“Those Five Words Made It Clear That I Was Not Doing Enough.”

For Independent Business Owners, this is an interesting time of year. We feel both a push to start evaluating and planning for the upcoming year, as well as an urgency to focus and finish the year strong with the few months that are left.

For me, I can’t avoid the never-ending push for excellence and profitability. Even when I stop to smell the roses (which should be the time I focus on the GOOD), I still have that nagging and overwhelming feeling… the continuous, non-stop effort on all fronts that comes with owning/running a business. And this feeling is strong – especially when I try to do all the things myself. (Side note, as I’m writing this article, I just got a text that the walk-in compressor died. The struggle is REAL.)

As an Independent Business Owner, I’ve come to realize that of ALL the things I do for my business, there is just ONE that is the most important: Finding customers to buy my products and services. If I don’t have customers to buy what I’m selling, nothing else matters.

This really hit home a while back when a long-time guest said to me, “I didn’t know you catered!”

At that point we’d been catering for YEARS! We had done thousands of deliveries and events (including some really high-profile ones). We had a large, lively painted catering truck that was often parked on display in our parking lot. We created several (well produced and well viewed) videos on YouTube. And I truly thought I was doing enough marketing for my catering business. Those five words made it clear that I was not doing enough.

A little secret about me: As an Owner, I often find myself less motivated and focused than I need to be. My “good enough” often leads to complacency, lack of direction and general laziness. THESE are not elements of the successful and long-term business that I want to have.

Years ago, I made a decision to join Royalty Rewards^® Platinum Elite. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an implementation program made up of some of the most successful Royalty Rewards^® Merchants. As a member, one of the things I value most is that I have direct access to the other experienced, like-minded and highly motivated Business Owners that are part of the group and ready to share their successes.

We meet at 3 face-to-face meetings each year. The meetings serve as time to step away from my business and meet with other motivated and experienced business owners. I continually come away energized, focused and with new insights into current business trends.

I am very productive during the couple of weeks (and especially the couple of days) before each meeting. My focus is intense, my complacency and laziness disappear. In fact, all the projects I am procrastinating and the decisions and emails I have been putting off get completed and my focus is crystal clear. It feels so good to have a reset like this. In between the face-to-face meetings, we have regular virtual meetings each month that keep me on task.

I’ve been a member of this group for years and that is the entire reason I have been able to be so successful and to keep going for 28 years. This group has shown me ways to stay focused, motivated and ensure I never hear the phrase “I didn’t know that you…” again.

“As an Independent Business Owner, I’ve come to realize that of ALL the things I do for my business, there is just ONE that is the most important: Finding customers to buy my products and services.”

Because of this group, I have a customer database that I’ve been nourishing for years. But what I’ve learned is that the database is strongest when I keep feeding it. And that takes consistent effort (which is well worth it and where I focus the majority of my energy). It’s my first line of defense against customers not knowing about me and the things I sell.

As a Royalty Rewards® Merchant, you likely understand the value of your customer database. For me, I learned this lesson quickly, but it took some time for me to realize the importance of CONTINUING to grow my database. Nowadays there are several strategies I have to keep my database strong with a consistent stream of new members.

– My efforts in the community.

– Inviting new movers in the community to try me.

– Cross promotions with other local businesses to gain access to their customers.

– Community support initiatives (donations to local organizations and charities).

– Work with the local city government and chamber of commerce.

– Social media posts and online reviews.

– And just plain “luck” – like someone driving-thru the neighborhood during a mealtime.

As a Business Owner, I can never really know which marketing message is going to be the one a customer is ready to hear. I can’t know the exact moment a customer will make the buying decision. And as the “Rule of 7” tells us, a prospect needs to “hear my message” at least 7 times before they take action to buy my products or service. So, I take advantage of every opportunity and, rather than rely on chance, I subscribe to being constant in my messaging: Consistent and continuous messaging about my product, my current offerings and my services.

So, when a new customer decides to visit my business, it could be the result of one or a number of things such as:

– The banner I put out front a couple weeks a year.

– The text message they get at the exact moment they are hungry.

– The Facebook post that happens to pop in their feed when they are planning dinner.

– My logo’d catering truck just drove by and it caught their attention.

– Or maybe they open a drawer and find a mailer I mailed last month.

Every customer is different. Some come without any effort on your part at all while others forget about you the moment they’ve left and need multiple messages to come back. Some need very specific messaging, others prefer exclusivity.

What I do know is that even when I stop to smell the roses, my customers are getting messages from me and my business. The only way I have been able to do that is from the support, training and knowledge I gained from my Royalty Rewards^® hosted database and their highly experienced and motivational support group – Platinum Elite. If you’re ready to take the next step in growing your business and improving your life, join us at the next Platinum Elite meeting. Call your Coach for more information. I’d love to meet you.