3 Things Your Clients Won’t Tell You … Unless You Ask

When it comes to driving your business, there are two important goals that should immediately come to mind:

1. You want your clients to become even better clients

2. You want those clients to tell others about you.

This magical one-two punch is what grows your business without inflating your expenses. However, achieving these two goals requires getting the answers to three things your clients won’t tell you … unless you ask. Here are the three questions that will reveal what you need to know to boost your bottom line:

1. Why Do You Enjoy Being My Client?

Whether it’s good rates, superior service or beneficial solutions, repeat clients will have their reasons for continually doing business with your company. Surprisingly though, it’s rare that your clients will ever volunteer this information without being asked… so ask them.

Finding out what you’re doing right and deciphering patterns amongst repeat clients can help you better focus your marketing strategies and attract more clients with similar wants and needs.

2. What Else Do You Wish My Business Did?

It’s more than likely that your clients are in need of other services and products while they’re working with you on a project. Instead of letting this become a missed opportunity, find out what else they want and discover how you can offer it. If it’s easy to do, you might consider making it a part of your company’s services. If it’s out of your business scope however, there’s the possibility of making deals with trusted vendors and recommending them to your client. Either way, it’s a chance to tap into more potential revenue but you have to ask.

3. Who Should You Tell About My Business?

Chances are high that people who enjoy doing business with you know others who would benefit as well from what you have to offer… but they won’t necessarily volunteer this information

A good way to make networking with future clients easier is to offer incentives including complimentary services or discounts. Give people a good enough reason to spread the word about you, and they surely will. When your brand becomes a standard of excellence that attracts new customers, the effort you put into creating it will pay off.

We invite you to share what other questions you would like to ask your clients.

SOURCE: Dave Navarro, FreelanceFolder.com

Are You Being Lazy on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn has become a popular social media asset in the online business world. An increased number of business owners and employees alike are building profiles and becoming more involved with this powerful networking tool. Unfortunately, most of these people don’t realize they’re at risk of missing out on the full value of this social networking platform.

This risk stems from the simple act of being lazy on LinkedIn. Many people are guilty of this. This isn’t an attack on anyone, but if people are spending a lot of time establishing a presence on LinkedIn, why not use the tool productively and regularly to get all the benefits?

Here are 6 signs that you are being lazy on LinkedIn:

1. You send generic LinkedIn connection requests

By sending a generic LinkedIn request, you’re requiring the invitee to figure out who you are, if you have something in common or if there’s any relevant reason to add you to his or her connections. This has lazy written all over it. If you truly want to connect with a vital prospect on LinkedIn, send a nice personalized connection request explaining how your future connection will be mutually beneficial.

2. You neglect to add a good photo to your profile

Your LinkedIn photo is an important way for connections to identify you. While some people make a conscious decision not to add one due to either a security or privacy issue, there are very few good reasons to skip adding a photo on LinkedIn.  Others make the mistakes of using bad photos. These include photos taken from 100 yards away, group shots and photos from ten years ago.

3. You provide vague recommendations for others

If someone asks you to write a recommendation, try to write a good one.  Use specific examples of his or her work and more importantly, the impact this individual has had on you, your career or your company. If you can’t think of something great to say, ask the person you are recommending for a few ideas like projects or results you can highlight.  Just make sure what you write is true or else your credibility will be questioned.

4. You join groups then promptly ignore them

There are some great groups on LinkedIn. You can pick up new ideas, meet great people and share your story. However, this only happens if you actually participate. Many people simply add groups and never engage with them. The best thing to do is start with five, establish yourself, and then add more if you feel you can devote time to them.

5. You don’t have enough connections

The purpose of LinkedIn is to create a network consisting of old and new potential. You then have the opportunity to enjoy the explosive nature of now being linked to an extensive community of prospects and leads. If you have less than 100 connections, you are missing out on the great value that Linkedin provides. Everyone knows (or has worked with) 100 people. Get started today by sending out five connection requests and repeat this daily to gradually build your network.

6. Your last status update was July 5 . . . 2010

Updates to your profile remind people that you are still active. Updating your profile all across the social web is a good idea, but on LinkedIn, it’s a great idea. You can share content from Twitter by using #in within your tweet to make it easier. You can also like, comment on or share an update from someone else.

No matter how you score, stay focused on this great tool and don’t let your hard work up to this point go to waste!

SOURCE: Tim Tyrell-Smith, TimsStrategy.com

Think Twice Before Buying a Display Online

Your company is in need of a display for an event. Hoping for the best “bang for your buck” someone in the company ultimately decides upon purchasing a pop-up kit from an online “display house” with prices which seem too good to be true. Unfortunately, that’s because they are.

“You get what you pay for.”

Before adding that display to your shopping cart, you should be wary of what you’re actually investing in. Online display vendors may appear to be offering a cost-effective solution when in reality, they may very well be selling a display comprised of poorly made materials that might not survive its first event. There are many risks to purchasing displays from unproven and possibly unreliable sources. Here are few reasons why partnering with FB Displays & Designs, Inc. for your new display needs will be more beneficial than purchasing it online:

Support Before and After Your Purchase

Once you receive your display from an online vendor, you may find that you’re pretty much on your own from that point on. Many times, an Internet vendor’s goal is to sell you a product, rather than a solution. The FBD2 team understands that an exhibit makes up an essential part of your marketing strategy. As such, we assist you in every step of the process from start to finish, making sure we outfit your brand (and your people) with the best solution possible.

A Complete Trade Show Strategy

Coaching and consultative guidance are what really help set us apart. We understand that the correct utilization of your exhibit is just as important as the exhibit itself, and we don’t want you to hit the trade show floor unprepared. Our goal is to help you achieve the best ROI possible and grow your business. In order to do so, we ensure the design is right, your people are trained, and all possible issues are addressed BEFORE the show (don’t worry, we also provide an emergency phone number, on the off chance that we missed something).

Upgrading Options

Many of the display “kits” available online aren’t flexible for customization and growth options. In short, what you see is what you get.  We at FB Displays & Designs, Inc. believe that every display should have the ability to be redesigned to suit future needs as your company and trade show marketing plans grow. We design every exhibit with this in mind, allowing you to keep your brand unique, bringing something new to the exhibit floor with every show.

While online display purchases may seem like a great deal, you never know what you’re going to end up with. Have confidence in your display investment by working with a reliable display consultant at FB Displays & Designs, Inc.