Moderator: Welcome to tonight's special event: "Home Based Business/Marketing- Part 2" with Lisa Kirchner Alan: Welcome to tonight's special event.
Alan: Tonight's special event will start with a 30 minute interview, then we will open it up for questions from the audience for the second half hour.
Alan: At the end we have some images to show everyone, via your web browsers. When this happens, be sure to adjust your screen so your web browser is visible to you.
Alan: Throughout the event all questions submitted to the stage, will go to an off screen moderator, to allow for grouping of questions
Alan: Our guest tonight Lisa Kirchner with Thread Tech Embroidery
Alan: Tonight we are going to discuss: "Home Based Business/Marketing - Part 2"
Alan: Welcome Lisa,
Lisa: thank you alan
Lisa: it's a pleasure to be here
Lisa: you ready for me to get started?
Alan: Yes...
Lisa: okay, here we go
Lisa: Last week we talked about a marketing plan. This week I would like to discuss it in further detail. Then I hope to have time to move on to some specifics of making the invisible home business visible.
Lisa: Your business plan should include the following aspects: Who are you? Who is your customer? What is your message? How will you deliver it?
Lisa: Who are you?
Lisa: What is the personality of your business? In other words, what do you want your customers to think of when they hear your business name? If you have established customers, they already know your business personality. If you haven't thought of it, you
Lisa: should. It's the personality of your business that inspires confidence from your prospective customers in your service or product. Confidence is what drives people to purchase.
Lisa: Who is your customer?
Lisa: We talked about this last week, but I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to know all that you can about your customers. Where do they live? Where do they shop? Where do they work?
Lisa: What publications do they read? What radio stations do they listen to? What do they need to make them happy, popular, loved, and/or successful? The answers to these questions will help provide both your message and how it is delivered.
Lisa: What is your message?
Lisa: Here we go back to both your business personality and your customer. Staples office supplies message is, "That was easy." They are trying to give you confidence that you will find what you need in their store and find it easily.
Lisa: Easy is their benefit to the customer. You need to be aware of the benefits to your customer so that you can make them aware of them, too. The benefits are what attract a customer to your service or product.
Lisa: This is where I have spent all of my time working on developing a marketing plan that works for my company. If your benefits are not clearly defined, your efforts may produce mediocre results.
Lisa: Your benefit is the reason I will buy from you. Why should I consider doing business with you as opposed to getting my embroidery from any number of your competitors? Remember the customer is only interested in what is in it for me?
Lisa: How will you deliver your message?
Lisa: This is the skin of marketing, the packaging that pulls it all together. But don't attempt to deliver a message unless you have put some serious thought into the first three steps. From a home standpoint, you have a bigger challenge.
Lisa: You may have zoning regulations that prevent you from receiving customers in your shop, or you may actually prefer that they not be there. So you need to get your message out. Perhaps your benefit will be, "we bring the shop to you."
Lisa: ." This was my benefit when I was home-based. What need does it fill? Convenience, plain and simple people want things that are easy. The easier you make it for them, the more they will want to buy from you.
Lisa: So let's take our message, "We come to you," in this example and determine how we are going to get it out there. We don't have a lot of money in our advertising budget.
Lisa: In fact, one of the reasons we may have decided to locate our business at home was to keep our overhead costs down.
Lisa: One of the first things to do is design a good business card. You can make it yourself, or pay someone to design it for you. Make sure that your business card is a reflection of your business personality and that it carries your message in it.
Lisa: You'll be conducting a lot of business by phone, so be certain that you are reflecting your business personality in your voice. Make sure your answering machine message is reflecting it.
Lisa: . Put your message on your vehicle if possible. Your message needs to be prevalent in all of your communications to your customers and prospective customers.
Lisa: I suggest you join a networking group that has something to do with your niche. I belong to the local chamber of commerce. How do you turn people you meet at networking events into possible customers?
Lisa: You need to build relationships with people to gain their confidence. So when someone gives you their business card, write on the back of it a little note about that person and or their business.
Lisa: After, go write them a note letting them know that you enjoyed meeting them. If you can, bring up something from the conversation.
Lisa: . If you thought of something that can help enhance their business, by all means, suggest it. This is especially good if it has nothing to do with what you want to sell them. You just want them to think of you and to remember meeting you.
Lisa: The single most important thing you can do in building relationships is to listen. Really listen.
