Dream Catcher

As business owner you have competition. Whether you believe you do or not your customers have options. Why should they choose you? When you are seen as the expert they will choose you. You want to be seen as your industry leader or niche expert. This is not accomplished by taking out a newspaper ad or buying a billboard. You develop expert status by delivering value, branding your business and educating your follower and customers.

Delivering value is done by ensuring you have business systems and standards that are adhered to daily. You must ensure that your product and customer service are consistent. You cannot waffle and offer a great product one day and a lesser product the next.

Does your brand reflect your business and personal values? Is your brand consistent in your various marketing materials? Do your employees reflect your brand in their appearance? I was recently watching an episode of American Restoration and one of the employees showed up wearing a purple t-shirt which was not the prescribed uniform. Rick, the owner, told him he must wear the uniform t-shirt. The employee grumbled and I admit I fell asleep before seeing the outcome. Your employees are a reflection on you and your business. Ensure that you have a dress code that they follow so they reflect you and your business in a positive manner.

Social media is here to stay. It is a great way to educate your customers on industry standards, the latest trends, and allow them to learn about you. You can write articles for publication and then post them to your blog. You can share snippets of this article as social media updates too. Writing a media release is also a great way to establish you as the expert.

Another way to be seen as the expert is by attending live events. When you are an attendee or a presenter at events you will want to share this news with your audience. This again can be shared through the use of social media, media releases, your newsletter and articles. When you attend events your customers will know that you are staying abreast of the latest trends and keeping your skills up to date. As the presenter at various events you will show your audience that you are recognized as an expert by those in your industry. They want to work with the expert.

You must be seen online and in your community. You cannot hide and expect to be seen as the expert. Ensure you are offering value with each transaction. Ensure your brand is consistent in all your social media and marketing materials. Keep your followers and customers abreast of changes you are making to improve your skills. I challenge you to start posting your diplomas, course completion certificates on your website in your media room and on social media. Share articles you write for your newsletter and publication. Post the published articles in your media room on your website and again on social media. Lastly, have a professional headshot and ensure it is current. No one likes seeing a photo then meeting the person and the person looks nothing like the photo. It is deceptive.

Be authentic, provide value, brand you and your business, and educate your followers so you are seen as the industry or niche expert.

Pinterest is a great way to engage buyers. It is a tool to capture your market share for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Are you ready? According to Bizrate Insights it is estimated that 70% of Pinterest Pinners are inspired to buy compared to only 17% of Facebook users. The average Pinterest user will spend $179.36 when making a purchase from this social media site compared to $80.22 for Facebook users and $68.78 for Twitter followers.

Pinterest recently announced Secret Boards. You have only three boards you can make secret. You cannot make a public board secret. However, you can make a Secret Board public. Below are my top ten ideas for using Pinterest Secret Boards.

1. Create boards to share with VIP Clients – post new content for them first or exclusively. This can also be where your VIP clients share their ideas and solicit feedback.

2. Create boards to advertise specials for VIP Customers only. What better way to save on mailing advertisements or promos? Invite your followers to participate on your Secret Board. Your small business could run a contest to spark engagement. You could even charge a small fee to be part of your inner circle.

3. Collaborate with your team. Post new ideas for projects and let them post too.

4. Store ideas for branding. When working with your graphic designer you can pin new ideas to share and he or she can also post updates to your special branding projects i.e. logo design, website, advertisements etc.

5. Prepare boards for upcoming launches. Prepare your boards in advance to your big seasons i.e. wedding season, holidays, anniversary etc. This will save you time and frustration. You can make them public when you are ready.

6. Membership Boards – create Secret Boards that only your paying members gain access. We often have great content to share that people are willing to pay to access.

7. New Hire Videos. Instead of having to show a new employee how to do something send him or her to your Secret Board where he or she can watch a short video. Make a series of training videos.

8. Gift Registry – are you getting married? Make a Secret Board of all your favorite things to include a link to the website or gift registry site. If you are vendor of wedding products or services make a board for your VIP clients so that the links go back to your products or services.

9. Bucket List– product inspiration. We all need a private journal or diary. Let Secret Boards be your visual notebook, photo album or journal.

10. Keep an eye on the competition. Yes, as a business owner you must keep an eye on the competition. Secret Boards let you pin things you need or want to keep an eye on.

Pinterest Secret Boards can be a great way to market your business, engage your clients and customers as well as sharing content with your team. You are only limited by your imagination. I challenge you to think outside the box on how you can grow your small business and maximize profits using Pinterest Secret Boards.

