The Success Center

Thanksgiving is this week which marks the official beginning of the holiday season and signals the end of the year. This time of year, entrepreneurs try to capitalize on the holidays by offering promotional services and discounts to new customers. This is especially true with campaigns like Small Business Saturday that encourage consumer spending with local businesses the day after Black Friday.

But, while you focus on running special holiday promotions for new customers, don’t forget about your old ones. Take stock of the many blessings your past customers have given you. Now is the time to reach out and ensure their continued loyalty well into the new year.

Here are a couple of ideas to help you do it;

• Mail them a holiday thank you card. In a world of Facebook messages, Twitter Direct Messaging, and email a physical piece of mail is surprisingly valuable. Write a short note thanking them for supporting you this year and add a a print-out of your current holiday promotions. They’ll appreciate the gesture.
• Take 5 minutes to call and check-up on your past customers. If you provided excellent customer service to them before, they’ll be thrilled to hear from you. Don’t mention your holiday promotions unless they ask about them and keep the conversation short. They’ll appreciate the call and will keep you in mind when they need help again.
• Create an exclusive discount or promotional for past or longtime customers. This can be 20-30% off a new order but, make sure that they know it’s only for them and not new customers. They’ll feel really valued as a customer and continue to work with you.
• Send your customers a gift. I’m not talking about buying everyone one of your clients a new TV – let’s be realistic here. But, a $10 or $20 Walmart, Target, or Amazon gift card along with a holiday card would be nice. You’ll only make that $10 or $20 back when they put in their next order from you…
• Create a referral booklet featuring your current clients. This may take a little time to put together but the value you create for your clients is invaluable. Put all of your clients’ information (business name, number, website info, etc.) in booklet form and mail it to them.If you’re unsure about what to include and what not to include, ask your clients. They’ll let you know what information is OK to print and which isn’t. The idea of the booklet is to highlight your customers and offer the idea of a mini-referral network between them. This idea of connection is extremely valuable and they’ll love you for it!

Small businesses are powerful because of the special care and personal attention we give to our customers. It’s this personal touch that will keep them coming back to you and not going to “the big boys.” What ways will you create value for your current or past customers this holiday season? Did I miss anything in this short list? Add your thoughts and answers in the comment section below.

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About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Apple's iPhone 4S

The internet almost exploded in a fusion frenzy of Apple news yesterday. The Cupertino consumer electronics giant announced the next successor in its line of iPhone products, the iPhone 4S. After all the hype, buzz, leaks, and flame wars, Apple only released an incremental update instead of the highly anticipated iPhone 5.

The big question now is,

Should business owners buy the iPhone 4S?

According to Ramon Ray of Smallbiztechnology.com, entrepreneurs looking to upgrade should look elsewhere.

He says,

The new iPhone 4s has options for lots of memory (up to 64GB), faster and more powerful camera, voice commands, wireless backup and synchronization between Apple devices with iCloud. Overall the iPhone 4S is an improvement.

However, for small business owners who are confused and wondering, “hmm….should I ditch my current iPhone and buy this new device?”. No.

I would have to agree. At least, for current business owners with iPhones. The phone is great and Apple’s new voice assistant, Siri, looks promising. However, I think you can find all that and maybe more in an Android device and maybe even a Windows Phone 7 handset.

And, if you’ve forgotten, I’m still a firm believer that the original iPad is still one of the best tools your business can buy. Check out this video for a full review.

That’s just my two cents about it. Anyway, if you missed yesterday’s news, take a look at the video below. Check out the source link for Ramon’s full remarks and let me know if you’ll be waiting in line for the new phone in the comments below.

Source: Smallbiztechnology.com 

Can’t see the video above? Click this link to watch on Youtube instead.
 

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About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Update: Apple just announced it’s iPad 2 which will ship with a dual-core processor, 2 cameras, thinner profile, Facetime video chat, same great battery life, and more apps. Full review coming soon. Until then, the original may have just gotten better [expect to hear about a price drop soon].

There’s no doubt that the iPad 2 will be an awesome tool for business users, but the original is still great as is. Check it out!

Note: All products linked in this article are affiliate links. I’ll never recommend anything I wouldn’t buy. All the links are from trusted 3rd parties and nothing less.

The iPad is the best device on the market for movies, music, games, and more. According to Wikipedia, Apple released the iPad in April 2010, and sold 3 million of the devices in just 80 days; a true testament to it’s multimedia dominance. However, would you believe me if I told you it’s a great companion device for entrepreneurs as well?

