Compelling Communications

Putting your best foot forward where your customers see it can be applied in many different ways. Let’s explore some.

1) Have your best employee as your receptionist. The person who answers your phone and greets customers leaves a lasting impression to visitors.

2) Look professional whenever you are out in public. This doesn’t mean your clothing needs to be expensive, but it does mean you need to look professional at all times.

3) Keep your vehicles clean & up-to-date. If yours is a business where you have employees on the road (pest control, electrician, plumber, for example), then your vehicles must be kept clean.

4) Hone performance. Instruct employees in customer service, how to talk with a customer, what information to communicate, how to answer frequently asked questions.

5) Keep your best image up front. A company’s image is made up of many little things — the logo, literature, advertising, employees, vehicles, etc. If you feel your logo doesn’t look as modern as it should, contact a graphic artist to tweak it, leaving recognizable elements in place but changing colors, layout, etc. (Or maybe you’d like your logo “holiday-ized” like mine above. Let me know!)

6) Keep your best marketing message where everyone can see it. . .  on your Facebook or LinkedIn page and your own website or blog.

7) Offer your best prices. Don’t play the department store game of never getting full price for your work or products by constantly having “sales.”

Put your best into your web site. Don’t create your own web site unless your major responsibility is web design.

9) Put your best communicator in charge of social media. Ask your best communicator to write Facebook posts for a month and run them by you before automatically posting them.

10) Send your best networker to network meetings.
Remember — put your best up front!

June Van Klaveren is the owner of Compelling Communications where she helps companies be known, be seen and be heard. Contact her at 800-779-0067 or at june@compelcom.com.
This article may be reproduced in your publication without editing and with the above the credit line included.

Winter time is a great time to do those things that may have fallen through the cracks during the busier seasons of the year. Here is a short list of things to do in the winter when you’re not out serving your customers.
1. Plan for the year.
2. Review your processes.
3. Conduct customer service training.
4. Conduct technical training.
5. Review your advertising.
6. Create/revise promotional materials.
7. Hire a business coach for 6 weeks.
8. Community service.
9. Analyze last year’s business.
10. Focus on cross selling/upselling your current customers.
11. Calendarize marketing to be sure it gets done!
12. If you’re not on LinkedIn or Facebook, spend some time acquainting yourself with these and other social media outlets. Join the ones you feel will be the most benefit to your business.
13. Write social media posts and schedule them to be posted using Hootsuite.com.
14. Attend a networking event and cultivate referral partners.
15. Take a class/seminar.
16. Review and update (or make a list of updates) for your web site.
17. Shop and replace old, hardly-working equipment.
18. Read a business book.
19. Explore new technology that will enhance your business.
20. Spend time with each employee and encourage them where needed.
21. Review/develop your unique selling proposition.
22. Learn new features of the software you use every day.
23. Clean your office!
24. Meet with a mentor.
25. Go on VACATION!
June Van Klaveren owns Compelling Communications and www.HowToMarketPestControl.com. She can be reached at 800-779-0067 or by emailing june@compelcom.com.

People call in frustration that everything they’ve tried in marketing their business has failed. “What can I do,” they ask. Here is a list of marketing ideas to try. Remember, there are no guarantees in marketing. The economy, the weather, the competition, the area of the country, the call for the product or service — all these impact the growth of your business.

Take a look at these ideas and plan to do at least three in 2012.

1) Mail postcards on a regular basis to the SAME mailing list so the recipients see your company name repeatedly. Be sure they are eye-catching and carry a good offer and are mailed to the right list of prospects. If you’re looking for a list company, try SalesGenie.com or InfoUSA.com. They are the same company, just different divisions.

2) Set your company up on social media — FaceBook (with a business page) and LindedIn. LinkedIn is more of a networking group where you can exchange ideas with others in or out of your industry. It’s also a great place to read what others are saying about a variety of topics through groups you can join.

3) Develop a keep-in-touch program. Millions of dollars are spent trying to get new customers when current customers often are slighted. Your current customer base is your most valuable asset so it’s important to keep in touch with them. Send an emailed newsletter — or send an article of interest through snail mail.

