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5 Common Sales Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Sales are the lifeblood of a business. They are what determines if a business is doing well and what we use to track and measure our business strategy and marketing efforts. In simpler words, sales are the end results of every effort you put into your business. 

That’s why it’s crucial for every business owner or salesperson to be aware of the common sales mistakes that could jeopardise their entire sales and marketing team efforts and eventually cost them potential customers and money.

In this blog post, we will discuss five common sales mistakes that could be costing you money, and how to avoid them. When you’re aware of these mistakes, you’ll be able to take the necessary steps to avoid them and save yourself a lot of money that you would’ve lost otherwise.

5 Common Sales Mistakes That Can Cost You Money

Lacking proper preparation:

One of the most deadliest sales mistakes any salesperson or business owner can make is to fail to adequately prepare before meeting a potential customer. But, unfortunately, this is often the case with many business owners. 

If you go into a sales meeting without doing the necessary research and sales preparation, you risk losing the customer’s interest. Before any sales meeting, research the customer’s business, identify their pain points, and prepare a list of questions to ask them.

Most people like specific answers. That is, you need to ensure that you have those specific answers to those specific questions potential customers will ask you. Ensure you also have evidence of how your company will help solve or ease their questions or concerns. 

Case studies are great evidence you can show to potential customers to convince them to make that sale with your business. Use case studies that directly or similarly relate to their pain points or problems.

Failing to Understand the Customer’s Needs:

Another common sales mistake you can make is failing to understand your customer’s needs. Conduct surveys, track your website’s traffic to see what people are checking,and  keep up with the trend and changes in your customer’s behaviour. Doing all these will allow you to know what your customer needs at the right time. 

If you don’t understand exactly what your customer wants from your business, you won’t be able to provide a solution that meets their needs. 

Take the time to listen to your customer and ask questions to clarify their needs.

Overlooking Building Relationship with Your Customers: 

Establishing and nurturing relationships with your customers is absolutely vital if you want your business to succeed in the long run. It’s not just about closing sales; it’s about building genuine connections that go beyond a simple transaction. 

If you fail to invest the time and effort into cultivating a meaningful relationship with your customers, you’ll run the risk of losing them after their first purchase with you.

When people feel a connection with your business, they’re more likely to keep coming back to buy from you, becoming loyal customers who will support your business’s growth and success.

Neglecting to Address Your Customer’s Feedback: 

One of the most common sales mistakes business owners make is neglecting to address customer’s feedback. Each complaint or negative feedback should be taken seriously and treated as an opportunity for improvement.

It’s essential to show your customers that their opinions are valued and that you are committed to resolving any issues they may have.

By doing so, you not only demonstrate your dedication to customer satisfaction but also foster a sense of trust and loyalty, leading to long-term success for your business.

Failing to Follow Up After a Meeting: 

Another common sales mistake that many business owners make is failing to follow up after a meeting. Following up with customers is a crucial step in maintaining strong relationships and ensuring successful final sales.

But when you fail to follow up with your customers after a sales meeting, you’re at risk of losing potential customers to your competitors. 

It’s important to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction by promptly reaching out after every sales meeting and keeping them informed about any progress or updates.

By actively following up with customers, you not only show that you value their business but also provide an opportunity to address any concerns or questions they may have. 

Bottom Line:

It’s important for you as a business owner or salesperson to recognize these common sales mistakes so that you can avoid making them and hurting your business in the process.

By conducting enough research, understanding the customer’s needs, building relationships, addressing feedback, and following up, you’ll increase your chances of successfully closing each sale.

If you need extra guidance on the best sales practices for your business, then feel free to book a one-on-one consultation with us.

Business Strategy & Planning, Uncategorised

The Digital Economy: 5 Ways to Do Business in a Digital-First World

The world has fully embraced the digital-first economy and welcomed it with open arms. Many businesses that have successfully transitioned into the digital economy are now thriving, while those that have yet to do so are not too far behind.

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic helped accelerate the already-growing digital economy trend in 2020. The digital economy has become an increasingly important part of our lives and the global economy as a whole. We can work from home or from anywhere in the world with convenience, get our basic needs delivered with a click, get quick results for whatever questions we have, and much more.

The rise of digital technologies and platforms has also created new opportunities and challenges for businesses, and those that fail to embrace this new landscape risk falling behind.

In this blog post, we will explore five ways businesses can succeed in the digital economy. These include embracing digital transformation, focusing on customer experience, leveraging social media, building partnerships, and prioritizing cybersecurity. By following these strategies, businesses can thrive in the digital economy and improve their chances of success.