Imagine going to a client meeting without your laptop and instead pulling out a multimedia powerhouse with everything you needed to seal the deal. As entrepreneurs we have a need to bring the office with us instead of constantly being tied to a desk. The iPad presents a unique shift in mobile entrepreneurship with its design, mobility, and scalability.

In this week’s episode of The Big Business Show, I’m going to count down the top 5 reasons you should buy an iPad for your business. I’ll also share with you a few apps that’ll help you keep your business running smoothly while you’re on the go.

For all you WordPress using pro-blogger types, check out the Padpressed plugin. It not only makes your WordPress blog iPad friendly, it makes it behave like an iPad app. Whenever someone visits your blog with their iPad they get swipe gestures, touch navigation, and more just like an app.

Note: For more tips, tools, and resources to help you make your blog mobile friendly, check out HOW TO: Make a Mobile Version of Your Blog [iPad Too!]

Enjoy the show, it’s 3 minutes of non-stop total action, thrills, and . . . ok, maybe not all of that, but I think you’ll like it. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments below.

Check out more episodes of The Big Business Show right here!

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About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Image via PMQ

Like every entrepreneur, I swim through a ton of emails every day. Mostly from current clients, people interested in my services, and even from a few folks who claim that I won the lotto (and all they need is my bank info to wire the money) . . .

But, every once in a while,  readers like YOU send me questions about your businesses. I try my best to answer everyone, but I admit, sometimes I can be a little slow to respond. So, I’d like to share some of these great questions that I’ve been getting lately. These are things that many of you have or will experience at some point as a business owner.

If you have a question for me concerning YOUR business, drop me a line by filling out this form. I promise to do better in responding in a timely manner.

Enjoys these letters to the editor. Leave your two cents in the comments below.
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Susan Long

I am opening a business in a rural town. I want to do it debt free and so far, I have been blessed with the resources I need to make progress every week. Today, I was tempted to purchase the needed equipment at Lowe’s because they have 18 months same as cash. I am hesitant to do this because I don’t know if the business will be successful or not and I don’t want to be stuck with a 3500.00 bill and no extra income to pay for it. Do you have any suggestions?

Hi, Susan, thanks for sending it that great question. To be straight up and honest with you, You know what you have to do. You were hesitant in purchasing that equipment for a reason. You should maximize EVERYTHING that you have first, build up some cash flow, then buy the equipment you want with cash. You mentioned, “I have been blessed with the resources I need to make progress every week.” So what’s the rush?

Take it from me, if you buy that piece of equipment and can’t afford to pay off the debt, it’ll haunt you [and your credit score] for the rest of your life.

Rod

Recommended Resources: 5 Ways to Start a Business without Going into Debt, 5 Free Ways to Market Your Business

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Keven Joslin

Rod,

I subscribe to your blog and I am very happy about the content that you put out. [I'm] not sure if this is in your line of business. I’m a struggling inven-trepreneur (inventor, entrepreneur) who would like to start his own business but [with] the economic downfall of this country it is virtually impossible to obtain a loan. Other alternative would be VC or Angel investor.

So I have decided to license my invention to manufacture[s] or companies intrested in my invention. Do you have any advice.

Regards,

Kevin

Thanks, Kevin!

It typically costs inventors more in bringing the idea to life than it does to bring it to market. So, I feel your frustration with the economy and the need for capital for your invention. However, until you can land a big licensing deal, manufacturing partner, or business partner; look to alternative methods of bringing your invention to market. For instance, go the back-door-route and instead of focusing on the product, think of your marketing. Partners, venture capitalist, and etc. make it easy for brands with public support to get money. Start building a platform for your invention to launch from.

Start networking on Linkedin and getting involved with angel investor groups online. Get a community to rally around your knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of the issues the product is supposed to solve [Blogging is an excellent way to do this!].

Once you have your platform built, brand set, and community ready, it’ll be a lot easier finding the funding you need to manufacture your product!

Rod

Recommended Resources: HOW TO: Build a Brand for Your Business, HOW TO: Build a Marketing Base for Your Business

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Dan Black

I have a quick question for you. I have a blogspot.com account but want to have my own website (with the ability for people to easily subscribe to my blog, follow me on social networking sites, re-posting ability.) Your website is a great example!

