Posted by: Troy White
August 8, 2008
Issue #477

Are you waiting until it’s too late?

Fellow Business-Builder,

Last Sunday night, while we slept, someone cut through the screen on a kitchen window, crawled through, rifled through a few things, opened one of the vehicles out in front of the house and went through the glove box and console, then stole the keys to the other vehicle (the dreaded minivan) and took off. 

I woke up (fast) at 7:45 am when one of my 7-year-old daughters came in the room asking why all the doors in the house were "wide open."  I ran out and sure enough the front screen door and main door were pried open. 

The back doors the same.

** Something was most definitely wrong. 

Then I noticed the kitchen window screen was cut, and the ledge below the window had been cleaned clear of all the photos that used to sit there.

Someone has been in the house - maybe was still there - and we had yet to figure out what was stolen.  I see my laptop still sitting there. An iPod and a cell phone both lay on the kitchen counter.  Cash still sitting on my tabletop in the bedroom. 

Luckily everyone is safe and sound. 

In a case like this, anything could have happened.

The person may have gotten startled and done something drastic. 

One of the kids could have gone to the bathroom and ran into the thief. 

Anything could have happened.

** Fortunately, nothing did. 

A missing purse and minivan - who cares? 

We are all fine - which is what really matters. 

I tell you, though - it all becomes crystal clear how easy something can happen to you when a personal invasion like this happens.

We are easily vulnerable to bad people - how much are you paying attention to your surroundings?  I do keep a close eye on our street, always on the lookout for things out of place. 

This, I believe, was completely random. 

It was definitely someone smaller - the window they went through is fairly small, and I know I would never fit through it.  The cop said the same about himself. 

Scary part- they did have a knife to cut through the screen -and they had the knife in hand while inside the house. 

That scares me. 

My most precious people in life - completely vulnerable at that point. 

My girls mean the world to me and just the thought of something happening to any of them absolutely paralyzes me. 

We have since made the changes we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again (a dog and alarm are better than nothing!).

So what does this have to do
with you and your business?

To be honest, I did what I would NEVER recommend to a client. 

With my home, I waited until it was too late and something bad happened.  I could have/should have put in an alarm before.  We should not have left our windows wide open (even though it would take a child, skinny teen, or crackhead to fit through that little window). 

There are a million precautions I COULD HAVE TAKEN. But, I did what most do - I waited until it was too late.

And most entrepreneurs struggle
with the same problem.

Are you?

Do you know what you should be doing, yet procrastinate long enough that the problem becomes serious, or you start losing your long-time best clients?

One client I am working with right now has been in business for eight years.  The new owner has a marketing background.  Yet, when he started running the company (two years ago) he forgot about the marketing fundamentals he knows so well.

He forgot to implement customer communication pieces (newsletters, updates, promotions (!), thank you campaigns, appreciation campaigns, etc.).  He missed them all because he got busy working in the business, rather than on it.

Which is why I was brought in … to fix the problem and help them become more proactive with their marketing. 

Results are already happening, and we have only just begun. 

In the slowest season for them, they are starting to see the results.  Imagine what will happen when their busy season hits in a month or two!

Some of the areas that you may be neglecting, that you should seriously start implementing (hire it out if you don’t have the time, or can’t make the time):

• Preparing for the September – January season.  Put together an actual marketing plan and calendar. Write down exactly what you are going to be doing each week of the upcoming quarter.  Write down which specific holiday or theme type promotions you will be running (my favorite). Plan out when the copy will get written by (and by whom).  Plan out when the different pieces will go to print, to mail, etc.  And delegate people to help you get them done.
• Educate your front end people about improving customer communication. Tell them about the marketing campaigns you will be doing – what it means to them – and how they can help.
• Dedicate a project manager for your campaigns for the next few months (You can hire it out to a Virtual Assistant (VA) for $1,000 a month … think about the revenues you will bring in during this time.  There will be many multiples of your investment in a VA or project manager)
• Go back to your lost customers and write them a “we want you back” letter campaign. Make it worth their while to come back.
• Make it part of your sales cycle to implement a new testimonial program.  Ask every single person who buys for a testimonial (automate it through e-mail, direct mail, and/or fax blasts).
• New lead generation programs.  These do not need to be expensive or complicated, but you need to have more of them going.  Look back at your past success with lead generation. Where did the leads come from? How can you get more from the same source? Get the ads or letters written and out there.
• Win an award!  Hire someone (VA’s are great at this) to find you some awards you can be nominated for.  The easiest way is to stay within your industry or city. Have them ask around about what awards you could be nominated for.  Then have them do a professional write-up on why you should win.  A simple idea – that works. It recently won me the 2008 Emerging Leaders Award in Calgary and positioned me in the same class as companies who are doing $250 million a year in revenues.  Great for credibility.

  
Click on an image to see a larger version

• Surprise, surprise!  Over the next few months, try testing a surprise campaign.  Find a gift you can send to your clients (nothing expensive). Maybe a booklet, a small knick-knack, a post-it note holder, or something they will appreciate from you.  Send it out with a small note to say thank you. No pitch. Nothing salesy in it.  Watch what happens.
• When is your next product or bundle launch?  You know you need to do this.  Your customers want to hear that you have something new for them.  So plan it out!  Jeff Walker’s course is excellent here for planning this the right way. Aim for at least one new launch by Halloween.  That gives you lots of time to do it right. 

Again, you may KNOW these things already …
but have you done anything about them?

Or are you going to wait until it is too late and something bad happens?

