This can be a business killer!

A couple years ago, I posed this question to a gaggle of small business owners:  “When it comes to marketing and promoting your business, what are the biggest problems and/or frustrations that you face?” I was pretty shocked at all the fear and loathing directed toward the necessary task of marketing.

Here are some of the surprising responses I got:

•    It’s too hard
•    It takes too much time
•    It takes a plan and I’m no good at making a plan or sticking to it
•    I don’t have any money to market my business
•    I don’t know where my customers are
•    Once I find prospects, I can’t get them to buy what I’m selling
•    I’m afraid to talk to people; I can’t get around client objections
•    I waste money on stupid stuff like yearbook ads and restaurant placemat ads
•    I’m horrible at selling in person
•    I hate cold calling

The truth is, in order to make your business successful,  you need to get the word out. There are many ways to do this – some costly, some not – but it is essential that you find a way that works for you. Do nothing and, not only do you not move forward, you can lose all you’ve gained.

I liken the effect to the Second Law of Thermodynamics:  “The total entropy of any isolated system tends to increase over time, eventually approaching a maximum value, or entropic state.”

Huh?

Well, I’m no rocket surgeon, but here are a couple examples …

Leave a cup of hot coffee in a cool room, and a flow of heat is produced from the cup to the room until the temperature of the coffee and the room is the same.

That’s entropy.

Leave your car parked in your driveway and do absolutely nothing to it for a few years. Eventually, the tires will rot and go flat, the body will begin to rust, the engine will dry out and probably seize up the first time you try to start it.

That’s entropy,too.

Let’s say you have a web site but … you haven’t updated it since 2009. If your prospects are looking for your newest products and services, they aren’t going to find them on your site. Any time you make major changes to your business, products and services, I suggest you add those changes to your web site. Keeping your blog updated is important as well.

If the last press release you sent out was when you opened your business in 2006, you need to get busy. Once you’ve updated your web site, send out a release telling prospects e,actly where to find it. Start up a blog; send out a release. Win an award; send out a release. Hire an employee; send out a release. Open the door; send out a release. Okay, maybe not. But –have an Open House, send out a release.

Maybe you find it difficult to talk to people about your business. If that’s the case, let your business card do some of the talking for you. I recently reviewed a great business card from Chris Davis, owner of Famous Davis Productions in Willmar, MN. His business card not only has his photo on the front but boldly states, “Websites, Video Design, Done Right.” Pretty much tells prospects what they need to know.

Of course, when you have a great card, be sure to give it out generously. Give two or three away to each contact and ask them to pass one on – just in case.

No matter what your roadblock is to better marketing your business, you only need the desire to invest the time and the resources to work around it.

That’s how to defeat entropy.

At my seminars, I’m always amazed when I ask people to raise their hands if they have their yearly goals set and written down. Less than 30 percent of the audience responds. I’m tempted to shout (and I often do) – “People -what are you thinking? The best and easiest way to significantly increase your business profits is to have a goal -and then a plan to help you achieve it!”

To forestall that happening when I see you next, I’ve put together this little video that can definitely help your business in the coming year. “Begin with the end in mind; how to quickly set your business goals” is a simple and concise four-step plan you can follow to set, implement and fine-tune your goals for optimal success!

“Why business goals, anyway? Isn’t this all about marketing?”

Well, yeah. We’re all about marketing here. But before you start your marketing for the next year, it’s best to have some clearly defined goals and objectives set for your small business. Otherwise, how are you going to measure your success?

When you get in your car, you generally have a destination in mind. When you go on vacation, it’s usually budgeted and planned long before you go. The same with running your business; it takes just as much -or even more -preparation.

When you’re finished watching the video, get started on your own goals for 2011. We’ve got a handy form available to help you do just that. Pick up a free copy right here.

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Color is your friend. Think about the color scheme of your website, and do a little experimenting! Change up the background color, text color, and other colors on the site. Then, do a little testing to see how people are responding. Color has a BIG impact on peoples’ perceptions and how they view things, so keep that in mind when developing your graphic materials -including your website AND your logo!