by Miriam Hara | May 21, 2013 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Latest, Miriamisms
We’ve all read it and heard it… over 50% of business start ups fail in the first 5 years. There’s a number of reasons why that happens. Rather dwelling on the negative, I rather look at the inverse and say 50% of business that do start up, are in fact, still around after 5 years. Why is that so? From my perspective, having started up a business start up 25 years ago, there are a few must-do philosophies that can be attributed to business success and longevity. Here are a few visual biz-isms from 3 ebooks published last year: Marketing Understood, Branding Understood and Social Media Understood.
Establish your definition of success before you start.
Objectives provide you with the measurement of success
Add Value.
Price becomes an issue at the absence of value
Take care of your clients, customers, audience, community.
What’s in it for them
Good enough… never is.
Raise the bar…everyday.
Don’t wink in the dark…you’re the only one who will know what you’re doing. Communicate!
Talk to your target!
You’re intimate with your business. Your consumers aren’t.
Know your audience.
You don’t know it all.
Don’t rely on conventional wisdom.
Deadlines aren’t elastic!
Mark your calendar.
Complacency in business means death.
Keep Current.
Believe in what you are creating.
Stay true.
Business in general: Are you just interested or committed?
Be wildly, passionately in love with what you do!
Be realistic.
Don’t over promise and under deliver.
Be passionate, not emotional.
It’s business. It’s not personal.
Businesses need to evolve.
Enable growth.
Business is hard work.
Business Work Out Routine.
If you would like to have all the biz-isms, you can download them here.
by Lisa Wedmann | May 14, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
It always amazes me how many start up companies and entrepreneurs operate without a marketing plan. You wouldn’t head out to a destination without at least which direction you are heading or more to the point, input the address on a GPS so you can get there in the most timely way. The purpose of a marketing plan is to articulate where you need to be and define the measurement of success for your business. It provides you with the forum to focus on your business, on your competition, on the current market trends. In short, it makes you do the homework you need to do to get a clear and concise understanding of all the roads and road blocks that will lead to your business’ success…. before you start your engine and put your car into drive.
No matter what size, or type, or whether you are offering a product or a service this “road map” will prove to be invaluable when decisions need to be made. You have a great product or service and you are anxious for everyone to know about it and you want to just get out there and start selling. STOP. Do you have a plan? Do you know when you get there? It always amazes me how many start up companies and entrepreneurs operate without a marketing plan.
In the not so recent past many businesses, start ups, retailers and b2b companies felt that any marketing initiatives were well beyond their reach. To have any impact on their audience, a lot of dollars were needed. Enter Social Media, and businesses everywhere are getting into the “marketing” of their businesses. Which is absolutely wonderful! In today’s business landscape, businesses are all embarking on the Social Media… some with little or no understanding of the true time cost of doing it properly. But I digress,that’s another blog for another time.
Jumping on the band wagon without a clear definition of your value proposition and your unique selling point is dangerous. Equally dangerous is not defining your businesses brand voice, brand tone and brand personality. This is where a marketing plan comes in. The purpose of a marketing plan is to map out the direction of where you need to be… and define the measurement of success for your business… it is essentially this “destination point” which will prove to be invaluable when decisions need to be made.
In this “road map” you need to determine your strategy, identify your priorities and then build out your tactics from there. Start by identifying who your target market is. Define as much as you can: age, sex, profession or career, income level, level of educational attainment and geographic location…. and go farther. Define your target markets likes and dislikes, habits, hobbies. This is the age of niche marketing!
Clearly define your business and set reasonable quantifiable objectives. It’s important to be honest. Don’t set yourself up for failure…be aware of the potential hazards before you start…and when detours happen along the way, your marketing plan will provide you with a solid base to switch gears and turn to an alternative road to get you where you are going… to success!
by Lisa Wedmann | May 10, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Latest, Miriamisms, Social Media
In today’s fast paced, social media world, staying on top of projects and timelines and time management can be a challenge. A HUGE time management challenge. Clients today expect more, in less time. So how do we manage our time, in this fast paced world, without feeling like we are constantly behind and playing catch up?
At 3H, we understand this all to well. We are a boutique agency, with a small, eclectic team. This allows us to be nimble, and turn projects around quickly. On the flip side, we can get swamped quickly…unless we manage ourselves, our clients and our time very carefully. So how do we do this, and continue to turn out first class product?
Make a list – and check it twice! Yes, it can take time to do this. But the time spent on this saves us in the long run. Whether it’s a a critical path or a social media calendar, it’s always vital to take the time and plan it out. Share it with all of your team, so everyone knows what is happening. When we need to juggle projects, having these deadlines and plans at our finger tips is a lifesaver!
Organize! Monday morning, lay out the plan for your week. List weekly tasks, than daily tasks. Each morning review the list and make a note of the 3 priorities for the day.
Communicate! Talk with your clients AND your team. A good leader knows they are only as good as their team and supports their team to do the best job. Their job is to support them to get the work done. Talk with them regularly about how they are doing and feeling, what is going on. At 3H, we have daily, YES daily, production meetings. Sometimes they are 10 minutes, sometimes 30 minutes. The whole team knows what is happening with each project. Problems are discussed and solutions found, together.
