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Family Business Forum

10 Strategies for Growing Revenues

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Kurtz Consulting IncSales & Marketing Solutions

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Strategy #1: Use Your Website

Pay Per Click (PPC) You pay when someone

clicks through to your website

You set pay levels based on key words

Search Engine Optimization Strategies for your web content to increase its potential

relevance to specific key words on the specific search engines Sometimes called “organic search optimization”

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A Search on “Chicago Commerical Landscaping”

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How to Execute Web Strategies

PPC: Do it yourself or use a consultant Open an account with Google AdWords,

Yahoo! Search Marketing, or Microsoft adCenter Choose your keywords and spending level Write a 3-line add and you’re in business and will

drive traffic to your site SEO: Use a consultant

Need deep understanding search engines Easiest to execute when you’re building the site

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Strategy #2: Segment Your Customers

When you have multiple customers, learn what makes them different

Segment your customer base using key differentiators

Some Possible differentiators The Customer’s industry or market

The Sales channel Size (or potential size) of the customer

Segmentation allows sales & marketing staff to create customer intimacy with efficiency

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Sample Segmentation

Large C

Med C

Small CSmall B

Med B

Large B

Small A

Med A

Large A

Industry TypeA

ccou

nt S

ize

Small $

Large $Industry A Industry B Industry C

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Focus Your Efforts on the Top Segments

Large C

Med C

Small CSmall B

Med B

Large B

Small A

Med A

Large A

Industry Type

Acc

ount

Siz

e

Small $

Large $

Industry AIndustry B Industry C Focus sales &

marketingStaff on these “platinum” customers

Consider scaling back your sales & marketingStaff on these “lead” customers

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Strategy #3: Customer Contact Strategy

Determine and then execute how often to touch each customer segment throughout the year

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Cost per Customer ContactPublication $.32

Internet $.98

Direct Mail $1.68

Business Letter $13.60

Telephone $31.16

Trade Show $162.00

Sales Call $277.00

Source: Penton Media, PRO Reports No. 303A, 1997

The Cost to Contact Customers

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Sample Contact Strategy

Number of Contacts to Customers/year

Customer Segment

Field Sales Visits

Inside Sales Calls

Direct Mailings

eMarketing

Platinum 9x/year 20x/year 12x/year 12x/year

Gold 6x/year 12x/year 4x/year 12x/year

Silver 4x/year 8x/year 4x/year 6x/year

Bronze 2x/year 6x/year 2x/year 6x/year

Lead 0x/year 4x/year 0x/year 4x/year

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Strategy #4: Email Marketing

One of the least expensive ways to stay in touch with clients, keeps your firm top of mind

Leading software service, Constant Contact, costs less than $30/month if you have less than 2500 customer email addresses

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Strategy #5: Telesales

Consider outsourcing your cold calling, especially if: Your customers cluster

within a industry You can buy a prospect list Your sales people tell you

they’re “too good” to cold call

Your sales people are very busy and would benefit from appointment setting

Professional firms offer this service for roughly $40-$50/hour

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Strategy #6: Product/Service Portfolio

Star Question

Cash Cow Dog

Your Market ShareHigh Low

Your

indu

stry

’s g

row

th ra

teH

igh

Low

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Manage the Product/Service Portfolio

Stars – invest heavily Cash Cows – invest enough

to maintain growth Question Marks –

investigate how much you need to spend to generate big returns

Dogs – limit investment or divest

Star Question

Cash Cow

Dog

Your Market ShareHigh Low

Your

indu

stry

’s g

row

th ra

teH

igh

Low

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Strategy #7: Write a White Paper

White Papers are authoritative reports that often address industry problems and how to solve them

Have a subtle commercial undertone and are useful to promote your business

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Distribute Your White Paper

At trade shows Do a webinar for customers Get it published in an industry

journal Do a press release Do speaking engagements Do a customer mailing Offer it to prospects

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Strategy #8: Do a Promotion

Tell your customers about it

Use it to break the ice with prospects

Consider adding extra value instead of just a discount

Can be useful to bring in year-end sales surge

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Strategy #9: Publicity & Public Relations

Press Releases about your newsworthy topics

Blogs, newsletters, trade journals and association web sites need content from you

Send PR to customers, industry contacts, business journals/newspapers and prospects

Post PR on your web site’s “Media Center”

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Strategy #10: Network

Getting out of the office creates exposure for the firm and builds relationships with prospects and referral partners

Consider this as a requirement for the leadership team, sales and marketing personnel

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Continuing Education, Staying Current in your function•Industry associations•Functional groups•Alumni groups

Giving Back to Others•Charitable and NPO organizations• Rotary & Kiwanis• Religious organizations• Community groups, • Chambers of commerce

Increase Sales,Get Leads for the business•Industry Events• Business Networking • Business Marketing • Associations

Benefits of Networking

Benefits & Types of Networking

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Questions?

Debra KurtzKurtz Consulting Inc

www.DebraKurtz.com(224) 715.1538

Consulting@DebraKurtz.com