Wheeler Design & Multimedia

Getting Your Marketing Organized

January 28th, 2008

by Cecilia Wheeler

January 28, 2008

There are many ways to market your business. When you travel you have a route mapped out, correct? Why not map out your marketing route? If you have a clear mapping of each of the marketing areas, you will be able to track what works and what doesn’t and get a clear direction of your marketing efforts.

Some of the areas of your marketing map may include:

Public Relations Map – Primary focus is on press releases through the print, online and television or radio media.
Speaking Presentations Map- Setting up speaking opportunities and tracking sales from these events.
Traditional Advertising Map– Ads for newspapers, magazines and other media.
Co-Op Advertising Map – Sharing the costs and teaming up with a complimentary company.
Promotions Map– Give-Aways, specials, sales, contests, etc.
Referrals and Networking Map- Give and you will receive through networking and current client follow-up. Track referrals you give as well as ones you get. Evaluate what networking events are working. But, be consistent in attending to get a true result. Networking takes time to build, it is not about direct sales it is about building a relationship of trust, which takes time.
Customer Service Map-.Follow up with your customers needs, and send specials to current customers that will result in referrals.
Internet or Viral Marketing Map- Keep track of email marketing tactics, free and paid websites advertising and more!

You should market your business through all of these facets. However, the key to their success is trying new things and keeping track of what works. For instance, in our business, referrals and networking is 87% of our business, therefore what area will we focus on? That doesn’t mean we will forget about the other facets of marketing, just that we will attend more networking events and keep up with good customer service. Referrals, come from networking in building business but it also touches on many areas of marketing maps, for instance, customer service. Therefore, we will track those results and keep up those areas. Keeping things organized and mapped out will help you be successful in your marketing efforts.

For More Tips to help you with your business, go to our tips page at http://www.businesslinksfl.com/tips.html

Got A Tip? Send it to ceciliaw@wheelerdm.com for consideration and if we use it, we will give author’s credit on the website!

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Are You “Sales-Minded” in Voicemail?

January 21st, 2008

by Cecilia Wheeler

January 21, 2008

Everyone is in sales in one way or another, especially if you own your own business. Don’t get stuck in voicemail indefinitely. If you do need to leave a message in voicemail, here are some things to keep in mind when you do:

The best days to leave make sales calls or leave a voicemail are Tuesday through Thursday. Monday’s are always busy with preparations for the week and Friday’s we all want to get out of the office.
You should keep in mind that calling is all in the timing. Earlier is better, but in some cases later in the day when people are out of meetings may work best.
If you need to leave a message, make the best of it, by introducing yourself , but the key is to be personable by linking your message to something of interest to the person you are calling.
Don’t leave information in full this could make them make a decision not to bother returning your call. Instead give them a call to action that will catch their attention or create a reason for them to call you back.
Keep it brief and to the point.

When leaving a message remember to:

Repeat your phone number at least twice.
Do not ask them to call you back, in fact this gives them the opportunity to ignore you.
Don’t tell them when you will call back, this is another opportunity to be ignored.
Do not leave your website address, yet another way they may decide not to call you back. Wait until you actually make contact to share this info.
When leaving a message, repeat the person’s name first name at least twice. Using their proper names gives a red flag as a sales call. Keep it more personal.
If this is a referral, make sure to mention who referred you in the message.

Break the barrier of voicemail by being more personal message not a sales message. Give them a reason to call you back and want to find out more. Voicemail can work to your advantage if you know how to leave a personal message that is upbeat and creative. Remember, even if you left a voicemail, it is your responsibility to call back to connect to the person directly. Use your voicemail as an opportunity to open the door to that next phone call.

For More Tips to help you with your business, go to our tips page at http://www.businesslinksfl.com/tips.html

Got A Tip? Send it to ceciliaw@wheelerdm.com for consideration and if we use it, we will give author’s credit on the website!

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Strategies to Help in a Tough Economy

January 14th, 2008

by Cecilia Wheeler

January 14, 2008

Our Economy may be in a slump, but that doesn’t mean our business has to be. Here are some important things to remember and to be consistent in doing to keep your business in the forefront, even in a tough economy.

