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We hope you find this arcthve useful. A subscription to The Small Business Advisor Newsletter is free. Subscribe now - it's easy! The Small Business Advisor Newsletter for December, 2001 ========================
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1. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Center for Veterans Enterprise maintains a listing of all Veteran owned businesses and annually notifies them of available help. They work with other agencies to promote contracting opportunities for veteran-owned businesses. Contact them at http://www.vetbiz.gov. Email is vacve@mail.va.gov. 2. The Small Business Administration (SBA) can help you with financing, support, management issues and technical assistance. They have an "answer desk" at (800) 827-5722. Ask for the Veterans Business Development Officer. Also contact the SBA via their website at http://www.sba.gov. 3. The Department of Labor (DOL) also helps veterans and service-disabled veterans. They have local offices providing support. Find out more at http://www.dol.gov/dol/vets. The DOL also maintains an Office of Small Business Programs. Learn more about this at http://www.dol.gov/dol/osbp/. 4. The National Veterans Business Development Corporation (NVBDC) in Washington, DC, is developing a nationwide network of assistance centers for veterans seeking assistance. Contact them at http://vetbiz.gov. Be sure to register with Pro-Net (it's free). This database is used by Government and corporate buyers who are seeking to find firms owned by veterans and service-disabled veterans. Register by visiting http://pronet.sba.gov. ========================
(Good stuff to remember …! ed) Before entering the world of marketing, I spent many years as a college instructor. One of the most important lessons that I ever learned about teaching was the fact that saying "I don't know" as a response to a student question wasn't necessarily a BAD thing -- in fact, the truthfulness of the answer did more to build my credibility with my students than any lame, improvised, off-the- cuff answer could. Of course, I also realized that you have to follow up that "I don't know" with a firm "but I'll find out for you." In other words, when I didn't know the exact answer, I would make sure to do my research to see what I COULD offer the student in the form of an answer. I believe this principle also holds true for sales. As a salesperson, you have to remember that you are selling YOURSELF as much as you are selling a PRODUCT, especially if you are looking for any kind of return sales or long-term relationships with your customers. That means that you should be truthful with your clients and customers, even if means that you might not make the immediate sale. For instance, there have been times where clients have asked me, "Do you think a press release would be effective?" In many of these cases, the answer is "Yes" and I will tell them so. However, there are also cases where a press release WASN'T appropriate, and even though it meant losing the sale, I made sure to let them know that they wouldn't get the results they were looking for and that I wouldn't recommend it. Of course, you have to remember to add the equivalent of a "but I'll find out" statement. In the case of sales, this is usually in the form of "but here is something else that I think WOULD work for you." Just make sure that you are being truthful here as well -- otherwise you're doing nothing more than bait-and- switch! My point here is simple: Show the customers that you are interested in making sure they are satisfied, rather than just being interested in the sale. The result? Your customers will be grateful for being told the truth, and even though they might not buy NOW, they know who to go to when they have another project that needs to be done. You'll probably get some good word-of-mouth advertising too! It may seem counter-productive, but knowing when NOT to sell to your customer can be a great way to create an image that will eventually lead to MORE sales. If you are in your business for the long run, creating a reputation for honesty, caring, and personal attention will do more than any "hard sell" could ever achieve. Ron Sathoff provides
copy-writing, marketing, Internet promotion, and help for business speakers.
Reach him at ron@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006. Making Press
Releases Work - Creating News Where None Existed (Press releases relating to your business are powerful marketing tools. ..ed) Aren't you tired of hearing how extremely easy it is to get free publicity? Have you tried the suggestions that most public relations "gurus" give you? The hard, cold truth of the matter is that you cannot write a press release about any old aspect of your business and have it end up on the home page of the Fortune Small Business Web site. It just doesn't work that way. So how does it work, and what do you do if you need publicity but have nothing "newsworthy" to share? There's another truth to publicity ... you can create it if you need to, and it's not that hard to do! Let me offer you useable suggestions that you can implement in order to gain some free exposure for your small business. --->> Offer A Donation to a Worthy Cause One woman (a business coach) gave two scholarships to a local community college that catered to the underprivileged. She included two months of free business-building coaching services for qualified applicants at the school. She set forth the criteria with the help of the college, and decided on how to choose the scholarship winners. Press releases were sent out, and the media went wild! Of course they would ... everyone loves to hear about people who are helping out the underdog. She received a lot of free promotion and boosted her image as a community leader, too. --->> Relate Your Product or Service to a Local or National News Event Right now the United States is experiencing two very troubling problems that the media covers on a regular basis. The first is a drastic upswing in unemployment (especially in high-tech fields). The second is an energy crisis (particularly in California). If your product or service can somehow offer a solution (even a small one) to one of these two dilemmas, you stand a great chance of getting some publicity. Perhaps you own a resume service that has an exceptional rate of success for one reason or another. Phrase your release so that it helps to solve the unemployment crisis (and does not blatantly promote your business) and you'll perk up some journalist's ears. --->> Get In Line With Seasonal Events The change in seasons always makes the news. In summertime, you'll find stories on safe vacation travel or the best airline deals. At the end of the year there is always coverage pertaining to New Year's Resolutions and how to keep them. Fall is generally a great time for gardening-type businesses to remind everyone to plant now so their yards will look fabulous come springtime. If your company can offer some viable information pertaining to seasonal events, a press release might be in order. Writing a release outlining how your online travel agency always gives clients a "vacation safety" package that has proven to "save the day" in the past will bring out some interest in the local (and maybe national) media. Above all, use your imagination. Pay attention to the newspapers, television news and magazines you come in contact with. Notice the types of stories they cover and then write a release that falls in line. You will soon be able to create news where none previously existed and gain some free exposure for yourself in the process! Return to top of page - Back to Home Page - Back to Archive Index |