Habits of High Performing People!

Here are some habits of High Performers.  Are you high performer?

• Tell people what you are doing and be willing accept help
• Ask people what they are doing and if they need any help
• In non-industry jargon way, share your achievements to your friends and family
• Communicate progress to staff and staff leaders regularly
• Learn and discuss failures - learn what you did and didn't do to recover
• Find a personal business / career coach
• Always ensure that your goals and objectives are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound)
• First focus on the top priorities
• Focus on your performance objectives
• Attend company parties, activities, gatherings, and events
• Tell the truth
• Share solutions when reporting a problem
• Praise people regularly 
• Volunteer to be the spokesperson
• Be sponsor for youth programs, leagues, worthy causes, or professional events when possible
• Prepare for meetings ahead of time
• Learn professional skills and don't stop learning
• Share the positives not the negatives of your personal time
• Take predetermined risks
• Find fun things to do in your personal time and invite others to join you
• Have integrity
• Make decisions and stick to them
• Be loyal to others
• Be honest and upfront with people
• Be nice to everyone (retail workers and administrative assistants)
• Go to networking meetings regularly
• Be a people person
• Be creative and if your ideas are rejected - try again / don't give up
• Respond quickly and be available via email, phone, or in-person
• Always follow up
• Accept and ask for feedback regularly
• Focus on your strengths, know your weaknesses but don't worry about them
• Smile often
• Empower yourself and assume a leadership role until told otherwise
• Stay fit and healthy
• Dress for success but not for conformity
• Help other people and accept help from others
• Be a role model for others and get a few positive role models to look up to
• Read books regularly
• Be different and stand up for what is right
• Have your own thoughts and opinions
• Engage with upper management without fear
• Share knowledge and fruits of success
• Know when to sell and when to tell
• Never Stop Making New Friends and remember their names
• Just do it and get it done
• Arrive early
• Avoid excuses in any form
• Proof read what you write
• Ask questions especially when you are in doubt about something
• Take time to eat so you are not running on empty
• Know your goals 
• Organize your work space regularly
• Don't avoid conflict if it's necessary
• Be real to yourself and others
• Hold people accountable
• Take the blame - don't blame others
• Help make new ideas happen vs. being a barrier for them to happen
• Remember delegation is a form of empowerment
• Be a good listener
• Allow people to make mistakes but hold them accountable for repeating the same mistake continuously
• Protect the producers
• Be committed - use words like: do, will, yes, and no
• Know the deadline and conditions for success
• Don't Procrastinate
• Get to an agreement 
• Remember your time and other's time is precious

Learn more about Bounce Marketing's Managing Director at: www.bouncemarketing.org

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How to Build Communication Bridges with Your Clients

Building the perfect business relationship with potential client doesn’t come with a book of instructions.  If it did, the task would be much easier… (Yet a lot of gurus say they know how to build a relationship with clients and have written books about the subject.) But the reality is every client relationship is different.

Just when you think you survived the startup phase with your new venture, you learn the easy part is over and now the growth years are on the way. Facing the growth years within your venture is not something you need to be afraid of, it simply means there is a lot of work ahead of you. This blog post will help you take the experience one day at a time and learn how to bridge the communication gap.

The Message

As your sales team goes from new to veteran, sometimes what you ‘say’ gets lost in translation.  They can give you that blank stare or worse yet they misunderstand how to sell the product or service correctly which costs you time and money.  But with regular trainings on products, services, and selling techniques you can overcome this hurdle.

The Bridge

It’s not easy to keep the communication bridges open with a client because they too are trying to grow and make the choices that will have a vital impact on their future. They are becoming capable of spending larger amounts of money, having less and less time available to meet with you, and have their own difficulties they need you to help address.

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1.       Watch your body language. 

How you move says a lot about you.  When a person is tired, they tend to slump.  When angered, your jaw muscles tighten and your eyes narrow into slits.  Believe it or you’re your clients are good at interpreting body language.  Yours will betray you when you are talking to them.  Keep it open and honest.  Avoid sitting with your arms crossed, eyes looking away from them or squirming in your seat.

2.       Make eye contact. 

When you don’t look at the person - you are non-verbally showing that you are either hiding something or you are not at all interested in what they have to say.  Your client will shut down emotionally when they suspect that you are not “tuned in” to them or worse yet end the meeting early.  Sit comfortably and give your client undivided attention with consistent eye contact.  It lets them know that you care.

3.       Keep your emotions in check. 

Remember back to when you were in high school?  Some of the things you said to your parents were aimed at freaking them out.  Clients will push your buttons if they can - don’t go overboard and get upset.  Their target is opening lines of communication for sharing their concerns or disinterest, sometimes they know it may make you mad.  Instead, take a deep breath, listen closely, repeat what you hear back, and ignore the taunt.  Do the opposite of what they expect because really, they want you to see through their ploy and find out the real problem.