Download our ebook to learn about EZAdvisory’s 10 Ultimate Steps To Driving Business Growth In The New Normal

5 Ways to Do Business in a Digital-First World

1. Embrace digital transformation:

One of the ways your business can thrive in the digital economy is to embrace digital transformation. This means integrating digital technologies into all areas of your business, resulting in fundamental changes to how you operate and deliver value to customers. Here’s how you can do it:

Incorporate new technologies into your business models and processes. For example, you can implement e-commerce platforms to sell products online or use big data analytics to make informed business decisions depending on the size of your company.

Rethink traditional business models and processes to better align with the digital economy. This may involve adopting more agile ways of working to keep up with the fast-paced nature of the digital economy.

By embracing digital transformation, you can stay competitive in the digital economy and improve your chances of success.

2. Focus on the customer experience:

Like the traditional ways of doing business, the consumers come first, and in the digital economy, nothing has changed in that aspect, if anything it has only increased. Now there is an additional effort businesses are making in order to deliver a well-personalized experience for their customers.

In fact, according to the Harvard Business Review, customers expect a personalized and customized experience. So, businesses that can deliver on these expectations can build loyal customer bases and drive sales.

There are various ways your business can deliver a more personalized experience. Here’s how you can do it:

Collect and analyze customer data to offer personalized product recommendations and promotions that are relevant to each customer’s individual needs and preferences. This can help build stronger relationships with your customers and increase the likelihood of repeat purchases.

Offer fast and reliable delivery options to differentiate yourself from your competitors and build trust with your customers. Customers have come to expect quick and efficient delivery of their purchases, so this is a critical aspect of the customer experience.

Create an easy-to-use online interface that makes it easy for customers to navigate your website or mobile app, find the products they are looking for, and complete the checkout process with minimal friction. Investing in user-friendly interfaces can improve the customer experience and increase the likelihood of repeat purchases.

When you focus on delivering a great customer experience, you can differentiate your business from your competitors and build strong relationships with your customers. By investing in personalization and customization, offering fast and reliable delivery options, and creating user-friendly online interfaces, you can improve your business’s customer experience and drive sales in the digital economy.

3. Leverage social media:

Social media has revolutionized the way businesses interact with their customers. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter offer powerful tools for businesses to reach and engage with customers, build brand awareness, and drive sales.

To leverage social media effectively, you should first develop a strong social media presence. This means creating profiles on relevant platforms and using them to share engaging content that resonates with your target audience. Content can include photos, videos, blog posts, and more. You should focus on creating content that is not only informative but also entertaining and visually appealing.

Once you have created a strong social media presence, it’s important to interact with customers. This can involve responding to comments and messages, thanking customers for their support, and sharing user-generated content. By engaging with your customers on social media, you can build stronger relationships with your audience and increase customer loyalty.

When you develop a strong social media presence, interact with customers, and consistently track the right metrics, you can build brand awareness, drive sales, and create viral marketing campaigns in the digital economy.

4. Build partnerships:

To benefit from strategic partnerships and collaborations in the digital economy, you should consider partnering with complementary businesses. Collaborating with other companies on marketing campaigns can also be a great way to expand your reach and increase brand awareness.

When seeking partnerships, it’s important to identify businesses or individuals whose values and goals align with your own. This can help ensure that the partnership is mutually beneficial and can lead to long-term success. Consider businesses that offer complementary products or services.

Download our ebook to learn about EZAdvisory’s 10 Ultimate Steps To Driving Business Growth In The New Normal

Once you’ve identified potential partners, it’s important to establish clear goals and expectations for the partnership. This can include defining roles and responsibilities, setting timelines and deadlines, and outlining the desired outcomes. Effective communication is key to the success of any partnership or collaboration, so be sure to maintain open lines of communication throughout the process.

Building partnerships and collaborations in the digital economy can help businesses reach new audiences, expand their offerings, and increase brand awareness. By identifying complementary businesses, building relationships with influencers, and collaborating on marketing campaigns, businesses can stay competitive and thrive in the digital landscape.

5. Prioritize cybersecurity:

To prioritize cybersecurity for your business, you should start by assessing the current security measures you have in place. This includes identifying potential vulnerabilities and evaluating your security infrastructure. Once you have a clear understanding of your current security posture, you can take steps to strengthen it.

One important step is to implement strong password policies and ensure that all employees are trained in proper password management. This can include using complex passwords, multi-factor authentication, and regularly changing passwords. You should also ensure that all software and systems are updated regularly with the latest security patches.

Another important aspect of cybersecurity is protecting sensitive data. You should identify all sensitive data within your business and ensure that it is stored securely, such as through encryption or password protection. It’s also important to limit access to sensitive data to only those who need it for their job responsibilities.

