Getting to the Bottom of the Slide: Find the Nudge to Make the Sale

Here’s a basic model for you: you want to transform potential customers into devoted ones. So how do you do this? To explain the process we’d like you to picture a slide. Not a twisty, intense covered one, just a plain old regular slide with a ladder leading up to the top. Your prospective customers are currently sitting at the flat top. And they aren’t budging. And they won’t (to purchase or act) unless something (your marketing) nudges them into action. Granted, gravity is on your side. They want to move. They’re naturally compelled to be interested in buying. But keep in mind that this desire already exists. That is not what you need to create. Your task is to align your offer with what (and gravity) pulls them to. Now, back to that nudge. It can take multiple forms. Perhaps an email, website advertisement, a sign in your window, a billboard, or a past customer’s kind words. This will start the process and get them to that critical downward angle. It’s at this angle that you will make or break this slide experience. Without enough momentum, they won’t make it to the bottom (the sale). Ensure that prospective customers (ones who’ve expressed an interest) are wooed. They desperately desire to be shown the features, benefits and prices of all that could suit their needs. Answer any questions, address any concerns and assure them that you’ll see that they are satisfied with your products and services. Remember seeing that poor kid get caught halfway down a slide because they didn’t push off hard enough so they embarrassingly had to scooch down to the base and slink away? Don’t let that happen. Friction is present in every aspect of this interaction—trying to keep them from sliding down. Poor customer interactions, confusing interface on your website, long form payment processes or simply poor salesmanship are all ways to lose the momentum and ultimately the sale.

The Holiday Season is Upon Us!

Are you starting to feel the stress of the upcoming Holiday Season? Worried about what to send to all of your customers, staff and friends? BC Print and Web has the solution you are looking for. We are offering quick, easy and affordable personalized Holiday postcards. In just 3 easy steps you can create a completely personalized Holiday card for each and everyone on your list. BC Print and Web will handle the design, printing, addressing and mailing. It is as easy as 1 2 3 ! 1: Choose your favorite Holiday image 2: Choose your Holiday greeting & personal message 3: Upload your mailing list To see available images and personal message options visit our website at anytime at bcprintandweb.com. For additional questions and pricing options call Dan or Kimberly at 303.320.4855. For your planning, Wednesday, December 18, 2013 is the last day to mail the postcards for delivery by Christmas Day.

5 Habits That Could Ruin Your Business Deals

We all have little habits we’re unaware of. Some of us tap our legs uncontrollably, others of us bite our nails or frequently flip our hair. Though habitual to us, they’re noticeable to other people—so much so that it could cost you a business deal. Yes, tapping your leg is a big no-no. Here’s a list of common habits we have while engaging in formal business (and why you should stop them): 1. Talking like you’ve had 18 cups of coffee. Slow it down people. By talking slowly and clearly, it shows that you have confidence in what you’re saying. 2. Standing with a leg crossed over or under. Watch your stance, any crossing or casual bending into your hips gives off the impression of shyness and insignificance—and you are neither. 3. Standing with your hands over your lap. Commonly referred to as the “fig leaf pose,” this position gives the impression that you are unimportant and intimidated. Instead, let your arms hang naturally by their side 4. Holding a cell phone in your hand. Now, this is getting nit-picky. But it’s a very common habit (considering our phones generally follow us wherever we go). Holding a phone while in a meeting suggests you don’t have time for it. (And you certainly don’t want your business deal going south because it feels rushed.) 5. Fidgeting. Oh, fidgeters. You’re not alone. Many business people face this challenge. Pens, paper, erasers, innocent paperclips, are all so tempting to reach for and grab out of comfort. But resist! Concentrate on your breathing—train yourself to breath slowly and it will make your nervous movements disappear. Other than these top five, we’d encourage you to avoid these as well: weight shifting, foot or finger tapping, sitting on the edge of your chair or propping your head up with your hands. All of these subtle habits could be construed negatively in a business deal. However, once the deal is done and you’ve nailed it (snaps and a pat on the back for you), go home and do all of these things to your heart’s content.

.Want to Succeed in Marketing? Act Like a Kid

Look to the kids. They have all the answers. When it comes to thinking differently about your marketing, consider these lessons we’ve learned from how children act. Lesson #1: They aren’t afraid to be wrong. “The moon is just a giant egg in the sky.” “Brown cows make chocolate milk.” “I’m going to be Beyonce when I grow up.” “Spiderman should be president.” Your greatest ideas will sound foolish, at first. Until they sound brilliant. You are going to fail a few times before you succeed. Accept this reality and move on. Your fearlessness will take your marketing and business to the next level. Your best coworkers are the ones who aren’t afraid to stumble as they learn. Lesson #2: They ask questions—a lot of questions. “Where do dreams come from?” “How come Grandma’s face is so wrinkly?” “Why do flies think gross stuff smells good?” “Why can’t we breathe underwater like fish?” “Why am I left-handed?” Some of their questions catch us off guard because they are strikingly profound and others make us smile. Either way, fear of asking foolish questions doesn’t exist in young children. They are driven by curiosity. Be driven by your spirit of inquiry—how can your marketing plans improve? What if we [insert outlandish marketing idea here]? It’s rumored that Disney World wanted to host a competition where the winner got sent to the moon. While this obviously never transpired, they weren’t afraid to think of big and ask crazy “what ifs.” Ask questions, continuously, that will push your marketing efforts to the next level—even if at first they seem far-reaching. Lesson #3: They put people at ease. Kids have a knack for breaking the ice. If ever in an uncomfortable business situation, channel your inner child. (No, we don’t mean give away free hugs or awkwardly tackle them.) Be engaging and personable like a child. Remember back to the days when you naturally captivated people just by existing—we know, kids have it so easy. Deepening business relationships gets easier when you can put any type of person at ease. Don’t be afraid to be outgoing. Sometimes it takes a gregarious business person to get a marketing relationship going. A four-year-old makes a distinct, warm impression. Strive to do the same.