4) Thank your current customers. Handwritten thank you notes are a lost art and are rarely sent, so send thank you notes to your customers three or four times a year.

5) Support your community. Sponsor a ball team, church, school or community event through a variety of means.

6) Give away a service or product. Watch for a charitable group to which you could contribute and make it part of your marketing budget each year. Charitable contributions are tax deductible — so find your favorite and contribute money, products or services.

7) Hold seminars or workshops to educate your customers/prospects about your business. We often forget that others don’t know as much about our business as we do, so it’s helpful to hold open houses or educational events for clients and prospects.

Network at BNI, Chamber of Commerce meetings, networking events, Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs and other business organizations.

9) Make presentations to local groups about your business — giving plenty of helpful tips and hints that people can actually use.

10) Talk to a marketing person once in a while just to bounce ideas off. It helps to talk to a third, objective person.

11) Go to a seminar or educational meeting about marketing. Spent time before and after the meeting networking with others and sharing ideas.

12) Evaluate your business card. Does it speak for your company? Project a professional image? Is it memorable.

13) Evaluate your web site. Again, does it speak well for your company and project a professional image. Is it easy to navigate? Is it full of useful information? Is it changed on a regular basis? To keep your web site fresh and encourage frequent visitors, continually ad useful information.

14) Hold a customer service training meeting with your staff because customer service is an important part of marketing. If your staff (and you) doesn’t project a helpful, pleasant attitude, your financial statement will soon reflect your poor customer service.

15) Hire a business coach who can help you through the aspects of your business that are holding you back or that you procrastinate about.

16) Join a Master Mind group for the same reason. Choose carefully the members of your group so they are all nearly the same sized businesses with the same challenges.

17) Learn to MindMap to solve problems and think through issues. Inspiration.com is my favorite; you can download a trial copy. You’ll be sold on it when you start brainstorming ideas about virtually any topic.

18)i Create a relationship wth a local publication or trade journal and send them story ideas on a regular basis.

19) Create a press release when someone newsworthy happens within your company. Or write a short feature story about a problem that your company solves, providing valuable information. Don’t make it a “commercial” or it won’t be printed for sure!

20) Use a promotional item that will be viewed of some value. Most companies use things like imprinted pens, mouse pads or colorful coffee mugs that will remind people of your company.

June Van Klaveren owns Compelling Communications, a company dedicated to helping clients get and keep customers. She may be contacted at 800-779-0067 or june@compelcom.com.

Halloween is a perfect holiday for pest control companies to observe and have fun with! Here are some promotional activities:

1) Arm each technician with a Halloween giveaway to leave behind after service. Ideas: Candy roll w/custom imprinted wrapper, pumpkin magnet with your company contact info, key ring flashlight, imprinted trick or treat bag, reflective shoe stickers, Halloween yo-yo, bone pen, LED safety lights, imprinted bag of plastic bugs. All of these items can be customized with your name, number, etc.

2) Award a prize for the best decorated desk, cubical or office.

3) Donate Halloween candy to a food pantry in your area.

4) Hold a pumpkin carving contest for employees and customers.

5) Serve a Halloween breakfast for employees and customers.

6) Post on your social media “boo facts” about bugs in the days leading up to Halloween.

If you have other ideas, let me know!!

June Van Klaveren owns Compelling Communications, a company that helps pest control companies market their services. Call and say “Boo!” at 800-779-0067. Visit the website at www.compelcom.com.

You decide to attend a networking event and go on line to register when you see the list of people who plan to be there. As you review the list, you notice that there is a website link associated with each registrant. You intend to check those out some time before the event.

Time passes and the day arrives but you haven’t taken the time to see who’s going to be there and learn about them. “I’ll just introduce myself and we’ll see where it goes,” you say to yourself.

What a surprise it is when several different people walk up to you and express an interest in your company and seem to already know all about you. How do you feel at this point? Impressed and flattered that they took the time to get to know you? Offended because they’ve checked you out?

