So last time I reminded you – just in time for the Valentine’s -of just how important it is to remain passionate about your business. But what should you do if you’ve already gotten off-track? What should you look for to rehabilitate that relationship? Here are some simple tips to help you keep that passion in your franchise relationship.

• Make sure the buck stops with you – every member of your team needs to care about your business’ success just as much as you do.
• No excuses – we’re all enduring tough economic times, no one is exempt!
• Go the extra mile – don’t make good customer service an exception or a ‘treat’ for your customers. Make sure they’re receiving top of the line service every time.
• Cut the dead weight – if a policy or a person isn’t working, get rid of it!

And most importantly, stay connected to all parts of your business. Customers have no idea what’s going on in your boardroom – all they know about is their experience at the frontlines of your business.  So just like with any good relationship, communicate!

To improve your business communication and get your franchise to thrive this year, call Greg Kopchuk at: +1-888-478-0790 or email: gregkopchuck@actioncoach.com.

www.actioncoachcanada.ca

In a world that often values logic and rationality over emotion it’s easy to fall into the trap where we try and divorce ourselves from getting ‘attached’ to our business. But this can be a costly mistake. Because what really drives us to succeed in this world? PASSION!

You heard me. Whether you have a lot of money, no money, or a medium amount of money, what will separate you from your competitors is your passion for your work and what you do with that passion. It’s going to come across to your team members, your customers, and your wholesalers.

Sounds obvious, I know, but it’s so easy to forget day-to-day. So many businesses have forgotten this, and we see this everyday. GM forgot this; so did Chrysler; so did a number of companies that no longer exist.

But I am not about to single out large companies here. You do not need to be big to be indifferent. How many times have we walked into small restaurants, with zero customers, and been ignored anyway?

Are you open to hearing feedback from your customers? When was the last time you went to the floor and worked in your franchise? Did you know that 75% of companies now hide behind their websites; the other 25% hide behind call centers far away from wherever you are, and are radically understaffed.

Stay tune for tips on how to keep the passion in the relationship with your franchise and for help on keeping your business fresh and exciting, call Greg Kopchuk at: +1-888-478-0790 or email: gregkopchuck@actioncoach.com.

www.actioncoachcanada.ca

Last week we talked about just how important lead generation is to growing your business. But sometimes it can just seem like such a daunting task. And as a business owner you likely have enough things on your plate that you don’t want to have to worry about adopting practices that aren’t going to be efficient and will ultimately waste your valuable time. By adopting lead generation ‘best practices’ (tried-and-true methods) you can start off on the right foot. Here are just a few of the lead generation best practices to help you on your way to building a bigger and better business this year:

Show, don’t just tell: In today’s world of social media, it’s important to utilize all the tools that technology has to offer us. So when the opportunity arises make sure that you incorporate audio and visual elements to your call-outs.

One-click calls-to-action: Always make sure to directly link your call-to-action directly to the most appropriate website. And remember that every time you blog or post somewhere it’s an opportunity to post that information! Keep your visitors on your site even when they’re following external links. Just make sure that any links you post open in a new window.

Filtering: Don’t immediately hand out leads to your sales team without first going over them yourself. Make sure you have a system in place where you weed out those contacts that aren’t going to be fruitful. Don’t have your staff wasting valuable time and money pursuing leads that won’t generate sales.

Know when to quit: With calls-to-action the old adage “less is more” is usually true. You want to keep things relatively brief and to the point. And keep your message free of jargon that just muddles your message.

Targeting your audience: No matter what approach you’re utilizing for lead generation, clarity is key. You need to make sure that prospects are going to be absolutely clear about what products and services you offer, and why they might need them. Ambiguous calls to action will result in false prospects – people who actually have no use for your services and will just end up wasting time.

For more information on lead generation, and to get your business on the right track, call Greg Kopchuk at: +1-888-478-0790 or email: gregkopchuck@actioncoach.com.

www.actioncoachcanada.ca

It’s a new year, and with the New Year comes new opportunities. But those opportunities won’t just fall magically out of the sky – you have to make them happen!

As every business owner knows, your business doesn’t grow unless you’re constantly bringing in new clients. Lead generation is the most important way to start expanding your business’ potential for the coming year.

But lead generation isn’t about just getting as many email addresses you can. Lead generation is about gathering information about the people who are going to be truly interested in your product and can be converted from leads into actual clients. It’s about putting in place a tried-and-true system for lead generation.

Lead generation can take on many forms: social networking, publicity, marketing and advertising campaigns, or referrals. But whatever approaches you employ, you have to make sure they’re actually effective. So start off this year on the right foot and take time to evaluate your systems for lead generation. Perform a ‘Test and Measure’ where you examine your current marketing approaches and measure whether they’ve actually produced results. If they haven’t produced convertible leads, then it’s time to adopt new ones!

For more information on lead generation, make sure to contact Greg Kopchuk at: +1-888-478-0790 gregkopchuck@actioncoach.com www.actioncoachcanada.ca

Next time: lead generation best practices – learning from the best!