I just read this great article written as if an architect was given the same kind of brief for a new house design as we get for building new websites. It is SOOO true that I thought I would share it with you so you get a glimpse of what we go through.

You can read it here > http://www.digitalsurvivors.com/archives/000455.php

Hope you like it.

There is no denying that the core of most new business, and the advertising that will bring you the best clients, is WOM (Word of Mouth). This is the kind of advertising that you cannot buy, but when people start raving about you and what you do, your qualified leads that are coming to your business will increase.

So how do you create a base of raving fans? This is quite easy, but takes several steps, and it is something you need to work at. Below are some ideas that I have learned both through my own business dealings, as well as from the reading and listening that I do on a regular basis to help me improve my business skills.

Step 1: To create a fan base, start by making sure your business does what it does well! It doesn’t matter what kind of industry you are in. If you want people to talk about you and your business then you need to be very good at what you do.

Step 2: Take the time to talk to people. Your clients aren’t going to be able to go out and rave about who you are unless you can educate them in what to say to people. Take the time to meet with your clients and make sure that you tell them the kind of client that you are looking for. It might be a company with a certain need, or a person complaining about a current supplier that doesn’t meet their needs. Also, tell them how they can recignise these clients in their own day-to-day dealings with people.

Step 3: Get your company employees raving about you. Your employees are there to help you build your business. At the end of the day, if your business does well, their job is more secure. They might think that they only work for you from 9-5, but really they can help you reach people in their own circle of relationships that you might not have contact with. Teach them how to keep an ear out for people who can benefit from what you can offer through your business, and train them to always carry business cards that they can give out.

Step 4: Go to networking functions and give out your business card. Your card is the easiest way for people to remember you, and to able to make contact when they need you. When you go to any kind of seminar, conference or business meeting make sure you are well stocked with cards, and give them out.

Step 5: Be real. When people come to you, or to your business, make them feel like they are contacting real people who will take the time to help them solve their problem. Remember that the ultimate goal of any business (other than making money) is to help fill a need. When a new client comes to you, make sure that you take the time to get to know the best possible way to help them.

As always there is more I could add to this list, but it gives you an idea of the things you can do to get people talking about you and your business to their friends, family and business associates.

It is well known that we only deal with companies or people that we Know, Like and Trust. This is the KLT factor. So how do we get that KLT factor working for us? Below is a list of thoughts on getting the KLT factor working for you.

1. Let your clients get to know your company, your staff and even you. While we don’t want to spend all our days socialising with our clients and not having enough time to do profit generating activities, if your clients feel that they know who you are and what you are about, they will feel more confident in their dealings with you.

2. Be open with people. When a company or individual hide information, or aren’t 100% open about a product or service, the people they deal with will pick this up. This may not be right then and there, but at some point it will come to the surface and the client will know they have been dealt with badly. This only ever has a bad outcome, and it takes time to repair any damaged caused by this kind of business dealing.

3. Develop Trust between you and your clients. This can be simple things like making sure you deliver your promises on time. Giving them more value than they pay for, or finding other ways to build that level of trust so that your clients feel comfortable in coming to you to solve their problems, and referring their family and friends to you as well.

While there are probably a lot more things that you can do to help increase your KLT factor with your clients, this should give you a good starting ground from which to work.

We all love a bargan. We all like to feel like we got a better deal than we originally paid for. Companies like The Good Guys run their entire business on this whole mind-set. Come in and pay cash, and we’ll discount the price. If people stopped to think about it they would know that the ‘discounted price’ is still within the company’s proper pricing structure, but the feeling that they are doing you a unique deal makes you feel good, and you go back for the next big thing you need.

So how can you make this happen in your business?

The key here isn’t to put yourself out of pocket. The idea is to increase the “value” of the service you offer. Let’s take the example of an mechanic. You might book your car in for it’s regular service. You know it is going to cost you $70, and you know this is fairly average for the work being done. How would you feel if when you got back to your car after the service was done and you found that the window had been washed, a fresh deodorizer had been placed in the car, and he replaced the wiper blades at no charge. You’d feel that this mechanic really cared for your car, and you would go back. Not only this, you would tell your friends and family about that little extra service, and chances are if they ever needed a new mechanic for whatever reason, they would use yours.

As I said, the key here isn’t about putting yourself out of pocket. The idea is to put a few little extras in that make your clients feel that you care about them, and make them want to talk about your business.

Wow, we finally have our own blog. It seems that everyone has a blog on something or other these days but we want this to be more than just a blog. We are hoping that it will become a way for us to help people looking for a graphic or web designer to get the most out of their marketing, especially in regards to graphic design and their websites. There is so much more to what we do than meets the eye, and what we are aiming to do here is throw light on things that anyone can do to avoid paying too much for services, avoid delays by knowing what your designer needs from you, as well as keeping you up to date on what is happening in the world of the web and technologies and how it can benefit you and your business.

We hope you enjoy reading our blog posts, and we welcome all feedback so that we can make this a useful tool for many people and companies.

Happy reading!