I have been researching godaddy.com and bluehost,com. I was wondering where you go for your hosting and web design? And any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you, Dan Black

Hey, Dan, thanks for the compliment. One thing I’ve figured out, whenever you start self-hosting your blog, you’re never done “setting it up.” You’ll always find something to tweak, change, add, or subtract.

Godaddy and Bluehost are great web hosts and are very affordable for setting up a blog (especially WordPress). However, I swear by my host, Fused Network [Aff link]. They’re not cheap but they won’t cost you your first unborn child either. I’ve been with them for almost 2 years and their service pays for itself over time.

I’m glad to hear you’re ready to move from a “free blog” to a self-hosted version. The benefits of which are; the ability to make money online (ad revenue, sponsorships, affiliate sales, etc), the ability to build a community, the community to launch a brand, and more!

Selecting a web host is actually the easy part. It’s actually developing a blog that’ll achieve the goals you want that’s the tough part. However, I’ve got a ton of tools for you on my resources page. Check it out whenever you get a chance.

Best of luck!

Rod

Recommended Resources: 4 Pillars to Building a Successful Blog, 7 Keys to Blogging Success

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Need some advice on how to market your business? Are you stuck in an entrepreneurial rut? Get help by writing me here!

Note: All of the recommended resources come from the Best Of page. Check out even more tips and my best advice for business success!

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About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Do Your Customers Evangelize for Your Business?

What is an evangelist?

An “evangelist” in the simplest sense is “a bringer of good news.” Its derived from “eu” which means “good.” Plus “angellein” which means “announce.”

Evangelist have a sense of mission and purpose about spreading their news…hence the term “mission-ary.”

The same fervor an evangelist has for the Gospel, a customer evangelist has for a product or service.

You NEED customer evangelists for your business. All the marketing and advertising in the world can’t replace them. Why? Because marketing is YOU talking about you; customer evangelism is THEM talking about you.

Which do you think is more valuable?

No matter what you choose, here are 5 fundamentals of customer evangelism every entrepreneur should know:

1. Customer Evangelists Only Promote Great Products

Not an “ok”, “not too bad,” or a thingamabobdoohicky. But a GREAT product! Evangelists don’t preach “ok” they proclaim things that they believe will turn the world upside down!

Make your products great by listening to your customers, incorporating their feedback, and making things they actually want to use. Use polls, quizzes, and surveys to garner feedback of your products, services, and make adjustments from there.

2. Customer Evangelists Promote Things That Are Bigger Than them

It’s no secret that purpose-driven companies go further than their counterparts. And who’s the poster child of a purpose-driven company? You guessed it: Apple.  From  the start Apple had one purpose: change the world with breakthrough technology.

When Jobs was thrown out, the company lost sight of that purpose: choosing to focus more on marketing than on engineering–pointing out past successes than looking for future opportunities.

This cant be stressed enough: great entrepreneurs have a purpose beyond making money. They set out to change the world in some way. And evangelists make sure to promote those companies.

3. Customer Evangelists Like to Feel Special

Say what you want about Lady GaGa… but one thing you have to respect her for: she knows how to take care of her fans! How? She never calls her fans “fans”…instead she calls them “Little Monsters” after her album “The Fame Monster”; she calls fans…uh…excuse me…”Little Monsters”…during her shows and invites them to have a drink with her.

Whether it be exclusive offers, invites to special events, making them a mayor…whatever it takes…show them its a great privilege to be an evangelist.

4.  Customer Evangelists Love To Share

This is almost a no-brainer, especially in this social media age. But the concept of sharing has been around before Facebook. The benefits of social media are immense! Just ask Cisco…they used social media to shave $100,000 off a product launch.

5.  Customer Evangelists Like To Feel Included

NO ONE likes to feel like a puppet. And the best way to make people feel like they’re a “part of something” is… to make them a part of something! Evangelists are not mindless mics, they’re people who promote what they believe in and are a part of.

The Apostle Paul said: “We are laborers together with God.” (1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV) In other words: “We’re partners and co workers together in this.”

Make your apostles and prophets feel like partners. Instead of answering every user’s question set up a forum where users can answer each others questions, ask what items you should carry in your store, create a round table discussion group (maybe once a quarter or so) and so on. You can use services like Tinychat for such meetings.