Training employees on cybersecurity best practices is also crucial. This includes educating them on how to identify and report potential threats, such as phishing emails or suspicious activity on the network. Regular training and refresher courses can help ensure that employees remain vigilant and aware of potential threats.

In the event of a security breach, it’s important to have a response plan in place. This should include steps to contain the breach, assess the damage, and notify affected parties. Regularly testing and updating your response plan can help ensure that you are prepared to respond quickly and effectively in the event of a cybersecurity incident.

In Conclusion

The digital economy presents both challenges and opportunities for businesses. To succeed in the digital economy, businesses need to adapt to new technologies and changing consumer behaviors.

By embracing digital transformation, focusing on customer experience, leveraging social media, building partnerships, and prioritizing cybersecurity, businesses can thrive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

These strategies are essential for businesses that want to stay competitive and grow in the digital economy.

Do you want to expand your knowledge and gain more insights on how to do business in the digital economy?

Download our ebook to learn about EZAdvisory’s 10 Ultimate Steps To Driving Business Growth In The New Normal

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Business Strategy & Planning, Uncategorised

HERE ARE SOME REASONS WHY YOUR BUSINESS SHOULD BE STRATEGIC AND FLEXIBLE.

Businesses today are facing increasingly complex and rapidly changing environments. This is no longer news, and as a result, it is more important than ever for businesses to be strategic and flexible. 

Why does my business need to be strategic?

There are several reasons but here are a few: 

1.    Remain competitive: 

If your business is proactive, it’s better equipped to stay ahead of the curve, anticipate and respond to market changes, and stay ahead of its competitors.

2.    Foster innovation: 

It encourages your business to continuously evaluate and adjust its processes, products, and services. This, in turn, fosters a culture of innovation and creativity, leading to the development of new and better products and services.

3.    Respond to market demands: 

By being flexible, your business can respond quickly and effectively to changing market demands and customer needs, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty which I believe is one of your goals.

4.    Enhance decision-making: 

Having a clear strategy in place provides a framework for decision-making, helping you to prioritize initiatives and allocate resources more effectively. This can lead to increased efficiency, improved financial performance, and better overall results.

5.    Build resilience: 

Your business will be better positioned to withstand and recover from unexpected disruptions and challenges. This is because you already have a scenario plan in place for dealing with such events, and you can quickly pivot to a new course of action if necessary.

Your business should be strategic and flexible to stay relevant and compete in today’s rapidly changing marketplace. You will respond favorably to innovation and market demands. 

With the right strategy put in place, be ready to achieve your long-term success and sustainability.

At EZAdvisory, we build unique strategic plans for businesses like yours to scale in the digital economy.

We assist businesses to navigate through the process of creating a result-driven strategy that suits each business focus.

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How to position your product/business in the market?

You can’t just put your business or product out there and expect people to know what it is and what it does. You have to actively position it in the market, so that potential customers understand what it is and why they need it.

Positioning is the key to success. It is what tells people what your business or product is, and why they should care. Positioning is about creating a unique identity for your business or product in the minds of your target market. It’s about differentiating yourself from your competitors and communicating what makes you unique.

There are many ways to position a business or product, but some common strategies include; focusing on a specific niche, positioning yourself as an expert in your industry. No matter what strategy you choose, make sure it is something that sets you apart from your competition and that you can communicate effectively to your target market.

Why it is important to have a clear position.

Businesses that don’t take the time to figure out their positioning statement often fail because they try to be everything to everyone, which doesn’t work. A clear business or product position is important because it tells prospective customers:

  • What you do
  •  Who you do it for
  •  What separates you from the competition

Do you want your business to be well positioned for market fit? Book a free call with us today 

How to discover your business or product’s position?

In order to discover an impactful and sustainable position for your business or product, you’ll need to answer these four questions:

  • What needs does my target market have that my competitors are not fulfilling?
  •   What unique benefits can I offer that will appeal to my target market?
  •   What perceptions do I want my target market to have of my business or product?
  •    How can I communicate these benefits and perceptions most effectively?

Your business positioning statement should be clear, concise, and easy for your target market to understand. It should communicate what makes your business unique and why someone should choose you over the competition.

There are a few key steps you can take to develop and communicate your position:

  • Define your target market and understand their needs.
  • Research your competition and understand their positioning.
  • Develop a unique value proposition that sets you apart from your competition.
  • Craft a positioning statement that clearly articulates your value proposition.
  • Incorporate your positioning into all aspects of your marketing communications, from your website to your sales collateral to advertising and public relations. The benefits of having a strong position

There are many benefits of having a strong business or product position. A well-defined position helps you:

  •  Attract the right customers
  •  Reject the wrong customers
  • Save on marketing and advertising costs
  • Increase margins
  • Build a premium brand

 Not being clear about your position is one of the biggest risks a business or product can take. A clear position gives your business or product direction and focus, helping you make decisions about every aspect of your marketing, from your messaging to your visuals to your distribution strategy.

