HOOKER-NOMICS What is the value you offer your clients?

HOOKER-NOMICS What is the value you offer your clients?

Mission Impossible charge more, sell more and Build Your Business

Mission Impossible charge more, sell more and Build Your Business

The death of Yellow Pages – What to do to Build Your Business in 2013

The death of Yellow Pages – What to do to Build Your Business in 2013

Donald RobichaudPresidentFloodLight Consulting - Build Your Business - 250-768-9415http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/http://donaldrobichaud.blogspot.com/

What is your Big Business Decision?

CBC has recently launched a brand new show The Big Decision which is a spinoff of  The Dragon’s Den.

What we like about the show is the substantive business acumen that can be derived from the show.

Canadian business owner’s can actually learn something about the running of a business and get a handle on how business investors think without the theatrics of The Dragons Den. (I am sure some businesses are chosen on the Dragons Den because it makes good television and not necessarily a good business idea)

The candidate’s on CBC’s The Big Decision program have to date; been well vetted and weekly they bring the different struggles of running a business in Canada to the forefront.

The present format has Arlene Dickerson and Jim Treliving alternate weekly, with both having the opportunity to invest in the companies that they are examining. All companies are given specific direction and have approximately 2 to 3 weeks to accomplish the tasks.

The format of the show is as follows:

Each 1-hour episode of The Big Decision documents two Canadian businesses desperately in need of expert advice and a cash injection. With the banks calling in their loans and financiers tightening their wallets, Jim and Arlene are their last hope.

If the companies can rise to the challenge of changing their ways, they could be given a life-changing investment from two of the most revered business leaders in the country. At the conclusion of each episode, Jim and Arlene have to decide whether they’ll invest in one, neither or both of the companies vying for their cash. 

So let’s examine week 3 episode:

Jim Treliving has very considerable business skills,   and an ability to get to the heart of business problem in very short order. On CBC’s Big Decision, Treliving met with a brewery in Aldergrove BC., and a manufacturer of screws and bolts in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Overview: Dead Frog Brewery – Independent Brewery

Jim chose to invest in the brewery because he could roll in some financial controls very easily and the owners still had a passion for the business.

They needed sales help – the NEW campaign they designed was innovative but amateurish. They responded well to Jim asking for reduction in the number of labels they manufactured from 10 to 6 (Like a sample 6 pack …no charge for the marketing idea!!!).

Their 10 lines of beer surely contributed to the quality control problems that bedeviled the small brewery and quickly they made an effort to make their production line more efficient by eliminating unnecessary product movement and by making the line flow naturally and smoothly from vat to door.

The absence of good financial information and a business plan were exactly the things that Treliving could bring to the table and make the company perform well so he decided to invest.

Overview: Westland Steel – manufactures screws and bolts

The fastener company on the other hand could have been salvaged but only by an injection of very hard work. After Treliving asked his questions and poked around the plant, the plant managers tinkered with the sales incentives. But the sales people had just gone on record as saying they had nothing to sell. They didn’t have the cash or credit to buy the raw materials for their orders.

Jim sensed the company’s lack of direction. The complete absence of leadership from anyone in the plant, the deadness behind the eyes of management and the energy to find to find a solution was missing. Jim knew that. To save the company he would have to drop in tons of cash and parachute a new General Manager into the building with a remit to overhaul the company from top to bottom. That would have taken months and perhaps years.

Further, the state of the company’s finances would have meant a partial receivership (a Chapter 11 in US speak) in order to buy time to re-arrange the finances and seek accommodation with suppliers and landlords. . At the very least Jim’s money would have had to finance the purchase of raw material.

What intrigued me about the fastener company is that in spite of the huge slowdown, nothing for the salespeople to sell, and no plan, they still had revenues of $200,000 per month. With that kind of revenue most companies are salvageable. With that kind of revenue, jobs could have been saved. It would have been a long turnaround project with some pain all around but do-able.

Conclusion:

At the fastener plant, there could have been the satisfaction of seeing the back end of delivery truck shipping to a customer. At the brewery, you could always crack open a beer on a bad day!!!

What is evident so far in the first three episodes this season of The Big Decision is the lack of direction by management for any business plan, sales plan, marketing plan and company direction.

It is very interesting to watch the reaction of business owners when they are asked to do specific tasks by Arlene and Jim.  Some of them cannot take direction and due to their inflated view of themselves lose the opportunity to get investment money and put their whole livelihood at risk.

Jim and Arlene are very successful business people who know how to run successful businesses and they are not willing to put up with people who are not keen to change and grow.

I highly recommend this show for any business that is looking to expand their knowledge and get great incite to what will help you Build Your Business.

All episodes can be viewed on line – Click here

Article written by Andrew Gregson and Donald Robichaud

If you need help with your  business give us a call.

Donald Robichaud
President
Floodlight Business Solutions Group
1-888-768-9415
http://www.floodlight.ca 

Build Your Business

Does my business need a mobile app ?

