Service Marketers; How’s Your Packaging?

Written by Jay Lipe


When a shopper picks up a product in a store, what’srepparttar first thing they notice? The packaging, right? The same holds true for someone buying a service.

Yet instead of a folded carton with colorful graphics, you arerepparttar 104162 packaging for your service business. Intangible points of contact, including your clothes, your briefcase, maybe even your breath, all burn a lasting image in your buyer’s mind.

Here are some ofrepparttar 104163 more common packaging elements all service marketers should pay attention to:

Your clothes All your technical expertise won’t mean diddly if you wear a tie dye t-shirt and striped bell bottoms to your first client meeting. “Always dress better than you need to,” says Sue Morem, author of How to Gainrepparttar 104164 Professional Edge; Achieverepparttar 104165 Personal and Professional Image You Want. “Even when dealing with a casual company, remember you are not a part of that company; you’re an outsider.” If you’re not sure what to wear, find a personal shopping consultant.

Briefcase I’ve seen people use briefcases that looked like they carriedrepparttar 104166 first batch of Pony Express mail. Resistrepparttar 104167 temptation to use that briefcase Uncle Joe bought you at Wal-Mart and instead invest good money in one at a reputable luggage store. Briefcases are one ofrepparttar 104168 few personal effects almost every business person carries into a meeting and this simple item speaks volumes about your image.

Your notebook When you pull out some paper to take notes, do you pull out a sturdy, professional looking notebook or just a pad of paper? This item, which sits onrepparttar 104169 table throughoutrepparttar 104170 meeting, may go unnoticed by many of your buyers. But then again, it may not.

Etiquette Saying please and thank you. A firm handshake. Looking someone inrepparttar 104171 eye when talking to them. “Etiquette isrepparttar 104172 equivalent ofrepparttar 104173 ribbon and bow on a package,” says Morem. “Good etiquette lets others know you are in control and finishes off your image.” For a good primer on professional etiquette, consult her book.

Proposal covers Up until five years ago, I routinely faxed my proposals to prospects. Then, one of these prospects said to me “Jay, I have two proposals here. One is handsomely bound andrepparttar 104174 other is faxed. Which do you think I should go with?” Point taken. When final packaging your proposals, estimates or RFP’s, userepparttar 104175 highest quality binding system you can afford.

Envelopes Do you still hand-address your envelopes? A lot of business people I know do and I sure wouldn’t penalize them for it. But if your competitors are ink jetting their envelopes, your image will suffer ever so slightly.

The Top 10 Mistakes Made in Business Plans

Written by Jan B. King


Top 10 Mistakes Made in Business Plans

Lenders and investors may see hundreds of business plans in a single day. Make your business plan stand out against repparttar rest, and avoid these common mistakes.

1.Not proving that you haverepparttar 104161 management expertise to make it happen. The quality of your people will lend credibility to your ideas and even to your financial projections. If your management team is not as strong as it could be, join forces with a great board of advisors.

2.Not demonstrating where your revenue will come from - what customers pay you and why they pay you. Don’t be too aggressive in setting revenue projections or you will undermine your credibility.

3.Not proving that your business model and long term cost structure is good enough to make a real profit. How will your business make money - what is your margin structure, what are your costs?

4.Not being clear enough in your product description to allowrepparttar 104162 reader to quickly seerepparttar 104163 need andrepparttar 104164 niche for this product. It may seem obvious to you, but not so torepparttar 104165 reader not educated in your business.

5.Not proving thatrepparttar 104166 market opportunity is big enough to get interested in. How big is your market now and what will it look like in 5 years?

6.Not adequately acknowledging your competition. Investors know that if there is no perceived competition, there may be no market for what you are offering. The better you can describe your competition,repparttar 104167 better you understand your market, andrepparttar 104168 more likely you will dominate it.

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