What’s the best way to Market to Millennials: Just Tell a Good Story

There’s a new kid in town and they’re looking to spend. Yes, our latest young professionals that have been coming online in recent years are from the millennial generation. And these aren’t your parent’s consumers. If you’re looking to get a piece of their pocketbook, you have to understand how to change your marketing message to grab their attention—and there’s a lot of noise for them out there. Here are a few ways to have some impact in the market. Find Your Zen If you’re going to market to millennials you have to think about your business holistically. You can’t force marketing on your product or a millennial won’t buy your product—or your message. Product design and the marketing message are inseparable. Think Apple. So take a look at your products and truly understand the “why.” This will give your marketing meaning. Get Real Millennials can smell a rat. They’ve grown up sharing their lives with the world. They want authenticity in their relationships, and that includes relationships with the companies that sell them their stuff. The easiest way to understand how you can market to them is to listen. This will give you an opportunity to weave your product story into their story and show them that they’ve been heard. Speak in their language. The casual tone may bother you at first because it may feel unprofessional. But the kids will dig it if you do. Let All of Those Emotions Out If you develop a good story around your products, it humanizes your brand. Now you’re a person talking to a person. That’s the foundation of human existence. That vulnerability may have you squirming in your seat, but you’re going to build a level of trust that millennials crave

3 Startling Customer Service Statistics—Trust Us, You’ll Want to Take a Look

Want to see a startling statistic? No? Well, shut your eyes. The average business hears from 4% of dissatisfied customers. Many businesses make the mistake in thinking that if they don’t hear from customers, those customers had a positive experience. WRONG. Few people are going to take the time to tell you what you did wrong. They have their own problems to take care of, and solving yours isn’t one of them. The solution? Constantly strive to improve your service, even if you aren’t being flooded with complaints. Don’t let the problem get to that point. Identify it in its infant stage so it can be more readily taken care of. Want real feedback? Create an incentive for them to sacrifice their valuable time. Next fact: it’s up to 7 times less expensive to keep existing customers than to acquire new ones. Granted, in order to grow your business you need to acquire new customers. We accept that fact. However, you can’t acquire new ones at the expense of losing your old ones. In other words, customer acquisition can’t happen without customer retention. And considering that 86% of consumers will quit doing business with you after a bad customer experience, you could say that this fact goes hand in hand with fact #1 above. And finally, speed kills. (No, we’re not using some urban slang phrase.) We mean to say that the “help ‘em fast” attitude isn’t necessarily in your best interests. Taking the necessary time to truly understand your customers’ problems and skillfully solving it will go a lot further than getting them out the door as soon as possible. And here’s one bonus fact to startle the apathy right out of you: 80% of companies claim they have superior customer service. 8% of customers think these same companies deliver said superior service. Like we said above, most companies are in denial: “Who? Us? Bad service? Impossible. My employees are the best.” The lesson? Evaluate your service constantly and look for successes and shortcomings. Find different metrics that give you some real feedback on how your company is doing. And remember, don’t assume that just because you aren’t hearing any complaints that things are peachy—you could be oh so wrong. Don’t wait to find out.

3 Ways Successful Marketing is Like a Great Football Team

It’s officially football season. You’ve made it through the drought that is summer. Time to crack open a beverage, toss on your favorite team’s jersey and enjoy. But before you turn on the big game or hop in your car to go tailgate, let’s take a moment to think about how your organization’s successful marketing campaign parallels a great game plan for your beloved football team. Devise a Set of Consistent Goals Throughout the entire football season, a coach is responsible for tracking the progress of his team toward their goals. And in order to achieve this, he must continually research, train and adjust what works for his unique combination of team members for that particular season. This principle holds true for marketing. To achieve your sales goals for this quarter, you should outline specifically what you want to accomplish. Then design a marketing game plan around that goal. It may consist of a number of marketing tactics, whether it’s direct mail, new in-store signage or email marketing. Work as a Team It’s typically easy for a coach to get the team behind a common goal of winning the big game. Think of your entire staff as one team. Everyone should be aware of the marketing plan and how each person contributes to the success of the messages you’re putting out into the world. Whether it’s delivering the products on time or employing top-notch customer service, your marketing words should mirror your staff’s actions. Build each other up (but skip the celebratory chest bumps in order to avoid problems with HR) and celebrate your success. And if there’s a team member not being fully utilized, ask them for their input. Be a good coach. Utilize all of your players for their unique strengths. Learn to Adapt We’ve all seen this scenario played out on the field: the all-star quarterback gets injured and the coach is forced to put in the rookie who everyone doubts. But ultimately that rookie shocks and delights the stadium. Game-winning pass. The stadium roars. Cheering. Game over. This principle holds true for marketing. Sometimes the game plan must change in order to achieve success. If your plays aren’t working, you need to adjust your strategy. In most instances, marketing plans only need slight adjustments to make a big difference. Just be ready to creatively problem solve. Marketing is an ever-shifting discipline. Like a coach, you must adapt or lose.