Rembrandt’s Blog

Summer is almost here, but many of you may be worrying about your financial situation and revenue. Plus, the kids will be home for summer vacation soon so you have a lot on your plate. Well, instead of worrying about your business, take action. Here are three questions to ask now to get started:

 1.      What can I do to start bringing in new revenue?

If new sales have stopped coming in, it’s time to be creative. Think about new activities you can try to bring in new customers. 

• Do you need to update your website and marketing materials?
• Do you need to go back to grassroots marketing and start knocking on doors?
• Maybe it’s time to give a presentation and network in the local community? Or perhaps you need to spend some money on copywriting and list rentals to market to potential customers in new niches?

 Instead of sticking with the status quo, think differently and develop new ways to reach customers.

 2.      Who do I know who can send me referrals?

Take a look at your list of contacts and reach out to business associates, past employers, organizations, school mates, and other people who can help you.

• Perhaps you can offer products and services in exchange for free marketing?
• Maybe you can create an affiliate agreement and sell each other’s products and services?

Ask for referrals. While it may be difficult, make the effort. After all, one referral has the potential of significantly increasing your bottom line so you can focus on additional marketing efforts rather than worrying about paying the bills.

3.      What can I change to make things better now and in the future?

If you don’t have a process in place to bring in new customers, it’s definitely time to create one. Review what you are doing now and remove all of the activities that aren’t working or are wasting time. And if you’re not sure what to do, read books about obtaining leads, attend free webinars, talk to business associates, and conduct some online research.

There are plenty of proven ways to increase sales. It’s up to you to find the ones that will work for your business, implement the activities and monitor the results.

Yes, it takes work to bring in new sales and start new marketing projects – no one ever said running a business would be easy. Things are competitive in today’s economy. But if you take action, you’ll see positive results and less stress!

Do you need help with your SEO copywriting and marketing strategies to bring in new sales? Please contact me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Things may be tough right now, but there are new customers out there who need your products and services… But how do you attract these new customers, and keep them, without a big budget? Well, here’s a quick reminder of the top three, cost-effective ways to start increasing your sales:

 1. Look at Your Offer.

 When was the last time you reviewed the products and services you offer customers and compared them with those of your competitors? If it has been a few weeks, it’s time to take inventory.

To start, ask, “How can you solve your customers’ problems quickly and easily?”

Things have changed dramatically in the business world due to the recession, and you need to change with them. Do your products and services fulfill your customers’ current needs?

If not, revise your offerings, provide special discounts or free trials, and be creative to win business from the competition.

2. Optimize your Site for the Search Engines (SEO).

Once you update your products and services, let people know! If you haven’t optimized your Web site for the search engines, hire a professional SEO copywriter to do it for you. You’ll actually save time and money by hiring a pro… and experience better results.

And if you already have SEO keywords on your Web pages and coding, check to make sure you have current keywords that people are actually searching for online. Check out free sites likes Wordtracker, www.wordtracker.com, and KeyWordDiscovery, www.keywordiscovery.com for help.

Also, send out a press release with the appropriate SEO keywords…. Even if you just post it on free, press-release posting sites, you’ll get some good, online coverage.

 3. Exceed Customer Expectations.

Now, people are going to start coming to your site and requesting information. Be sure you provide the best customer-service possible. Train your employees, and bend over backwards to help potential, new clients get the information they need.

And when people place an order, follow up to see if they have any questions, and thank them for their business. You’d be surprised at how far a simple “thank you” can go!

A Simple Reminder

These are just three steps to boosting sales, but they are important. If you fail to miss one of these points, you can waste a lot of time, effort and money. More importantly, you can lose sales to the competition and damage your business reputation!

Do you need help developing a marketing strategy to get new customers? Please write to me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

With all of the ugly economic-news, the recent earthquakes and the snow and rain, it can be easy to feel sad. But the good news is… the economy can get better, you can prepare for natural disasters, and spring is just days away… And best of all, you are in charge of your own feelings.

After all, when was the last time you took control of your situation? Have you been moping around with spring fever? Are you unable to secure new customers or increase sales at your business?

Well, it’s time to regain your power!

With three little steps, you can start to turn things around with every aspect of your life. Here are my suggestions:

1. Review.

First, take a look at what’s going on in your life and ask yourself some questions:

•  Why are you tired all the time?
• Why can’t you seem to get anything done?
• Why isn’t your business growing?
• Why is the “grass greener” everywhere else?

You get the idea. Try to pinpoint why you are feeling sad or unmotivated so you can make positive changes.

2. Make a Plan.

Once you know what your main pain-points are, it’s time to figure out what you’re going to do about it. After all, you are in charge of your own feelings and success so take a few minutes and decide what you can do to fix things in your life.

• Maybe you need to get up earlier to get some exercise or finish a project?
• Are you eating unhealthy snacks that are zapping your energy?
• Do you need to update your products, services or Web site to bring in more sales and traffic?
• Are you spending too much money without realizing it?
• Is it time to get your annual check-up?
• How about hiring some outside experts help you with certain tasks?

Review your responses and decide what you can do to change things that aren’t working for you. Then, add your action steps to a calendar with due dates for each activity. Write down what you want to accomplish and when.

If you need help, find a friend, family member or co-worker for support. You may even want to hire a life coach or trainer to help keep you motivated and stick to your schedule.

3. Take Action.

Now that you have your list of goals, it’s up to you to make change happen.

No one is going to do it for you.

Things will just stay the same unless you take action. And if you are having trouble making changes, start small. Then with each success, give yourself a small reward. Maybe it’s watching your favorite television show, reading a book, eating a piece of candy, taking a little extra “me” time…

The point is that if you want to be happier and more successful, it’s up to you… so if you are waiting for things to get better, you may be waiting a long time.

And I don’t know about you, but things always seem to be better when you’re working to achieve something. Plus, think how great you’ll feel when you start accomplishing your goals – earning more money, losing weight, bringing in new customers – and feeling like you can take on the world!

Now that’s power. Can’t you just taste it?

We can all use some help and a little “pick-me-up” message once in awhile. If you are overwhelmed and need assistance bringing in new customers with public relations, SEO copywriting and marketing activities, please let me know here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’m here to help!