First, Build relationships this is the easiest and surest way to build your business in good and bad times. Here are three ways to do this:
1. Network- this does cost a little bit for your lunch and gas, but what else would you be doing, everyone has to eat, why not make it a business expense and build relationships. Networking gets more results because future customers or referrals get to know and trust you as a person, not just an annoying phone call. But, if you network, be consistent, this will assure that when someone in that group does need your services or knows someone who needs your services you will be the one they call.
2. Current Clients- keeping in touch with current customers and giving them top notch customer service, specials and more will help keep you in their eyes for future purchases.
3. Current Clients plus their friends – keeping in touch with current clients not only assures they will come to you again, but if you treat them right they will refer you to friends. Maybe, even give them a special gift for referring a friend.
Add a shopping cart to your website – In today’s economy; people want to shop online to save gas. So, add a shopping cart to your website to insure maximum sales and convenience. It is worth the investment in adding one to your website. This way you increase your customer database. Need help in setting up ways to get paid through the internet, contact Bill Wheeler, Wheeler Design & Multimedia at 407-370-0875 or billw@wheelerdm.com for solutions on selling on the web.
Press releases- Publications love to hear about things happening in the community. Have you done any community service with your company, rewarded an employee, hired someone new or been given an award? These are just a few topics that can get you in the newspapers, the radio or TV. Maybe your business has a public service announcement. Why not let the community know about this helpful tips and promote your business as well.
Postcards-In tough times, this is the most effective and least expensive form of formal advertising. Keep it simple and eye catching and targeted to the best market for your business.
Speaking- Speaking for the community or businesses for free can get you and your business in front of people. This is one way to advertise you and your business for free to a room full of people with results.

So don’t just sit at your desk and worry about the economy. Take a proactive approach and get in front of the people to keep your business in front. In a tough economy, business wo: Setting Goals to be successful on How Much Money you want to make in 2008″n’t just come to you…you need to find ways to keep your business in the spotlight. During tough times everyone is looking for help so, look at ways you can help your customers.

For more tips to help you with your business, go to our tips page at http://www.businesslinksfl.com/tips.html

Got A Tip? Send it to ceciliaw@wheelerdm.com for consideration and if we use it, we will give author’s credit on the website!

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How To Be Successful in 2008

January 7th, 2008

by Cecilia Wheeler

January 7, 2008

Let’s admit it, we always start off with a bang in building our business, then we slow down, get too busy or even lazy. To keep on track with building your business you need to do a couple things.

First, you need to take a hard look at the past year and evaluate every aspect of your business in what worked and what did not. Look at and evaluate all of your marketing strategies, employee accomplishments and accountabilities, time spent vs income, etc.

Secondly, you need to set goals for the upcoming year. If you don’t have clearly defined goals that are attainable you will be running in the dark. Think of it this way, when you go on trip, you have a set time to leave and return and you a certain amount of things to accomplish while on your trip. Therefore, you plan your route, your activities and directions in a timely manner. If you set goals with a clear road map you will be able to accomplish them.

There are a few rules in goal setting.

1.First, the goal has to be something you REALLY want!

2. Goal setting is just that a goal that is achievable, not just a dream to get to someday. 3. Goals need deadlines.

4. Goals need to be written down in detail.

5. Goals need to be written in a positive way, not a negative way. For instance, don’t say it this way, “Get out of debt”, say “I want to achieve positive cash flow.”

6. Use action words in your goals to say what it is you want to achieve.

7. Define why you want to achieve the goal.

8. Define how you will achieve it.

We can choose to be successful by deciding what we want and define a clear road map on how to achieve then take it step by step to get to your goal. Stay focused and don’t give up. If one way doesn’t work try something else. You are the key to your success, be positive, set goals, ask for help when needed and create a step by step plan to get where you want to be and take action. Add to your goals one last thing a reward goal to give yourself and or your family is you achieve your goals for the year. Make it fun and be positive.

For more tips to help you with your business, go to our tips page at http://www.businesslinksfl.com/tips.html

Got A Tip? Send it to ceciliaw@wheelerdm.com for consideration and if we use it, we will give author’s credit on the website!

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Your Email is Your Business Lifeline

December 31st, 2007

by Bill Wheeler

December 31, 2007

Do you market your business through your email account? Did you know that your email is an extension of your business image? If you’re using a “free” email account now (like Hotmail, Yahoo!^® Mail or Google’s^® Gmail) it’s time to reconsider.

