Luella Murray, Author at Arctic Suomi

Marketing As A Business Coach

As a business coach, it is your job to educate business owners and their employees. Most are new business owners who want to take a step in the right direction or struggling business owners who need help getting back on the right track. There are many areas of business management that you need to cover. With that said, focus on marketing. To make money, a business must sell either a product or a service. If your client has a good product, but no sales, it is because their marketing plan fell flat. Speaking of which did they even have a plan?

One of the mistakes that many new business owners make is believing as soon as they setup shop people will come. A storefront in a well-trafficked location will help. Even then, it is not enough. People will stop and notice their business, but will it get them insides the doors? Not always. That is why a strong marketing plan is key.

Business marketing should be divided into two different categories. These are local marketing and internet marketing. All business owners and managers should utilize both. For example, a client who runs an online store should do more than just market online. They should market locally too and visa versa. Implementing both types of marketing expands reach and profits. Start with one section at a time, such as local marketing. Later, move onto internet marketing.

When covering the marketing aspect of running a business to your client, create a step-by-step plan. This plan should have three different steps.

Step 1 – The Importance of Marketing

As previously stated, some new business owners mistakenly believe if they step a store, the customers will come. This is rare. A good example is to create a “dummy,” website ahead of time. On this website, sell something, such as your services as a business coach. Do not market or advertise your website. Let it sit there. Ask a team member to search for it. See if your volunteer can find your fake website with a standard internet search. With no marketing and incoming links, chances are they cannot.

This exercise shows that just because you have a product or service available for sale, it does not mean people will know or be able to find it. Outline how internet marketing can change that.

Step 2 – Give Examples

Your job as a business coach is to first show your clients the importance of business marketing. This is a step in the right direction, but it isn’t enough. You need to show them steps to take. Business marketing should be divided into two categories, local marketing and online marketing. Give at least 10 examples. Do more than just say try these marketing tactics, but have them available in printed format for reuse.

When sharing business marketing tactics with clients, business coaches must think both inside and outside of the box. What seems like common sense to you, may not be to a client. You know that businesses should advertise in the yellow pages of local phone books, but does your client have a listing? If not, they should.

Then, think outside of the box. Suggest to your clients creating a monthly newsletter. Readers can signup for these newsletters via the company website. In that newsletter, share tips, review new products or services available for sale, and include a money saving discount code. Consumers are more likely to buy a product or service when they feel like they are getting a good deal or something for free.

Step 3 – Review

Before closing your training session, summarize everything you just said. State the importance of having a solid marketing plan, as well as the consequences for not. Restate a few of your shared marketing tactics and encourage management to implement these steps right away and build from them. Whether you are training one person or one hundred, open the floor for questions.

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Motivation Coaching and Organization

If you run a business coaching service, your job is to education business owners and their employees on how to run a smooth, sound, and profitable business. For most, this requires improving marketing and increasing sales. Yes, you should focus on these topics, but look deeper. One reason why companies and their profits suffer is due to poor organization. If you haven’t already, make sure organization is included in your step-by-step guide.

If you have yet to cover organization in your step-by-step guide for business success or if you yourself have just started a business, you may be looking for more ideas. Many wonder if they should just talk about organization, use training exercises, and whom they should talk to.

When working with clients, you should deal one-on-one with the business owner or operating manager. Get started with them. Browse through their records. Are all tax documents in order? What about human resource documents? If a business owner or operating manager is unorganized, chances are that disorder continues down the line. Start fixing it at its source. Work one-on-one with the business owner or operating manager to improve their organizational skills.

When working one-on-one with a client to improve their organizational skills, it is important to stress the positives and the negatives. For example, there are many benefits to being organized. There are also many cons to being unorganized. This includes decreased productivity. Many new and struggling business owners do not always make the connection between organization, productivity, and profits.

When showing a business owner or operating manager how to improve their organization, meet in their office. Point out the mistakes made, such as the huge stack of papers on their desk. Then, make a visit together to an office supply store. Show your client some of the many tools they have available at their disposal. Do not pressure them to buy, especially if they are limited on funds, but give them ideas. For example, a desk sorter won’t eliminate that stack of papers, but it will make them more organized. When it comes time to for your client to tackle them, they can do so easier, quicker, and with less stress.

As previously stated, if a business owner or operating manager is unorganized, chances are it goes right down the line. For that reason, suggest viewing the offices of other onsite employees. Look at their organizational skills. Are they poor? If so, suggest hosting a small training session. For small businesses with only a few employees, meet right in one of those offices. For large business, with many employees, schedule your training session in a conference room. Before helping a worker cleanup and organize their office, take pictures. You will have before and after pictures to show.

As previously stated, there are many organization tools available to help small to medium sized businesses. Do not pressure your client to purchase these tools, but offer the encouragement. Better yet, look at the tools they have and are not utilizing. Encourage use. Breakout some filing cabinets and bookshelves from the storeroom and incorporate them into your presentation.

Remember, that organization is key to running a profitable and successful business. It improves productivity and should later increase sales. After all, a client who must wait 20 minutes before someone finds their file is a client who is likely to take their business elsewhere.