There’s no doubt that consumers are using their mobile phones to buy more and with increased frequency on their mobile phones.

Recently Time Magazine – The Wireless Issue dedicated a whole issue to the launch of their own app and an explanation of how the mobile phone has changed how we communicate, explore, do business and pay for items we want.

The business question is should you rely on a mobile optimised website, or should you be considering a mobile app?

The answer appears to be that more users will probably uninstall your app than will use it if it does not meet their needs.

Currently the most prevalent retail mobile apps are Amazon and eBay and those being used by major chain restaurants like Domino’s and others to check on the delivery of your order.

Other apps used regularly by small and midsized business are vouches/discount sites, journey planning, and booking apps. Smartphone users are likely to find their way with Google Maps, check plane times on their mobiles and read the news so what will your app offer?

Who will use your app? 

Subscribers

Nearly 40 percent of American mobile subscribers accessed downloaded apps in June 2012. And, according to a consumer survey conducted earlier this year by MTV Networks, 91 percent of respondents said apps expose them to new things; 77 percent compared apps to personal assistants; and 83 percent of daily mobile app users reported believing they're "addicted" to apps ( Gamers and highly evolved hand held users)

Marketing

Whatever your company does online, can also be done on smart phones, which adds portability, location targeting and other cutting-edge technological enhancements to the mix. The potential of mobile apps extends far beyond marketing.

Sure, companies can leverage applications to promote their products and services, reaching on-the-go consumers looking for compelling places to shop or grab lunch. But mobile apps can also support online purchase transactions, customer loyalty programs, turn-by-turn directions and social media interactions.

As a business owner what should I do?

All businesses looking at apps need to plan carefully. They should plan a budget and a road map. Knowing what you want the app to do and which consumer segments you wish to reach. This can pose a bigger challenge.

Things to look at before you move ahead with an app:

             Know what message you want to send

             Understand your audience

             Clarify what you want your app to achieve

In a recent interview with Ben Duckworth of Duckworth Consultants in Kelowna for this article Duckworth said “Business owners need a plan and what we do at Duckworth Consultants is offer a mobile app solution that is completely customizable, so you can design your app specifically around your business, what your business goals are and how you want your customers to interact with you."

When speaking about their own customers Duckworth pointed out: “What customers like about our app’s is that our platform is unique to apps in that each feature can be changed, turned on or off and even added to when the app is live.”

How will an app help me increase my business sales?

That’s the big question right now. People tend to think of mobile apps as novelties and games or small utility apps for people to use for tasks and calendars.

Here is what you need to consider for why your business needs its own app:

1. You put Your Business in your Client or Prospects Pocket!
2. You can add mobile value by including content and functionality that are time sensitive
3.  Provide content that adds value to client’s and prospect’s daily lives
4. Your app will become a part of a person’s daily life and become indispensable
5. It’s about convenience for your clients and prospects.
6. You can use the App to drive traffic to your brick and mortar store with a Push “Call to Action”
7.  Announce “Specials” to your app subscribers (online shoppers love a bargain)
8. You can announce an “Event” and have the app user keep it in their calendar so they don’t forget. If it’s a ticketed event, tell them how to get tickets or give them links to purchase tickets, or have a cart system to purchase tickets in the app
9. The mobile internet market is growing at a much faster rate than fixed internet
10.  It will differentiate you from your competition
11. You create deeper engagement through a device.  Statistics show people are within 15 feet of their mobile Smartphone 24 hours a day
12. Drive more loyalty to your brand by engaging people with the devices they are so addicted to
13. You are constantly branding your business on your customers phones
14. Your business is provided with great feedback through mobile app two way conversations
15. It is going to drive more revenue and ultimately more profits with its ability to “Push” information to app users instead of waiting for them to “Pull" information like a website
16. It enables easy social sharing of your content between mobile users with in-app sharing features
17.  Reduce costs to your business through automation. With a mobile app that has back end software you can change the information yourself.

So when considering an app for your business or any other  marketing tool  it’s easy to forget what your really  trying to achieve because sometimes we get so focused on the look and feel of the marketing piece.

The best marketing tools not only look good but they actually help solve a problem for your clients and that will   Build Your Business.

If you need help with your  Social Media Strategies or Internet Marketing Strategies contact:

Donald Robichaud
President
Floodlight Business Solutions Group
1-888-768-9415
http://www.floodlight.ca 

Build Your Business

Increase your Productivity – Emails and cell phones can be productivity Time Wasters

In the last couple of weeks I have been reading many books and one in particular has struck a key note with me. 

Daily I deal with clients and friends who are slaves to technology, specifically emails, cell phones and their own struggles with time management.The book “The 4-Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss is about how to radically change your lifestyle or go from ‘living to work’ to working (as little, but effectively as possible) and making life as big as possible.