 There are several risks associated with not having a clear position:

  • You won’t be able to connect with your target audience.
  • You won’t be able to build a strong brand.
  • Your marketing will lack direction and focus.
  • You could end up copycatting your competitors instead of differentiating yourself from them.
  •  You could miss out on opportunities to reach new markets. The importance of regularly revisiting and adjusting your position

What level of growth are you or still wondering how to start your business, book a free call with us today. 

Businesses and products are in a constant state of change, and so too should their positioning. However, it’s important to set aside time at least once per quarter to ensure that your position still accurately reflects your business’ core values, target audience, and differentiating factors.

 There are several reasons why it’s essential to revisit and update your position on regular basis: 

  • The marketplace is always changing. New businesses are entering the scene, existing businesses are evolving, and customer needs and wants are in a constant state of flux. By regularly revisiting and readjusting your position, you can ensure that you’re always ahead of the curve and one step ahead of your competition.
  • Your business is always changing. As your business grows and changes, so too must your positioning. What worked for you when you were first starting out may no longer be relevant or accurate as you enter into new markets or expand your product offering.
  • Your target audience is always changing. As demographics shift and new generations come   of age, it’s essential to revisit your target audience periodically to ensure that your position is still resonating with them.

Making a habit of regularly revisiting and readjusting your position will help ensure that your business is always positioned for success.

Visit us at: http://advisory.equilibriumzone.org

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Creating Growth Strategy For Your Business

A growth strategy is a plan of action outlining how you want to expand your business.

You must clearly identify the goals you have for your business if you want to experience sustained business growth. This entails establishing business goals, which should be Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. (SMART). You can develop goals that are both reachable and practical by adhering to this framework. 

Do you have a well crafted business plan with clear business goals? Get one today – Book a free call

A growth strategy will help to assist you in achieving your business goals once you have identified them. There are many different ways to grow a business, so it’s important to choose the right strategy that would help drive growth results for your business

.“The best way to grow your business is to focus on creating a great product or service that meets a need in the market.”

Are you finding it hard to draft out a growth strategy for your business? Book a free call with us today

To make the best decision, here are a few things to keep in mind as you create your growth strategy for your business:

 ·       Set realistic goals

Setting realistic goals for your business will help you avoid being demotivated as you go on in business. These goals should set as realistic as possible, so as to be able to measure the growth impact per time.

·       Establish a timetable. 

It’s time to develop a time frame for attaining your goals after you’ve established them. This will ensure that you stay on course and are making the required preparations to achieve your set objectives.

·       Identify your available resources.

You must decide which resources such as funding, manpower etc. you will need in order to meet these growth objectives. This will assist you in correctly allocating you resources and ensuring that you are not over extended.

·       Establish a marketing strategy. 

A thorough marketing plan is a crucial element of any growth strategy. Identification of your target audience, the development of messaging that appeals to them, and the selection of the most effective means of reaching them should all be part of this (e.g. paid advertisement, social media, public relations, etc.)

·       Measure your progress. 

It’s crucial to assess your progress along the way so you can alter your strategy when necessary. Keep tabs on important metrics like revenue growth, customer acquisition costs etc. and make sure to analyze them frequently.

You are at the right place, here at EZAdvisory will help businesses solve complex business problems, build strategies  that work for your business in achieving growth now and even in the future.

It is important you measure your result to be sure your growth strategy is working. There are a number of ways to measure your results. The most important thing is to choose the right metrics for your business.

Some common metrics include:

·       Revenue

·       Profitability

·       Customer satisfaction

·       Employee satisfaction

·       Retention rate

·       Engagement rate

At EZAdvisory, all these factors are important in creating strategies for business growth.

Visit us at: http://advisory.equilibriumzone.org

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Role of business operations in growing companies

A corporation engages in a wide range of business operations on a regular basis to keep it running smoothly and making money. As a result, businesses work to enhance their operations in order to achieve their goals by bringing in enough money to cover their costs and turn a profit for their owners.Business operations management is responsible for understanding the systems, equipment, people, and procedures required to run the business. 

All Things considered, the plans and methods that management and investors use to comprehend every aspect of a corporation’s operations are the foundation of successful business operations. It includes the function of personnel, required processes, and various equipment types used to enhance business strategy and increase the value of the organization. It makes it possible for managers and stakeholders to monitor project management and allot all the resources necessary to keep the business running successfully. Business operations analysis is useful for identifying inefficiencies that can prohibit achieving important goals.