Founded in 2006, Dream Catcher Business & Career Coaching is a woman owned and veteran owned business. Jaynine is a member of the Carteret Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of the Leadership Carteret Class of 2011, Veterans Chamber of Commerce, and the American Psychological Association. She is also a retired United States Marine and former psychotherapist who works with Veterans and those on Active Duty. Dream Catcher is where your desire to succeed and your commitment to grow personally and professionally meet so you can turn your dreams into reality. You can contact Coach Jaynine to schedule a strategy session at 910.539.2810or email her at Jaynine@coachjaynine.com

There have been so many changes to Pinterest over the past week and to Facebook over the past month. To help you catch up and maximize your profits before Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday I will be hosting a free teleclass on Monday, November 19, 2012 at 8pmEST.

I will cover how to use Secret Boards and discuss whether or not to switch your Pinterest to a Business Account. I will also be sharing some of the latest updates to Facebook.

Please sign up to reserve your seat.

When you meet small business owners they often introduce themselves by stating what they do rather than who they are. The product or service they provide is what they do; not who they are. Being a business owner is who they are.  I want you to take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself “who are you”. Are you the cleaning lady, the file clerk, receptionist, administrative assistant or the head of your business? In order to run a successful business the owner must have a shift in his or her mindset. My three steps will help you make the necessary mindset shift.

Coach Jaynine’s Three Steps to Shift Your Mindset from Employee to Business Owner:

1. Recognize what task you are doing. Is it a task that can be delegated to an employee? As the business owner you should be focused on growing your business, managing employees, and delegating tasks. You must have time to review your revenue streams, sales goals, marketing and make adjustments. I want you to think “billable hours”.  Identify what you are doing and evaluate if someone who earns a lower wage should or could do the task just as well or better. If the answer is “yes” then make the business decision to delegate that task.

2. Write business systems and job descriptions for you and your employees. You must learn to hire people to do the tasks that you are not the expert in doing or that you do not like to do. I highly recommend that you outsource your bookkeeping, administrative tasks, web design, graphic design, and cleaning. You must focus on revenue producing activities. Business systems that are written down will ensure that all employees can perform the tasks. This will also ensure that employees do not skip a step. Systems help you to provide consistency. They also save time from having to reinvent the wheel. Employees will not forget a step and you will not to micromanage. If you do not have a budget to afford paying for workers get creative. Maybe you know someone that is willing to work for free in exchange for having work experience for his or her resume. Depending on your state you may be able to find a student intern who will work for free. You may also want to ask family or church to volunteer.

3.  Learn to lead and delegate.  Business owners need to focus on running the business and not get caught up being one of the worker bees. You cannot do every task in your business. Your focus must be on managing your team and their projects or workflow.  Working with a coach can help you acquire new leadership and business skills while providing you a confidential environment to learn.

Your business revenue will grow faster when you make a conscious shift in your mindset. You must perform like a business owner and not an employee. Most businesses fail because the owner runs out of steam and is not willing to put in the 14-18 hour days needed in the beginning to run the business. When you learn to delegate you will have more time to focus on the behind the scene tasks that are necessary to keep the business running. You will also have more time to spend with your family and friends. Balance is important in order to prevent burnout or delivering sloppy work or products. When you are busy burning the candle at both ends something will suffer. You do not want it to be the delivery of your product or service or the way you provide customer service. You must have energy too and a fresh brain in order to be productive.

My three steps will help you make the necessary mindset shift from worker bee to business owner. This mindset shift will help you get off the merry go round of average results and get you on the zip line to over the top profits. Next time you look in the mirror you will see yourself as the head of a successful delegating work, following up on projects and making sound business decisions.

I would appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete my survey so that I can tailor my blog posts for you.

2012 Get to Know Your Customers Day Survey

Your 2012 Roadmap to Success

When:  January 23, 2011

Time: 0900-1600

Location: Hampton Inn – Pine Knoll Shore, North Carolina

What are you willing to do to make your business a success?

Most business owners will give a resounding- Yes! When asked if they want a successful business but when asked if they are willing to fight for it or give up some niceties, they start to think twice.

When we see business superstars like Tony Robbins or Southwest Airlines, we’re seeing the results of the work they put into their business to become successful.  Tony Robbins lived in a small, low rent apartment in Los Angeles and could only dream of living the lifestyle he does today. He started his motivational career promoting seminars for someone else and it was many years before he achieved superstar status. Southwest Airlines was originally prohibited to fly because of an injunction filed by their competitors and had to fight in court for years before finally being granted approval.

You can create a steady flow of new customers in your business

When you make the mindset shift to do what is necessary to build your business, opportunities will flow. Eating Ramen noodles in order to invest in your business will allow you to enjoy caviar later on. And you don’t have to go it alone. There are no magic bullets but there are proven ways to attract new customers and create a more even stream of profits in your business if you are willing to put in the effort.

http://strategicsuccessformula.com/

I’m Coach Jaynine Howard and if you’ve been following me, you know that I specialize in showing business owners how to achieve exponential growth while remaining debt free

SPECIAL OFFER FOR MY BLOG READERS ONLY – Regular Price is $90 – email me and mention my blog offer and you can attend for $45.00 – offer good thru Friday, January 13, 2012.