Debra Kasowski

How to Pivot and Position Yourself in Changing Economic Times

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The economy is constantly changing whether it is due to the current political party or available resources. It does not matter if you have right sized, downsized, or any sized, you need to adapt to the fluctuation of the marketplace. If you are a business owner, you know that you can’t sit around and wait for the timing to be just right.

You’ve probably learned that there are times you have needed to dig deep and tap into creativity and lead the way in innovation. You may have heard the entrepreneurial saying, “build the plane as you fly”. Entrepreneurs are constantly pivoting or course correcting to reveal the blueprint or formula that allows for a model that scalable and rinse and repeatable. If everyone waited for the right time, nothing would happen.

During tough economic times, you need to be adaptable to what is going on in your environment. Not just tough times – anytime. Pivoting allows you to refine your initial vision and re-position yourself with the economic changes .You may take a look at the skill set of your team or brainstorm new programs and services to support your clients. At the end of the day, your clients or customers are looking to receive solutions to their pain points and provide the greatest value. Ensure you are using your team’s assets. Even if you readjust your product line, products or services, you still need to market and let people know about what you have to offer them. Now is not the time to stop marketing. You can’t be on the mind of your customer if no one knows that you are the solution that they’ve been searching for.

“The easy way to get into a person’s mind is to be first.” Al Ries and Jack Trout

You don’t have to wait for the market to turn to prosper. Market your message to the masses. Create your own economy. Distinguish yourself from your competitor by being the best in your industry. This doesn’t mean comparing yourself to your competitor. It means being your best-be so good that people rave about you. What makes you unique? What do you do or offer that makes you stand out from the crowd? What emotions do you trigger that causes people to want to choose you… How do you make them feel?

You want to create that hunger or desire that people need to have your product or service and that you are the only one with a solution to their pain point or problem. Why do people need you? What do you offer that others do not?

TICE Strategies to Put Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone and Into the Marketplace

  • Tell –Tell people what you need. Tell people what you need them to do. Tell people what you offer.
  • Inquiry – Discover the needs and wants of your clients. Aim to fulfill those with your products, programs, and services.
  • Collaborate – Connect with other business owners that offer complementary services for a joint venture or collaboration. Ensure they are like minded and have the same vision and values you do.
  • Escape the Office Computer – Get out from behind your computer and connect with people. Learn what is important to people and how you can help them without being salesy. Listen to what they want and need.

By doing these four things, you can redefine or reinvent your business strategy and marketing plan to suit the needs of the ever-changing environment. Set yourself up for success so you can pivot, position, and profit.

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. She is a contributing writer for Diversity Magazine and Fabulous at 50 magazine. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. www.debrakasowski.com 

How to Get Your Marketing Plan Off the Ground?

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Many start ups entrepreneurs are unprepared for the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur. They try different approaches and different tactics that do not always side in their favor. They may have tried a brilliant idea or approach with all their energy and enthusiasm to only quit after the 2nd or 3rd attempt. They get discouraged and quit because people are not coming in droves to buy their products and services. Does this sound like someone you know?

Copyright: iko / 123RF Stock Photo
Copyright: iko / 123RF Stock Photo

Successful marketing is developed over time and consistent in its messaging efforts. The more and more people start seeing or hearing about you, the more clients you will have come your way. Your efforts will pay off and often come from places or people you may not expect.

It is easy to get caught in the idea of selling products and services and making money. What all businesses need is a solution for the need of the people.

People are the reason why people are in business. You need to build and nurture relationships over time. People need to get to know, like and trust you before they do business with you. I realize for some people, business is transactional but for the majority it is relational.

Business is about an experience that was created. Based on that experience, word of mouth marketing still remains the most powerful form of marketing out there. I would also say social media marketing is a form of word of mouth marketing.

There are  10 keystone questions you must answer when developing your marketing plan:

What is my Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?

What sets you apart from others doing the same thing you are?

Who is doing the same thing I am and how are they promoting their business?

Who is your target market?

What are their habits?

Where do they spend the most time?

What are their pain points (e.g. lack of time, money, childcare)?

How can you be the solution?

How much are you willing to spend – what is the budget?

What are the 3 marketing activities you can do that would make the greatest impact?

Take some time pondering and reviewing these questions. You want to get involved in marketing activities that you enjoy and feel good about because it will show up in the work that you do. Do not get discouraged; the universe or God rewards your efforts.

