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Hi
"Only 1% of everything bought lasts 6 months or longer." That's according to Annie Leonard's 21-minute video at www.storyofstuff.com.
What's this got to do with what our customers really need? Find out after the menu for this month's Fulfilment (hint: it's not only about "green" and eco-friendly):
-- Featured program: Small Business Mentoring Program: How much more would your business be worth if it didn't need you? Since 2006, our 6-month Small Business Mentoring Program has helped entrepreneurs grow their business value to build their wealth and freedom. Find out how you can do it too.
- Article: How to Attract Customers Without Cutting Prices: When everyone is promising "excellent service", and "high quality", then who does the customer choose? Answer: the cheapest option. Greig Whitton, founder of Wolftime Community, teaches us how to avoid the price war.
- Article: Get More Right Clients at Lower Cost: There's only one thing you need to slash your marketing budget and get more of your ideal clients. Find out in my article.
- Article: Stand Out Above the Media Clutter: To win the publicity game, you need to win over the journalist before you can get in front of your customers' eyes. Jacqui Duarte, owner of PR company Trademark Communications, offers her expertise in how to stand out above the clutter.
The business case for going green:
When I heard that 99% of everything we buy doesn't survive 6 months, I felt shocked at humans' wasteful, throw-away life styles. It's even worse knowing we've designed this. Erk! Humans are intentionally wasteful.
What also wastes are information products, which, just like physical products, consume resources in their production. For example, about 9 in every 10 PCs worldwide run Microsoft software and, my guess, about 9 in 10 features in each application are not used. And in DSTV's bouquets of channels, each bouquet has a diverse combination of themes. To get my favourite sports channels, I might also get -- and pay for -- a posy of utterly useless channels like fashion and home shopping. What proportion of your newspaper do you not read?
The planet's resources are used in creating everything we need and don't need, no matter the substance of the product. And it's here where going green and doing good business overlap.
Do you know which parts of your products or services are not needed by your customers? Now is the time to re-package our offerings by trimming more than the bells and whistles and giving customers only what they need.
The economy emerging from the ashes of the current strain requires us to niche our offerings even more than before to eliminate wastage not only in production, but also in marketing and sales. It should be obvious that the less time and money we spend on our non-ideal customers, the more we have available for the "right" customers and the more we add to our bottom line (and save the planet).
Isn't it time you re-evaluated who your ideal customer is and refined your offering?
If you're serious about this, we can help you -- it's something we've been doing expertly for hundreds of clients. Phone us and try our marketing workshops or mentoring, like the workshop Wolftime will run next week (see the yellow ad on the right).
Special announcement:
On a note of product refinement, we're delighted to re-introduce our acclaimed and refined Small Business Mentoring Program for owners of small and medium businesses. You can find out more or book your place here. (Your business has over 100 staff and turns R30m+ per year? Try our executive coaching instead.)
Resources:
For more on marketing and related resources, check out these articles previously published in Fulfilment:
- Systemising Your Marketing and Sales: Quality sales are determined by quality lead generation, which is driven by quality market research and planning. My model and guide illustrate how to build a high-quality marketing and sales system for your business.
- Assassins Aren't Listed in the Yellow Pages: Roland Cox, executive and life coach, offers a jovial take on emulating the assassin's approach to marketing by encouraging word-of-mouth fervour.
- Online Marketing Tips: Once you've identified your niche, Rochelle Harwin, owner of The Design Works, offers her marketing expertise in these 6 outlets for online marketing to reach your ideal prospects.
Next month in Fulfilment:
As always, we love your comments -- we learn so much from our readers, whether sharing a perspective or asking a question. So in next month's Fulfilment, look out for a new Q&A feature in which one of our associates will reply to one lucky reader's question on leadership or entrepreneurship. Remember to give us your company name and web site so we can publicise your business!
All the best until next time.
Brent Combrink
Fulfilment editor and ProMentor's founding owner
Cell: +27 (0)82 425 2708
Email your letters to: brent@promentor.co.za
PS: Look out for our launch announcement next month of ProMentor's Virtual Boardroom Project. This 14-month program is designed to help executives and entrepreneurs do better in a team than on their own through peer support, accountability, strategic focus and practical corporate governance.
Featured Program:
Small Business Mentoring Program
In a tight economy, is your business more dependent on you?
If so, the good news is that your business has huge potential to increase its value. A business that doesn't need its owner can be sold for much more than when the owner is the business.
More good news is that most causes of business failure and success are within our control. That means we can do something about not only surviving, but thriving, even in tough times.
"ProMentor's SBMP taught me one thing that I believe all successful
SME owners should strive towards constantly, and that is 'to work on your business and not in your business'. This philosophy has had a big effect on the overall profitability of my business."
-- Richard Kershaw, Kerston Foods
(18 months after completing his SBMP)
+ Currently available in Cape town and Joburg +
+ 6-month program in groups of 6 to 9 entrepreneurs +
+ 2 x 3-hour sessions held each month +
+ Includes all notes, venue and catering +
To book or find out more, visit our SBMP info page, or call ProMentor at 021 683 7575, or email info@promentor.co.za
How to Attract Customers Without Cutting Prices
By Greig Whitton, founder of Wolftime Community
17 September 2009
Why should anyone buy from you and not one of your competitors? I expect you to offer excellent service, and high quality. They're threshold criteria for any business: demonstrating experience, value, and service simply puts you in the game; it doesn't make you stand out.
Read more...
Get More Right Clients at Lower Cost
by Brent Combrink, founder of ProMentor
17 September 2009
The knee-jerk response in the nascent economic tsunami of early 2008 was for execs and entrepreneurs to roll up their sleeves, muck in and work harder at the game of survival (and, oddly, expect the same of their staff).
A spiffy idea, for sure, if you have capacity to work harder. Hence not a clever idea for the remaining 99.99% of us. Here's the ONE thing we should be doing to not only survive, but come out wealthy and healthy when the economy picks up.
Read more...
Stand Out Above the Media Clutter
By Jacqui Duarte, owner of Trademark Communications
17 September 2009
With up to 800 stories crossing a journalist's desk every day, it's imperative that you do your homework if you want to get your stories published. But before you can get in front of your customers' eyes, you need to win over the journalist or editor who you want to publish your story. Here are the essentials for getting out there by standing out above the clutter. Hint: it's not about taking the editor out for lunch.
Read more...
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