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The old saying “jack of all trades, master of none” speaks of talented people who are too busy focusing on trying to do everything, and then failing to finish anything with real flair and expertise. Sadly, many companies display this mentality when it comes to marketing. They often become lost fishing in the general pool of potential customers instead of narrowing the focus of advertising campaigns to target real customers. Worrying about competition and missing opportunities to snare a handful of paying customers can divide your attention and cause you to spend mountains of money on campaigns that just don’t cut the mustard. Believe it or not, focusing your efforts on a targeted, smaller demographic can reap a larger return. Here are five ways to master your marketing:

Know Your Product or Service

Begin by knowing the product or service you market intimately. Besides the specifics, you must also be familiar with its benefits. By understanding how your offer will meet the needs of customers, you are more likely to select a demographic willing to buy.

Identify Your Niche Market

Once you understand the benefits your product, service or opportunity will give customers, you can begin to form the profile of the intended customer. Who is it that would greatly benefit from your offer? Previous sales records will also provide information to help narrow down the customer demographic.

Testing your Targeted Customer

When you have identified who you believe would seriously consider buying your offering, you must take the time to explore it. No one ever buys a product or service simply because it sounds like a good offer. They buy it because the benefits it brings will either solve an issue or make life easier for them. Knowing who you want to target your marketing campaign towards is only part of the solution. You must also consider their ability to actually afford what you are selling.

Sources of Information

There are many online sources to help you find the ways to hone your marketing focus. Google Adwords Keywords Tool will show the most popular keyword searches related to your product or service. Online providers of the Standard Rate and Data Service Marketing List Source will also give you lists of hundreds of specifically grouped customers interested in what you are offering. This resource is rather expensive but is readily available in most public libraries.

Targeting Smaller Demographics

Designing a marketing campaign for a specialized section of the public allows you to use the proper language and forms of advertising to reach the customer. There is a higher chance that the customer will respond to the marketing when it addresses their personal situation.

Tailoring an advertising venture to reach out to a small group of carefully selected customers allows a company to use the most suitable types of communication to attract the potential customer. This gives a higher return for your investment because you don’t leave advertising to chance. The company also comes across as being more professional and more knowledgeable about the product or service, and the needs of the customer. Becoming the master of one area of the market can propel a business further ahead than wasting money trying to compete with business rivals.

Imagine the ideal member of your target market just received your promotional email or ripped open the envelope containing your most recent direct sales letter. She takes the time to skim over the email or letter, but doesn’t know exactly what your business sells. Will she take the action you want her to take next or dump your communications in the recycle bin? If you take the right steps, you increase the chances of customers taking the action you want.

Three Steps to Actionable Marketing

Your chances of getting a good response from your marketing materials increase greatly if they meet all the following criteria:

• Written in direct, active language with a concise call to action
• Designed so the call to action is prominent on the page and easy to notice
• Easy to see and recognizable business name slogan, and other branding information included

If that member of your target market quickly recognizes your company name and understands what you want her to do next, there is a good chance she will take that next step.

Say What You Need to Say

You don’t want to come off pushy or demanding in a marketing campaign, but you do need to clearly state what you want your recipient to do after reading your material. Do you want them to visit your website and sign up for your newsletter? Or would you prefer them to give you a call or visit your store before your current sale ends?

The only way your recipients will know what you need them to do is if you tell them directly. Do not be bashful. Put it out there, so readers are clear on what you want them to do next.

Remove Obstacles

Once your recipient goes to your website, will she find a well-designed site full of useful information? Will your navigation system be easy to find and use? If you asked her to give you a call, will she get through the line quickly and have access to an employee who can answer her questions or give her more information? Does she know how to find your store or business office?

Most of your recipients are not going to work to do what you ask them to do in your promotions. If they cannot take one or two quick steps to respond to your request, they aren’t going to bother. It is your job to make sure the channels are clear so your recipients can quickly get to your website, social media pages or physical address. Make sure all channels are clear and easy before you send out promotional materials. Otherwise, you’re wasting your money.

