All Posts By

Aubrey Cardon

Jun 06
0

The Devil’s in the Details

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Being a business owner is a multi leveled and sometimes multi personality, ongoing crazy train with mountain highs and valley lows intermixed.  Phew! 

“Never a dull moment.” they said. “Always an adventure”, they claimed.

Crazy train or not – this is your business.  Your life – YOUR adventure.  So buckle up!

Just as you need to visit the 50 ft view of your business  – you also need to drill down into your business on a regular basis.  Consider it a self inflicted business audit. Your business could have leaks you don’t know about. You could have potential issues you have let slide. And we all know that leaks – especially the unsuspecting ones are what can sink a ship.

A few things to consider …

If you have memberships and subscriptions for your business, yourself or your employees, you need to check on these from time to time. They could be memberships to online courses, subscriptions to software or access to platforms.  Some may be obsolete to your business but haven’t been canceled. Some you may have outgrown.  The more employees you have, the more you may find this internal audit pertinent to your business. If you are on the fence about keeping a service, reach out to the company and see if they have a lesser package or will discount your rate.  It’s amazing what some companies will do to save you as a customer.

If you sell products online, do you check for failed payments or abandoned carts? This is a huge area of leaking money.  If you have failed payments on subscriptions or on payment plans – they can easily get missed. You need to have these audited at least twice a month.  If you have an online store make sure you setup an automated abandoned cart sequence to reach out to your customers when they have left items unpurchased. 

If you change employees, do you have a procedure for offboarding?  Changing passwords, cleaning up files, transferring information. Many people think this isn’t necessary or perhaps they will get to it ‘later’.  We all know that ‘later’ is easily forgotten. Make sure you have a documented process for locking down information when employees leave the company.  This isn’t a process out of fear – this is a process out of necessity.

A profitable business isn’t just about making money.. It’s about finding the areas to save in.  A penny saved is a penny earned, right? Regardless if it’s new revenue through increased sales or found revenue in savings, it still increases your bottom line.  So don’t discount the ability to find savings for your business. 

Remember, just because it’s what has always been done, doesn’t mean it’s still relevant today.  Keep this in mind as you schedule quarterly audits of your business. 

May 16
0

Marco? Polo!

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Have you every played the Marco Polo game? This can be the same game you play in locating your customers.

The truth of marketing lies in the ability to find your ideal customers. Sometimes it’s the biggest game of hide and seek, but research and due diligence will pay off.

How to find your customers.

Finding your customers actually starts before you have a service or a product and was probably partially started without you even thinking about it. For example, if you have a chiropractic business you know that your service is better health, pain relief and adjustments. But the depth of your service and clientele can go much deeper if you have a specialty or a need in your area. Maybe you deal with elderly or children. Maybe you deal in sports injuries or car related injuries. Maybe you are developing a health management around better overall health. Whatever it is you are offering finding the audience who will benefit from that offer is key. You need to start asking the questions as if you were in a consultation speaking directly to your future patients or customers. Be inside their mind as they go through dreams and ambitions, pain and suffering. You need to become the answer they seek – before they are even seeking.

How to reach your customers.

There is not one answer that blankets all services and all customers. This comes back to meeting your customer where they live. If you have an active group who is always on the go you need to find out where they are going. Business owners can get so fixated on one option that they forget there are so many others ways to reach customers. Many people have been fixated on Facebook advertising. But this is not always the best avenue for your customer. Remember to think as the customer. And never fail to think out of the box. Developing marketing campaigns around your customer. If you are that chiropractor and you are looking to reach the active set, maybe you consider billboards that are along the route to popular hiking or biking destinations. You may also consider sponsoring a 5k run. If you are targeting an active customer who is always on the go, consider reaching them via direct mail.

You need to spend time thinking about who your customer is and where to find them, allow someone to help you think like a business owner can be a crucial step. Find a strategist or consultant who will help you drill down and define who your customer is and ingenious ways to get in front of them.

Apr 25
0

Branding – It’s all in the Manual

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Admittedly with the many journeys we take in life there are no manuals given out. Just considering parenting – case and point!

But in business your brand manual is your bible of truth.  You will never underestimate the complexity of design along with the simplicity once it’s complete. Your brand manual becomes your “go-to” reference for everything to do with the look and feel of your business. It can contain information about your avatar, your mission statement, your colors, fonts, and styles. Plus so much more.

What is the purpose of a brand manual?  

Consistency.

