business-processes-and-operations

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

by BlogCommunications

business-processes-and-operationsNow that you’ve started your business are you ready to take your small business to the next level? As a small business owner, you wear a lot of hats. Things such as scheduling employees, managing finances, creating marketing campaign – you name it! It’s hard work, but setting up processes can make a big difference. It allows others to step in and execute a particular task as you grow.

Finance Your Growth

Establishing a strong relationship with a business banker will help to strategize and prepare your business for growth. Be it a line of credit, merchant processing, or other management issues, it’s important that you stay on top of your finances. For the Edmiston Group, we have our banking relationships. We also keep track of our P & L by the use QuickBooks online. Our bookkeeper enters information into the system and on a quarterly basis our accountant reviews. Our sales tax is paid electronically and by outsourcing this area of my business, I have peace of mind in knowing these experts will keep me on a solid financial footing.

Electronic Invoicing Go Green

Consumers, especially millennials, wholeheartedly support sustainable businesses who go green to combat climate change. What can you do to save on resources? We use electronic means to create and send invoices. Not only does it save time, but money on postage as well.

Streamline Business Operations

How organized are you? Do you have an office filled with loose papers and random documents? When working on projects for multiple clients such as we do, we try and block times in our schedule and turn off email and other distractions.

There are a number of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software tools available. Utilizing a CRM not only allows you to see your sales pipeline but also is a way for you to track past history with a customer. A CRM will allow you to build a healthy relationship with your customers will keep them coming back for more. Analyze purchase history, sale trends, and create loyalty rewards programs. The history will allow you to target market your message to a given audience.

Human Resources Services

You may not have enough money to hire a full HR team. There are a number of consultants that will help you with talent acquisition, review your policy manual and keep you in compliance. As your company grows this is one area you don’t want to neglect.

Project Management Tools – No More Missed Deadlines

Team projects have a number of deadlines and benchmarks. The Edmiston Group uses Asana, but there are many other types of software tools such as: Wrike, Smartsheet, Clarizen, Workzone, Mavenlink, Jira to name a few. They all come with different features and price points. The key is to determine which one will best fit your needs.

Time Tracking Services

If you own a small business, you most likely pay some of your employees hourly. Time tracking services like TSheets, Timeclock Plus, Harvest, When I Work, lets you track time on projects so you hit deadlines on time, as well as determine if your team is working efficiently.

Hire Good Employees

Your employees are who stand between your business and the customer. No one wants bad customer service. Train employees on how to deliver exceptional customer service that your business will be recognized for. Think of the last place you received exceptional customer service. As you open or grow your business, take time to hire the right candidate that will fit your company’s culture and help drive your mission.

Hiring right begins with a comprehensive job description that clearly articulates the duties and responsibilities of the position. Then use the description to post on job search sites that will yield the most qualified candidates.

Grow Your Revenue

These small steps can help to enhance profits in your small business. There are numerous tools, technology, and software to choose from to help grow your business. So… what’s the hold-up?

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Difficult-Clients

IS IT TIME TO FIRE A DIFFICULT CLIENT?

by BlogCommunications

Difficult-Clients

Difficult clients cannot only rattle you in the moment but also cause long term stress and strain on your business. When a client is upset, you’re going to want to solve the problem, not only for your current situation but also to prevent any in the future. To do this, get feedback on potential solutions from the client. Together, you can work out a solution that fits both of you.

Have you ever had a client that caused your stomach to go in knots when the phone rang? Nothing ever seemed right and no matter how hard you tried, they were never satisfied. Some people just aren’t a fit. Long-term stress can cause you and your employees to experience a variety of symptoms that can all translate into business downfalls, such as:

  • Decreased morale
  • Decreased motivation
  • Reduced productivity
  • Strained relationships with clients and employees
  • Decreased business and financial performance

Working with clients isn’t always easy. To handle an unexpected client blow up, consider these tips:

Stay calm

You don’t want to respond to your angry client in an emotional way – this only escalates the situation. Instead, use a calm and understanding tone when you respond. Always stay neutral and keep a calm facial expression.
When responding to an online complaint– acknowledge the situation and apologize – then take the conversation offline.

Actively listen to what they’re saying

This means stopping and really hearing what they’re saying. Consider the validity of their complaints.

  • Make eye contact
  • Ask questions when you don’t understand something
  • Express positive body language. Open your posture while you’re either sitting or standing. Closed positions such as folded arms may communicate that you’re not interested in what they’re saying
  • Repeat back to the client your understanding of the problem

Show concern and sympathy for the situation

Certain phrases that help you do this include:

  • “I hear what you’re saying…”
  • “I see your point…”
  • Always ask questions

Ask key questions

Asking key questions to bring focus and discover important details that can help you solve the problem. Some questions to consider include:

  • “What could we have done differently?”
  • “What would you consider to be a reasonable solution?”
  • “How can we make it up to you?”

