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Why Your Clients Will Be Eager to Say Yes
Aug 25th, 2010 by melonline

This is a guest blog from Stephanie Ward. I was really impressed with the content and advice, therefore, with her permission I am pleased to pass it on!

yes2 150x150 Why Your Clients Will Be Eager to Say Yes

Every summer I get an unexpected phone call that I’m actually delighted to receive. It’s usually on a warm and sunny day when the last thing on my mind is the impending winter and how cold it will be in a few months.

The call I get is from the fireplace cleaning company. They call to schedule the appointment to clean the fireplace so that it’s safe and ready when it comes time for it to be used.

I happily make the appointment which is within a defined one hour time frame (so I don’t have to wait around all day).

I love it that I don’t have to ever think about it. I don’t have to remember the name of the company or try to find their phone number. They proactively reach out to me and make me an offer.

If they didn’t call me every year I can only guess at how many times the fireplace would have been cleaned.

Another variation of this is that when I visit my dentist for my six month check-up they always ask if I’d like to schedule my next appointment while I’m there.

Of course I would, and I do. If it were up to me to remember to make an appointment six months later I’m sure I’d forget about it.

It’s pure genius! And the benefits are obviously not only for me. The fireplace company is able to spread out the appointments and they’re getting a ton of business they would NOT be getting if they waited for their clients to call them.

Same goes for the dentist, he ensures that I’ll be back sooner than later by asking me to schedule while I’m there.

So how can you apply this concept to your business? Think about which products or services you could offer in connection with a celebration, special event, specific time of year, or time frame.

Here are some ideas to get the wheels turning:

- Celebrations: birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, Christmas (decorations, special dinners, gift ideas)

- Special events: Earth Day, Entrepreneurs week, industry specific trade shows, Oscars, Mardi Gras, Mother’s Day, Secretary’s Day

- Time of year: summer (vacation, get in shape), start of a new year (diet, business plan), winter (ski vacation), spring (garden, cleaning)

- Time frame: monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual check up (medical, car, business, taxes, house painting, computer maintenance)

What’s really cool is that you can use this idea for inactive clients as well. Go through your list of inactive clients and contact them to see if they’d be interested in your special offer.

I hope you’re starting to see that it’s helpful to remind your clients about a product or service they need and may have forgotten about.

Create a structured plan to proactively connect with your clients (and inactive clients) and make them an offer that will make them happy to hear from you.

© Stephanie Ward, 2010

Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire! Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.

Have you got the bottle?
May 17th, 2010 by melonline

Is it just possible summer is about to begin? Are you organizing an event like a charity bike ride, 10K run, triathlon or any other sports event? If so have you considered offering branded bottles of water or reusable water bottles with you logo? A study has found that bottled water has the lowest ‘environmental footprint’ in comparison to other packaged drinks such as fizzy drinks, soft drinks and sports drinks, another good reason to choose water! We all know the benefits of water but how many of us actually drink the required amount each day? It may surprise you to know the recommended amount is about 2.5 litres!

There is nothing more refreshing than a bottle of water during or after exercise, It’s also a great way of getting your company or charity name in front of a wider audience.

Why not contact us for more information or a free quotation?

Events and promotional gifts!
Feb 10th, 2010 by melonline

Attending or taking part in events or exhibitions is part and parcel of business life. It is also an opportunity to remind your clients or potential customers who you are! Whether the event is a huge conference for the pharmaceutical industry, or local chamber of commerce event, raising your profile is important.

There are plenty of options when it comes to the events you host. A popular choice are t-shirts, polo shirts, and other clothing items. Screen printed or embroidered with your logo makes it easy for you to be recognised especially if it’s colourful and bold.  Brand recognition is the main reason to have promotional items. Use practical items like pens, carrier bags, keyrings, coasters, post-it notes etc. It helps if the item reflects what you do in some way, a contract hire company may use tax disk holders or keyrings for example. Conference organisers may use pencils, pens and note pads.With charities it maybe more fun items like balloons, logo bugs, stress balls or silicon wrist bands.

A useful promotional gift will work like a mobile business card! We intentionally leave branded pens and small post-it notes when we attend events or visit clients.

Anti-bacterial pen!
Feb 2nd, 2010 by melonline

One of our suppliers, an international pen manufacturer, recently developed and released a unique writing instrument called the Anti-Bac pen. A fully functional ink pen, the Anti-Bac is designed to prevent the spread of germs and reduce the risk of infection. According to researchers, the Anti-Bac pen kills 99.9% of harmful viruses and bacteria.

