Posted By Amanda Collins on December 8, 2009

Phoenix, AZ — In a down economy, unemployment may lead many former employees to become their own boss. According to an article in The New York Times, “necessity” entrepreneurship is increasing while “opportunity” entrepreneurship is decreasing. Add that to the fact that Phoenix is ranked among one of the best American cities in which to start a new business (according to CNNMoney.com), and the need for training for new business owners skyrockets.

One local business owner understands this need – and is making an effort to help new entrepreneurs in the community get started on the right foot. Amanda Collins started in The Grammar Doctors, a boutique firm designing and implementing communications strategies for businesses and individuals, in 2005 when it was still an option to put up one’s own shingle. Since then, she has learned through trial and error and now wants to share her acquired knowledge with those new to the thought of having to rely on themselves for a paycheck.

“I made a lot of mistakes in the beginning, and I think people can learn from how I’ve turned potential roadblocks into wins,” says Ms. Collins. To get those tidbits of advice to the public, Ms. Collins is starting a series of informational seminars each month. Topics will be presented not only by Collins: “I have a lot of information to share, but I certainly can’t be the expert in everything. My goal is to bring in local business experts to cover topics related to business development.” Scheduled seminars will cover a wide variety of topics including communications strategies, blogging, social media, and networking.

The first in the brown bag series for entrepreneurs will take place Tuesday, December 15, 12 pm – 1 pm, at the Corporate Office Centers, 7047 E Greenway Pkwy, Scottsdale, Ariz. The topic will cover how to turn leads into clients and referral partners using a communications strategy. Guests are invited to bring a lunch and learn something to grow their businesses. The presentations will be free of charge, and attendees will have the opportunity to win a door prize at each session.

To register or learn more, please contact Amanda Collins with The Grammar Doctors: amanda@grammardocs.com or 602-482-3495.

Category: Communications | 1 Comment »
Tags: Communications, marketing, presentation

Posted By Amanda Collins on November 22, 2009

When I worked in college admissions, the underlying goal of all of our efforts was to push prospective students down the applicant funnel to become enrolled students. Then, as I moved into my own business, I applied the same principles, which are of course universal. Big companies recognize a sales (or marketing) funnel and have the same goal I had at colleges – to push people to the bottom. A huge part of that happens through a company’s communications strategies.

We want everyone who inquires about our businesses to become repeat clients and share with us referrals, right? Unfortunately, though, while big, multimillion-dollar conglomerates keep in touch with their customers through advertisements, direct mail, and e-mail campaigns, most small business owners and entrepreneurs seem to miss that step, either due to lack of money or knowledge about how to do so. I run into many solopreneurs who are out at networking events with the goal of acquiring business – yet 95% (or more) of them don’t even follow up with those contacts, much less begin a communications campaign.

The Sales Funnel
In the sales funnel, people can enter at any point. They can come in as a cold lead at the top, or somewhere in the middle as a sold inquiry, or even as a referral from a trusted source. Most business owners would love to have mostly referrals because those clients are easier to close, given that they received a strong endorsement before ever making contact with the business.

The disconnect in the small business world is that entrepreneurs are so harried they don’t have time or know-how to measure their numbers of inquiries and conversion rates to customers. And they rarely have time to build a strong, strategic marketing communications plan. Both of these aspects are essential in turning leads into clients and referral partners.

Communications Strategy
First and foremost, you need to follow up with people you meet. That sets a tone and starts to build a relationship – and we all know we do business with those we know, like, and trust. Then you need to stay in touch with your database. We all meet a lot of people in our daily lives, and we’ll forget them if they’re not top of mind. At least once a month you should be making some contact with your clients, inquiries, and prospects. If you get them all with a blanket approach, at least you’re making contact, but you’re not really pushing them to do anything. The better approach is to segment your list and market to them accordingly.

Keep track of your database in groups, such as prospects (you picked up their card), inquiries (they asked about what you do), and clients (they’ve made a purchase). That way you can push each group into the next level in the funnel. If you were on the receiving side, wouldn’t you feel funny if you got an e-mail asking you to buy when you just recently made a purchase? The same would hold true if you were asked for feedback on a purchase you hadn’t yet made. Customers feel more valued when you’re speaking the THEM rather than to the masses.

You’re certainly not going to push 100% of your database through the funnel to become clients, but your ratio will definitely increase when you open communications – with intent. Then remember to stay in touch with clients to ask them for referrals and additional business based on your industry. You’ll see a dramatic increase in business by staying top of mind and asking for what you want.