Lisa: What you hear will help you determine what they like, what they want, what they need…. Then you can incorporate that into the benefits of your business.
Lisa: Advertising… you should spend a great deal of time studying other ads. If you have recently purchased a new product on the market, what was the benefit of that product that prompted you to buy? How was the message conveyed to you?
Lisa: These are ways to determine how your own ad should look or sound. Only pay attention to the ads that appeal to you. If you are interested, chances are other people will be.
Lisa: What was it that interested you? Think like your customer. What will interest him/her?
Lisa: Contact newspapers and radio stations and any other venue you are considering and ask for a media kit. This is where you figure out the least expensive option for the most exposure.
Lisa: . Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays are the days of highest readership for my local newspaper. Check with your newspaper for what days have the best exposure.
Lisa: Then figure out how you can be in the paper with a business card size ad. If you cannot afford to be consistent in the paper or on the radio, it is better to focus your marketing efforts elsewhere.
Lisa: Don't forget bartering. Both newspapers and radio stations are often willing to barter services for services. Don't discount your services when bartering, as the radio station often doubles the cost of their ads in barter dollars.
Lisa: I am presently using up some radio advertising that I had banked from bartering I did last year.
Lisa: Direct mail is best achieved in small focused doses. Choose a group of 10 businesses or individuals that you want to target. Make your brochure applicable specifically to them.
Lisa: Methods for getting your mail to be opened include, hand addressing the envelope, putting multiple postage stamps of smaller denominations on the envelope,
Lisa: sending a postcard (it is already open), anything that will set your mailing apart from all the other bills and flyers already in their mailbox.
Lisa: Remember your customers. Within 30 days of the sale, send your customer a thank you card for their business. What if you used the window cards mentioned last week and enclosed an embroidered flower, emblem or some other appropriate design?
Lisa: Hand address the envelopes. Thank you cards stand a better chance of being opened than junk mail.
Lisa: Follow up with a phone call asking if their needs have been met. Ask if there are any suggestions for improving your customer service. Or you can ask them to fill out a brief survey or customer comment card at the time of the sale.
Lisa: The biggest expense of this kind of marketing is your time. You will need to invest a lot of it, but the dividends can be fabulous.
Lisa: I recommend the following books for help with your marketing plan: The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook, by Jay Conrad Levinson and Seth Godin
Guerrilla Marketing for the Home Based Business
Guerrilla Marketing for Free
http://www.gmarketing.com/
http://gmarketingcoach.com/
http://www.marketingprinciples.com/
Lisa: at this point you should have seen or are about to see the websites I recommend for further research
Lisa: some have weekly free newsletters to help you keep the momentum going
Lisa: now would be a good time to break I guess?
Lisa: do we have any questions?
Alan: Okay... whew that was definitely a compact, but valuable session.
Alan: Now let's open the floor to questions
Moderator: Audience member says: "What information do you suggest including on a business card? What should you avoid to prevent clutter?"
Lisa: include your name, business, contact info, email, web addy
Lisa: and what your key benefit to the customer is
Lisa: remember, your selling the sizzle, not the steak
Moderator: Audience member says: "Right now my business is part time (I work in an office full time) what are some ideas when time is not on your side as far as getting the word out."
Lisa: letters... notes.... cards... rely on your present customers. Ask them for referrals... tell them to sign three of your business cards and give them to friends... if the friends give you the cards with an order, give the referrer a discount off next
Lisa: order or a small gift.
Lisa: write the notes during your break at work
Lisa: you know you are going to be sitting there worrying about what jobs you have to complete when you get home... so it's perfect timing
Lisa: does that help?
Moderator: Audience member says: "I too have a home based business, due to husband loosiing his job have been looking at increasing our business for more income"
Lisa: do you have a niche?
Moderator: Audience member says: "Not really do mostly single orders"
Lisa: what type of orders do you WANT to be doing?
Lisa: determine who you want your customer to be, then you can think of ways to reach that person
Moderator: Audience member says: "I like the 2 or 3 items alike husband likes the multiples"
Lisa: teams? hobbies? gifts?
Lisa: if it's teams, you need to be attending local sporting events
Moderator: Audience member says: "Have just started to get some work for the prison and probation system"
Lisa: if it's hobbies, join one fo the clubs,
Alan: don't know if I would recommend joining that club though ;-)
Lisa: if it's gifts, what type of gifts are they? perhaps a small ad on the birth announcement page
Lisa: or the wedding announcement page
Moderator: Audience member says: "Wouldn't it be smart to have a few different "niches"? in case business slows?"
