WomenCorp Radio

Reader Question...

With limited financial resources, I have to determine the best way to become visible to the audience. Is that direct mail, websites, or simply pounding the pavement?

Roxanne's Answer...

That's such a good question, I could spend all day on it.

For the sake of brevity, let me say that you are most visible when you're physically in front of the prospect. That can be done through public speaking, working side by side with them on committees or visiting them at their business, trade show, conference or wherever they might be located. That's where you have a chance for them to get to know, like and trust you.

People throw away loads of mail, they spend 8-10 seconds on a website and it's pretty hard to get past the guard just by dropping in.

So you must find a way to get in front of them where they have to notice you.

I'd say one of the easiest ways and least expensive ways of prospecting is to find an organization where your particular prospects can be found. Then, get visible by participating. Volunteer on committees that will either put you in front of a prospect, make them connect to you or let you work side by side with them. Would you believe most people don't ever make the effort? They just go to lunch and hope someone remembers them. Waste of time in my opinion.

Public speaking is also another easy way, if you like public speaking. Just be sure it's focused on where your prospects are going to be, not any old public speaking opportunity.

You can build that same relationship through continuous direct mail, but it's expensive. Emails are a good substitute, but then there are issues with sending mail to people who don't already know you and I wouldn't recommend it.

Blend your marketing to include getting in front of the prospect, then staying in front with the other methods of direct mail, press releases, emails and phone calls. The objective is to build their confidence in you because they won't buy from you unless they believe you.

Good luck with your marketing. I just know you'll succeed if you put yourself out there where you can be visible.

Roxanne

Reader Question...

What messages get women to stop and say "I need to be there!" when advertising to women in a newspaper for seminars?

Roxanne's Answer...

Now that's a question I bet a lot of marketing people ask themselves!

Getting women to stop their busy day and attend seminars can be like pulling teeth. Many women in business still manage their families lives too. Therefore, it has to be something that really makes them think they're going to improve their life or financial circumstances before they'll consider it.

Here's what I would do since I don't know what your seminars offer...
1. Find out what they want through a survey
2. Find out what words they use to describe what they want by reading their answers
3. Write headlines for your ads that use their words to describe the benefit they said they want.
4. Make it a limited time offer in which they can reply by offering a bonus or discount if they respond in a certain period of time, and make it short. This creates urgency.
5. Offer a discount if they bring a friend....some people do two for the price of one as an example.
6. Follow up by phone to build your relationship and once again encourage them to bring a friend so you double your prospects that way.

Hope this has been helpful. Women are the main purchasers of products and services in the average household, so marketing to women is smart. Just be sure it's what THEY want, rather than what you THINK they want.

This company offers easy tools to build online surveys that you can send to a network of women to identify what they want. You can also run ads that give the link to the survey and get even more response to help you in marketing to women. Go now and take a look.

Reader Question...

I don't know where to spend my advertising dollars. Is it better to spend it on newspaper or magazine publications that might stay around longer?

Roxannes' Answer...

The answer is, it depends. What are you selling and how often are you willing to advertise it?

If it’s a product or service that’s easy to order by phone or stop by, then sure, go ahead and advertise in the newspaper. But be sure to give incentives within your ad for people to actually take action. That could be a limited time coupon or discount just for “call now!”

If it's a magazine, is it one that gets circulated a lot and if so what can you offer that will cause a person to tear out your ad and take action? Is it a lot more expensive or a little more expensive? How many people will see it?

The reason it matters is that effective advertising is FREQUENT advertising. Can you afford it?

Industry studies have show that it takes people 5-7 times of seeing your message to begin to even recognize the name. It’s the rare bird who buys on first glance. More often, people have to get the idea in their head, mull it around, hear it again and again before they will take action. Therefore, if you commit to advertising anywhere it is not going to work unless you set up a program of doing it frequently and at least 5-7 times.

It doesn't have to be all in the same place either. Set up a campaign where you can be seen multiple times within a short period of time. For example...you can set up a scheduled campaign to insert an ad in the regional magazine, submit press releases to the largest newspaper, submit a story or press release to other publications like "widget today" if that's your market and send a note to your prospects with a copy of something that got published. Plan it, then coordinate the timing to release all this within a few weeks time and take action.

