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A - Wow! Your company shares a lot of the same
experiences we have had at Tivoli Partners. Here are some ideas and tips for you – all learned from bumps and bruises from similar experiences:

1)Turn your existing clients into advocates. Notice I didn’t say referrals – an advocate is someone who is willing to pick up the phone and reach out to prospects on your behalf. We find that these advocates are invaluable to building our business. The most effective way to convince a prospect to try your services is for them to talk with your clients who are already convinced!

2)Use Linked In, associations and groups to leverage your network. You will be surprised at how quickly you can locate a great prospect by staying connected with others.

3)Be sure when you do talk with prospects that you are outlining the short and long term benefits of working with your company. Your story must be compelling and your services indispensable.

4)Do not stop marketing yourself! Our tendency in hard times is to cut back both resources and efforts – now is the time to be actively pursuing new business.

5) Stay very close to your existing clients – the ole’ 80/20 rule applies. Launch a simple call campaign to the top 20% of your clients who generate 80% of your revenue. Position the call as a touch base to see how things are going – do not use this to try to hard sell anything. At
the end of the call, remind them of your services and that you are available to answer any questions they or their friends may have regarding the services you offer.

6) Lastly, maintain your fees and pricing. One
of the worst mistakes businesses make in a downturn is to lower prices –remember you are trying to attract great clients not chase them with “fire sell” rates. You want your clients to focus on the value you offer not cost. Your clients aren’t buying something – they are buying into a great relationship with you!

Congratulations on your new product! It would definitely
be helpful to know more about the product because the development of effective
marketing strategies are contingent about many factors. Questions I have
are:

Is the product marketed business to business or business
to consumer? Tell me a little more about the target
market.

What are the product’s unique and competitive
advantages?

Are you first in the market with this
product?

Is the product competitively
priced?

Are you already selling a similar product line? Are
existing customers good prospects for this new
product?

With that said, in general, we are firm believers in
integrated marketing campaigns – meaning you utilize complementary channels to
get your message across to your target audience. Direct mail is definitely not
“overrated” and in fact remains quite effective – provided your message, offer
and targeting are in line. Many of our clients lead with direct mail then follow
with email marketing or a phone call. You should always give responders the
option to call or visit your web site for more details.

No doubt - non-profits have been hit hard by the
recession. Here are a few ideas to consider:

*Investigate partnerships with other non-profits. Could
you share physical, resources, ideas and expertise?

*Bottom line – in hard times, you are going to have to
ask more often. Keep marketing and asking for donations. In your materials, be
sure to boldly define that you are doing something important and especially now
need their support.

*Help your corporate donors redefine donation. With
donors forced to rein in spending, pursue other “gifts” they could contribute.
For example, are there unsold products or excess inventory that could be
donated? Unused tickets to local baseball games donated to a homeless children’s
group, home improvement store partnering with environmental energy conservation
group to share trade show booth space, shopping mall opens early so that a
Senior
Center can walk in safety
and warmth.

*Be creative and resourceful. For instance, social media
– Facebook,Twitter and Linked In – have become great free tools for getting your
message out and even raising money. For example, you can easily set up a
Facebook Page (not to be mistaken with a Facebook Profile) using the available
applications to create a viral presence. The Causes application even allows you
to raise money for your organization.

Have you looked into GoodSearch – a search engine that
donates money to causes based on how often people search? Be sure to post a link
to GoodSearch on your web site and Facebook page to let your supporters know
about it.

*Reinvigorate your communication channels – get out
there and speak to local churches, associations, groups, papers, publications
etc.

Get connected! Use sites like Linked In to utilize your
own contacts to introduce you to property managers. You can easily search people
on Linked In in your area with “property manager” or “property management” in
their profile. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you build a
network.

Check your local paper or Business Journal for news
about new properties or property managers coming to
town.

Use your existing client base as a source of referrals
to property managers. Existing customers who are pleased with your work will be
your best asset. Consider offering a referral fee for good
leads.

Have you looked into a mail list of property managers in
your area? There are many lists available through list brokers. If you purchase
a list, I would recommend you investigate creating a simple oversized postcard
(10” x 6”) that highlights your services and directs them to call you or visit
the Web site. Perhaps even a discount to try your
services?

If you have a web site, be sure to include this target
market of property managers in your company’s description of services. Be sure
to include key words such as Property Managers, property management resource,
etc.

My best advice to you is to ask your customers! Staying close to your customers, while always important, is even more so during tough times. Since it cost 5 -10 times more to get a new customer than to retain one, now is the time to focus on your existing customer experience. There are several ways to do this:
*Use an online service to conduct a survey to both previous and current customers. Be sure to offer an incentive for participating (free class, water bottle etc).
*Have an open comment box where your clients can give you open honest feedback every day.
*When someone calls to cancel, be sure to ask why they are leaving and be prepared to take the good with the bad. If you know the reason, you can better address it (offering a finance plan, discount if customer is laid off until they are re-employed, shorter class options, etc)
*Ask your existing clients to be your advocate. Offer then an incentive for bringing in new friends or old clients who have left.
*Get out in the community to publicize your name and services - offer to speak at local churches and schools on health and wellness, volunteer to host a Girls on the Run site etc.
*In your marketing and sales materials, be sure to focus on why in tough times it is more and important for your clients to focus on their most important asset, their health. Let your customers know you care in your everyday actions and this should come back to you!

Janine thank you for taking the time to share your expertise today. Community if you would like to market your business smarter, for more information please visit Tivoli Partners at www.tivolipartners.com