Afterthoughts

Customers evangelists are a powerful asset to start-up companies and entrepreneurs. Make them feel special enough and they’ll drum up support for your product or service automatically! What other fundamentals of customer evangelist can we learn from major corporations, small businesses, sports authorities, or even entertainers? How are you evangelizing your customers online? What about off-line? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

About the Author

Mike Holmes

Michael Holmes is an author, speaker, and blogger. On his blog he teaches Biblical Strategies for Startups.

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For Many Entrepreneurs, Family Comes First!

When you are starting a new business, you need all the support you can get. This is especially true of your spouse. If your partner second-guesses many of the decisions you make in the beginning of your new business venture, understand that she is simply concerned about your livelihood as a family.

1. Get informed and keep your spouse informed

4. Plan for multiple income streams

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Tai Goodwin

About the Author Tai Goodwin is a career and business coach who helps service-based entrepreneurs launch theirbusiness while working full-time. The founder of the Brilliant Network Mastermind, Tai is the co-hostof Small Biz Chat on Twitter and Your Brilliant Success on BlogTalk Radio. She offers business start-upplanning at www.careermakeovercoach.com.

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Are You on the Social Media Marketing Bandwagon?

If you followed along with the Social Media Marketing Success Series (links to the recap post) last week then you know that the final and most important part of social media marketing is asking for the sale.

Well, I believe I’ve put together an awesome service that will solve a lot of your social media marketing problems and I’m asking for your business. This package deal was put together for groups, organizations, bloggers, entrepreneurs, small business owners who are not maximizing social media for their business.

If you’ve already got a blog and are maximizing social media for your business, then you might give my success coaching or other services a try. I guarantee I can help you take your business, brand, or blog to the next level. Watch the video below and you’ll find the details of the package after it.

Note: Seems as though Vimeo doesn’t like my webcam at all so there are a few audio sync issues. My apologies, I’m working with tech support to see what quality of video I need to upload in the future. Thank you for your patience.

Having trouble viewing this video? Watch it on Vimeo instead!

Social Media for Business Launch Package

Need an “all-in-one” solution to maximizing social media marketing for your business? This package includes a new brand identity, web presence, and content creation to launch you into social media marketing success!

• Custom Logo Design
• Business Card Design (Print options offered once design is complete.)
• Domain Name
• Web Hosting
• WordPress Blog Installation & Set-up (includes plugins, social buttons, and more!)
• Customized Facebook Fan Page
• Customized Twitter Background
• Customized Email Newsletter Template
• 1 Month of Success Coaching Services (1 session per week – You’ll learn the ins and outs of social media marketing, how to maintain your blog, and more!)
• 1 Month of Blog Content Creation (Tailored for your business, industry, products, and services!)
• 1 Month of Twitter Content & Updating
• 1 Month of Facebook Fan Page Content & Updating
• 1 Month of Custom Newsletter Content Mail-outs

Investment: Only $495 (payment plans are available!) – Call 1-415-ROD-KRBY [763-5729] or Email me NOW for Details!

P.S. - Want exclusive discounts, deals, and specials on every service listed? Sign-up for my “Success Tips!” newsletter! Subscribers get coupons, news, and info before everyone else does – plus great tips for marketing their business.

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About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Need to Reposition Your Business?

Imagine sending out a mass email telling your clients that you’re quitting and closing down shop. You explain to them that you’ve decided to move on professionally and that you would no longer be available to work on their projects. Can you sense the hesitancy in pushing the send button? Can you imagine the nervous and worried expression that would be strained across your face? This is exactly what I did in early 2007 when I stopped doing graphic design and website development.

I was in a transitional period in my life where I wanted to teach entrepreneurs more and design less. I wanted to make money for my thoughts, experience, and wisdom and I just couldn’t do that designing logos and fliers. Some of my clients understood my position and others were really worried as to how they would keep their projects afloat. I had to explain that “when God is ready for you to move into new territories . . . you gotta drop everything and move.” When you get that feeling then you know it’s time to reposition yourself for success. Last week, I explained how to do just that within your career. Today let’s explore what to do when it comes to your business.

Why reposition yourself in the first place?

The whole goal of repositioning yourself is to #1 – maintain the success you’ve attained and #2 – make strategic moves to become more successful. Pretty simple, wouldn’t you agree?

As a graphic designer I had plenty of clients but I didn’t have a sense of fulfillment in what I was doing. I got more joy in teaching entrepreneurs how to market themselves and how to use the web in advertising their businesses. I wanted to make the change from graphic designer to business coach. In order to do so there were a few things that I had to do.

Leave the extra baggage behind!