4.       Ask them about their day. 

This technique works with spouses also.  Even if your client only grunts or says the obligatory, “It was okay,” ask anyway.  This shows you care. How many sales people really ask that question anyways? (Your show of caring will go a long way to convince them that you are interested in the things that they do and how they feel.)

5.       Be honest with them.

If you don’t understand or have an issue about something then say so.  Clients like your kids know when you are being insincere.  Discuss everything honestly and openly, say ‘I don’t know’ if you don’t know, but provide follow up when you find out the answer. Sometimes situational selling works when your client will explain an idea of where they are coming from.  Your client won’t mind explaining as long as they know you are listening. This way they know you really want them to be successful.

6.       Allow them their privacy. 

This one is tricky and since you want to know your client better than anyone else, you need to draw the line.  Clients value their time alone to think about the proposal.  Take a ‘break’ for a coffee and come back to answer questions later. Sometimes, planning a follow up meeting works well too. Never adopt the policy of the hard sale because it could burn the bridge and end the relationship with that client.  Remember, they need to hear your message but you need to listen their desires.  Also, in their office may be that there are no locks on the doors, always show respect by knocking before entering.  If they don’t want to be pressed about placing an order at the moment, wait until they are ready (if it’s not urgent for their timeline) and then make the close.

Being a sales person or a manager of a sales team takes a tough skin, a willingness to be vulnerable and lots of passion for what you do.  You will make mistakes but whatever you do, don’t stop talking ever to your client or training your sales team.

www.bouncemarketing.org 

Thinking of owning your own business or starting a charity?

Opening your own new venture is exciting and thrilling. But be mindful that everything which comes after the excitement and thrill has worn off that dictates whether your new startup will survive. It’s up to you to keep the thrill alive (forever).

So now what?

Bring to write and create a business plan (and yes the term business plan can be used for charities). This plan of action is needed to fulfill your dreams (and financial goals) Remember – you – are your own boss and running a successful venture is up to you. Your success lies with the approach you choose to take and the plan you write. Remember, re-read your plan and make changes as needed to avoid making costly mistakes. (By doing this you will avoid the common pitfalls that many new small startups make when rushing to get going.)

Bounce Marketing offers free consulting workshops to help you…

·         Prepare an initial business plan to clarify your marketing, management, purpose, vision, objectives, and financial goals.

·         Determine your start-up capital needs.

·         Identify sources of start-up capital and backup sources if needed.

·         Evaluate and quantify your organizational plan for the short and long term

·         Identifying the best business structure that best fits your needs by evaluating it’s advantages and disadvantages.

·         Operational Structure of your venture - ease of operation, establish billing and collection procedures and portability should you need to relocate.

·         Select the right accounting software by evaluating your budget, needs and hardware.

·         Consulting if setting up a home office is a good fit while potentially creating a tax deduction.

·         Resources to help prepare and file all required state and local licenses and permits.

·         Resources to prepare and file your application for your Federal Employer Identification Number.

·         Resources to identify your business insurance needs.

·         Develop a solid Partnership or Board of Directors Agreement. This is an extremely important document for all new partnerships / boards and will help prevent a tremendous amount of problems down the road.

Let us help you succeed by getting your new organization off to a good strong start.

Reach us at: www.facebook.com/bouncemarketing or email us at: design@bouncemarketing.org

Beat Procrastination in 2014!

Beat Procrastination….

Procrastination is not reserved for only individuals. Many business leaders and actual businesses/charitable organizations also procrastinate!  This is often to their detriment…

Let me share an example:  

There was a charity with a large board of directors, which is made up of doctors, professors, scientists, professionals, and educators… all very intelligent folks.  This non-profit wanted to do a fundraising ball for its founder (who was quite old).  But, board members dragged their feet with regard to executing any fundraising strategy they initially embraced. This was followed by the key staff person being laid off due to lack of funds.  The charity and its programs have been shut down permanently.

Why?  The founder was too old to lead and the board got stuck in a thinking mode. They never moved into the action plan and execution mode.  The available funds/resources slowly went away which caused their key staff member to resign due to diminished. 

How to Stop Procrastinating?

Bring in your staff in the planning process – get their buy in.  Get your board on track with weekly/monthly/quarterly updates and have your staff begin to move towards achieving small goals set by them.  This will start bringing in the results desired.  With small goals achieved – it makes getting the bigger goal and making the fundraising event happen.

Seven Steps to Remember about Beating Procrastination:

      1.   Create a timeline based action plan with clear goals and desired results
2.       Have updates to everyone on progress
3.       Host follow up report meetings
4.       Include a call to action for the board members to be active in
5.       Share photos of successes
6.       Promote the event
7.       Have the event

     Call us for a free consulting appointment at 386-734-9600, www.facebook.com/bouncemarketing or www.bouncemarketing.org  

Does your website build client trust?

Bounce Marketing offers Web Design for new start ups & growing organizations!

Did you know that a few website hyperlinks can be one of the most trusted forms of "advertising" online for your business or charity? 