It’s a base layer and foundation of trust with your community.  A very simple example is this:  Jim gets a postcard in the mail offering him a $50 discount on a purchase at a new company. The elaborate postcard is tastefully presented in black, orange and white with a website to visit and a code for the discount.  The name of the company is SuppliesRUs. Interested in the discount Jim visits the website to see a site filled with supplies, but the logo states Supplies4U and the website is red, white and blue. Already Jim’s trust has faltered. As he clicks through the pages of products he notices that some have bold flashing headlines while others are lower case and in a script style font. Jim continues adding to his cart, easily adding $200 worth of supplies but when he clicks on the order button he is taken to a nondescript page without a logo or information. The page shows his total – a place for his coupon code and “Pay Now” in big letters.  

Poking around the site a bit more Jim can find no information on the company, it’s holdings or a common “About Page”.  Being fully aware of scams, Jim leaves the page and deletes all his information. The risk isn’t worth the $50 reward. Consistency would have given Jim more peace of mind thus allowing him to continue with is $200 purchase.

Think of how many times when shopping online that you click on an advertisement inadvertently or click on something that opens in a new tab or window.  Sometimes it’s hard to know where you started – besides the basic distraction factor – it can be difficult enough to stay on task for some people. 

This is where a brand manual will come into play.  Your colors, styles, fonts and message will be set. Everyone who builds or designs anything for your business will be given the brand manual to follow.  It’s up to you and your team to use the concepts consistently on materials, handouts, business cards, order forms, websites and promo materials.  

Don’t run the risk of losing the hundreds of Jim’s who visit your website because you haven’t taken the time to define your business.

Apr 10
0

Building Your Empire – Secret Sauce

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The grand champion of business is your ability to continually grow and monetize your following.

Call it your tribe, if you will. These people who have found their way to your table need to be nurtured and fed. You will give them education, communication, tips, treasures and they will think of you as a friend.

A tribe that is attentive and engaging is gold. Not only does this improve your business today, but a well nurtured following increases the value of a business when it is sold. It’s a built in legacy feature.

The problem is that many businesses forget to take care of their tribe. They think that once you have them in your fold they will stay and remain happy. But everyone needs attention and special treatment. We live in the land of chaos and shiny objects that can fill our mind and blind our vision, ultimately leading us off course. By nurturing you have the ability to elevate you and your business to expert or authority status.

This continual nurturing also helps to ensure that they won’t forget who you are. For example, Susan owns a local bakery. She’s built quite the following and is known for her scrumptious creations that melt in your mouth. By reminding her customers of her weekly specials she is staying in the forefront of their mind. Then when she has a new menu item or specialty it is easily announced and received with grand reviews as people flock to her bakery to try the delicacy.  If she hadn’t been nurturing her following and suddenly sends an email announcing her latest temptation it may be greeted with “Who’s Susan? Do we have a new bakery?”

By continually speaking to your tribe you have eliminated the need to re-introduce yourself time and time again. It is now an automatic “Susan has a new specialty we have to stop by this week”.

This is also another way you solidify your branding. By keeping your brand in front of your followers they begin brand association.  Stay tuned as we discuss this in detail in the coming weeks.

For now know this:  build a following, nurture your following, success is eminent.

Mar 29
0

Building Your Empire – First Course Served With a Fork

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Does the thought of growing your business seem a bit overwhelming?

We all know the proper way to eat an elephant is one bite at time, but if you aren’t given an eating utensil or don’t know what utensil to use, you can never even begin to enjoy the delicacy.

Growth in business is dictated by solutions and action. Debating the answer or developing excuses is a sure fire way to make sure your business is in the same exact place this time next year.  And at that moment, a year from now, you will be asking yourself the same questions. Do I use a spoon or a fork? Do I need a knife? What sauce is best served with elephant?

Action is what gets it done. Of course you have a choice. You can say you don’t like elephant and you don’t want to eat it.  In turn, accepting where you are right now. But if you’re not profiting, not building, not growing your business the way you at one time thought was an option then it’s time to take action.   

You may want to consider the fact you may need help along the way. Trust goes a long way in business as it relates to your customers. You need to also consider trust in finding answers to building your empire. You spend time to build a relationship with your customers so you need to build a relationship with your business consultant, coach or marketing team in the same fashion.

Many times we forget what we already know. I know that sounds crazy, but I’ve worked with clients that say, “We used to do that and it worked really well.” and of course the reply is, “Then why did you stop?”   Having someone work with you who can step back, look at your business and see it with energized eyes is one of the most beneficial tools available. It’s a way to help you start eating your elephant.