I’m sure you’ll feel impressed and flattered! Remember this feeling! That’s how you can make folks you meet feel just by spending a little preparation time. Knowing something about the person automatically opens the door for conversation and enables an immediate connection, the first step in developing a relationship.

So the next event you attend a networking event, try to find out who is going to be there before hand so you can prepare to impress!!

June Van Klaveren helps her clients attract and keep customers. She can be reached at 800-779-0067 or through her web sites:
www.compelcom.com or www.howtomarketpestcontrol.com.This article may be reprinted with permission in your newsletters, magazines, or web sites.

I’m not really advocating killing beautiful insect butterflies. Let me explain.

I recently attended a seminar and came away with some good ideas from the topics presented. But where I learned the most was what NOT to do when you present! Given that you’ve prepared and rehearsed your presentation, here are some “day-of-the-talk” to do items to help tame the nerves, kill the butterflies and insure a successful presentation.

1) Scope out the room. Walk around the room to check visibility of the screen and podium (if you use one) from all points in the meeting room. If something needs to be moved, move it. Just be sure everyone can see you and the screen clearly from their vantage point.
2) Test equipment. If you are going to use a projector, laptop and PowerPoint or some other presentation program, be familiar with it so that if something goes wrong, you can fix it on the spot. It’s also a good idea to have plan B (another expert) in the room in case things go awry and are beyond your expertise.
3) Practice with your equipment as much as you rehearse your presentation. Get to the room early and go over your talk before anyone else arrives if possible. I like to bring my own laptop and projector so I’m familiar with the way they operate.
4) Test the sound system. Clip the microphone on your collar and walk around the front of the room or wherever you’ll be walking to be sure there’s no feedback, squeaks or squeals. Turn down the sound system until the feedback disappears. Have someone walk around the room while you speak into the microphone to be sure the levels are set correctly so everyone can hear.
5) Check your notes (if you use them). I saw a speaker drop a deck of note cards just before his presentation and scrambled to get them all back in order. Needless to say, this didn’t help his fear of speaking! If you use cards, punch them and connect with a big key-ring.
6) Make friends in the room. Greet people as they enter the room so that everyone feels they know you before you get up to speak. Try to remember as many names as possible so you can call people by name during your presentation. This creates a friendly, welcoming audience.

Remember, the audience is rooting for you. They want to see you succeed – so do everything you can to make this happen! Good luck and happy speaking!

Having just helped plan a lovely garden outside my office window, it occurred to me how gardening is very similar to marketing to increase a customer base. Here are the similar steps:

Plan the garden

Plan the garden space, layout, shape, sun or shade, and size. Determine the goals of the garden – vegetables or flowers or, perhaps, a barrier between you and unattractive landscape.

Plan the marketing

Examine the goals of your marketing. Then take a look at the methods of achieving these goals. Develop your budget and choose the methods that fit your budget and that work for others in your industry.

Research the garden

Research native plants that will grow well in your soil and explore places to purchase those plants.

Research the marketing

Who will be your customers – their demographics, interests and location? What will be your budget and how will you spend it?

Prepare the soil

Creating a garden is not an easy task, especially when it comes to removing sod, brining in top soil, tilling it, fertilizing and mulching. Just ask my trusted gardening company, Potager Gardens!

Preparing to market

Be sure to have your marketing materials and web site created before you actually begin to market. Work with your graphic designer (Compelling Communications?) to craft your message to best grow your business.

Plant the garden

Lovingly, plant your selected specimens in your newly prepared soil.

Plant your marketing

Begin to contact prospects and publicize your business according to your plan.

Nurture your garden

Water and feed the plants as you place them in the earth. Pull any weeds that spring up and watch for evidence of pests like rabbits. Pull weeds and treat the garden with an animal repellent.

Nurture your customers

Nurture your customers by keeping in touch with them after the sale. Remember that your biggest asset is your current customer base. If you’re working with a customer that doesn’t seem to “fit” with your personality or philosophy, kindly request that they use one of your competitors.

Harvest your garden

Whether you planted flowers and ornamentals or vegetables, one of the most rewarding aspects of gardening is harvesting what you planted.