The key feature of the Anti-Bac is an anti-bacterial additive embedded in the plastic of the pen. The additive remains inside the pen–it is not coated or lacquered–and is effective for 100% of the pen’s lifetime. As soon as the pen comes into contact with bacteria, it begins a process that essentially destroys the bacteria through starvation, protecting and cleaning the pen’s handlers from potentially threatening bacteria. Consequently, the pen re-cleans itself, and has thus been dubbed the “The Living Pen” by its creators.

Tests conducted by an independent technology lab confirmed the additive’s ability to limit the most virulent strains of bacteria, including MRSA, C. Difficile (spores), Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli. Because of its effectiveness in combating these bacteria, the pen is ideal for use in environments where pens change hands frequently, such as offices, hospitals, schools, and eating establishments.

Although it has not been confirmed, early indications suggest that Anti-Bac will also be equally effective against the H1N1 “Swine Flu.”

The pen has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the E.U. Biocidal Product Directive, and the U.K. Health and Safety Directive.This is not just the ideal pen for healthcare facilities, but for anywhere that pens might be shared between colleagues, customers or the general public. Reception areas, supermarkets and banks all provide ideal breeding grounds for the fast-multiplying single-celled organisms behind so many common ailments. And restaurants are particularly vulnerable with the added challenge of keeping kitchens germ free.

Contact us for more information.

Car air fresheners!
Dec 10th, 2009 by melonline

A breath of fresh air, or something similar in your car. We offer car air fresheners printed four colours both sides. The air fresheners can be shaped to suit your message, are supplied with an elasticated cord and individually wrapped. Quantities as low as 500-off and with over 100 fragrances to choice from, what are you waiting for? Suitable for garages, car dealers, fleet managers and car leasing companies to mention a few.

Tin cans, pencils, usb keys…what next?
Nov 18th, 2009 by melonline

What an interesting month we are having.

Who remembers the old mobile phones, two tin cans and a piece of string? Well last week we received an enquiry for 100 sets with the cans personalised!

USB key memory sticks

Also a new memory stick we have just quoted for is in the shape of a key. It looks good and feels good, ideal for anyone involved in the building trade, estate agents, architects etc.

Our latest enquiry is for 10,000 digitally printed pencils! Why digital, because the client required the pencil to be in a pantone colour.

What next? It’s loyalty cards for a hairdressing salon, who wish to reward their regular customers.

One month can make a difference!
Nov 3rd, 2009 by melonline

This time last month we were twiddling our thumbs (for that, read contacting all our database looking for work) wondering where the next order was coming from, then it was like someone stepped on switch! We have received orders and enquires that have kept us busy ever since.

Diaries, mugs, pens, memory sticks, coasters, corporate clothing and more. The most unusual being an enquiry for the old fashioned method of communication, two cans connected by piece of string! You know the sort of thing, the first “mobile phones”. Needless to say we have quoted, the tins are personalised and supplied with a mailing tube.

We hope this upturn in our business is a genuine sign of economic recovery, rather than a blip!

Grapevine chairman
Oct 1st, 2009 by melonline

Today I have resigned as chairman of my breakfast group. It was with some reluctance and sadness, as I have enjoyed the position, but I felt it was time for fresh blood! There was also a feeling of relief as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

It’s an empowering experience being responsible for the smooth running of an organisation. I particularly enjoyed hosting the three Open Meetings which occurred whilst I was chair. As a group we got a lot of positive feedback from each event. My biggest compliment was from a serial networker who praised me for running the meeting efficiently and to a tight schedule. In fact he said it was the first meeting he had been to where all the participants kept to the allotted time!

It was difficult and frustrating at times, chairing through the recession as inevitably we lost members, however, we did recruit some new members as well.

I wish good luck to our new chair Robin Phelps, who I am sure will take the group forward with his vast business experience and wonderful sense of humour! Finally I would like to thank all the members for their help and assistance over the last 15 months.

Update on the Grapevine Open Meeting!
Sep 18th, 2009 by melonline

What a fantastic meeting yesterday! Ed Stivala was a real hit with everyone, his knowledge of social media is stunning! His presentation was full of facts, humour and surprises. We received requests for him to return perhaps with more specific guidance.

Ed said next time it should be more of a workshop with participation in the shape of small groups, working together to get a fuller understanding of how it may benefit the small business.

The number attending exceeded our expectations and the feedback was very encouraging!

Diaries and calendars, it’s not too late!
Sep 10th, 2009 by melonline

We are still able to supply customised diaries and calendars for 2010. We have certainly noticed a decline in the orders for this traditional method of keeping appointments or noting important events. I am not sure if this due to the recession, or the wider use of computer and/or mobile phone calendars. What’s your opinion, is this the beginning of the end of the diary and calendar or just a blip?

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