Category: Communications | 2 Comments »
Tags: client relations, Communications, customer retention, marketing funnel, referrals, sales funnel, small businesses

Posted By Amanda Collins on September 22, 2009

Whether your clients generate one-time transactions or are more consistent, you want to remain top of mind as the expert in your industry – and you do that by staying in touch with them. Obviously this is easier if they’re receiving monthly invoices and weekly e-mails or phone calls, but what about those clients who only need a short-term solution? Are you keeping in touch with them to answer future questions or ask for referrals?

Many of my clients only work with me for a month or so while I create a résumé and cover letter package. Even if I’m writing or editing material for them, it may turn out to only be for a couple of months. But what if their situation changes or they come across a great referral? It’s possible – and even likely – that they won’t remember me (like they won’t remember you) if they aren’t reminded from time to time.

One of the ways you can stay in touch with your clients and prospective clients is through a regular e-newsletter. Constant Contact offers a free 60-day trial so you can get acquainted with their system and start to define a strategy for regular communications. You can include information about yourself, your products and services, or upcoming specials and promotions. If you want to go above and beyond, you can use direct mail for your newsletter – either monthly or quarterly.

No matter how you stay in touch with your clients, make sure you do something. People meet a lot of new contacts regularly, and the last person we meet or hear from is usually the first we consider when a need arises.

Category: Communications | 1 Comment »
Tags: client relations, Communications

Posted By Amanda Collins on August 28, 2009

How are you keeping in contact with your customers and potential clients? I recently sat down with a colleague who said she didn’t feel it was imperative to stay in touch with her clients since they were mostly one-shot transactions. However, what if situations change – or, better yet – they want to refer you?

When I worked in college admissions and marketing, I was in charge of creating the corporate communications strategy. I designed a whole comm flow of what we would do when we received an inquiry, following that person down the admissions funnel to enrollment (or not). There were many levels of “touch,” all with the intent of staying top of mind for applicants. Business owners and developers should be doing the same, creating a series of ways to stay in touch with their clients. Of course, it could take all day to develop a strategy, so let me give you a few hints:

Blog
Everyone knows they should be doing this, but too many are not. It’s pretty simple, and I outlined it in a previous blog. Get that blog up to drive traffic, gain more followers to your site and newsletter, and brand yourself as an expert.

Write a newsletter
Keep track of your clients and let them know what’s new with you in a monthly newsletter. It’s a great way to share your blogs with your readers and, again, drive traffic to your site.

Send out mailings
Occasionally it’s good to go above and beyond and really reach out to your clients. This could be an annual calendar, magnet with a special discount, postcard, newsletter, or “lumpy mail.” My promo guru helps me create all kinds of fun things to share with clients; I greet all in-person folks with medical-themed office supplies.

Have a different approach for different audiences
After you have siphoned off your different markets, approach them differently. Maybe loyalty rewards for current customers or incentives for those who’ve not yet signed up for your services. Remember the goal is to develop relationships, stay top of mind, and – ultimately – increase sales.

Category: Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Posted By Amanda Collins on August 14, 2009

Whether you’re a business owner, sales rep, or job seeker, you’ve likely attended a networking event where you’ve had to give your 15- or 30-second commercial. As a business owner, I go to these often. I even sub at many BNI meetings, where some offer 60 seconds to say pretty much nothing.

The BNI adage is, “You have to be specific to be terrific.” The crazy thing is that, at one of the BNI groups where I sub, two members used absolute no-nos in their commercials. An Arbonne representative said, “I can help anyone with skin,” and the chiropractor said, “I can help anyone with a spine.” Seriously, it was all I could do not to laugh. These are the examples that are used to NEVER say. When you say “anyone,” people typically hear “no one.”

How do you improve your value statement in 30 seconds? The golden rule is to always consider what you can do to help listeners. If you’re asking for a specific referral, make it specific. The photographer at another BNI group almost always mentions a name. Granted, no one in the room may know that person, but it’s worth a shot. And you can’t be more specific than saying a name. If you’re not looking for one particular person, personalize your approach. Try something like, “When you’re talking to your friends and they say, ‘I’m concerned that my company will be laying off soon,’ – that’s the perfect referral for me.”

Don’t talk about what you do; talk about how you help. For instance (not that this is perfect), I say:

“I’m Amanda Collins, Chief of Staff with The Grammar Doctors. I help you stay in front of your targeted audience through strategic marketing in the form of blogs, newsletters, advertorials, and résumés. If you’d prefer to write these items yourself, I can also edit them to make sure they’re perfect! No matter what your objective is, The Grammar Doctors has the prescription for your word ailments.”

