3 Tips to End the Year on a Business High Barry

Because I’m aware that everyone is really busy in the run up to Christmas - both at home and work - I thought I’d keep this month’s bulletin brief – with a few simple tips – and for those who do find themselves with a spare moment between the office party and closing the last critical deal of the year there are links through to more detailed ideas on the Second Opinion Marketing website.

Tip 1 - Know your market and your customers

And if you don’t know - make it your business to get to know.  It may sound obvious – but don’t assume you know them – ASK, and listen to what they tell you, however critical they may be.  It’s only by really understanding the market in which you operate and the customers that you serve that you can hope to continue to succeed.   If you are thinking of researching these things yourself take a look at Research – Using the Right Tools for the Job at - http://www.secondopinionmarketing.co.uk/articles/researchandmarketingintelligence/research.asp

Tip 2 - Use carefully planned and targeted marketing campaigns

There’s a hell of a lot of advice contained within this one single tip – but it is advice that most businesses ignore in favour of ad hoc marketing activity.    A planned campaign which can be scheduled in alongside your other work commitments is far more likely to succeed than a one off activity which is actioned on a whim.    Make sure that any campaign is carefully targeted – know who you want to reach, what you need to say to them to get a response and how you will handle the responses when they come through.   I use the term campaign – to indicate a coordinated set of activities, so that you maximise your possible returns.  In simple terms this means if you are a furniture retailer trying to sell more of one particular product (maybe to clear old stock) you review and where necessary adjust things like your website, point of sale materials, pricing policy, local press advertising – in addition to the planned sales activity around this product.  This way there’s more opportunity for the consumer to see your offer / hear your message which gives you a greater change of success.   For some advice on how you can avoid certain pitfalls read How to Avoid Expensive Marketing Mistakes http://www.secondopinionmarketing.co.uk/articles/planning/avoid.asp

Tip 3 - Be good at what you do

And I am sure all of our readers are.  And if you are – you will reap the rewards – through repeat business, recommendation and referrals.  But there is something that even the best forget to do – and that is to ask for referrals.

Whether you run a restaurant, a training company, a software house or a firm of solicitors, unless you ask for those referrals I can guarantee you’ll be missing out.   For more ideas on how to make sure people know you are good at what you do, read Get Your Business Noticed the Service Approach at ...

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