How come wine company’s never offer a contest where you could win something on the bottom of a cork? Ok, you’re right, people who buy $50-$100 bottles of wine do not care about whatever it is under the cork, as long as it smells like fine wine. I’m talking about the cheap inexpensive wine, you know the bottles that no one is aging in the cellar, the ones that you buy for the weekend and if they last till Monday you’re having wine with supper.
I see an opportunity here. You could develop a classy contest, partner with the New Yorker or Napa Valley and offer a prize people will talk about around the water cooler.
Creating an incentive for customers to look for your wine at the store can be a powerful tactic. With whatever excuse you come up with as to the reason why wine company’s don’t do this, ask yourself, why? And why couldn’t they? I am open for a discussion.
Photo Credit: Gary Tamin
Social media isn’t just about Facebook and Twitter, though they both have proven to be among some of the best tools to carry out your internet networking fantasies. Opportunities will pass you by if you are not monitoring what others are saying about you and your organization and engaging them in a conversation. Communication on the internet is only increasing in speed, if you choose to ignore it, you may lose.
Could you imagine if the next time you took your car in for an oil change, they told you about their customer comments section on their website; where if you leave a comment about how the service was, you get 10% off your next oil change? Would you leave a comment? Would you read what others have said? Please let me know below
What if we could hold companies accountable when they provide an unsatisfactory product or service? What if you could look up what others are saying about the restaurant you’re going to tonight? What if you looked up a new hair salon and this came up: (click on the picture to make it larger, this is what actually came up in a Google search for this hair studio)
People are going to talk about your company whether you like it or not, it’s up to you to decide what you’re going to ignore them or engage them.
In Alan M Weber’s Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Your Self, rule number 36 is: Managing your emotional flow is more critical than managing your cash flow. I had to write about this because I see and meet with entrepreneurs all the time that do a poor job of managing their emotions. Cash was king until I understood what an entrepreneur goes through, and if an entrepreneur really made cash king they would not succeed.
As a small business owner you must focus on your goal, your vision of where the company is going. If you don’t do everything in your power to get there (and that may be going into a pile of debt) you may never achieve your goal. There are a thousand and one things an entrepreneur needs to manage but without keeping your emotions in check everything else falls apart.
Tips on keeping your emotions in check:
- Hire a coach or get a mentor and talk about it
- Identify your emotional triggers and be aware when you may be susceptible to an outburst
- Ensure you have some “you” time in a day (Workout, play a sport, get a hobby) do something that will make your mind relax where you won’t think about work
- Have fun at work, it’s the easiest way to put yourself and those around you in a great mood
Finally I believe Van Wilder said it best; “Worrying is like rocking in a rocking chair, sure it gives you something to do for a while but it doesn’t get you anywhere”.
If you are looking at or already have started a small company that’s based on a hobby or something you enjoy doing and you want to grow it listen up.
Your new business is based on a hobby, something that is enjoyable, so there are many players in the industry. What does this mean? You have competition. You’re just an amateur but there are many professionals in the market and they charge too much. You found your niche as an affordable musician, renovator, photographer or artist, whichever you are, people need these services and you can provide them at an affordable price. But it’s not as easy as it seems at first. How do you tell people about your service? You don’t have a lot of money but you will put your heart into it so you know it was be great work but how do you get that message across to your potential client?
Pro Bono. Why not? Lawyers do it, maybe for different reasons but they are still getting experience and building their own portfolio. Take on a project for free, ensure you get lots of exposure and the time you invest will pay out ten fold. If you don’t have a large (or any) advertising budget you may as well show someone how good you really are. If you are that good they will tell someone about their experience, if not, get feedback on how to improve and don’t settle until you are remarkable. It is at that point when your business is remarkable, that you will no longer need to advertise.