I don’t typically say who my target audience is because, in my experience, I’m usually the only person around who does what I do. Also, once I added “products” to my commercial (as opposed to just services: writing and editing), I noticed that my positive feedback and referrals skyrocketed.

So start thinking about your value proposition. How can you help people? Who’s your best client? Would you be interested in listening to what you’re saying? It’ll likely take some practice and testing to get a few great commercials, but if you’re focused on your listener, you’ll see a difference in the feedback you receive.

Category: networking | No Comments »
Tags: Business Development, business owner, networking

Posted By Amanda Collins on August 3, 2009

When I first launched my business, I had it all wrong. I was living by the credo introduced in “Field of Dreams”: If you build it, they will come. I figured that I would go out to networking events and just end up meeting people who would naturally need my services and become clients. I just needed to show up. Luckily, time has made me wiser than I was when I started.

Networking is an art. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you probably won’t be effective. On the networking circuit, there are a few different types of networkers, some good, some not so much. More of the obvious types you’ve probably encountered include:

• The Card Passer: You know the guy I mean. He’s the one who’s leaving cards on every table, making sure you have one in your hand either during or immediately following the handshake, and somehow manages to get cards into the stalls of the bathrooms – both genders!
• The Wallflower: “I just sit here at the bar and people come up to me.” If you’re gorgeous or in the way of getting alcohol (or both!), this may work. However, the reason for talking to you may have little to do with business and probably won’t turn into much more than a potential story to tell the next day.
• No-Card Guy: As a wordsmith, it’s funny to me anyway when people ask, “Do you have a card?” but this person actually says no! Who goes to an event without cards? If that’s the case, just stay home and stop wasting time because the likelihood you’ll follow up with the folks who gave you cards is slim.

When you go to a networking event, follow a few simple guidelines and you’ll find the experience to be one you’re willing – and eager! – to repeat:

• Take a slew of business cards, but only hand them out to people with whom you’ve spoken or made a connection. And look at each business card you receive, so people feel you value your time with them.
• Try to have five- to ten-minute conversations with a handful of people. Canvassing the room saying hi to everyone isn’t nearly as meaningful.
• Introduce people. If you go with a networking buddy, take turns choosing people to meet and then introduce each other to the new connections.
• Mingle! If you’re not in the mood to talk and “bring it,” stay home.
• Ask key questions: “How may I help you?” “Who is your best customer?” “Where would you like your business to be in five years?” You’ll get to a relationship faster.
• Don’t have expectations of making money. The goal of networking is to create relationships; the money will come in time.

It takes some practice to be the life of the networking party, especially if you’re not an extrovert (no problem for me there), but it’s well worth the investment. Seal the deal by following up with an e-mail, phone call, or hand-written note and you’ll be well on your way to building your business!

Category: networking | 1 Comment »
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Posted By Amanda Collins on August 2, 2009

As a business owner, I am out on the local networking scene on a regular basis, going to old and new events weekly to meet people and see friends. When I go out, new people naturally gravitate to me to find out what I do because I am wearing scrubs and a stethoscope. So, because that happens, I make it clear that I will “pimp out” my friends and colleagues, introducing them to new folks with a quick “testimonial” to create an instant connection. The thing that surprises me is that almost no one else does that.

How hard is it to introduce people? Isn’t that a skill we learned in elementary school? “Joan, this is Jim. Jim is an electrician with ABC Company; Joan owns a marketing company that specializes in working with new startups.” Simple. Now they know what the other does, have a warm introduction, and you’ve built a basis for further conversation. But recently, at a large event where I was in a small group of four, one of the people three of us knew walked up. No one bothered to introduce our new addition to the man she didn’t know – even though everyone knew the status. So I was yelling across to connect them. Of course, being me, I called them all on it, but they seemed genuinely surprised and hadn’t thought of making the introduction themselves.

So, because I help people meet others – and will do this introduction thing with strangers too – I tend to have people wanting to go out and network with me. It’s not a bad thing at all, and if you practice common courtesy and manners on the networking scene, you might see that by paying it forward, you’ll actually get a great return.

Category: Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Tags: introductions, networking

Posted By Amanda Collins on June 23, 2009

Yesterday I started a fan page on Facebook. My overview on there is similar to the overview on this Web site: “The Grammar Doctors provides strategic marketing copywriting and copyediting to differentiate clients through well-chosen words.” After posting it up, both @failtracker and @mousetrap pointed out the noun and verb don’t agree (okay, they said number agreement, so maybe that’s saying something in itself). I heartily disagree.

