Have you ever called a business and whoever answered the phone would say basically whatever popped into their head when asked a question? They had no sales script. No carefully thought out answer to the most commonly asked question. Particularly forgetting to show value when being asked the question “how much is x?”

A lot of times, when a customer calls, you’re not exactly sure what you’re going to say. And not knowing what you’re going to say can really trip you up. The customer is calling for a reason – they have a need. You want to guide them to a solution that involves using YOUR business, but coming up with the right words on the fly isn’t easy for most people.

Developing scripts to use on the phone is one of the best things you can do.

Smart Small business owners understand the importance of putting their small business marketing on auto-pilot, because after all time is money.

By following a script, you can guide the customer through the process toward finding the right solution to their problem. You’ll never have to worry about what to say next – because it’s right there in the script. When you remember to show the value of your experience and talk about your price as an investment, saving them time, or preventing a problem, you won’t have the need to discount your price.

Since the real gold in any business is your customer and prospect list, be sure to have a script to capture that information. Have you ever called a company and they said, “In case we get disconnected, may I have your name and phone number?” before they even began to answer your question? They’ve already followed a script to begin capturing details for their database.

Scripts can also be effective in person, although you obviously don’t want to be reading what you say off of an actual script. But how many times have you walked away from a meeting and realized, “Oh, I wish I said …?” A script can help you avoid that scenario.

Start by thinking through how the conversation is likely to go, what questions and issues are likely to come up, and put those “Oh, I should have said this” comments down on paper. Familiarize yourself and your employees with those stock answers, and you’ll be ready when the question or situation comes up.

The more you practice these phrases, the more smoothly and elegantly you’ll be able to handle communicating with your customers. You’ll be that much better at positioning your product or service as the best solution to your customer’s problem or challenge. One of the questions to ask yourself is “what benefit is the customer really getting?”

Along those lines, make sure all your marketing materials are all about your customer, not about you. Benefit-oriented copy, in which you’re telling your prospects what’s in it for them if they use your products or services, is always the most effective. Yes, you need to share your credentials and qualifications, but always do that in terms of how it makes what you’re selling more valuable to your customers.

Ask yourself how you can make their life better and what convenience you offer them? 

Smart Small business owners understand the importance of putting their small business marketing on auto-pilot, because after all time is money.

Smart Small business owners understand the importance of putting their small business marketing on auto-pilot, because after all time is money.

Don’t send Christmas cards. Instead, send Thanksgiving Day cards or Christmas cards in July. You’ll get their attention for being the only one.

Your customers will know you put some effort into the gift and note, so it will be even more appreciated than just receiving a card in the mail.

Every year, take time to thank your customers by personally delivering a Christmas/holiday plate and thank-you card. Depending on the person, you could make some cookies or get some fruit (some people are on diets!) and make a plate of treats; then hand-write a thank-you card and take it to them.

Smart Small business owners understand the importance of putting their small business marketing on auto-pilot, because after all time is money.

Your customers will know you put some effort into the gift and note, so it will be even more appreciated than just receiving a card in the mail.

In this age of email, there’s nothing quite as special as a personal, handwritten note.

Handwritten notes are really a lost art. But they make the biggest impact! They tell the recipient that you cared enough to stop your busy day, sit down and actually pick up a pen (who does that these days?) and put your gratitude in writing.

Better yet, have your own cards made. It’s simple, it’s inexpensive, and it leaves a lasting impression. Don’t be surprised if it’s kept for years.

Smart Small business owners understand the importance of putting their small business marketing on auto-pilot, because after all time is money.

YouTube is an amazing marketing tool that’s also FREE! People love to talk to people…and this is as close to a conversation as you can possibly get without actually being with the person. You can structure your video however you want to. You can just talk to the camera, script something funny or informative, or even hire a professional to put together a mini movie or commercial with graphics and music. Attach it to your website and e-mail it to your current customers.

Smart Small business owners understand the importance of putting their small business marketing on auto-pilot, because after all time is money.

One great way to position yourself as an expert in the public eye is  to write articles about topics in your field. You don’t even have to worry about sending them around to magazines or websites – there are plenty of article sites that will help you through the process of posting your writing and positioning yourself as an authority.

How does it work? Well, let’s say you’re a lawyer and you’re hoping to grow your law firm by attracting some new clients. If you have how-to articles explaining the areas of law you practice (with your contact info on the bottom) sprinkled all over the Internet and other lawyers at other firms don’t, who do you think stands out as the expert?

Good small business marketing systems help small business owners put their marketing efforts on auto-pilot

Articles also work well for recent college graduates. Technology is always changing, so a lot of college students are learning the latest ways of doing things, as opposed to how it was done 10 or 15 years ago when most of the people hiring were educated. So, by writing articles on some of the cutting-edge stuff you just learned, you show companies that you can add value to their organization. By doing this, you position yourself as an asset…and that’s huge!

It’s easy to have them done. 

Maybe you’re not quite ready for the cover of Forbes or Fortune. But you can still have your 15 minutes on the cover of a magazine by having a tear sheet done.

In case you don’t know what a tear sheet is – and chances are, you don’t! – I should probably explain. A tear sheet is a piece of marketing material that looks and reads like a real magazine article, and it’s written all about you and your business! The style is exactly the same as a magazine article, and it’s laid out like a real magazine piece, including an official-looking magazine cover with your photo and headlines about you, your business, and related fields. It talks about the highlights in your life, and your personal interests, so your customer can relate to you and like you. Did I mention that people buy from people they like?

It’s not written in a bragging way. Instead, it’s written just like a reporter did an article on you, but it says exactly what you want to get across to your readers with no interpretation from the reporter. And it’s laid out with lots of photos, pull-out lines and quotes, and even a chart, so it’s fun and interesting to read.

The result? You’re now positioned as an expert.

So if you’re an Avon lady, what makes you different from any other Avon salesperson? If you hand a prospect a tear sheet, suddenly they have a glossy, well-written magazine piece that will explain exactly who you are and why you do what you do. You can also have newspaper tear sheets, which look just like you were featured in a local or national newspaper.

Good small business marketing systems help small business owners put their marketing efforts on auto-pilot.

It’s easy to have them done. 

Follow-up alone will only get you so far if you don’t know the secret to successful follow-up. Which is… reminding the client or prospect of what you’re following up on in the first place! In other words, refer to the resume that you sent if you’re trying to get a job interview. If you’re trying to get a job and you sent some type of proposal, your follow-up should remind them, “I sent in a proposal on (this date). Just touching base with you to see if you got a chance to look over information because I understand how busy you are.”

Whatever you decide to do when it comes to marketing, just make sure you follow-up!!!

Good small business marketing systems help small business owners put their marketing efforts on auto-pilot.

Even when you aren’t physically operating your business, the systems you put in place can still be marketing that business. Take, for example, your voicemail or answering machine. After 20 years, is the best thing you can say still, “I’m not here, can’t answer the phone.”

Use your voicemail message as a marketing tool. You might say, “We can’t come to the phone. We’re busy helping another customer with…” and name a product or service you’re featuring that month. Or, “After you leave a message with your phone number, check us out on Facebook or check out our website at www dot whatever dot com.” Or something funny like, “My dad can’t come to the phone at the moment. He’s out working really hard to send me to college, so please leave your message, or better yet, just send a really big check.”

When you keep it light and fun, it sticks with people – and sometimes they tell their friends to call just to listen to it. Now that’s marketing! 

Good small business marketing systems help small business owners put their marketing efforts on auto-pilot.