Here is a summary from chapter seven (Interrupting Interruption and the Art of Refusal) that is focused on step-changing one’s personal efficiency. With these tips you can get 15 times as much done in a normal workweek”.
The key is to do things quicker, faster better and to enjoy the things that are really important in life. Interested?

Donald Robichaud- FloodLight Consulting

Eliminate time wasters:

• Severely limit e-mail consumption and production
• Turn off the audible alert if you’re on Outlook or a similar program
• Turn off automatic send/receive (which delivers e-mail to your in-box as soon as someone sends them)
• Check e-mail only twice per day, once at 12:00 noon and again at 4:00 pm.
• Never check e-mail first thing in the morning…instead, complete your most important task before 11:00 am to avoid using lunch or reading e-mail as a postponement excuse.
• Before implementing the twice-daily routine, you must create an e-mail auto-response that will train your boss, co-workers, suppliers, and clients to be more effective
• Suggested e-mail template: “Due to high workload, I am currently checking and responding to e-mail twice daily at 12:00 noon (PST) and 4:00 pm (PST). If you require urgent assistance that cannot wait until either 12:00 or 4:00, please contact me via telephone @ 626-321-4107. Thank you for understanding this move to more efficiency and effectiveness. It helps me to accomplish more and serve you better.”
• Do the same type of template with your phone voicemail.

Create systems to limit your availability via e-mail and phone and deflect inappropriate contact:

• Get the auto-response and voicemail script in place now, and master the various methods of evasion.
• Replace the habit of greeting “How are you?” with “How can I help you?”
• Get specific and remember – no stories
• Focus on immediate actions and practice interruption-killing policies.
• Batch activities to limit set-up cost. Where in my life can I create a routine in my life by batching?
• What tasks (like laundry, groceries, mail, payments, sales reporting, etc.) can I allot to specific times each day, week, or month so I don’t squander time repeating them more often than necessary?

Need Help?

FloodLight Consulting provides objective feedback about what you need to do to get your business on track. A healthy business coach relationship provides you honest ongoing assessment of your Business Development Activities, assisting you to focus your efforts in the areas that will have the greatest long term positive impact on your business and your life. If you need help creating your goal-plan Click here!!

Donald Robichaud – FloodLight Consulting

Floodlight – Build Your Business
1-888-768-9415

Kelowna. Kamloops, Calgary, Edmonton. Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto Moncton, Halifax and across Canada

Build Your Business with LinkedIn as a Marketing Tool

As a business coach and marketing consultant I am always looking for the next new social media tool to give my clients the edge in their marketing.

Recently I decided to spend a little more time on an older Social Media tool called LinkedIn which is a social tool for businesses to business decision makers.

LinkedIn is a place where you’d keep things pretty buttoned-up and formal. No need to mention your vacation in Las Vegas on LinkedIn.

But that white paper you wrote? This is just perfect for LinkedIn.

My past sales training and business experience has always guided me to the highest level position in any organization when negotiating or making a sale. And on LinkedIn, this is where the decision makers preside in the rarefied air of top management.

If I am going to spend my time and money on marketing to search out leads only to be told no to my business proposition ......I’d rather that it come from a top decision maker than a lower level bureaucrat.

Here is the reason I make that statement:

• LinkedIn - known as the network for professionals is a very powerful network that is quickly growing in popularity with 120-million worldwide users.
• LinkedIn users attract a much older and typically more educated user base. Many users find it difficult to learn the network at first, due to its professional atmosphere and intimidating user base.  CEO, s CFO, s Presidents, Vice Presidents and Senior Managers.
• LinkedIn has an excellent reach to the decision makers of companies because of its professional setup. Below is additional information on the typical LinkedIn user:
  • Average Age: 43 (as of end 2010)
  • Average Annual Income: $109k
  • Average # of Friends: 63 plus

In the last while I have concentrated my social marketing activities to focus more on LinkedIn and specifically to joining groups that are relevant to the services of Floodlight.

I also joined groups that had larger followings.  The larger the group meant that the information within the group must be more relevant or the association was more predominant for one reason or another.

In total I joined 30 plus groups and extended my reach to over 40 thousand people!!!!

Over the four week period I posted 8 articles to LinkedIn and the results to my overall business were amazing.

The different approach to LinkedIn caused a 12% increase to my website with 178 visitors directly from LinkedIn spending more than one minute on my site.

My posts were commented on 15 different times with relevant comments and interaction.

The best of all was that Floodlight received a qualified lead and a large sale was closed.

Since it is largely focused on B-to-B connections, LinkedIn should be a big part of your social media 

marketing strategy to help Build Your Business.

Click here to view a LinkedIn Profile checklist

If you need help with your LinkedIn Social Media Strategies contact:

Donald Robichaud
President
FloodLight Consulting
1-888-768-9415
http://www.floodlight.ca 

Top dog Social Media LinkedIn Specialist  Melonie Dodaro