Clear the inbox! Your inbox can fill up quickly. A few regular habits will help keep it manageable. When an email arrives, take care of it right away – reply, forward or file it. Take the action and clear it out of your inbox. If you are waiting for an answer on something, leave it in the inbox as a reminder that it needs to be completed. At the end of everyday, take the last 5 to 10 minutes to open and sort all email: what’s completed, what’s done, what needs to be done. This is the start of the next day’s to list.
Delegate. Somet
imes it’s impossible to complete all your tasks on your own. Ask for help. This simple action can keep you from feeling bogged down and keep you on track and organized. Plus, it will build the confidence of your team, and help them to take ownership for projects.
Start a task. Finish a finish. I know this sounds simple, but in the multi-tasking era, how often do we start something, only to haven another emergency come up – and then we take a phone call. While multi-tasking is the norm today, it can lead to unfinished task and projects. It’s important to set time aside everyday to work on tasks and projects.
Finally, and most importantly, be flexible. On the drop of a dime, things can change. It’s important to go with the flow, ask for help, get all the facts and keep moving forward.
When I follow these tips, and stay on top of things, that allows me to be fluid and go with the flow.
How do you manage your time? Do you have any tips to share?
by Lisa Wedmann | Apr 3, 2013 | Branding, Business Success, Latest
Networking: Where Business Meets Social
Networking should be an important part of your Marketing mix. It provides a great opportunity for relationship building, brand awareness and lead generation. Networking in itself can be a full-time job if you let it. Time is a scarce commodity these days. People are so busy these days that they are looking for ways to combine their business with socializing, and looking to attend networking events that will help them achieve their business goals while building effective relationships at the same time. So how do you choose which events to go to? It is important to attend the events that will provide you with the best value for your time. Effective networking demands that you know who you are and what you want before you can effectively communicate and establish a mutually rewarding, sustainable relationship with someone.
I am constantly amazed by some people that lack common sense, so here are some tips (in no particular order) that will help you with successful networking.
Be Minty Fresh
Have you ever talked to someone after they’ve had a tuna fish sandwich and raw onions? It’s not pleasant! Brush your teeth. Suck on a mint. Chew gum. Just don’t be that stinky breath dude.
Listen
When you’re in a networking situation it is not all about you. Focus your attention on the speaker and concentrate on what is being said.
Don’t Sell
You know how it drives you crazy when you walk into a store and the clerk immediately jumps on you and tries to sell you on something when you don’t even know what you’re looking for yet? Don’t be like that crazy clerk and start pitching right off the bat.
Ask Questions
Find common ground and see how you can be of value to the person you are talking to. Ask people what they do, who they know, where they’ve been, how can you help them. They may not be in the market for your particular product or service at this time but you may be able to connect them with someone that can help them with what they are looking for and vice versa.
Mingle
It is great catching up with old friends and acquaintances; but if you really want to maximize your result see out someone that you have never met before and introduce yourself.
Be Yourself
People like to do business with people that they like, so be genuine.
Be Prepared
Make sure you have enough business cards for everyone in the room. There is nothing worse than making a great connection and not having a single business card left to give them.
Take Notes
Jot a note on the back of the business card about your conversation. This will make the follow up process much easier!
Follow Up
Send a follow up email, or pick up the phone and call, within 48 hours of meeting. Remind them of where you met, what you discussed and set up a time to have a more in depth conversation of you can be of assistance to them. So many people forget this step. Don’t be that guy!
Connect
Follow them on Twitter and/or Facebook. Send them a request to connect on LinkedIn. You never know what kind of opportunities that you may attract through a networking event!
by Lisa Wedmann | Mar 6, 2013 | Branding, Business Success, Interactive, Latest
In this business, we all want to keep our clients happy. Yet in this busy, fast paced go go go world, one key component is lacking – listening!
Instead of hearing what our clients are saying, we are so eager to “sell” our latest idea, fix a problem or answer a question, that we interrupt, ramble on and miss important knowledge and insights.
Listening is THE only way to provide a client with great ideas and plans. Yet instead of hearing what our clients are saying, our brain is busy rushing ahead preparing answers and plans.
Here are a few tips to help listen to clients.
Keep an open mind
Don’t go into a meeting with pre-conceived ideas about what is going to happen. Yes, prepare an agenda. Yes, do the necessary research. And then, let the meeting happen.
Listen with intent
Actively listen to what your client is saying. Don’t jump in, or worse, interrupt. Provide answers when necessary. Remember, the goal is to keep the conversation going and lead to a plan of action.
Talk Less Than You Listen
Be present and be quiet. Yes, ask questions. Yes, provide answers. But let your clients speak, without interruptions.
Ask open ended questions
When asking questions, the aim is to get your client to share. Avoid simple yes and no questions. Instead, ask questions that will get you client to open up and share important insights.
It’s not personal
The client is always first… even when they are wrong! Understand that this is part of business…any business not only the advertising business. It’s hard to sit in a meeting and have your latest ad torn apart after hours of work.
As tough as it can be, remember it’s not personal – this is business. Don’t get upset, interrupt, or get defensive. Hear what the client is saying and let them get it out.
Get off email
When a client sends an email expressing a concern, get it off email – quickly. Pick up the phone, or set up a meeting to talk it out. Then listen. This will lead to a solution quicker than having multiple emails going back and forth. It’s so easy today to “duck” facing issues personally… but just because you can, doesn’t mean it’s the right approach to use.
Communication with clients is a two-way street. We do need to be persuasive “sales” people. But in order to achieve success, to obtain the “go ahead” or buy in that we want, we need to listen first.