What is Business Operations?

Business operations are the daily activities that businesses carry out in order to boost their enterprise value and turn a profit. 

The job of business operations management is to comprehend the systems, tools, personnel, and processes needed to run the company.

Operational components of businessee

The type of business, industry, size, and other factors all affect how a firm operates. For instance, the functions of a physical store will be different from those of an online business. While the latter will need e-commerce software that offers electronic shopping cart services, the former will need point-of-sale terminals to process purchases.

However, the majority of businesses consider the following elements when operating:

1. Method

The backbone of company operations are processes. These are the steps that must be taken for a business to survive. Any business must follow the proper procedures. It’s what maintains your output high, which raises your earnings.

It is crucial to consider how the procedure affects productivity and efficiency. A company may lose time and money due to manual operations that may be automated or that duplicate the work of other departments. Business operations procedures should be documented department by department so that operations managers can review them to identify potential areas for consolidation, cost-cutting, or enhancement. Documentation also helps with new hire training.

How many workers are required depends on the processes. How many of the duties listed in the work processes will be needed, and who will be in charge of them? A small business might only need a few generalists, but a large firm will need a lot more specialists.

2. Technology 

A team of personnel is not enough for a business; it also needs tools and equipment. These are the necessary responses to keep operations running as efficiently as possible. That could indicate a manufacturing organization has a lot of equipment and facilities. A call center may benefit from using workforce management software to more effectively roster and arrange its staff.

To this end, Managers of business operations must maximize effectiveness across the board. They must identify the greatest pieces of machinery with low breakdown rates, ethical recruiting procedures, and decreasing turnover rates.

3. Human resources

An organization’s operations include human resources to handle all required processes. Companies must make sure they have the correct employees to handle their important jobs. This might include employing people full-time. It might also require working with independent contractors and digital nomads.

4. Location

Location is more important to some business kinds than to others, and the reasons for this vary. A consultant working alone could only need a desk at home

Location frequently affects the equipment or technology needed for ideal business operations. 

Certain types of companies place a higher value on location than others, and the reasons for this differ. An entrepreneur consultant may merely want a workstation at home and will need less space and equipment than an automobile agency with a staff and numerous grooming bays. 

5. Supply Chain

For improving business operations, paying heed to supplies or raw materials is highly crucial. Therefore supply management is one of the key functions of business operational management.

Considering supply or raw materials is essential for enhancing business operations. As a result, one of the fundamental tasks of operational management in a company is supply management.

Business owners and managers need to identify the most dependable suppliers who offer high-quality products at competitive costs.

6. Quality Control

Another crucial component of efficient corporate operations management is quality control management. It guarantees the final good or service will be of the highest caliber. A manager of business operations should evaluate the finished product or service and routinely solicit feedback from customers.

The finished product must meet the standards in order for the production or operational process to be effective. One of the common techniques for quality control involves using customer feedback and learning from product flaws.

How to Improve the Efficiency of Your Business

The following are some suggestions for businesses to employ to enhance business processes:

1. Examine outcomes

The first step in improving any business operation is recognizing your current situation. Once you are aware of your situation, you can choose a route. There are a number of things to watch out for in this area.

Business milestones for a company should be assessed in a practical and useful way. Setting goals is the first step in the performance evaluation process. The company’s management should set realistic objectives with time constraints.

2. Keep Abreast with significant trends

A business should follow industry developments to get insights into how to outperform the competition.You can enhance corporate processes by looking outside. Keep an eye on your specialty as well as your performance. What are your competitors up to these days? What are the industry’s significant trends? What you’re seeking are strategies that will help you increase your efficiency and production.

In order to increase efficiency, keeping up with industry advances is another way to improve business operations

Examples of trends include the latest invention, shifting state and federal laws, and adjustments to the regional economy. The organization can find innovative solutions that improve performance with the help of current operational trends and advances.

3. Automation or simplification

If you have a better grasp of your present performance, making positive improvements is much simpler. The processes that require improvement will be obvious. After that, you can focus on streamlining those aspects of your company. This can include hiring new, different-skilled workers or automating certain processes

4. Improve the effectiveness of processes

In order to increase efficiency, keeping up with industry advances is another way to improve business operations. Management should keep an eye out for new hardware, software, and technology that could assist improve and streamline crucial processes.

These processes are the lifeblood of every business. And knowing that, we at EZAdvisory aid our clients leverage efficient business operations to drive growth.Visit us at http://advisory.equilibriumzone.org/ for more information

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Four Factors that influence Business Growth

Any company’s growth is a crucial component of its success. It is what propels companies forward and provides them a cause to continue operating.