Target Your Promotions

Finally, make sure you are asking the right consumers to take action. It is no use trying to sell prenatal vitamins to a 60-year-old single male. Take the time to find valuable leads to consumers who may want what you have to offer. Then send them your best-crafted promotional materials with a clearly stated call to action and easy to find channels for reaching your business. That is how you make it simple for your target market to respond to the campaigns you spend your valuable money and time launching.

Creating a successful sales company does not require a large number of sales people. To experience success, it simply needs quality sales representatives. How often have you heard the grumble that twenty percent of the employees complete eighty percent of the work? Actually, finding uninspired employees in this sector is not unusual. Most employees strongly despise sales. The dance required to entice a sale from a potential customer is exhausting, and more often than not, it ends in rejection. Each year, sales companies invest heavily in the training of salespeople only to see most participants quit or fall short of sales expectations. In fact, there are very few talented salespeople around. If this is true for your company then it is time to break the cycle and approach sales in a whole new way. Here are four ways to increase sales without hiring more salespeople:

Remove Under-Performers from the Payroll

As harsh as this may seem, nothing speaks louder than firing a few employees who do not measure up to expectations. If certain sales people have not responded well to performance reviews and further training, then releasing them of their position is a gift. Firstly, if they are not happy in their current job, then being forced to seek employment elsewhere may just be the new start they need. Furthermore, their presence in the office is not inspiring others to achieve greatness, and they are preventing you from investing in someone who could potentially turn over more sales.

Have Clear Expectations and Conduct Regular Performance Reviews

The added bonus of dismissing a few sales representatives is that you prove just how serious you are about your expectations. Mediocre sales staff will instantly begin to perform at a better rate too. It’s not that you want to unethically hang the threat of dismissal over employees’ heads; it is more about recognizing the efforts of good performers. Management must make expectations clear and positive, and acknowledge employee achievements. This develops good morale and prevents employees from feeling threatened. When conducted face-to-face, individual performance reviews include opportunities for good communication, to correct issues and to plan further training. When these opportunities are available, employees are much more enthusiastic and content in their role. Setting personal goals that are in line with the company’s vision is a very encouraging way of helping employees connect with the big picture. Finding ways to reward achievements and to show appreciation for employee efforts is also a powerful motivator.

Target Your Niche Market

Another vital step towards making your company more productive is to look at your sales and advertising focus. You may have the best sales team in the country, but unless you have a hungry market, all attempts will fail. Pressuring your sales team is not going to produce numbers. So go back to the basics and re-design your advertising and marketing goals by answering the following questions:

• What are you selling?
• Who are you selling to?
• Why are you selling to this targeted customer?
• How does your product or service benefit the customer?
• Does this customer have the means to buy what you are offering?
• How are you attracting this customer?
• What forms of advertising are you using?
• What form of your advertising is actually generating a response from your customers?
• Is the website user-friendly?
• Do you collect customer feedback?
• How can the customer contact you, or find out more information about your business, product or service?

By investing in a solid advertising campaign, customers become intrigued about your offering, which then allows your sales staff to experience a greater rate of success when making pushing for a sale.

Turn Your Sales Personnel into Sales Managers

A change is as good as a holiday, so restructuring your sales department can dramatically increase your sales and create a much more positive work environment. With the low-performers removed from the pool, those remaining often feel concerned about the future of their job, but this proposal can have employees embracing your new approach. With a reduced number of employees, you are in the position to create new sales roles that come with a pay rise. This small increase is nothing compared to the savings gained from reducing employee numbers. This new way of setting up the sales department is proven to produce greater sales figures too, so enticing current employees with a little payroll increase benefits everyone. Here’s what you do:

Firstly, divide your sales into divisions such as, “new customers,” “existing customers” and “large or corporate accounts.” Then review your current employees and place your high performers in charge of each division. Allocate the division based on the areas of their success. Reward their efforts by giving them the title of “manager” for that particular division. Once you have defined these categories, fill each team with sales representatives that have the skills to make these sales work. These new managers can then work with their “team” to generate more sales in their area of expertise. Each team is then to become familiar with the sales and marketing plan of the company. Job training is then directed to specific skills and needs based on the team’s goals, successes and challenges. Promotions offer great incentive, and team managers can even help sales management by participation in the performance reviews.

