the nuts and bolts checklist

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From Mindset to Manifestation: The Nuts and Bolts Checklist

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From Mindset to Manifestation:

The Nuts and Bolts Checklist

What are your Metrics?

•At its most fundamental level, you are providing a good or service in exchange for someone’s money.

• If you are not generating revenue, then you have a hobby, not a business.

What Does It Take to Have a Thriving

Business?

The Nuts and Bolts Checklist

1. A Strategy for Finding and Attracting People to your Business

2. Being Ready to Sell3. Having an Organized Office4. An Effective Marketing Mechanism 5. A Feedback Loop that Resolves Problems 6. A Mechanism for Customer Retention

A Strategy for Finding and Attracting People to your

Business

Start with a Plan

• Your X Factor (unique selling proposition)

• Your target market• Your sales projections• Your sales funnel

If you create a plan before you start, you will increase the likelihood of being able to sustain your business over time.

Your X Factor

The X Factor in business is the ability tofind a way to add intangible value–valuethat goes beyond what anybody can reallymeasure. It’s the ability to find a way to domore for your customers than absolutelyanybody else and to consistently maintainthat standard.

Tony Robbins

Who Is Your Target Market?

• Gender

• Age

• Education

• Lifestyle

• Interests

• Income Level

• Types of Pain or Challenges They Have

Find a Picture of your Ideal Customer

What Are Your Sales Projections?List every expense you can think of and then work through how many sales you will need per month to first: cover your expenses and taxes and then: move into prosperity and financial freedom.

Example: I need ______ clients per month who pay me _________, so that’s ________ per month in gross revenue.

So, I need to market to ______ LeadsWho will result in _______ Prospects and ______ New Customers.

Your Sales Funnel

• Ways to acquire leads: social media marketing, e-mail marketing, cold calling, attending events, advertising, and word of mouth. Start with ONE!

• How you make people aware of your business really depends on the product or service you are selling and your comfort level.

• To attract leads, you need to think about why people need your product or service and target specific types of people.

Either you can learn how to market and do it or you can hire someone to do it for you.

Sales Funnel Terminology1. Lead - someone who becomes aware of your company via an Internet, word of mouth, or

someone you deliberately pursues through advertising, social media, or e-mail marketing. • You capture the leads and put them into a contact manager (a CRM) or list and follow up

using e-mail, phone, and/or social media. • A small percentage of those leads will end up being prospects.

2. Prospect - someone who has either talked with you, gone to your website, attended a webinar, or replied to an e-mail. • A small percentage of people who are interested will actually make a purchase and become

a first-time customer. • If you have more than one product or service, you can continue to communicate with your

customers and turn them into repeat customers.

Why They Need Multiple Exposures

It’s not on their radar• It’s not in their timing.• They are not interested right now. • It’s not important enough right now.

It takes 7-15 Exposures to make an impression

Sales Funnel Example1. They opt into your landing page (a web page exclusively geared toward

marketing your free offer, called a lead magnet) and fill in their information to receive it.

2. They receive the lead magnet via e-mail along with a thank you e-mail that links them to your product or service and that gives them an option to purchase.

3. They receive additional content-rich emails from you to create familiarity, so they come to Know, Like, and Trust you.

4. They purchase a smaller item from you e.g., e-book, e-course, or book.5. They receive additional promotional emails designed to upsell them to your

other products or services.6. They purchase a high-end workshop, coaching package, or master mind.

My Product or Service is Ready to Sell

This might seem obvious, but when you think about it, if you aren’t prepared with a finished product, you have

nothing to sell.

My Office or Studio is Setup

•To Do List•Files•Receipts•Contact Lists•Follow up List

Where did I put that?

Who Should I Contact Next?

What’s on my calendar?

An organized work space will help your mind feel less cluttered, freeing you up for more

creativity and productivity.

Does the IRS Think it is a Business?A separate, physical location, even if it’s in your house.

• Tax deduction• It’s separate from your family, your recreation, and your personal life.

A way for people to pay you and for you to track expenses.• PayPal account or online shopping cart. • A checking account in your business name • A bookkeeping system or software. • An account with UPS or Amazon if you are shipping physical products. You might also

need a business license.

Set aside a percentage of your revenue for tax purposes. An inventory of products and marketing materials and business cards.

An Expanding Marketing Platform

• Events• Workshops• Local Meetups• Clubs• Expos

• Media & PR• Guest blogging• Press releases• Radio and TV• Newspapers and mags

• Online Communities• Forums

• Interactions• Website/blog commenting

• Social Networking• FaceBook• Twitter• Linked In• YouTube• Instagram• Pinterest

NETWORKING

PROMOTION

FOLLOW UP

ADMINISTRATION

WORKPERSONAL GROWTH

Your platform might include:

• Posting blog entries that offer free advice• Getting mentioned in the press• Meeting potential clients on Facebook and Twitter• Ensuring people can find your content in search

engines• Publishing articles on other websites• Creating strategic partnerships

Without a platform, your business will not grow past trading time for money.

I Have a Feedback Loop that Resolves Problems Effectively

You are Your Customer Service Department

Rules for Awesome Customer Service:

• Listen without judgment. Most people simply want their concerns acknowledged or to be heard. Say, “I understand how you feel.”

• Express gratitude for their time and effort. In fact, say, "Thanks for bringing that problem to my attention."

• Do not blame them. Your role is to hear them out and help continue their relationship with you and your organization, if possible. Say, “Let’s see what we can do to resolve this.”

• You might be in the wrong. Often, people will settle for an apology or ask for very little if you listen with compassion. Say, “I apologize for that misunderstanding.”

I Have a Mechanism in Place for Retaining My Customers

Create Repeat Customers • Send out a series of auto-responder e-mails every few weeks that contains

good, informative content to maintain a relationship with you.

• Put people into a contact manager software system and call them every once in awhile to check in and see how they are liking your product or service and then tell them about the latest “good news,” which will do essentially the same thing, but better.

• Keep track of the birthdays and send them a free offer or discount.

• Be sure your e-mails or phone calls provide information about other products or services you offer, along with incentives to purchase, like contests and discount coupons. This is where you can up-sell and offer higher-ticket items.

The Daily Activity Tracker

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for FREEwww.CarolMerlo.com

www.CarolMerlo.com

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