Susan emailed and asked for a list of the something you can do now, to improve your business. Here they are:
1. Join Twitter and use it like your life depends on it.
2. Learn Facebook and setup a business fan page for your business.
3. Ask all your customers - past and present to follow you on Twitter and friend you up on Facebook.
4. Join LinkedIn
5. Make a video of your business and use Tube Mogul to put it everywhere.
6. Redo your website. Work very hard to make it look completely unlike your competition.
7. Google the words your prospects could be typing in to find you right now. Do you show up on Page 1? Hire somebody to make your website more search engine friendly.
8. Setup a free account with Google Local Business Center for your business. Upload pictures, links to your video and your business information in it.
9. Do the same with the local centers at Yahoo and MSN.
10. Take lunch to your local Chamber of Commerce. Schmooze. Be nice. You want them to invite you and come and give a talk to their members.
11. Join Toastmasters.
12. Learn how to use a Flip camera.
13. Look around in your drawers. You have lots of business cards. Take 10 cards out everyday and call them up and ask them if there is anything you can do for them because you realize that times are tough and may be, just may be you can do something for them?
14. Call your small local newspaper and ask the business reporter if they might be interested in doing a business profile on you.
15. Read religiously five really good blogs every day. Alltop has them all. Skip the newspapers. You will not miss out on anything.
16. To people coming to your website or calling your office - making an offer to give them an incredible piece of information in exchange of their email or address. That is called lead generation.
17. If you already have #16 in place then take a cold hard look at it. When was the last time you tweaked with it? What can you do to make your prospects jump up in joy when they get it?
18. Who else is selling to the people you want to become your customers who is not in direct competition to you? Make a list. Call them up and see if they are interested in doing a joint venture with you.
19. Ask five potential customers to tell you bluntly what they think about your website? Your business voice mail? Your business card?
20. Change your business voice mail.
21. Start every day, instead of checking news sites and getting depressed, by calling somebody you know and cheering them up. It works like this: inspire others without any hope of returns and your day just become better by itself.
22. Read four good business books starting with these authors: Seth Godin, Dan Kennedy, Zig Ziglar, David Allen.
23. Find three things from each of these books that you can start using right away in your business.
24. Work with independent contractors a lot? Take some of them to lunch. Ask them if there is anything you can do to help them. Tell them the customers you are looking for.
25. Join a local entrepreneur group and this is important: PARTICIPATE. Be the five percent who don't just selfishly look for inspiration without giving anything back.
26. Look for somebody who is doing really well, is like you, and is in a different State. Call them up and tell them what you have been up to and see what they have to say about the things you have been doing. Don't ask them what they are doing. Just tell them what you have been up to and note what they have to say about it.