Remember successful marketing comes from consistent persistent action with a plan of action. It is important to sit down, review your day the night before, and review again in the morning.

A marketing plan can be overwhelming as you may have trouble thinking so far in advance. Make a plan for the next 90 days. It is doable and lots can change even in a month. What are 5 marketing strategies that you are going to do over the next 30 days? Keep in mind that simple consistent action reaps the greatest rewards. After 30 days, you can reflect and evaluate what worked and did not work. Decide what you have done well, what needs to stop, and what you need to start doing.

Rinse and repeat the process for the another 30 days. Watch what happens – people will start to inquire about your business and services. Don’t forget to start tracking what you are doing. How are people finding out about your business or services? Networking events. Track it. Cold calls to offices or people. Track it. Expenses. Track it. Each effort must be tracked. What gets tracked gets measure, what gets measured gets more clients, more money, and better opportunities. Are you all in?

What are 5 strategies you use to reach your audience with your message?

3 Reasons Why You Need to Have a Marketing Plan

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I remember when I first heard people talking about a marketing funnel and filling your pipeline. It all sounded more like oil pipelines and striking it rich with oil that it did about marketing. I now think of the analogy more like striking it rich due to consistently delivering and serving my market.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin

Too many business owners are walking around without of plan of action. They are taking stabs in the dark by trying out random marketing tactics once or twice and abandoning them if they do not work. Even if your plan is on a napkin, it is still a plan!

“If you don’t know where you are going,
you’ll end up someplace else.”
― Yogi Berra

It is better to have a plan than no plan at all.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

You can always adjust as you go. After all, you are in charge!

There are 3 why you need to have a marketing plan:

FOCUS – A marketing plan captures what your thinking onto paper or in a document on your computer. It creates a vision for your business and growth. The plan offers big picture thinking as well as smaller more detailed planning. There is nothing stopping you from adding an event or workshop along the way to boost your revenue. Ultimately, the market plan helps you focus on what needs to get done to get the results you want.

DECISION MAKING – By writing out the plan, you can make better decisions and save a great deal of time, money, and resources. You will learn where to allocate your resources or delegate tasks to so that you can get the greatest return on your investment.

PROGRESS & ACCOUNTABILITY – One area that is often over looked in planning is the reflection of how far you have come from where you started. When developing your plan, it is important to build in benchmarks or milestones where you can measure your success and celebrate! These benchmarks or milestones can act as an accountability check or reminder of your goals and next steps. Each step along the way build momentum for the next.

Successful marketing NEEDS a plan and you need to consistently work the plan.

There are many ways to market your business! Start with focusing on 2-3 ways and get really great at them and then try something new! You will discover what works for you often through trial and error, however, you will never know if you are on the right track if you never measure the metrics of your efforts. What ways do you market your business?

5 Great Reasons to Rebrand

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“Authentic brands don’t emerge from marketing cubicles or advertising agencies. They emanate from everything the company does…”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

18870173_lYour brand is everything from your business card to how you do business. There comes a time when new marketing strategies come into practice. The re-branding process can make you feel like a bundle of nerves and very excited at the same time. For me, it is going to be transformational. A fresh new look – new life.

Years ago, I started “The Millionaire Woman” as an opportunity to help people “live rich from the inside out”. I still continue to believe in the philosophy but something has changed. I have changed. I want to make a bigger difference on a grandeur scale.

I recently completed my Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Six months of webinars, alumni coaching, pro-bono coaching, and assignments. Our Capstone involved coaching someone in the community in front of an instructor and a handful of peers. It can be a bit nerve racking but for me – coaching makes me feel alive; it is like breathing. Don’t get me wrong – I did get nervous. I did have that negative self-talk – a chirping, but I learned to tune it out. I excelled and completed the program with incredible people from across Canada and parts of the U.S. Something changed – I developed a new vision for where I wanted to go. I continue to love working with the business owners but I knew I needed to branch out, up level, and show up as the person I wish to be at this new level!

There are many reasons to  rebrand and share who you are and what you are bringing to the world. Most importantly, it is to stay true to who you are – be authentic.

1.  Be Proactive – Keep it Fresh. Either you outgrow your brand or it out grows you. When you look at your logo or your marketing materials, you might feel that they are outdated and  you and your business or no longer the same. This growth comes with age and maturity of the business – but no one said you or your business become “old”.

