Landy Marketing

For this, my first blog entry here, I will start with a an appropriately general topic..MARKETING! 

1. Know your value proposition
   At any moment of any day, with no preparation, you should be able to meet a stranger and explain what makes you better than other businesses like yours.
2. Don't look for customers
   If you you think your business needs customers, think again.  What your business needs are "clients"!  What's the difference?  Well, attorneys excluded (due to legal definitions), most small business owners need repeat business from long-term clients.  Every interaction you have with a customer should be geared toward making a "client" out of them. Treat a customer right and watch them become a client.
3. Market to referral sources, not end users
   Ok, so this one may not apply to every small business owner (at first glance), but believe me when I tell you, it is much easier to grow your business when you have an army of advocates.  This one is worth a brainstorm.  Rather than being fixated on who your ideal client is, think about who your ideal referral is and go look for THEM.
4. Work with people you like
   There are plenty of people in the world and not enough time.  Don't spend any more time than you have to working with people that you don't like.  Face it, not everyone is going to click and working with people who make you feel negatively, will impact how you interact with others, in turn potentially impacting your business on a larger scale.
5. Don't be a hermit
   Don't sit in your office or at home and think that your prospects will find you if they want you.  You need to get out in front of people and talk to them about what you do.  Chances are that there are no potential customers sitting in your office or at your house all day.
6. Always be prepared for introductions
   You truly never know when a surprise chance encounter may happen so be prepared with, at very least, a business card and a smile. 
7. Don't sell on price alone
   If you are the lowest price in town on anything/everything that you do/sell, you will attract customers that deal with you for that reason alone.  No one can always be the lowest price all the time or they would typically go out of business which means that you will have to constantly develop new customer relationships rather than nurturing the ones that you have.
8. Brand yourself
   Have a consistant theme, style, and message.  Be known for something.  Put your logo everywhere and have a recognizable style.  People that have seen your printed marketing collateral should be able to recognize your website and branded shirts without even seeing your logo there because they recognize the color and other design elements.  Have a slogan and see if your friends, family, and clients know it.
9. Get connected and stay that way
   A communication plan is key to maintaining long-term relationships. The old adage "out of site, out of mind" applies here.  Have an opt-in newsletter (don't spam your friends, family, and prospects), create a LinkedIn profile and Facebook page.  You may be surprised how many people you know and how many people contact you that you have not spoken with in ages or maybe someone who you just met briefly very recently.  It is worth the time.
10. Make your website a huge priority
    Gone are the days where websites were optional.  A company without a website these days would be a rare find to say the least, but a proper, informative website, now that may be a different story.  Future blog posts will talk about what should be on your site, but for now, just remember that your web presence is more important than ever.  Google and other search tools have all, but replaced the phone book and newspapers. Most people will agree that, after meeting someone they are considering doing business with, they will look at their website before even calling them for the first time - wouldn't you?