don't be afraid to take the challenge if you are up to it.

Barry is a marketing and customer experience speaker and trainer. www.idealetter.ccom

Go the Extra Mile or Two

We have heard that we need to give more than is expected or "Go the extra mile" if we want customers and clients to become loyal to our business and even send referrals. Every business sector has the opportunity to do this but you don't find the answer in any book or college course. Some of it is just common sense and others are doing what customers expect plus a little extra. Sure it takes more effort and if you don't feel like doing it, then plan on losing some of the loyalty and maybe even the customer. There may be a competitor out there who will do it and build their business with your lost customers.

One example is an auto repair and maintenance shop in Worcester, Mass that has built their business on giving the extra service instead of using high priced advertising. When someone has car problems and calls the shop, the first question is whether it's still running or not. If the car won't run he asks where it is and says someone will be right over to look at it. This saves an expensive tow charge or use of an auto club card and gets action faster. If possible they will fix on the spot or at least find a way to get it to the shop the least expensive way. Most customers can't believe this service but never forget it.

They also never lie to a customer or mislead them about a problem. If it's just a minor thing like a fuse or turn signal light they may even fix it quickly for no charge. The surprised customer always comes back when routine maintenance is need and a profit is made then. When a car is in the shop and they notice something else is needed like a little oil or window washer fluid it is also usually filled free. He never has to explain why the bill is higher but rather gets to tell the customer what he did extra at no charge. Ideas like this can be found in any business if you really want to do them.

Barry Thomsen is a Customer Experience and Marketing speaker who can be at your next event. www.idealetter.com

Relationship Marketing

You may have heard this term recently because it's the new way to create customer/client loyalty. To get that long term customer to purchase from you over and over again there needs to be a relationship that makes you different from all other competitors. Making the customer feel like you are in business to just serve them and no one else is important. They take that with them every time they leave your store/business, hang up the phone or exit your website. Let them also take the feeling that you really care if they come back.

You can get that relationship started by learning their buying habits and not giving them the "Robot Treatment" that every customer gets. This is usually not done at franchise fast food restaurants and other places that customers just bring items to the check-out counter. But some chain stores like Ace Hardware, The Ritz Carlton and others try to make that connection and build a relationship whenever possible. To start a customer-seller relationship omit the robot treatment, get to know their name and what they purchase most often. Then at each encounter add a little more to the relationship the way they want it.

Barry is a marketing speaker and business author. www.idealetter.com

International Business Speaker

 I am looking for speaking or training engagements anywhere safe in the world. I can offer great knowledge and experience on The Customer Experience, Sales & Marketing Ideas plus how to stand out from retail competition. Keynote, general session, company meetings or I will travel to corporate locations for training. 

 I am currently offering a 25% discount off my speaking fee and will pay 50% of my travel expenses. I may be available on short notice if someone else cancels and will adapt my presentation to your audience. More info at www.idealetter.com or contact me at idealetter@aol.com

A Better Way?

There's always a better way, you just have to find it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_RVZfbH4GM&feature=related

Treat Customers Differently

When people come to your retail store or call you they may have different levels of knowledge about what they want to purchase or need information about. Some may be ready to buy and want to do it quickly and be done with it. Let them and don't add all the extra information, small talk and delays that slow them down. They will be more satisfied and loyal if you treat them the way they prefer and let them get on with their life and other tasks. Watch & listen for signs that tell you how quickly they want to proceed.

One of the best companies that we have all heard of that does this is ACE Hardware and that's why they have not only survived but thrived in the face of big box competition. They try to find out how much help a customer needs in the first few seconds of contact and assist them from that point. Some peole know exactly what they want and just need directions to find it in the store. But others need help determining their need and advice on how to use it, which they get. Home Depot has tried to offer this assistance but falls short on the personal attention plus they are sometimes difficult to find available help in the store.

Smart managemnt will train their staff to recognize the customer's or client's needs or wants quickly and not bore them with information they already know. This makes a happy customer who will know they can make their purchase without the hassle of the robot treatment that fast food servers give everyone. The secret to loyalty and referrals is to let the cusatomer purchase the way they want to and not always the standard procedure. Being flexible with customers will build that long term business that you need to succeed!

Barry is a "Customer Experience" speaker & trainer available for conferences and meetings anywhere safe in the world. www.idealetter.com

First Time Customers

The most important people who come in contact with your business are first time customers and clients. When you consider all the work and expense it took to make that first contact you will realize how special these people and how well they should be treated. It could be the beginning of a long term relationship that will provide your business with continual profits and growth in good times and bad. Never underestimate the power of what new customers can do for you and the future of your business.

You must remember that first time customers and clients will be very aware of how they are treated, the products and services they receive plus the friendliness of everyone they meet. Extra effort should be made by the owner, manager and all the staff to make new business customers feel wanted, appreciated and welcome to your business. Your staff should be trained to assist them eagerly because they may not know the procedures that other regular customers know. New customers are what make good companies great and grow when treated well and appreciated.

Barry is a "Customer Experience" trainer & speaker www.idealetter.com

Employee Fulfillment

For an Outstanding Customer Experience you need to first have an outstanding employee experience. The things that will entice employees to provide above average service all the time are:

 Trust - Let them know

 Benefits - Above average when possible

 Job Security - Build confidence & omit worry

 Continual Training - Show them more

 Opportunity - No ceiling to advancement

 Appreciation - Tell them often

 Motivation - Inspire them to secceed

 Participation - Include them in decisions

 Communication - Have an open-door policy

Barry is a customer experience speaker & trainer. www.idealetter.com