Sometimes the simplest things produce the best results. By going back to the basics, a business can successfully turn its sales department around without having to invest in more training or hiring more people. By taking the time to re-examine the sales and advertising procedures already in play, a new, stronger focus emerges. By dropping the unproductive employees and paying closer attention to those who serve the company well, a new and re-energized sales department can emerge with great success.

Trade shows are one of the most effective places to generate leads, because they’re filled with people who are hungry to do business. Unlike traditional cold calling, the connections you make are already warm with an in-person connection already made. And in order to maximize the leads you get from a trade show, you have to employ a few tricks before you get to the hotel ballroom or convention center.

Prepare Before You Get There

Going into the trade show, let your existing customers and prospects know that you’ll be there. Give them a preview of your booth, salespeople who will be there, and by all means spotlight any freebies or demos you’ll have at your location. If you make the best meatball sandwich in the state, let people know you’ll have them ready for people to sample.

Make your booth the one that everyone is talking about before the show opens. Make it the location to stop by. Have your most successful and engaging sales staff work the booth. This is where a “people person” shines the brightest.

Promotion without Self Promotion

Sure, you’ll be there to sell your product; no one could fault you there. But a trade show isn’t the ideal place to do a hard pitch. It’s the place to plant a seed of interest and make people understand why they need what you’ve got to offer.

Position yourself as an expert in your field, not an annoying salesperson with a pitch. If your salon has the best colorists in the field, hold demonstrations or show recorded videos on how to to the latest trends, like ombre color. Approaching people as someone who adds value to their lives or has built in authority will make them more likely to visit you after the show is over.

Be the vendor who sticks in people’s minds. Make your presentation clean and memorable, not obnoxious. Tackling people will drive them away faster than the smell of rotten food. If the sound is too loud or your salespeople are too obnoxious, you’ll drive away prospects. Be kind to everyone- from the people in the booth next to you to the folks on the loading deck. Every person you meet is a prospective lead, and kindness is the best kind of PR that you could possibly generate.

Nurture Your Responses

Make the effort to network with every single company represented. Even if you can’t fathom what a pipe manufacturer would have in common with a cosmetics line, trade cards with them. Even the owner of the pipe factory knows someone who loves cosmetics, so if you nurture each contact it can turn into a lead.

Follow up with the leads you get at the show. If you ran a drawing for a free haircut or pepperoni pizza, contact the winners as soon as possible. Don’t let post- show fatigue set in. Attendees are loath to give out their information for mailing lists, so if someone made the effort to sign up, follow up with them as well.

Trade shows supply warm leads that can quickly turn into clients and sales. If you take the time to plan out your time at the shows and present an attractive experience, you can walk out of the show with a ton of new business.

Small businesses use various types of equipment to keep their business running. From computers to telephone systems to service vehicles, all businesses have equipment that is not only necessary, but is replaced regularly. The IRS allows businesses to depreciate the value of the equipment each year on their balance sheets and lower the profit shown on the income statement to cut tax liability (smallbusiness.chron.com).

What is Depreciation?

Simply put, depreciation expenses show the amount by which your business equipment is devalued “for each year of its useful life, which is the number of years you use the equipment,” (smallbusiness.chron.com). The depreciation expense is added to the amount of depreciation accrued since its purchase on the balance sheet. The income statement also reflects depreciation expense. The expense reduces the profit on the income statement, thus reducing your tax liability.

You cannot take a deduction for the entire cost of a purchase in one year if it can be used beyond a year. You can, however, deduct a portion of the cost in the form of depreciation expense on your business return. The expense is spread out over the life of the purchase.

Depreciation Requirements

Only equipment that is used for business purposes can be depreciated. Any equipment used for personal use cannot be depreciated on your business return. Equipment used for both business and person use, such as a car, can only have the business part depreciated (www.company.com). Any equipment you wish to depreciate must meet the following five criteria.

You must own the property.