A corporation needs growth in order to thrive as well as survive. There are several ways to assess a company’s growth, including turning around sales and growing the number of consumers every day, among other metrics.

But one thing is certain: a company’s growth is influenced by a number of factors, and each of these aspects must be taken into account.

The following four factors can help you grow your business:

  1. Competition

Under the strain of competition, successful businesses flourish. They perceive competition as an opportunity rather than an impediment.

Businesses benefit from competition because it spurs them on to innovate and pursue greater standards. You perform better in business when there is opposition attempting to unseat you. You make greater use of your resources, keep a close eye on potential losses, and strive to seize the market more quickly. All of this implies that you are operating at your best capacity and that your work is effective, improving your bottom line.

As a business, you would want your customers to always seek you out rather than your competitors. 

You must be effective if you wish to outperform your rivals, you are compelled to evaluate your strengths and flaws by rivals. You would also recognize your weaknesses and devise solutions to  overcome them.

Another advantage of competition is that it encourages consumers to purchase a product. They become more optimistic as a result of the pleasant treatment and excellent service they receive. Additionally, your business will treat its consumers well since, if not, they will go to a rival.

  1. Marketing

A key approach for ensuring your company’s growth is marketing.

The success or failure of your business depends on how you sell it. A tool for creating and maintaining demand, relevance, reputation, competition, and more is marketing.

 Typically, marketing promotions aim to increase brand awareness, product and service sales, and content engagement. The benefit of marketing for your company is that it facilitates customer engagement and aids in convincing them to make purchases from you by informing them about new products.

Additionally, your business plan’s marketing strategy contributes to the creation and maintenance of demand, relevance, reputation, competition, etc.

In other words, Marketing is crucial since it enables you to present your goods and services to potential customers. 

  1. Technology

System, product, and service efficiency is increased because of technology. It assists in managing contacts and employee records, maintaining data flow, and tracking and streamlining operations. In reality, by running operations more efficiently, the company is able to save costs and expand quickly.

A company may now comprehend its operations perfectly and its future cash and investment demands thanks to technology. It greatly contributes to the saving of resources like time, which can then be used to expand its productivity and operational scope.

Technology helps your company save money by saving time, such as the hours needed to manually produce reports. Furthermore, relevant and current information makes it easier for you to spot issues and possibilities right away and take proactive action.

It also enhances decision making.

Decision making in any business is a critical process. You need technology to streamline the decision making process. There is a need to keep track of customer and market data. Technology in the form of business relevant software facilitates error free reporting. You have a guarantee of accuracy with metrics drawn from the finance, marketing and customer engagement departments.

Most of the time, technological advancements speed up workflow and offer crucial systems for information organization.

  1. Innovation

A quote by Jamie Notter – “innovation is a change that unlocks new value”

In today’s fiercely competitive environment, innovation is essential to achieving your company’s success, especially as customers become more demanding and savvy.

Innovation provides you that competitive advantage, enhancing business production, expansion, and profitability.

The foundation of long-term economic growth and prosperity is innovation.

It’s not necessary to make a discovery that will rock the globe. It could mean making small, gradual improvements throughout your firm.

Such improvements include strengthening your customer relations and sales.

If you don’t make improvements to your goods and services, you run the danger of losing clients to more creative rivals.

If you continuously innovate, you can quickly establish a competitive advantage and win your target market.

Being static over time might be really harmful to your company.

In order for businesses to adapt and face the challenges of change, innovation is frequently required. 

Here at EZAdvisory, we leverage these important factors to build data-driven strategies to Grow Businesses & Brands.

Visit us at http://advisory.equilibriumzone.org/

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Helping Your Customer Make The Buying Decision

Let’s deep dive into one of the foundations in business growth: Helping the customer make the
decision. Yes, you have a great product. Yes, customers are seeing your advertisements and
are interested in buying from you? The phrase “Take all my money and give me your product”
only happens in the movies. There is still work to convert that potential customer – business
lingo “Leads” – into a purchasing customer.

Optimize your Sales Cycle

The sales cycle is the process your business takes in the period of delivering your product to the customer, it involves several stages. Stages such as lead generation, prospecting, contact, and lead qualification, nurturing leads, making offers, countering objections, and closing deals. Different companies define their sales cycles and stages differently because of numerous factors, such as industry type, target markets, customer type, among others. These differences result in the peculiarities a business encounters in closing a deal. However, having a defining your business sales cycle affords you the opportunity to:

● Easily train new sales reps.
● Provide sales representatives with a structured roadmap in closing deals.
● Structure your sales team rightly, assigning the best fit to each step.
● Stay on top of team performance
● Optimize team performance, using the KPIs here to deliver a better sales cycle month on month.