Apologize

This is an important step when dealing with an upset or difficult client. You want the client to leave feeling understood, feeling heard, and knowing the problem is going to get fixed. Apologizing can help retain the client.

Sometimes, no matter how you respond to a client, they still won’t calm down. Clients who are out of hand typically:

  • Won’t stop saying personal insults to you or your employees
  • Won’t stop yelling or screaming at you or your employees
  • Won’t listen to any logic you present
  • Make threats to you or your employees

In a situation where a client is demonstrating the behaviors outlined above, your first step should be to warn them in the nicest way possible. At this point, you must take control and defuse the situation or ask the client to leave your business. In the event you have a virtual business, you may decide that you just aren’t the best provider for them.

Learn to take difficult clients in stride

Difficult clients don’t have to bring you or your business down. With proper client management strategies, you can effectively de-escalate situations in no time. From there, you can strategize with your team ways to meet even the toughest client’s requests. If all else fails – perhaps they aren’t the right fit and will be happier with another provider.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Marketing-Calendar

HOW TO CREATE A MARKETING CALENDAR

by BlogCommunications

Marketing-CalendarCreating a marketing calendar (editorial calendar) is critical to your success and will be the cornerstone of the activities you will do to promote your business in 2019. It is simply the act of thinking through the year and putting a plan in place. You can make the calendar as simple or as complex as you like. Additionally, we recommend taking some time to create a social media calendar as well. The Edmiston Group creates a general calendar every year, but we also customize these calendars for particular businesses allowing them to easily execute. Click here to download our 2019 calendar. Here are a few steps to get you started to customize your own plan.

  • Start with a 12-month calendar. If you need to share a calendar with staff or outside consultants, we have found online Google calendars work well for us and you can share it with others.
  • Incorporate each of your desired offerings into the calendar. Account for holidays, peak seasons, etc.
  • Next, incorporate community events, trade shows, and any other event that will affect your promotional dates.
  • Work backward from each key date with high-level promotional features. Think about press release dates, paid traditional advertising, time to develop and print promotional materials, and social media marketing. Be sure to calendar drop-dead dates for each promotion.
  • Leave flexibility for your social media promotions. You will want to be consistent, so set a pattern for each of your social media channels, and then accommodate the promotion into your posts when the time is right. For example, perhaps you will post to Facebook three times a week, Twitter twice a day, and incorporate Instagram, LinkedIn or Pinterest depending on the type of business you have.

Technology is always changing. Use it to your benefit by looking for efficiencies. Schedule a week’s worth of posts each Monday. Use one of many dashboards to manage your social media. Set Google alerts on subject matter that you can use for blogging or for your newsletters.

Are You Measuring?

Just because you think something is a good idea, your customers may not. Don’t rely only on your own intuition. Talk to your customers to see if they are struggling with anything in particular. That can help you understand what their needs are.

Before kicking off each promotion, be sure to write down your desired outcome. You may remember what the results are this month, but unless you write them down, are you really going to remember those results 9 months from now?

These measurable objectives hold you and your staff accountable for the end results. This likely includes a financial aspect, but may also include increased awareness as identified by growth in social media followings and/or expansion into a new market.

  • Capture your baseline for each promotion and compare it to the end result. Depending on your goal, your baseline may be financial or a number related to the number of customers or followers. For example, if you’re running a Facebook ad or social share campaign, know the number of fans you had when you started, measure downloads of information and increased likes for your page.
  • Track your financial expenditures and income for the promotion. This determines the actual cost of obtaining a new client.
  • Track all other related metrics (growth in customer base, number of increased leads, etc.). When using a variety of print material, code coupons to measure what worked and the type of client the coupon generated. A Valpac ad may generate a different type of client than a social media campaign or printed newspaper ad, but without coding the coupons and tracking the results, you don’t know the type of customer you’re attracting and the dollars that customer is willing to spend with you.
  • After each promotion, note what worked and what did not work. This will help you tweak promotions throughout the year and into the next year

The experts at the Edmiston Group can help you create your 2019 marketing program, an editorial calendar, or can work from it to help with content creation. Wondering how to get started in identifying business objectives and overall growth in 2019? Call 724-612-0755 or email us to get started.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Business-mindset

Is Your Business Stuck In A Rut?

by BlogCommunications

Business-mindsetDo you often feel you are in a rut? You do the same thing over and over with less than desired results? The sales and promotions you ran in prior months no longer have the same effect. When your small business gets stuck in a rut, you need to find a quick way to snap out of it. This can mean finding a new source of inspiration, following some new trends or kick starting your marketing efforts.

What stops you from moving forward?