As I said, at the start of this article, I had to drop a lot of my clients in order for me to move on and get to the next level. I know what you’re thinking, “Rod, why wouldn’t you just keep them and offer your new services to them?” For the most part, these were established small business owners and churches outside of my target market. They just needed someone to design their fliers, logos, and work with their website . . . they didn’t want me to tell them how to be successful. So why bother? It’s better to leave extra baggage behind than let it slow you down if you’re trying to move. If you hold on to it, you might end up damaging it unnecessarily during the move. And that’s just a pain in the butt. So leave it! Here are a few suggestions on what to do once you’ve “left your baggage” behind;

• Keep in contact with your clients and maintain a referral network. This will allow you to pass new business to them and get business from them no matter what new product or service you’re offering.
• Don’t totally leave them in the dark, make recommendations of other vendors that can possibly take over their projects.
• Maximize social networking to keep in touch. I use Facebook to maintain business relationships and create a greater sense of community among my peers.

Money DOES Grow on Trees, Shake Your Tree of Creativity!

Feeling lead to speak and consult I had to create new products, services, and totally revamp my offerings. I didn’t look for affiliate products to sell or network marketing products (Most of you know how I feel about network marketing anyway). Instead, I created new products and services for my target market. The first was an audio book called, Leadership Wisdom from Proverbs. I started a seminar series which I derived from the content of the audio book. Both were pretty successful and I knew that I was were I was supposed to be professionally. Here are a few tips on creating products and services for your repositioned business;

• Do some research to find out what your market needs. Use tools like Twitter, polls, and surveys to listen and organize information for your benefit.
• Don’t just look for other people’s products to sell, look within your own talents, skills, and abilities. I made my audio book from my computer with software I already owned, you can too!
• Think outside the box! Come up with a combination of products or services and judge which ones will produce the best return on investment.
• Don’t totally discard your current offerings of products or services. You might be able to tweak them (add and subtract portions) to fit your new business model.

Take the iron out of the farmer’s hand and brand yourself!

Even though I turned over a new business leaf I still had people calling me to do design work for them. The phone conversations were pretty interesting, “Yes, I used to do graphic design, no, I’m sorry, but I won’t able to do that for you.” I had to stick to my guns and you will to. The best way to get your message across without hurting feelings is to brand yourself (or in this case, re-brand yourself). Personal branding gives you the power to control people’s perceptions of who you are or what you do. Here are a few basic tips to get you started;

• Set up your name as your domain (website address) – notice that The Success Center’s web address is rodkirby.com, I assure you that this wasn’t by accident. My thinking is, when people want to find success, they’ll find me. It’s got nothing to do with my ego and everything to do with how I want people to perceive who I am and what I do.
• If you’re already using social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook change your posting strategy to reflect who you want to attract. If you’re repositioning yourself to be a lawyer, find useful tips, articles, and things in your life to share that reflects that. You can read up on using Twitter for business here.
• Revamp your website or start a blog dedicated to your “new self.” Give people one dedicated place to connect with you, buy from you, or engage with your new “identity.”

Marketing isn’t Dead if you do it right!

If you’re going to position your business to be successful in a new market you’ve got to maximize every available tool to get the word out. This may mean investing in traditional avenues of marketing or giving your time to social media. Do whatever works for you. Here a couple of tips to help you make it through;

• Narrow down your social media tools to the ones you’ll invest the most time in. Having a wider range of tools and profiles only disengages you with your market and wastes time. Here are my Top 3 Social Media Tools for Business.
• Re-design your marketing materials to reflect your new brand and distribute them at conferences and events. Be sure to include your social media outposts so that people can reach out to you no matter what platform they’re on.
• Plan on attending industry events and conferences to enhance your profile, grow an email list, and make connections. Check out AllConferences.com for events listed in industry or area.

When in Doubt, Seek Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding

Whenever you’re in a transitional state of your life, your decisions will have an impact on your business. Whether it’s positive or negative will be determined on the quality of your decisions. So, go into your quiet space and pray for the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to make quality decisions.

Luke 11:9 says,

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace!

What else can be added to this list? What is your current position with your business? Do you feel like you’re being successful or is it time to reposition yourself for success? When I stopped designing and started speaking and coaching I knew that I had made the best decision for my life. Since that time things have grown, changed, and I continue to reposition myself and my business ideals.

I keep referring to my friend Latara because she actually gets the idea behind repositioning. She understands it and it’s exciting to see other people who “get it.”