Feb 27
0

Systems and Measures

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Systems and Measures

At the end of the year it’s inevitable that someone will approach you and ask, “How did your business end up for the year?”  Your answer, flippant and narrow for the conversation, is usually a simple, “Great.  We ended on a high note.”  or “There’s always room for improvement”. But, do you really know?  

Before you can talk about or understand what ‘success’ is for your company you need to define how you measure success.  Profit and loss are an easy way to look at it but there is a time in your business when you need to go deeper.  

  • How many leads did you get per month?
  • What is your conversion rate on those leads?
  • What was the cost per lead?
  • What is the longevity of a customer?

Once you decide what defines success you need to put systems in place that help you collect the data needed so you can measure. Data is your friend.  The more you have and understand the intricacies of it, the more you will be able to adapt and make changes for greater growth going forward.

Compiling and collecting data is a great tool.  But you need to be able to read the data and use it to strategize a plan. For example, let’s say your efforts are bringing in 50 leads per month and you are spending $1000 to get those leads. But of those 50 leads only 5 are becoming customers. Your cost per lead may be $20 but your cost per conversion is $200. Then of those 5 new customers none of them purchased again.

This information says the leads you are getting aren’t the right people. Either your target audience or your messaging may not be connecting.  The fact that the new customers didn’t become repeat customers says that your nurturing process needs developed.

The next question you will ask is ‘how’? You may find that having someone to consult with on your data and help you develop a strategy is the life line you need for your business. Getting a new perspective or another set of eyes to help you see the growth you want in your business is a necessity that should not be denied.

Having a goal without a plan – is just a dream.  And dreams don’t pay the bills.

Feb 20
0

Publicity: Nightmare or Cash Cow?

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Richard Brandson said “Publicity is absolutely critical.  A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.”  

The concept of leading the story and gaining exposure by use of emotional connection is not new, but it’s definitely not being used to the fullest.

The front page ad reference is recognized as a paid space, limited to copy and image.  With a public relations story – there are no limits and it doesn’t put people on the defensive as being ‘sold to’ but rather engaging them in an account of events relating to a story. Public relation stories can piggyback off of current events or popular news cycles. By riding the coattails of someone else’s exposure you can put yourself or your business in a popular view.

Using PR to get recognition is often underused in the marketing world. This can be an untapped organic traffic source for your business. When you are creating a story and sharing it you are developing an emotional connection with your customers. This is building trust. Trust is the foundation for current and future customers.

Once you have a foundation of trust and an emotional connection, your customers can tie emotions and memories to you and your business. This is a pathway to repeat business because the customer has created a tie to you in their mind.  This gives you friend status. Friends like doing business with friends.

This emotional connection is magical when designed and crafted correctly. Good business practices combined with solid public relations strategy creates a perfect recipe for success.

Feb 13
0

Why is it important to have a purpose in your business?

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Many people will talk about defining their ‘why’. They look for and dissect the reason behind the things they want to accomplish. Have you ever thought about why that is important? Why are your reasons for doing something an element that helps you in looking at your business now and also assessing your business down the road?

It all comes back to motivation.

As a young child the end of summer was always marked by the County Fair; riding ferris wheels and roller coasters, eating cotton candy and corn dogs. But before I could step through the entry gates I had to raise money to go. In my world that meant picking cherries. Lots and lots of cherries. Each five gallon bucket would get me closer to my goal. And those cherries, which stained my fingers and my clothes, were the means to an end. I kept my eye on the prize and picked my heart out. If ever I got discouraged or lacked the inspiration to hit the trees, I thought of the view from the top of the ferris wheel or my next personal best at the milk can toss.

When it comes to your business you have to know your ‘why’ because it is what drives you. It is the one thing that will keep you coming back every day, opening the door early and even staying late if needed. It is the one thing that motivates you because it is YOUR reason. Not your spouse’s reason or your children’s, it is yours. It’s personal. And months or years down the road when you are slow to get out of bed, complaining about aches and pains, or maybe just flat out questioning your reasoning. The answer is there – in your purpose.

One thing to note – it has to be your reason.

Just like a smoker will only quit smoking for themselves or a person will only lose weight if it’s for their needs, you will only keep going if it’s YOUR purpose. Because when it gets really hard, (and you know it will) when you are tired, when you’ve hit the wall and can’t find one solid reason to continue, your partners reason for continuing the business isn’t going to cut it. Someone else’s dream for your business isn’t going to light your fire. It’s only when you think of helping your son reach his goal of attending Stanford or your daughters vision to go to Julliard; when you drive by the lake house where you envision you and your spouse in the front porch swing enjoying retirement.

That is what keeps you moving.

That is what keeps you rising each morning.

Your purpose – your reason – your why.