If your company has a sales cycle that lasts less than a month, then you have a short sales cycle. On the other hand, if your company’s sales cycle takes more than twelve months, you have a long sales cycle. Ultimately, the key is the goal of a salesperson should be to minimize the cycle time as much as possible without sacrificing the rapport with the prospect.

Don’t Overwhelm Customers with Options

Marketers often believe today’s consumers as web-savvy, refined individuals who pounce on whichever brand offers the best deal. Marketers believe that brand loyalty, is gradually fading, this is the reason why they inundate customers with their messaging, believing that the more interaction and information provided, the better their chances of holding on to these increasingly distracted and disloyal customers.

From the customer point of view, the increasing volume of marketing messages isn’t validating, rather it’s overwhelming. Customers feel pulled in a million different ways by marketers’ relentless efforts to engage. Research now shows that there can be too much choice; and when this occurs, customers are less likely to buy anything at all, and if they buy, they are not satisfied with their selection. A confused mind does not order. Effective communication needs to be engaging and easily understood, the customer must be able to visualize your message so they can relate to your product. Limit the options presented to the customer to three or fewer, and then help them in the decision process. A prime example is a comparison between the Google homepage and Yahoo homepage. Google is the number one visited site on the internet, yet they’re still able to limit their homepage to a single action: Would you like to search the internet? While Yahoo’s homepage isn’t. It is not search emphasized neither is it news emphasized. Everything is loaded onto one page; the result is too many options. Which do you visit the most?

Guide the Customer Through the Process

The stages of the buying process, as earlier stated, varies with business type, however peculiar your buying process is, you have to guide your customers through this process. Here are four (4) typical stages of the buying process and how to guide the customer to choose you.

● Need Recognition: A customer enters the buying process by recognizing his/her need for a particular item. They are aware of this pain point and casually begin to look for topics about their pain point. To guide the customer, at this stage, you need to write an informational post about the pain point your product solves. Blog posts, guest articles, information, etcetera are an example of material you post where customers and
everyone spends most of their time online. That is, get your solution in front of the target audience.

● Information Search: during this phase, the customer actively searches for more information about the pain point and how to solve it. The customer performs search and visits reviews sites to learn more. At this stage TOFU content is advisable, content
similar to the need recognition stage above, such as blog posts, infographics, lists, guides, etc. however at this stage you implant important keywords into your content.

● Option Evaluation: During this stage customers evaluate the options they’ve learned about to determine which is the best solution for their problem, i.e., they already have an idea about the solution they need. They just don’t know which specific solution/brand is best. The brands that present the best offer in their opinion are what they would go for. To catch consumers in this phase, you need to engage in MOFU marketing and optimize your website so customers can find your best offering easily when they visit. Create content like FAQ pages, landing pages and buying guides on your website.

● Purchase Decision: This is the stage where the customer is ready to pull the trigger, they
have chosen the brand to go with, and the offer that best suits them. All the research
they’ve made had led to one point, that is, you. How do you help them during this
phase? Clear the pathway to make the purchase, simplify the buying process, including
testimonials and reviews that reinforce their belief that they are making the best choice.
Remove bugs in the cart and checkout process, also optimize your website to target
buyer keywords.

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Getting your Feedback System Setup

Most people get it wrong that feedback collection is reserved only for multinational corporations
and governmental agencies, who usually set it up because it is required by the law. Most
businesses pay lip service to customer welfare only by celebrating the customer service week in
October.
Feedback collection is a double way street, your customer gets to express themselves about the
interaction with your business, and you get first-hand information on the effectiveness of your
business.
Customer feedback is the information provided by your customers about their satisfaction or
dissatisfaction with their experience with your brand, service, or product. Listening to the voice
of the consumer allows you to be quick to change in the business arena, and be able to stay
ahead of the competition.

1. You will be able to improve your product or service. Aftermarket research and introduction of
your product, you need to keep a constant eye on the acceptance level of your product over
time, feedback helps in this regard as it keeps you abreast of consumer opinion and answers
the question of whether your product still solves customer needs.

2. Feedback helps you gauge customer satisfaction; customer satisfaction relates to a lot of
company financial details. A high customer satisfaction grants you a high market share, which in
turn results in high revenue for the company. A simple customer satisfaction gauge of 0-10 is a
reliable metric that estimates consumer loyalty and retention to your brand which helps predict
the company’s future financials.