The busiest shopping season of the year is almost upon us.

Are you prepared?

Be more proactive in your business (and home). The results are self-evident, the headaches you can well do without!

Have you put on paper what exactly you will be doing over the next few months for marketing?  Have you thought through the amount of time it will take you to write the copy, get it to the printers, get your mailing list ready, and have a company do your mailing for you and get it into the mail on the date you want? 

Most people I talk to underestimate how long all this takes. Then the promotions don’t go out on time, or at all.

With all the resources available to you through the Makepeace Total Package blog, you have no excuse. 

Everything you need is right here
to make this Fall your best yet.

And being proactive WILL save you some serious headaches and hassles.

Think it through.

To your success,

Troy White
Editor, Small Business Mastery
Supplement to THE TOTAL PACKAGE

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A Final Note:

If you have specific subjects you would like addressed, or have any comments on what you have seen here, please submit a comment below and I will see how I can help.

"A man to carry on a successful business
must have imagination.
He must see things as in a vision,
a dream of the whole thing.”

– Charles Schwab

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10 Comments »

1. Comment by Tony Smith — August 8, 2008 @ 10:44 am

   sorry to hear about that Troy; we’ve been burgled too and it’s not nice

   On a more positive note, great post, and very thought-provoking.

   Tony.

2. Comment by JudyAnn Lorenz — August 8, 2008 @ 10:53 am

   That kind of violation doesn’t come in partial servings.  To be snapped at by a dog is too close to being bitten.  Thank you for pulling the experience together for some great points we can and should use.

3. Comment by Linda Byam — August 8, 2008 @ 11:11 am

   Troy,
   Glad everything’s OK, except for your peace of mind. Hope you can regain that soon. An excellent wake-up call for installing the new smoke detectors I’ve had for weeks now. Thanks for the insight!
   Best wishes, Linda

4. Comment by Marcelino Latorre — August 8, 2008 @ 11:25 am

   Incredible post Troy, and may the Creator bless you and your family immensely. The dog and the alarm sound like and idea. You should consider a trusty ole 357 Mag or a nice bow and arrow, to be frank. There is no way any harm should come close to you and those little babies you talk so much about. 

5. Comment by Rick De Lima — August 8, 2008 @ 12:16 pm

   Hey Troy,

   Good example of turning something bad into something positive.

   Procrastination is something I think we as entrepreneurs are often guilty of. You start off with all these great plans and ideas then somewhere along the line you forget to implement.

   After attending your Wild West Wealth Summit this point was driven into my head by yourself and most of the other speakers.

   So, let’s all of us out there in the vast marketing kingdom remeber to stop procrastinating and start Implementing.

   Thanks for the great advice Troy.

   And best of luck with your new dog and alarm system.

   Rick
   http://www.magneticcopywriter.com

6. Comment by Troy White — August 8, 2008 @ 3:30 pm

   Thanks for the well-wishes.

   And yes, it is a scary thing.  But, all that really matters is the safety of my family… now and in the future.  Sad that things like this happen, but it can be a not-so-subtle reminder to all of us that this can happen to anyone, no matter where you live, no matter how prepared you think you are.  Thanks again for writing me back about this.

   Thanks again.

   Have a safe and happy weekend.

   Troy

7. Comment by Henry — August 10, 2008 @ 12:25 pm

   I’ve been broken into before.
   It feels like your house or car (or both) have been violated. the message isnt lost,,,,, it should be a priority to make our clients believe our service to them is whole.

8. Comment by Lydia Mills — August 11, 2008 @ 4:13 pm

   I’m just now getting to read your post - a lot of valuable information. However, I’m wondering how to translate it to our particular industry. We are a service - installing and repairing septic systems, so we don’t have the same customers on a regular basis (unless they are 15 years down the road).  And with the construction industry hitting the pits in Florida right now, our business has slowed considerably. Any help in that regard?

9. Comment by Troy White — August 14, 2008 @ 1:42 pm

   Hi Lydia,  Great question.  What immediately comes to mind…

   1) Since the sales cycle is extremely long between needing a new system, you need to find ways to either get them to refer you to others, or get them to buy more in between.  Referrals - I would think that referral systems are key for you to get in front of their friends or family who are in need of a system as well.  If you are not using some form of a regular contact system, you must. In your industry, I would think a regular newsletter (in print form) would keep you top of mind with them.  This is also a great spot to ask them for their referrals.  High ticket sales with long sales cycles are a different thing in themselves. It is all about staying in front of them and giving them good reasons to talk to others about you.  Have a look at http://www.bigassfans.com - they have a fairly boring product, high ticket price and long cycles. With the use of creative marketing and online videos, they have gotten a ton of publicity and good media attention - which has results in fantastic sales results.  How could you apply what they did to you?  Or have a look at http://www.willitblend.com - again - blenders, not too exciting, until you do it the way they do.

   2) what else can you sell to them?  There must be other products and services that your clients need.  Find out what they are, and set up some joint ventures to supply it to them.  One sale every 15 years is tough - but finding new offers that can make smaller sales once a year (or more, preferably) is much better.  If they use your septic systems for a farm, or an acreage, or whatever - there must be quite a few things they also need to buy to keep things running top shape out there. Find out where they are spending their money (or want to be) and sell it to them through others.

   Hope that helps a little?

   Troy

10. Comment by Lydia Mills — August 14, 2008 @ 3:46 pm

    Thanks Troy - I appreciate your suggestions. We’ll see what we can do!