Lisa: the obits page is a great place to advertise... as people always seem to go there first to see if anyone they know has passed.
Lisa: Well, I have a small business niche and a gift niche
Lisa: of course you can have more than one
Lisa: just keep in mind that if you focus with pinpoint accuracy on your niche,
Lisa: people other than your niche will make the leap...
Lisa: I wonder if they do, such and such
Lisa: and will call
Moderator: Audience member says: "A representative of a baseball card printing company prints his cards like baseball cards - photo front, "Player data" on the back. Others have suggested embroidering business cards. Should you stick with standard business card size
Lisa: that's subjective to the person(s) involved... my personal opinion is that anything larger than a regular card is going to be annoying because it won't fit with the others
Lisa: but you can certainly utilize both sides of the card
Lisa: print the back of the card with referred by......
Lisa: and let the customer give to a friend
Lisa: if they are happy, they will want to receive credit for sending others your way
Lisa: follow up is OH so important
Moderator: Audience member says: "In today's world of telemarketing issues, people have gotten very cautious. How do you get beyond that without spending excessive amount of time gaining trust?"
Lisa: please please please call or write your customers within the first month after the sale
Lisa: if you are telemarketing, the quickest way to get past that is to tell them where you got their info
Lisa: If I tell you, Tammy gave me your name....
Lisa: you are more apt to listen to me, provided you like tammy! ;-)
Lisa: then if I just say.... yabber yammer gab
Lisa: then I'll be lucky if I say 3 words before you hang up
Lisa: ALWAYS ask if it is a good time for them
Lisa: if they say no, apologize and ask if there is a more convenient time for you to contact them
Lisa: above all, be polite... think about how you would feel receiving that call from someone
Lisa: anyone else?
Moderator: Audience member says: "how do you figure out your marketing "budget"?"
Lisa: I base it on 10% of sales
Lisa: if I am new and don't know my sales, I can either project how much I think I will earn
Lisa: Or use the figure that I want to earn
Lisa: look how much your competition is advertising
Lisa: if they aren't, you have the advantage
Lisa: but don't forget, Lands and JCPenney and others are mailing out catalogs... so you have plenty of competition
Moderator: Audience member says: "Are there any jobs out there that you would recommend people steer away from (other than copywrite issues)?"
Lisa: well, so far the toughest job I have received was a golf bag... i don't think I'd want many of them...
Lisa: but otherwise, I can't really think of any to turn away...
Moderator: Audience member says: "Our other problem is we are located in a small town and no large maketing areas"
Lisa: just gather as many details as you can ahead of time... so you won't be wondering what thread color or where is the artwork
Lisa: are there no plumbers, electricians, contractors in your area?
Lisa: what about restaurants?
Moderator: Audience member says: "Lisa, you started with a niche in your home based business, do you have the same niche at the store?"
Lisa: I have more gift orientation at the store... but I still love my small business clients and cater to them
Moderator: Audience member says: "What would you recommend when marketing a new web site?"
Lisa: I'll be covering that a little more in the next couple of weeks
Lisa: for starters promote it on your biz card
Lisa: in your yellow pages,
Lisa: and put a press release about the new site in your local paper
Lisa: press releases are a wonderful source of FREE advertising
Lisa: contact your local SBA for assistance in putting a press release together
Lisa: anyone else?
Moderator: Audience member says: "If we do not have a website.....will we sacrifice alot?"
Lisa: that's a tough call
Lisa: today I think it's important to have one... but that being said, mine is not up yet... although it's in the works
Lisa: the website will enable people to find out more info about you when you are closed.
Lisa: which is always a good thing
Alan: For website help... holler !
Alan: Well once again that time has arrived to bring this portion of the event to a close.
Alan: If you would like to contact Lisa, her email is: lisa@ud.net
Alan: Lisa, thanks for being with us tonight.
Lisa: thank you alan for another fun evening
Alan: We look forward to your upcoming class at Embroidery University
Lisa: lol
Alan: That is the conclusion of tonight's event, a transcript will be posted to the Embroidery Industry Calendar within the hour.
Alan: Thank you for your support of the EmbroideryMall.
Alan: Now everyone back to Latte's

The PalacePresents event "Home Based Business/Marketing" is over.
Thank you for attending.

Closing Log (March 23, 2004 10:36:52PM)

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