You must use it in a business or other income-producing activity.

You must be able to show its functional lifespan.

It should be working for over a year.

It cannot be excepted property, such as property bought and disposed of in the same year.

Methods of Depreciation

Straight line depreciation, which is the most common and easiest method, looks at the functional life of a given piece of equipment, then takes into account the “adjusted basis” (www.irs.gov) and any salvage costs. According to the IRS Publication 946, you “reduce the adjusted basis by any salvage value and divide by the number of years of useful life” of the equipment.

The other method of depreciation is the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) and can be used for all property. There are exceptions and these are listed in IRS Publication 946. Patents, copyrights, computer software and home offices have specific rules which should be reviewed with your financial professional.

The IRS outlines the rules for depreciating business equipment in Publication 946, which is available online at www.irs.gov. These rules do change yearly, so it is best to check your calculations with your financial advisor each year. By doing some research and keeping good records, you can cut your tax liability by depreciating the items you use to keep your business running.

Today, social media marketing is vital to your car wash marketing.

Owning a car wash is one of the best forms of passive income. Though the car wash business has changed somewhat over the past several years, introducing new equipment such as automatic washes, it has remained one of the most profitable business models around. Marketing for this type of business has changed considerably too. Old methods such as flyers, direct mailing and coupons may not quite work as well as they used to. Getting the most out of your marketing dollars means taking advantage of all the modern marketing techniques social media has to offer.

Marketing your Car Wash on Facebook

Facebook can be one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. Social proof is becoming more and more important as a brand identifier. If you want to make Facebook marketing work for you, the first thing you need to do is create a Facebook page for your business. It should contain all your basic information, as well as a map to your car wash. Make sure that the page looks professional and has your logo at the very top. Don’t forget your contact information and a link to your website if you have one.

Once your Facebook page is set up, invite all your friends to “like” it. This will get the ball rolling. The next thing you should do is to create an offer on your Facebook page and share it. One great offer is a free car wash. Create a code for a free car wash and invite your Facebook friends to share it. This one marketing act can multiply the number of Facebook friends for your business page and expose your brand to hundreds of new customers.

Keep your Facebook page updated with trends, helpful information to car owners and other items that keep things fresh and moving. A stagnant page reflects poorly on your business.

Twitter Marketing

Twitter marketing works in much the same was as Facebook. Create your business Twitter page and make sure that it looks professional. Don’t just list 140 characters of sales pitches every time you make a tweet. This will get you unfollowed by the masses. Instead, tweet motivational quotes, car tips, pics of some of the coolest cars that have been through your wash, or even a pic of what you had for lunch. Make every third or fourth tweet a tweet about your car wash and you will have much more success on Twitter.

Twitter is another good place to list discount codes and free car was codes. It only take a few moments a day and it can make a big impact to the distinguishably of your brand.

Search Engine Optimization

The last tool in your modern marketing tool kit should be your business website. However, if no one can find it, then it’s not going to help you at all. You want to make sure you optimize for how people are searching. For example, if I were to do a Google search to try to find a local car wash, I would type in “car wash in” and the name of my town. These are the words would use to optimize your website for the search engines.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are not tech savvy, don’t worry. Plenty of people are available to help. Hire someone to get you set up and show you the ropes. You’ll marketing your car wash like a modern mogul in no time.

Unless they are subsistence farmers that merely live off the land and have no contact with the outside world, just about any business endeavor that anyone on earth undertakes has to deal with customers. Those who are able to succeed in the business world are first able to succeed in customer service. Above all other aspects of making money in business, meeting the need of the customer ranks as the most important.

The Most Important Step of Customer Service

Finding out what a customer wants is the most important piece of knowledge to have in running a business. The most successful businesses are usually the ones that have repeat customers lining up to buy more products. These businesses will also be able to spread their reach through word of mouth. Happy customers will talk up a business, and as well as providing repeat sales, they also become what amounts to free advertisement. Meeting the needs of the customer is thus of prime concern.