  • FEAR. Are we doing the right thing? Going down the right path? What will others think? INDECISION is the seedling of FEAR! Indecision crystalizes into DOUBT, the two blend and become FEAR! The “blending” process often is slow. This is one reason why these three enemies are so dangerous. They germinate and grow without their presence being observed.
  • PROCRASTINATION. It’s easy to always do the simple tasks of being busy. But what happens when you have a large project, or need to focus on something new? Do you spend your time being busy, or block off time at the front end of the day to tackle the project? Try breaking the project into smaller chunks so it seems more manageable and schedule time to accomplish those chunks
  • I CAN DO IT ALL. Often this is where I see business owners get stuck. They have the mindset that they can do everything themselves, yet by not releasing tasks to either outside consultants or employees the business owner is the bottleneck in their own growth.
  • DECISIONS. As you move about your day decisions pile up. Interruptions occur and your head becomes full of deadlines and stuff. Make the most important decisions early in the day while you are fresh. By giving yourself 24 hours, it allows you to “Sleep On It” with a fresh look first thing the next morning. You will find it easier to be clear on your decision.
  • TIME MANAGEMENT. How often do you c heck your email? Do you make a plan and/or a list for tasks to be completed with a due date? Do you assign tasks to others and hold them accountable? There are a variety of project management tools to do that. Asana is a tool that I use with members of my team.

The first quarter of 2018 is over. As you review your marketing plan going into spring/summer, what are you going to do differently that will yield results? If you don’t have a plan, now is the time to put one together. If you don’t have time to create and execute the plan, let the Edmiston Group help.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

restaurant-advertising

Cost of a Placemat

by BlogCommunicationsGuest Blogs
restaurant-advertisingW.G. Barrett, Restaurant Consultant & Guest Blogger

Holidays represent a time of year where restaurants, as well as retail establishments, can realize a spike in sales. Each year as seasons come and go many companies must determine what extra money they will spend on specific holiday advertising. For many restaurant owners, there is a constant battle of how they can lower their operating costs all while keeping the tables full day after day. Restaurant Consultant, Gordon Barrett has spent his career in the restaurant industry. Below I share my experience of how one restaurant owner learned the true cost of ‘saving’ money the hard way

The Cost of ‘Saving’ Money – One Business Owner’s Story

While advertising for holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or even the Christmas season may cost you a little more, the reward may far out weight your investment. Be careful where you choose to cut your spending when it comes to advertising. Cutting advertising that costs a few extra dollars could wind up costing you much more in the long run.

Every year approaching the holidays, this client, let’s call him Joe, would order disposable placemats for his restaurant that advertised “Ask Your Server About Gift Cards” written in large print in the center of the mat. Joe knew he would gain about $7,000-10,000 in revenue from total gift card sales over the holiday season. The placemats with the gift card advertisements cost roughly an extra $14 a case, with 1,000 placemats in a case. Joe would typically order 6 cases for the holiday season.

This past year, Joe decided that he wanted to save on his holiday spending and cut back on ordering the placemats. He realized a savings in advertising on the placemats of $85 for the holiday season. Joe made this choice knowing he was a well-established restaurant with vast number of regular customers. He didn’t think it was necessary to spend $85 for advertising “Ask Your Server About Gift Cards” for the holidays. The result… without the gift card ad, he was shocked to learn that gift card sales dropped to nearly $2,500 in sales. Saving a little on advertising cost him thousands of dollars in lost gift card sales.

Now here is some additional food for thought. Not only did Joe lose out on gift card sales, but consider these additional scenarios: 1) some gift cards would never be redeemed providing him free income, 2) loss of gift cards to generate new customers that had never been to his restaurant and 3) loss of additional money spent by loyal customers buying more food than the gift card is worth.

While it is impossible to determine these questions without more input from his customers, Joe knows one thing, he lost out on thousands of dollars in revenue to save just $85. He has made me promise him to never let him skip out on the advertised placemats in future years.

Measure Your Marketing

  • Data Collection. Start with collecting data from your consumers. Create a simple survey or ask how customers heard about your business. This will help you to target the advertising which works best for you.
  • Small steps. Consider advertising through social media. This allows you to invest modest amounts of money to gain new targeted customers.
  • Follow up! Make sure that your customers are satisfied and ask for testimonials.

Remember that in business it takes money to make money. Cutting back on marketing is the first thing that comes to mind when owners think about reducing costs. There are many places to put your advertising dollars, but it’s important to track the results. Code coupons in different publications and monitor where those coupons come from. Invest in social media and watch your audience grow. Lastly, advertise in small ways, such as on placemats and table tents. Ask Joe…he’ll tell you about the $85 he has budgeted for placemat advertising for this year.

Want to learn more about how to increase profits, attend the Restaurant Reality Check Seminar on May 3rd.  Register here.

w-g-barrett

Blog by W.G. Barrett, Restaurant Consultant & Guest Blogger.

About the author:  Gordon Barrett is the owner of W.G. Barrett Consulting, specializing in restaurant consulting, rescue and rebranding.  With decades of experience, he helps restaurant owners understand the value of strong operational restaurant management, but also how to adapt to changes through web presence, social media and online marketing.   Using a Restaurant Reality Check approach, Gordon has helped dozens of restaurants improve their profitability.