2.  Expand Your horizons. It is time to stretch! I challenge people to dream bigger. We tend to limit our own dreams based on our current reality. Sometimes, I even need to be remind myself to dream bigger. When you first started your business, you may have decided to narrow in on your target audience and now you wish to broaden your horizons.

By expanding your horizons and being open to new opportunities, it  allows you to prepare for predicted growth.

Often I think of a phrase someone shared with me once, “If Oprah called today, would you be ready.?”  Would you be ready for an interview that could potentially change the entire landscape of your business? Do you have the infrastructure to support your growth?

I have expanded my audience to include business owners, professionals, and organizations to reach a global scale.

3. Stand Out from the Crowd. In today’s marketplace, business can get to be a big noisy place.

How do you differentiate your business from your competitor?

What makes people chose your business over someone else?

What keeps people talking about your brand and what you do?

A new logo or branding can help you step out from the crowd.

4.  New products, services, or offerings. You may have developed a new program or recently obtained some new education that supports what you currently do. For me, I added a certification in executive coaching even though I had coached many people before without a title. I love hearing how coaching has improve their lives and shifted their daily practices impacting their business growth.

5.  Identify your new brand or promise. Your mission and vision may change but chances are your core values with remain the same.

What will your company be doing for others?

Five power words that are a foundation to our  promise and the work we deliver:

 I am excited for the road ahead.

I know it will be transformational for you and I.

People. Passion. Productivity. Performance. Profits.

Transform Your Business and Bottom Line in the Next 28 Days

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In the world of business, there are good books and then there are great books! I discovered a great book entitled, “Get Clients Now!” by C.J. Hayden.

Courtesy of ImageryMajestic/freedigitalphotos.net
Courtesy of ImageryMajestic/freedigitalphotos.net

Marketing is  one of the key pieces to being successful in business.

In this book, there are four simple action plans that can transform your business in the next 28 days. I know firsthand as a business coach that these small shifts are worth their weight in gold . The small shifts start with discovering what is holding you back from your ultimate success .

 When you discover your greatest fear,  you can challenge the fear and realize it wasn’t as big as you thought.

The 4 steps discussed in this book are :

  1.  Filling Your Pipeline
  2.  Following up
  3. Having Sales Conversations
  4. Closing Sales

If you feel that your business has hit a plateau or is not generating the income you would like it to have , you definitely want to take a look at where you are not giving 100% accountability to these four areas .  Why wait until your pipeline is dry to step out of your comfort zone and achieve what you want ?

The magic formula lies in the universal marketing cycle.  

Think about the ways you are filling your pipeline with clients.  How are you reaching out to them?  Remember your client is listening to , “What is in it for me ?” They do not want to hear about every accolade you have.   Yes it is important to share your successes and accomplishments with your followers , however , if the message is one-sided or not coming from a place of service – they will just tune you out .

They want to know that you are able to help them achieve the results that that they want. 

Take a look at your newsletter and ask yourself, if you are you writing it from the perspective of giving a hand up versus putting your hand out.

Follow-up tends to be one of the weakest links in the sales cycle. There was a time when I would feel weak in the stomach when it came to follow up and I would talk myself out of it due to the fear of rejection. I also learned that if I don’t follow up and offer to help someone achieve their dream with my knowledge and skill, I am robbing someone of the greatest gifts I can give.  If you if you can relate, imagine the impact you would have by not only helping one person achieve what they want but many.  This can also create a ripple effect.  Many of the people that you impact, will want to share their experience with others.

One of the greatest actions that you can take is having the sales conversation.  The actions can be as simple and asking for an appointment, sending  follow-up letter or email, or soliciting testimonials .  See a pattern here – everything is about relationship marketing and caring about people and what matters to them.

Finally, who could resist the topic of profits and closing more sales, especially if you  are running a business.  There are some people who are afraid to talk about wanting money in their business for fear of being labeled as materialistic or greedy . Businesses are meant to make money providing a solution to a clients problem or pain. If you are not making money , perhaps, you are dabbling in a hobby and not as serious about running your business and you say you are.

Build the relationships in your network and discover ways you can help others get to their goals.  The more you help others in the process, the more you will attract clients to your pipeline.

Go out and make a difference like I know you can!