First of all, these are all great companies, but for business purposes, this is not your solution. Here are five important reasons why using “free email” is a bad idea:

It’s almost impossible to get an email address that’s easily useable for business purposes, let alone being memorable from your customer’s perspective. There are just too many people that were “ahead of you in line” that already reserved that great address from the free services.
You risk losing your account if you don’t use it within a certain time. Sure, that’s not a big deal if you use it only for casual, occasional contacts. But it’s crucial if you use it for certain business functions such as a monthly newsletter or accounts receivable, for example. If there are problems with your account and your email address is expired, you’re out of luck and someone else may have registered it under their name if it’s available from lack of constant use.
The old saying that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” is true of almost all of these email accounts, too. Every free email you send could include advertising insertions, or animated smiley faces for instance. Although they may be cute, do you really want advertising or email provider’s promotions as your image or brand when you’re conducting or presenting your business?
It’s more and more likely that online merchants won’t accept your on-line order. There is an alarming growth rate in fraud associated with these free accounts. Some merchants now are simply refusing to accept orders that originate from them.
There are restrictive limits on the size of your mailbox. Many of the free email services give you only 5 or 10 megabytes to work within. This is understandable with the millions of people that use these for occasional home use. There is a cost associated with the equipment that goes into providing these services. But in the business world, a PowerPoint presentation that you need to send to a business prospect may easily exceed this, and then what do you do? A business account should have at the minimum 25 megabytes to keep your business moving forward. With the amount of spam that also comes in, with a small email account, do you want to spend your time cleaning it out all the time?

Many free email providers charge extra for POP access to your mail. This extra charge is often more than what it costs to get a domain and email account from us for a year. Our accounts all come with POP and Webmail access as part of each package.

So, if you’re relying on a free email account, it’s time to reconsider. We recommend a robust, unique, personalized email account from a vendor (like Wheeler Design & Multimedia) that works with and promotes YOUR domain name. Promote your domain with a personalized, easy-to-remember address! Click here for more information.

When you host with Wheeler Design & Multimedia, your email account is fast, ultra-reliable and secure. It offers unique YourName@YourDomainName.com personalization. It’s POP3 configured and we NEVER put advertising in your email. It allows you to send and receive email using popular email clients and mobile devices like Microsoft^® Outlook^®, Outlook Express, Blackberry^® devices and more.

For more tips to help you with your business, go to our tips page at http://www.businesslinksfl.com/tips.html

Got A Tip? Send it to ceciliaw@wheelerdm.com for consideration and if we use it, we will give author’s credit on the website!

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Understand What Pricing Decisions Will Do To Your Business

December 3rd, 2007

by Jorge Marquez

It’s The Cash Flow, LLC

December 3, 2007

Most companies have enormous pressure to increase sales, and the sales force usually responds by offering extra terms, lowering prices or whatever the customer asks for.
In turn, most customers will buy more than they should, to take advantage of the special conditions, however, now they have created a problem for themselves. They think that since they will not pay until they sell the merchandise, they have nothing to lose. Little do they realize that there is a carrying cost, which is hidden, but that can be significant in most companies.
Now that the cycle has been established, it will be repeated many times over in the future until one of the companies realizes that they must have a better business model in this relationship.
Let’s look at several scenarios of how one component of sales, the sales price, can have huge cash flow implications. If you have a business with high gross margins, and you give a discount, you are able to survive the impact much easier than those with lower margins.

If your gross margin is 70% and you reduce the price by 10%, you need the volume to increase by 17% to maintain your original gross margin.
If your gross margin is 30% and you reduce the price by 10%, you need the volume to increase by 50% to maintain your original gross margin.
If your gross margin is 30% and you reduce the price by 20%, you need the volume to increase by 200% to maintain your original gross margin.

Unfortunately most companies that are in trouble, this is exactly what they do. They think they will increase their revenue by offering lower prices, not realizing the volume increase they must generate in order to just get back to where they were before the price reduction. Rarely has such a strategy worked in the past, and it’s unlikely to work in the future. Now due to the action taken of offering a discount, their problems are worse.
Is it any wonder that since prices are the first to be decreased when a business wants more sales in the hopes that the additional volume will off-set it, that many businesses end up being in more financial trouble? Many businesses do not take the time to make the calculation of the financial results of the plans they put in place, before their implementation. If they did, many would see that the results they are seeking are not very realistic.

For more tips to help you with your business, go to our tips page at http://www.businesslinksfl.com/tips.html

Got A Tip? Send it to ceciliaw@wheelerdm.com for consideration and if we use it, we will give author’s credit on the website!

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It’s That Time Of Year Again!

November 26th, 2007

by Cecilia Wheeler

November 26, 2007

The holidays are here or as some same opportunity days! Why do some call it opportunity days? The holiday season gives us the opportunity to connect with new and existing clients in a non-threatening way. Below are some ways to utilize the holiday to draw new customers and reconnect with past and present customers.