LaTara Ham-Ying said,

As for me, I am continually in a repositioning mode because as an entrepreneur I believe that we must always be looking for something new and evolving so that your business stays fresh. As you evolve, God gives you new insight into what you need to do for your business.

Flickr image by Alejandro

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Are you headed for success?

(This post was originally published in October 2009 and was updated with new content!)

If a media mogul, with a net worth of half a ba-jillion dollars, offered to share his or her secrets of their success, would you listen? I don’t know about you, but I’d be willing to listen and learn from any media mogul who wanted to share anything with me!

The wisdom, knowledge, and understanding you could gain from that person would definitely be worth paying for. However, there is one requirement to gaining access to this free knowledge, you have to sign-up for their newsletter and share it with all your friends. Would you do it?

I think the majority of you would because you want to take your business to the next level. That’s the place where opportunities come to you instead of you having to knock on doors to find them. That’s where success, prosperity, and the freedom to live your life the way you want is. How do you get there?

You Have to Make Strategic Marketing Moves

Getting the word out about your blog, website, business, products, or services is key to business growth. People won’t know who you are if you don’t tell them. Common sense right? Yet, the Small Business Administration says;

[In 2008] There were 627,200 new businesses, with 595,600 business closures, and 43,546 bankruptcies.

As an entrepreneur I have to believe that one of the primary reasons for all the closures and bankruptcies has  to do with their marketing plans. I can’t help but wonder, “how did they spend their advertising dollars?” Did they do what typical businesses do and overspend on print marketing and TV spots? Sure, the economy did make things harder for entrepreneurs . . . but not impossible. That’s why you have to make strategic marketing moves to position yourself for success.

Want to know the greatest marketing secret ever? You’ll be surprised along with some ways to maximize the technique.

So, what are the secrets to growing your small business?

1. Maximize tools, resources, and information that you already have

If you have a laptop, a mobile phone, and a car then you’ve got an office. Don’t limit your thinking to what you don’t have because God equipped you with everything you need to succeed. If there’s a piece of equipment that’s a “gotta have,” then continue to work with what you have until you can afford it.

Resource: 5 Free Ways to Market Your Business

2. Build relationships with prospects and create clients for life

Don’t go for the quick sale. Take the time to get to know people, what they want, and what they need. Doing so positions you to generate long-term sales and success. Not doing that makes you sound like a pushy used car salesman . . . and no one wants to buy from that guy.

Want my best advice on building relationships? Check out 10 Ways to Build Relationships and Keep Clients for Life

3. Brand your company and distribute a unique message that declares who you are and what you’re about

What company comes to mind when you hear “We love to see you smile?” What about, “Just do it?” These are themes associated with company brands. You can have that same power but it doesn’t come over night. It’s something you have to build piece by piece consistently. When I went to Social Camp Memphis this year there were people who knew who I was before I said anything to them. That’s the power of personal branding. Make it work for you!

Resources: Check out How to Use Social Media to Build Your Brand Locally and listen to my show Personal Branding 101 with Ronald Wilsher

4. Leverage social media and traditional marketing in a way that yields real results

A real result is one that makes a physical impact on your local market. If you can network on Twitter and as a result create relationships that leads to business in your city then you’ve got yourself a real result. Whether you like it or not, social media isn’t a fad and it’s not going away anytime soon. Are you leveraging it to make real results for your business?

Resources: You’ll enjoy my post, The Recipe for Social Media Sales Success – in it I share how social media marketing can help you make real dollars and cents. Also, take a look at 35 Keys to Social Media Success by Chris Brogan. Chris shares some valuable info for entrepreneurs who are venturing into social media marketing.

The Bottom Line

You have to build your business with these four walls in order for it to grow and succeed. A tool that can help you build your business and take it to the next level is my newsletter, “Success Tips!”.  I mail out tips and advice on marketing and growing your business. If the Success Center is a grand buffet then “Success Tips!” is a plate full of meat that promotes strong business muscles. Each edition builds on one of the four walls of business success above. Don’t take my word for it, look at what others have to say about it;

What Should You Do Next?

So, you’re all stirred up and ready to take your blog, business, product, or service to the next level. . .now what? Remember the ba-jillionaire’s requirements for gaining access to his free knowledge at the beginning? The process is as simple as 1, 2, and 3.