If you're really ready to rock, also see if you can get set up as a speaker or event coordinator for an organization where your prospects will see you. You can then suggest to the local radio station that they interview you for a few minutes to promote the event. Send email audio postcard to everyone you know including your prospects who are on the membership list to promote it further!

Reader Question...

Where can I find a list of prospects to pursue?

Roxannes' Answer...

There are several ways to develop a list of prospects.

I got my media contacts by buying the Industry Resource which had a list of every newspaper, radio station and television station. I got School prospects by digging on the State Dept of Education website and going to each districts' site which list each school including their staff.

Use Industry Guides as much as possible. Type your industry into an internet search program along with the word “guide” and see what comes up.Sometimes, professional or industry organizations have that list for sale or you can get it for free by joining the organization.

For example, if you are marketing to women business owners you might join and get the list of all those members of NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Lastly, there are list brokers. They specialize in putting together lists by industry and by zip code so you can break it down however you want. The cost could be 5 cents to 20 cents per name, but will save you a lot of time.

Readers Question...

I'm finally making a little bit of money in my small business but I don't know how to manage it. So I have two questions. 1. When should I pay myself? 2. How much should I leave in the company?

Thanks, Mary Anne

Roxannes' Answer...

Great Question! The reason I say that is that too many women business owners struggle and wait too long to take money from the company OR they spend it all which is not smart.

If you never reap the benefits of being a woman business owner, you'll get tired of it pretty fast. What happens is you start to lose your enthusiasm. In short, there's nothing to fuel your desire to work hard. Plus, you're not treating your business as a real business owner would.

Instead, make a plan. Because I have no idea what your profits are, I'll use a rule of thumb I used as a financial consultant with my clients. ALWAYS pay yourself first by setting aside 10% in savings for your long term goals. This could be a retirement or other investment account. I've seen many clients get rich over time this way.

Then, save 10-20% for short term needs. I've also seen companies go bankrupt when they hit a dry spell only because they had no savings.

For a business, set aside 5-10% for marketing to bring in more business as it's crucial to keep growing. About 40-60% of business income should cover your expenses including salaries. Pay yourself a small amount as a bonus and use it to just have fun! I

f you enjoy the results of your hard work, you are likely to continue. We use to set aside money to take a trip with our team, but I always paid myself a little bonus too for each sale I personally brought in. Then I might go buy a new pair of shoes or go out to a nice dinner as a reward to myself. It keeps you fresh and enjoying life! That helps keep your enthusiasm high and many a business has been built on enthusiasm.

Reader Question...

I can’t figure out where I lose my prospects, but though I manage to get in front of them, they’re still not buying. What am I doing wrong?

Roxannes' Answer...

Oh Lordy (as us southerners are prone to say). That’s a tall topic for such a short blog.

Here’s my advice. Begin to tune in to subtle changes in body language when your prospect begins to get restless, dismissive or starts looking around the room. It’s your cue as to where in the presentation you’re losing them. It's crucial to analyse in order to solve the issue.

It could be you are talking too much. That often happens because we’re nervous. For some reason I've noticed many people assume their job is to TELL all they know. Listening to someone go blah,blah,blah,blah...is just plain boring! But asking them questions precisely aimed at discovering how you can help them is far more effective. You get them talking and they’re always interested in what they have to say.

Then reconfirm what they told you were their issues by repeating it back “So I understood you to say that …”. It takes practice so try it on your spouse, friends, kids or whomever. Finally, ask “if I can provide a solution for that, would you be ready to implement immediately?”

Don't despair, though. Even bad sales skills can be overcome with good marketing. Just keeping in front of your prospect can make a hugh difference. That is why many smart marketing gurus and small business owners use entrepreneurs tools like Audio Generator to engage their prospects on a regular basis with informative or helpful hint audio postcards.

I've had plenty of prospects who in the short term told me no, just to come around a year or two later. I've done a little side marketing to help my husbands architectural business at various times over the years. It took me 3 years, four visits and three different contacts to land one of those prospects for my husbands business. That same prospect has given him over $400,000 in revenue since then. The longest one took 12 years, but they have now been a client for 6 years and keep on giving him work.

Remember, no matter what they tell you, things do change and if you're in contact so they remember you, it just might be that you'll benefit. Don't forget tools like Audio Generator that help you stay in front of your prospect without annoying phone calls.