How to Find out What Customers Want

Many businesses are successful at meeting the needs of their customers because they have inside knowledge. These firms actually ask the customers themselves what they like about a given product or service. With the information gleaned from these inquiries, businesses are able to continue on their current path or tweak their business model or product to make customers happier. Several methods can give upper management the information they need. The easiest is to ask customers their opinions. This can be done informally in the sales process or using a questionnaire or survey that asks customers about their experiences or for advice on how to improve the customer experience.

Another method that some businesspeople use to find out what customers experience is by going through the shopping process themselves or through the use of a secret shopper. This method gives a first-hand look at what customers are thinking at certain points in the process. Management can then move to improve those areas that are lacking. Focus groups are also a popular option when it comes to looking at customer experience. These groups are set up to mirror the demographics of the intended customer base. They can then give valuable feedback to improve a business.

Using Outside Firms for Market Research

In this day of increased technology and specialization, several companies focus upon the customer experience. A number of sites like Google Moderator and Zoho Discussions offer an open forum for businesses to track suggestions and feedback from prospective customers. The info gleaned from these sites can then offer a wonderful insight into both what customers are actually thinking about a product and the functions and features they want to see added to a product.

In most areas of business, making customers happy is the name of the game. Businesses are often in the dark about what customers want to see. With these tips and tools, there is no reason a small business should have any problem with satisfyiing its customers. The best part of the process is that business owners can even get much of this information for free.

Unfortunately, the old adage, “You can’t please everyone,” is true. No matter how hard you try, there are always going to be some people who aren’t happy with your service or your products. A real problem arises, however, when you have a customer who is not only displeased, but is angry as well. An irate customer can cause irreparable damage to your business unless you can find ways to channel his or her negative energy towards a positive direction.

Does that sound impossible? It really isn’t. The following are a few tips that can turn a potential detractor of your company into a strong advocate of your products and services.

Be Calm

Whatever you do, never match their anger with your own. Even if the customer is being unreasonable, it is important to take a step back and stay calm.

Acknowledge the Problem

Listen to and acknowledge your customer’s anger. Sometimes, they just want to vent. Allow them to tell you what has made them angry and then either thank them for their feedback or let them know that you understand why they are upset. This is also an excellent time to ask them if they have any suggestions on how you can make the situation better or what they believe went wrong.

Offer to Make It Better

If you know that your company is actually at fault, consider ways to make amends with the customer. Some customers may be happy if you just tell them that you will speak with the employee who has created the situation. Other customers may want reassurance the situation will never happen again.

However, think carefully about how you want to appease your customer before you act. For instance, if you give a customer an entire free meal for complaining, others may hear about it and take advantage of the situation. A better way to make up for a bad dining experience may be to offer the customer a free dessert.

Sometimes, you can head off potential complaints by being proactive. For instance, if you own a restaurant and customers have to wait, offer to buy them a free drink.

Value Your Employees

While your first inclination may be to fire or reprimand an employee who has angered a customer, make sure to get your worker’s side of the story after the customer leaves.

Your relationship with your employees will make a difference in how well your company runs. If you constantly throw them under the bus when a customer complains, it could cause discontent among your ranks and, in the end, lead to poor customer service or high employee turnover. If an employee did make a mistake, discuss with them what he can do so the problem doesn’t happen again.

Social Media

If a customer has chosen to attack your company by means of social media, take the time to publicly address their concerns, but do so without sounding defensive. You can also let the customer and others know exactly what steps you have implemented to correct the situation.

Customer Relations is Key

Most customers who feel they have been wronged just want to know that you understand why they are upset. By acknowledging these customers and their concerns, you could potentially turn them into happy repeat clients. On the other hand, not addressing the concerns of an angry customer could potentially damage your company.

Since 2009, a new wave of marketing has latched itself to the rise of social media. Small businesses have reaped great profits by utilizing the services of Facebook to help promote and sell products, a phenomenon that Facebook itself did not foresee. While some businesses sell solely through their Facebook storefront, others use it as part of their visual marketing efforts by directing traffic to their company websites and stores. However it functions, F-commerce is worthy of consideration for any small business.

What is F-Commerce?

