Sell You...Then What You Do!

In all of my sales training over the years, I have always been told that if you can sell yourself you can sell anything.  So, when we talk about networking and growing yourself as a business person the first thing that pops into my head is coming up with your personal sales pitch.  You inevitably get asked "What do you do?"   ....so what will you say.

This is something I have struggled with as we put together this contract business.  We offer such a variety of services for small business and I truly enjoy doing so many things, it is hard to not start rattling off in a laundry list.  I can see people's eyes gloss over as the list goes on.  What I have found is if I actually talk about what I enjoy doing it makes it so much easier to describe and people can see my passion when I am talking about it.

Here are some simple steps to coming up with your personal sales pitch.

Figure out what is unique about you/what you do.

You want to intrigue someone and it should be an ice-breaker as well as a a marketing pitch.  Just saying I do marketing for small businesses is not all that interesting.  I always joke that I like to make things "pretty"; whether it be an ad, a special event or even an inviting work space for someone.  That usually gets a chuckle and then people ask more about it.

Make it exciting.

It should speak to who you really are and what excites you about your business.  Think about what motivates you and work that into how to you sell yourself.

Keep it simple.

Don't try to be all things to all people.  It you are writing something it should just be a couple sentences, not more than a paragraph.  Trust me, people won't read any more than that.  And when you are chatting with people, try to keep it under 30 seconds.

Write it down.

Write down your pitch, say it out loud, then re-wrtie it.  Not only will this help you fine tune it but it will help you become more comfortable actually using it in a conversation.  It should become second nature to you.

Cheers!

Kristen

Get the Word Out

We are spending all month talking about how to turn that genius idea into a real live business.  We've talked about what questions to ask, where to find the answers and how to turn that into a business plan. Last week we talked about turning that information into a good strong brand and now we need to talk about how to get the information out to the masses.  Here are some ideas to get you started.

1.  Plan an Open House

If you have a physical space to hold one in, this is a great way to share your hard work.  Invite friends and family to come tour the space and try out your product or service.  We have talked about it before that referrals are the best marketing!  See our previous post on How to Throw a Successful Party for some tips and tricks.

2.  Write a Press Release

Write about your opening and give the press some background into you and why/how this business has come together.  Appeal to emotions and you are likely to get some column space.  You could even tie this in to your open house event and invite the press to come check it out too.  Here is our Press Release 101 post for some tips.

3.  Get Social

These days, there is really no better way to reach the masses, and for free, than social media.  I would say the two main ones to start with and really focus on would be Facebook and Twitter.  Then when you have a good following and solid schedule for those you can expand to others like Pinterest, Tumbler, Four Square, etc.  Here is my quick and dirty explanation of the difference between some of the social media sites in Social Media Explained.

4.  Tell Everyone

Carry business cards everywhere and tell everyone what you have been working on.  When friends ask you how you have been, tell them how busy you are with getting everything going.  Get them on your team and give them a couple cards so they can share with friends.  Friends and family are your best built in advocates.

Cheers!

Kristen

5 Steps to Creating Your Brand

We throw this word around like putting together your brand should just come naturally.  The truth is, it is incredibly challenging.  One of the main reasons this is so is because of how close you are to the brand.  How you perceive your brand may be completely different that someone on the outside looking in.  I have found this to be true for a lot of companies.  So, how do we remove those blinders?






Here are 5 steps to help get you started:

1. Write down one way your brand can go bigger and bolder than the competition.

In branding go big, think big and do big in all aspects; service, message and insight.

2.  Create a core that can operate independently and succeed.  

Work out how to get something done without the intervention of a committee.  This will help you with number 5 below, but think of possible scenarios and how you would deal with them to empower yourself and employees.

3.  Write down 3 ways your brand is different, or can be different that your competition.

Work hard to not blend in with the crowd.  Branding is the art of differentiation and a tool that will help your brand elevate you above the noise!