Think about grocery stores, which are typically named after the founder’s last name and are almost always plural: Wegmans, Tops, Albertsons, and Walgreens come to mind. When I say there’s a special to be had at Wegmans, I say, “Wegmans has a great deal on bananas!” I would never say, “Wegmans have a great deal on bananas.” That’s just silly. Well, The Grammar Doctors is the name of this company, and while it is comprised of multiple people, the company is just one entity, meaning the title is singular.

So, to those who choose to disagree, please remember that I started the company because of my close attention to detail. I’m not saying I don’t make mistakes (I’ve made some doozies!), but on this one, I beg to differ with the “number agreement” comment.

Category: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tags: noun verb agreement, proofreading

Posted By Amanda Collins on June 11, 2009

This past weekend I attended a seminar about keeping a business venture on track during this new economy (http://thenextgeneration.us/). As a business owner, I attend many such seminars and presentations, but for whatever reason, this one really resonated with me. The first speaker suggested doing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis on the business and then crafting 30-, 60-, and 90-day action plans. Well, I did it right there. And one of the biggest things on my agenda was time management.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a horrible procrastinator. I have a to-do list daily, but I end up on Facebook. Twitter, checking e-mail, or basically doing just about anything else to avoid said list. This puts me behind, which makes my deliverables fall short of the promised date. Of course, that means I am leaving a bad taste in the mouths of my clients. Who’s going to refer someone when I can’t follow through on deadlines? I know I wouldn’t.

So, since I knew this was my downfall, I tackled it first. I decided to block out time on my PDA: one hour for work following by 30 minutes of play. Each section had tasks assigned. Since I’m a writer, the work block could be a résumé, revisions, editing, or copywriting. The play time consisted of e-mail, phone calls, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I even blocked out gym time and when I would pick up my son from daycare. Then I got out my timer.

I don’t multitask nearly as much anymore, but that’s okay. In fact, I close the e-mail browser, Facebook, and Tweetdeck during my working hour. I find I’m more on task and, most importantly, I’m finishing everything! I’m able to juggle working ON the business with working IN the business, which is a weight off my mind. So far, on day four, I’m right on task and have gotten a ton done.

So buy yourself a timer (or look one up online) and get working. It’ll do wonders.

Category: Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Tags: time management

Posted By Amanda Collins on June 2, 2009

I’m going to go out on a thin branch of a limb here and assume that you know the value inherent in blogging for your business. It should be an integral component of your networking / business-building strategy. If it’s not, you might have bigger fish to fry!

Unfortunately – but not surprisingly – too many business owners are intimidated at the prospect of blogging for their business. “I’m not a good writer,” they say. Or, worse, “I’m not sure what to write.” Since blogs are a bit more informal, it’s okay to not be an excellent writer. Instead, a blog is a way to share information and tell a little bit about you; although, as The Grammar Doctor, I want your writing to be good, it doesn’t have to be “A” caliber; “C” works just as well in this arena.

For those who aren’t sure on what to write, I suggest grabbing your calendar. Okay, now that you’re looking at a few months in advance … well, breathe first … it’s not that bad! I promise, this strategy will give you some great tools to get blogging! First, think about your business. I’m guessing you can break it down into four distinct components. Perhaps you’re an image consultant. Your four components might be clothes, shoes, coloring, and accessories. A network marketer for a skincare line might use skincare, makeup, household items, and a new product. As luck would have it, there are four weeks in most months! Like magic, you now have a category to write about each week.

Now, drill down deeper. If you’re thinking about clothes, shoes, coloring, and accessories, what can you talk about each month? Perhaps there’s a new style or cut that’s hitting the runways, a color palette creeping up for the next season, or a controversy about real gold vs. plated. Whatever those things are, jot down about three ideas for each initial category. Okay, look at your paper. You’ve just noted the subject of your weekly blogs for the next three months!!

Okay, so that was easy, but what about actually writing the blogs? This is almost as easy, believe me! Write from your heart. Write what you know. Share parts of yourself. A decent blog only needs to be about three paragraphs, so there’s not a lot to write. In fact, most readers will veer away if they’re not engaged pretty much immediately – and no one wants to read pages of text. So get to the point. And, remember, NEVER blatantly sell. People like information, but no one wants to be sold. Remember that as you write your blog. Share information, anecdotes, links, and how to reach you; don’t sell your product.

Need help with your blogging strategy or editing what you write? The Grammar Doctors can help! Contact us to set up a FREE consultation.

Category: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tags: blogging, business owner, entrepreneur, marketing, writing