Have a sale! This could be a holiday open house to showcase your products and services. There are several things you could do with this opportunity.
1. Give a big discount during your open house.
2. Give a free gift for coming in
3. Make it a thank you to your past and current customers
4. Show your customers new and old that you care!
Send all your past and present customers a holiday card. Maybe even put in a special gift or discount for returning customers.
In your invoices wish them a Happy Holiday and send a calendar, something useful or a discount.
Send out an email for the Holiday wishing them a wonderful Holiday with the logo’s of your top clients.
For your top clients do a gift basket or specialty gift to show your appreciation. You can contact people like Adrienne Barker of Barker Specialties or Darlene Burke of Marketing World (see www.businesslinksfl.com) for all your needs.

The Holidays gives you opportunities to connect with new customers, old and present customers. Draw them in with sales, discounts, gifts and appreciation to make this holiday season your best ever!

For more tips to help you with your business, go to our tips page at http://www.businesslinksfl.com/tips.html

Got A Tip? Send it to ceciliaw@wheelerdm.com for consideration and if we use it, we will give author’s credit on the website!

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I Object!

November 12th, 2007

by Cecilia Wheeler

November 12, 2007

How do you handle objection in your sales? There are many ways to handle objections in sales. The first rule of objection is not to take it personally. Everyone has their own situations, reasons and they are not necessarily saying no to you, but no in general. Here are just a few techniques that may help you handle those objections.

Listen and Empathize with them to show you care. By listening to their concerns you build a relationship and trust that you want what’s best for them. Let them know you understand how they feel but you also believe in what you are selling. Being caring doesn’t mean you have to hold back on your belief or integrity. We are all human and all have reasons, maybe theirs is personal. All you can do is be understanding, honest and supportive. Maybe in the future they will remember you integrity and empathy to believe in your venture too.
Repeat = Acknowledge. This is an extension of number 1. Show that you are listening by acknowledging their feelings and try repeating what they said to show them you are truly listening.
Stop and think. Don’t just jump in on the persons objection. Stop and take time to contemplate their reasons and objections. Use it as a learning process not a defensive course.
Identify the objection. Yet another way to show you are truly listening. By identifying why they don’t want your product or service you can intelligently respond and possibly turn the objection into something positive.
Show interest and ask questions. Even when someone says no, be curious in finding out ways you can improve. This will help them as well by showing that you want to improve yourself and your product or service.

The way you handle an objection says a lot of who you are and your integrity. Would you go back to someone who didn’t handle your objections well? Would you give the person who took the time to understand why you objected a second chance? There are many ways to address an objection. Try these suggestions and watch for more to come. Remember, you can’t please everyone, but you should give it a try.

For more tips to help you with your business, go to our tips page at http://www.businesslinksfl.com/tips.html

Got A Tip? Send it to ceciliaw@wheelerdm.com for consideration and if we use it, we will give author’s credit on the website!

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How Do You Do It?

November 5th, 2007

by Cecilia Wheeler

November 5, 2007

We say the key to increasing your business and success in networking is to build the relationship. But, how do you do that? Below are a few suggestions in building a successful relationship that will ultimately drive up sales through networking.

Listen and communicate: Everyone has a different approach and responds to different types of approaches. Are you a visual learner or tactical learner? Watch, observe, and listen to others reactions, responses and approach methods, before jumping into the conversa-tion. This observation period can help you find the right approach in building the relationship.

Be open to hearing to new ideas and strategies of others. Understand-ing and being open minded can help open the door to your relationship.

Build Trust and reliability: Being consistent in networking helps develop the trust and reliability factor. Simply by being at the meetings consistently shows that you believe in your business and are willing to be there for the client. Also, if you are asked to provide information, speak or bring something or do something, DO IT!

Be yourself , be honest: People can see through facades, so be your-self, show your personality and be honest about who you are and what you offer.

Be a contributor and resource: If you are willing to put forth an effort in the group by providing information they can use, they will remember you and trust in you to build a solid relationship that will be helpful to them.

Stay connected: After you meet someone at a networking function contact them as soon as you can to reconnect and start building the relationship. Send a glad to have met you note or a follow up letter on things you discussed at the meeting.

Respect: Most of all is to be respectful of the other persons needs, ideas and overall business. Show an interest in theirs and they will come back with an interest in yours.

Building relationships is the most profitable thing you can do for your business. Therefore, follow these simple rules and your referrals and sales will increase.