4.  Write down stupid ways to promote your brand.

Get it out of your system.  Those crazy ideas floating around in your head that seem completely out of control, but just might be a little bit genius .  Be real.  Be extraordinary.  One of my favorite marketing education sessions was a gal who worked for a shredding company.  Boring right?  Except her company made industrial size shredders - so she made an event out of seeing what they could shred.  After some couches and cars got demolished in their shredder and went viral on You Tube she made national headlines.

5.  Write down how your brand can be nimble, unbelievably responsive and pro-active.  

Prepare your brand for a speedy response.  Be ready when life happens and even more importantly be ready for opportunities as they present themselves.

Cheers!

Kristen

What is Branding and Why Do You Need It?

Last week we talked about doing the grunt work for your fantastic business idea.  What to ask, where to get the information and how to put it all together into a cohesive plan.  Now that you have that plan it  is time to come up with your brand or how you are going to present your stellar product to the masses.

What is branding?  

Branding is a holistic approach to your companies position, customer interactions and operations based on your company's values.  It helps you establish and nurture relationships with customers and partners.

What is a brand?

Your brand is a person's gut feeling about your company.  It's an emotional understanding of what your company is and does.  It is how your communications look, how you treat your interactions with customers and vendors, how you treat your employees.  It's how you answer the phone, how easy your website is to use, how quickly you react to customer needs, to the tone of your copywriting.

Why do you need a strong brand?

A strong brand can help to create customer loyalty.  The world's strongest brands don't just have customers or fans, they have advocates.  Your brand helps people know what to expect, and if this is consistent the goal is that they will recommend your brand to others.  Brand is what helps people understand what you do and most importantly, remember you.  The best marketing come from word of mouth referrals from your brand advocates!

A strong brand can also help you claim a bigger portion of the market, attract and retain better employees, block out competition and allow you to expand.  A great brand can help you lead the market and create a niche for yourself rather than trying to compete with what others have already figured out.  Having a great brand can give you more flexibility, higher staff morale, which leads to higher productivity.  It is not a face a company wears, or the colors in your logo, it is the entire experience of interacting with your company.

Cheers!

Kristen

Oink - A Case Study

It's a bit funny that we chose this month as the month to discuss new business start ups.  My husband is getting ready to graduate and get his business degree from Eastern Oregon University.  I feel like our whole family is graduating, it has been a long busy road for all of us, but I am so proud that he did it!  For his senior project, he has been tasked with writing a business plan for a business of his choice.

Anyone who knows my husband, knows he is a killer cook.  He is one of those that can just start throwing things into a pot and turn it into a masterpiece.  I love it, but my waistline does not.  We have always toyed with the idea of turning that into a business of some sort.  He doesn't want to start a full blown restaurant because he doesn't want to turn something he loves into an everyday thing and get burned out.  So, he has decided to write a business plan to start a food truck with some of his most famous recipes.  But, the genius part is that we will only take the truck out on weekends, or to festivals or special events.  So, it will not be an everyday thing.

So, I thought, what a great way to share tips and tricks about starting a business is letting you guys follow along the journey of getting this started.  Every once in a while I'll share some updates....and pictures of his delicious creations.  Here is what we have so far.

Truck Name: Oink
Concept: We will have two staple menu items and then rotate others seasonally.  The gimmick will be pork all sorts of ways.  We will get a whole pig and feature different cuts throughout the season.
Main Menus Items: 
Rolled Pork Tacos - pulled pork in a spicy Coke sauce rolled in a tortilla and flashed fried.  Topped with sour cream and homemade guacamole, served with homemade spanish rice.
Ground Pork Burgers - with a strawberry jalapeno sauce and asian slaw.
Bacon Bark in a Bag - for dessert candied bacon bark with a hint of spice.

I am drooling a bit just typing that out.  Oh, and the designer in me instantly came up with the logo above.  I know, jumping the gun a bit but I couldn't help myself.

We have decided to test the concept and one of the main recipes at the Mississippi Street Fair.  We have a fantastic friend who owns Mac! Mac and Cheesery and is going to let us tag along and use her kitchen as a commissary to prep for the day.  We will sell the rolled pork tacos and bacon bark in a bag.   This will be a great place to test the product and get some feedback from people who are not our families.

Stay tuned!

-Kristen