Step 1 - Sign-up
Enter your email address below. I hate spam as much as you do so I WILL NEVER sell, rent, or abuse your contact information. Once you’ve signed up, check your email in-box for my welcome letter and be sure to add rodsuccesscenter (at) gmail.com to your safe list.

Note: You can read through the newsletter archives to catch-up on past editions. You’ll find tons of solid advice that will help you market your business.

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Rod Kirby

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Ready to Grow Your Start-Up?

With no venture capital, no cost projections, no business plan, no spreadsheets, no ads, and no sophisticated office space the early church turned the world upside down!

And yet when we look for lessons on what makes a start up successful we look to a Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Zappos, and Amazon–not realizing that the greatest start up and some of the greatest lessons for start-ups are found right in the Book of Acts!

And without further ado…here they are…some of the lessons we can learn from the early church:

• They had purpose–They had one purpose and one aim: tell people about Jesus and make disciples. That simple laser focus marshalled their energies, occupied their thoughts, and allowed them to complete lofty goals.  Purpose is a trademark of great organizations. Those companies with a purpose that exceeds any one person seem to trounce all purposeless counterparts. Do you have a purpose that is greater than you?

• They were committed–“They agreed they were in this for good.” (Acts 1:14 The Message) This wasn’t a “fly by night” operation–they found their life’s work. They faced jail, persecution, death and still were committed to the cause. Paul summed up his commitment: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 New King James Version) In other words, “He gave His all for me so I’m willing to give my all for Him.” Are you willing to give your all for what you’re trying to do? Not some of you, but all of you.

• They were apprentices first–Many of them were disciples (followers) before they were apostles (leaders). Although there are exceptions, most entrepreneurs had experience in their respective field first. Warren Buffet worked in his father’s brokerage house and under Benjamin Graham before he built Berkshire, Donald Trump apprenticed under his father before he built Trump Organizations, Mark Kay Ash worked in direct sales before she founded Mary Kay, and etc. The best way to train for leadership is through servitude. Do you REALLY understand what you’re getting yourself into?

• They had one message communicated through different mediums-On the day of Pentecost, they were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues (or languages). They spoke in over a dozen dialects all telling the wonderful works of God. The nations present “were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘Whatever could this mean?’” (Acts 2:12 New King James Version) Your message needs to reach your marketing target through any and all means…but it must be ONE MESSAGE. Not different messages, through different mediums, at different times–that’s just confusing. But one message, through many means, to one group (your target audience). Do you know your core message?

• Peter knew how to sell (or persuade)– In the middle of the amazement, confusion, and ridicule Peter used the opportunity to give one of the best sales presentations the world had ever seen. He spoke with authority, urgency, and conviction.  He used supporting Scriptures (or references)…and…he closed the deal!! 3,000 people signed the order and were baptized into the family of God! One of the greatest abilities you as a business owner must have, besides leadership, is sales ability. It’s vital! Why? Because nothing happens without a sale. Absolutely nothing! When Peter preached he preached with the intent of closing: “Turn back to God! Be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven! Then you will be given the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children. It is for everyone our Lord God will choose, no matter where they live.” (Acts 2:38-39 Contemporary English Version) Do you know how to sell?

• They created a leadership culture–After a while the church had grown exponentially; and with growth came problems. The Greek speaking believers were complaining about the Aramaic speaking believers. So they had a meeting and the Twelve told the multitude: “It is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables.” (Acts 6:2 New King James Version) In other words, “We can’t leave what we’re doing to handle that.” So they appointed seven leaders to handle that situation while they continued doing what they were doing. Most leaders would do the opposite and take on the extra responsibility needlessly–but in order for your company to grow there has to be a culture of leadership. John Maxwell calls this the Law of Explosive Growth:”To Add Growth, Lead Followers–To Multiply Lead Leaders.” (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, p.205) You can’t just be preoccupied with developing you, you have to develop those around you. There’s a saying: “Good leadership works itself out of a job.” In other words, a good leader develops other leaders around him or her so well that he or she almost doesn’t have to be there. When you develop other leaders you can work less and still get more done! Do you create leaders or followers?

These lessons simply validate the point that business is God’s idea. But what do you think: do you agree? Disagree? Do you see any more lessons? What are your thoughts?

Mike Holmes

Mike Holmes is the author of I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness. He’s also a blogger that writes on business and leadership development from a Biblical perspective. When he’s not writing blogs or speaking he can be found writing bios in the third person. Check out his website/blog here.

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