People that are ready to spend their money today are wary and don't spend unless they have to. (or if they know with some certainty that they're dealing with a reputable business or charity) 

Your website is that 'avenue' to gain their trust.

Here are some interesting percentages of people that feel they can gain a high level of trust when getting information about an individual/organization online. (This survey was done by: Source Forrester Research Inc.):

*Email from people you know: 77%
Consumer Product Ratings/Reviews: 60%
*Portals/Search Engines: 50%
Yellow Pages (not online): 48%
Print Newspapers: 46%
*Social Networking Site Profiles from people you know: 43%
Print Magazines: 39%
Radio: 39%
TV: 38%
*Email from a company: 28%
Direct Mail: 25%
Message Board posts: 21%
*Online Classifieds: 20%
*Personal Blog: 18%
*Social Networking Site Profiles from a company: 18%
*Company Blog: 16%

All the starred items should have a live hyperlink to bring them to your website. This hyperlink will help gain trust and confidence of your prospective client. Do you need to re-design or design a website? Call us at 386-734-9600 or check out our website: www.bouncemarketing.org

5 Ideas to get better Sales Leads!

Savvy business people want to know that data-driven marketing is key to personalized and efficient when communicating with a client (or prospective one). Yet, an overload or lack of needed data can backfire on a new venture.  I remember when I first started my own venture. I took time to sift through 1000s of potential leads to compile data.  Most of the leads at the time were cold and later I found out that some information was inaccurate or in some cases, the most critical information was missing.  This was a time-consuming and costly endeavor, which helped me start thinking about getting new up to date leads.

Believe or not, there are a lot of good avenues to get leads.  As a new business owner or charity leader, the normal way of thinking is ‘how can I cut corners’ or ‘how can I save money’?  But, the better strategy is to invest in yourself (i.e. your new venture) and do it the right way.

Just look for the van!  www.twitter.com/consultbounce

So what is the right way? With the amount of data only increasing in the future, incorporating an efficient collecting method is crucial.  Consider these options to get better leads:

1 – Attend networking events… Those individuals in the room maybe interested in your product or service now or at some point in the future. Besides, why not go connect face to face with people now – rather than hiding your new venture from the world.  Get a business card, a referral, or write a prospects info on the back of one of your own business cards.

2 – Buy a list…  Yup, there are plenty of companies that sell up to date premade (based on your ideal perimeters) database list. Most times, these companies have the information in easy to read excel files.  This is good for direct mailing purposes.

3 – Get a free list… Yup, did you know the government publishes basic information on new business start ups monthly/weekly?  It is true, from your local city up to the state, there are free lists to get, but (and this is a big but) these lists are not cleaned up and ready to use.  In some cases, you may need to find out if the city/county/etc. has a do not call / solicit option in place. Most paid staff will be happy to tell you – just call them and ask.

4 – Set up an ‘opt in’ email newsletter…  Social Media is a good tool to advertise your newsletter. If you have the ability to solve a problem for someone or have something interesting to share, people may want to opt in! Plus, you are telling your world of friends that you are doing something new and you want them to stay updated on your progress.  Friends are great referral sources, but do abuse that friendship make certain they feel comfortable helping you out and not pressured to do so (this is a fine line to walk down, so be careful) Also, share your newsletter in Social Media groups and on your Social Media Business Page as well.  This maybe another good option to consider.

5 – Pay an email blaster… Yup, the same folks selling you that direct mail list can email blast that same group of people for you!  They handle getting the word out for you via email and you are now free from being called a ‘spammer’.

I know there is not a one size fits all answer to creating the perfect list for your venture especially when your organization is so unique. If, do you want more ideas to implement a good marketing strategy? Connect with us online at: www.bouncemarketing.org or www.facebookcom/bouncemarketing

Three things that can stop clients from feeling attracted to you!

Is your website flawed? 

Here are three things that can stop clients from feeling attracted to you!

1. A Content Management System That Is Complicated

If your content management system (CMS) is too complicated for you or employees to use, it'll only result in less frequent updates, lower SEO rankings, and the client's having a negative overall website experience. If it's a constant struggle for your or your team to work with the CMS, it might be time to make a switch.

2. Your Website's Content Is Not Informative Enough

The main purpose of any website is to inform and engage future clients at all hours of the day. But if customers can't find the information they need, they're only going to leave your site angry and frustrated. (this decreases future sales) Also, if your visits to your homepage decreases, so will your SEO ranking as well. You may want review if you have enough content available on your site and what avenues can implemented to increase the content as well.

3. Your Search Engine Marketing Isn't Working

Search engine marketing (SEM) is critical to any online marketing strategy. However, having a poorly structured website can limit how high it shows up in search engine results. Or, even worse, negatively impact your SEM activities and push your site farther down in Google. If you notice your SEM efforts aren't working, check out how your site is structured and determine if it's time to rework it.

Do you need a sample of good website? Check out www.bouncemarketing.org - then call us to schedule an appointment to talk about rebuilding your website at 386-734-9600