F-commerce is the act of using Facebook to promote your product. The application creates advertisements that are then posted on potential customers’ pages. The site generates more attention for your business and attracts more traffic to your company’s website. Or it can offer another sales option to a wider audience through a Facebook storefront.

What Are the Benefits of F-Commerce?

Facebook allows you to reach out to a wider audience in a way traditional forms of marketing have not been able to do. Facebook allows you to target customers from specific locations and interests that align with your product, and offers this service at a lower cost than more traditional forms of advertising. By following these steps, you can enhance your chances of success with F-Commerce:

Be Culturally Chic

Simply, your marketing ploys will only work if your customers are frequent users of Facebook. Your company will now have to become a Facebook user too. Regular status updates and an active profile engages with the Facebook community allowing you to show your company’s personality. You will also build a stronger relationship with your clients. And because you are setting up a Facebook storefront, it is crucial that you present your product using all the bells and whistles Facebook provides.

Small businesses can open a Facebook storefront with ease. All that you have to do is create a page in the company’s name, load some product photos and add the proper shopping functions. Install some applications that enable customers to do things like order or buy your products, read menus or enter contests and you are well on your way to generating sales. Setting up applications such as posting, pinning and tagging not only helps to advertise your product across shared social networking sites, it also develops further trust in the online transactions with your company.

Be Patient

Begin with realistic expectations. Your recent competition or newly posted images may have generated hundreds of Likes on your page but it may not increase sales. It takes time to build familiarity and trust with customers.

Be Brave

Ultimately, a well-planned Facebook storefront that provides a positive and interactive experience for customers is a great way for small businesses to promote their product. Having a loyal customer base that is willing to promote your product legitimizes the business, elevating it from the dangers of becoming Facebook spam. F-commerce is an untapped resource that has the potential for great success for any small business willing to take the risk.

There are so many advantages to online selling. Imagine an almost unlimited base of customers from all over the world. You are no longer restricted by the economy of your small town. Imagine overhead of less than 40 dollars a month in most cases. If you are already running a local retail store, you can increase sales exponentially with an online store. If you don’t have a store, and have found yourself out of work, then maybe an online retail store could be your golden ticket.

Consider Your Budget

While most web hosting will likely be free or cheap, there are more expensive providers out there who offer a lot of perks. Many people spend a lot of money on web design and graphics as well. That’s why it pays to shop around, especially if you are working with a shoestring budget.

Test the Water

Before you spend a dime, you need to test the waters and see if there is an affordable option for selling your wares online. One of the fastest ways to start selling without spending money is to start selling on Amazon, Etsy or E-Bay. Facebook also supports an online store option that seems to work well for small and local businesses. E-merchants aren’t limited to just one of these options either. List a few test products on each and compare results. These sites are a great way to test the water for your business while you rate the need for a more formal online storefront.

When using these platforms trying different product images, descriptions and taglines to test out those that do the best job. You may find different approaches work better on different platforms. Optimizing your sales on one of these affordable platforms will give you the need experience for doing the same should you find it worthwhile to create a full blow eCommerce site of your own.

Official Business

Take the time to let consumers know your storefront is an official representative of your business. The “About” or other profile page should include a short history of your establishment, your best branding points and other reassurances that your website is as trustworthy as your storefront. These same principles will apply, whether you are testing the waters on smaller retail sites or making your own website.

Develop a Business Plan

While a formal business plan is not necessary, you must plan what you are going to do. Your planning should include the answers to any questions you might have had in the beginning. It should especially include budgeting, marketing, several potential web development vendors and an estimated profit margin for each item sold online versus in the store.

You may find that your initial testing efforts are providing the sales boost you needed without hiring an agency or creating a full eCommerce website. Take your time in planning while you test more affordable options to get the best return on your investment.

Branding

Branding is paramount to the small business online. Your online presence must reflect what makes your existing store fabulous, memorable and special. Find ways to integrate the name of your establishment into the website name, if possible. Your online web design should reflect the branding work you have already done for colors, logo and imagery. You will also need a service that handles payment for you. Your web developer will help you create the right design and implementation to drive sales.