Harvest your business

Harvest in your business is, as you might expect, taking the checks to the bank.

So there you have it. . .similarities between gardening and marketing your business!

Happy gardening and happy marketing.

Here’s what you can do today:

Choose any one of these categories to examine your business in detail. Then if I can help, contact me.

When you hand your business card to someone, do they immediately react with statements like, “Nice card” or “WOW, love your card”?? Or do they merely accept your card and pocket it without any reaction? Keep in mind, if they react, they remember!

Think about what you do with business cards you receive. Do you put it in a pile in your desk drawer or toss it into the trash? Obviously, you don’t follow up with the folks whose cards you trash or tuck into a drawer.

Want a card that makes a long-lasting impression?

1. Have a custom designed business card created. Don’t get sucked in by “free” or inexpensive online business card offers. Design a card that represents your business and your brand. An original, unique card will help you stand out and be remembered!
2. A card with a nice “feel” will be kept. Some business cards feel more important. They are printed on heavier paper, plastic, or even wood a bit thicker, with paper that’s smoother, softer, or maybe even textured.
3. Print something on the back of the card like . . .your tagline, your service list, or information about your products, a gift certificate or offer for more information. I like to leave the bottom half of the back of the card blank to allow space for notes.
4. Consider a unique shape. Round corners, die-cut shapes all contribute to a memorable card. Try to keep the card within the standard size of 2×3.5”. A card that folds out will also carry lots more information and becomes a mini-brochure.

The result? A card that people will keep, not toss!

Here’s what you can do now. Scan your card and email it (june@compelcom.com) to me and I’ll give you a five-point evaluation of the card – FREE!

June Van Klaveren helps her clients attract and keep customers. She can be reached at 800-779-0067 or through her web sites: www.compelcom.com or www.howtomarketpestcontrol.com.

When asked to describe my ideal client, I immediately think of my favorite client and why they sit on that high favorite client pedestal. Below is what makes up my ideal client. Use these categories to determine who yours is. Then use this information to find these sometimes elusive characters!

My favorite client:
. . .Listens when I give advice.
. . .Trusts me to do my job.
. . .Sees the value of what I do (effective marketing)
. . .Pays promptly.
. . .Respects my abilities
. . .Communicates well (Is responsive when asked a question)

My LEAST favorite client:
. . .Expects me to reduce my prices.
. . .Wants the unrealistic (i.e., Photoshop apples onto a green tree photo or use a low resolution photo from their website)
. . .Is missing in action until the day before the deadline.
. . .Doesn’t open my emails or respond
. . .Asks me to speak to a group for the “promotional value.”

What you can do right now:
Email me NOW and ask for a list of general characteristics that you can use as a guideline for describing your ideal client.

As you’ve read from me before, companies spend thousands trying to attract new customers and do very little to actively maintain current customers or awaken their sleeping giants – those customers who just disappear without explanation. They leave for a variety of reasons, many of which you cannot control but many leave because they haven’t heard from you. Perhaps something happened and they expected an apology or explanation and didn’t receive it. These sleeping giants represent significant dollars in lost business – directly or through missed referrals from them.

So what can you do to awaken these big guys? The number one way: KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THEM. Here are some “keep-in-touch”ideas.

• Send them something – an article, an email, a promotional item.
• Connect with them on social media. Search for them and “friend” them.
• Email a personal message – not a sales message – about a seasonal problem you solve or ideas they can use.
• Mail a “we want you back” postcard with a special offer just for them. ((Link))
• Send a survey that will reveal why they left.
• Create a loyalty program that will reward them for coming back. (Include a % off their first new purchase, offer something free with their first purchase, etc.)

What you can do now!

Review your customer list and create a separate list of your “Sleeping Giants.” What can you do for them? Click here to see a ready-to-use “We want you back” card. Just save it to your computer, print it out, add your message and logo to the back and mail it. My gift to you! (Of course, if you want me to customize it for you, just email me and I’ll get right on it.)

Whatever you do, take action NOW!