3. Feedback shows the customer you value their opinion, and include them in the business
process. customers will know that you are in business not only for the financial remuneration but
also for the welfare of your customers. Communicating with your customers through feedback
builds a relationship that keeps your customer loyal to you, as one of the co-builders of your
business, when they see their opinions molding your product.

4. Feedback helps create the best customer experience, satisfied customers with you and you
will be able to use your loyal customer reviews to market to other potential customers. Apple
and Nike have been able to build a reputable brand because their customer experience and
loyalty bring in more customers.

5. Feedback gives you data to help in making business decisions, basing business decisions on
guesses is no longer expedient in this highly digital and competitive world. Customer insights
will help you understand market direction and predict market changes. Your product
management will improve and be more responsive using customer feedback.

Method of Getting Feedback
1. Surveys
Surveys are one of the great ways to directly ask customers for information. Surveys are either
open-ended or close-ended. There are several questions you could ask your customers. Survey
forms are one the best ways to gain customer feedback, free survey services are provided by
SurveyKing, Qualtrics among others. For the best responses, your survey questions should;
Only ask questions that target your goals
Use open-ended questions
Avoid leading questions.

2. Feedback Boxes
A feedback form/ box is a reliable method to gather customer feedback, a feedback form is an
easily accessible tool customers can utilize to give feedback. Minor issues that your survey
question might overlook would be captured by a feedback form. You should constantly check
the feedback box and make sure every feedback gets a response within 24 hours. For bugs and
technical issues, make sure your engineers respond to the issue and advise the customer on
how to resolve the issue.

3. Social Media Feedback
Social media is one of the best ways to get prospects and customer feedback. Reaching out to
your followers to get feedback is a way to see the responses to your product. Monitoring your
brand name mentions gives you the ability to quickly react to customers’ needs and deliver
value, quickly resolve customers’ negative feedback and, also improve your overall content and
communications strategy. The issue with social media feedback is the bandwagon effect on
either positive or negative feedback, therefore you must always be responsive on your social
handles to respond to negative feedback.

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Ways to Increasing your Brand Awareness

Increased brand awareness is a crucial task for companies with an established position in the market. Brand image can be a deciding factor for your target audience. Competition is fierce, and grabbing the attention of your potential customers is vital for your business to thrive.

Brand awareness is the level of recognition a brand has among its target audience. The levels of brand awareness answer the question – how familiar is your target market with your brand? Brand awareness is one of the major assets your brand can build. High levels of awareness can increase the value of your product or service. Building brand awareness builds competitive advantage and impacts marketing and overall business performance positively.

For example, Coca-Cola’s Coke is often used as a synonym for soft drinks, no matter the producer. This shows the level of the association the target market has for the particular product. This strong level of association builds trust in a brand and trust results in the customer capital of the company.

These are some of the different ways to increase your brand awareness.

  • Social Media Advertising

Social media is the marketplace nowadays, it is normally a place where you promote your products, but it is a great avenue to increase your brand awareness in a widespread and effective manner. A part of this process is inviting influencers, influencers who have established an audience that trusts them can increase your brand awareness when they mention your brand in their content.

A good social media awareness building method is posting valuable content and including your brand name in these contents, by this people will associate your brand with valuable content and during discussions, your brand name will come up. Another is to provide freebies on your social media pages, free stuff drives people and potential customers to your brand. On a final note, craft your own social media hashtag that can easily be associated with your brand, your hashtag will help in propelling your brand.

  • Co-Marketing  

Co-marketing is a brilliant method to increase your brand awareness, as it takes advantage of another brand awareness. This way both brands will have greater outreach in reaching potential customers. An aspect of leveraging on another brand is delivering valuable content on popular brands’ blogs. Guest posting is a way to get your name into the public sphere of your industry. Local partnership is a strategy that will help push your brand image, join other businesses in seminars, festivals, donate to a charity event, or sponsor a local event in your location having your brand widely publicized therein, all these are sure to move your brand to recognition. Contact both online and offline magazines, news sources, or other publications to see if they’ll publish your content (it is sure the response will be positive if your content is valuable enough). By this means you’ll open your brand to the audience of these publications.

  • Creative Identity

Craft a unique identity for your brand, create a superb and compelling story around your brand, this will make people connect deeply with your brand.

Interact your followers on the social media space, post content that lets your followers drop comments, engagements allow your followers to remember you and drive more followers to your brand. Give your social interactions the personality of the identity you’ve created, with this people can easily associate the identity with your brand. Oftentimes infuse humor into your interactions.

Hire a recognizable face for your brand, this allows you to humanize your brand, think of Heineken and the 007 brands, Nike and Michael Jordan. Otherwise, you can create a mascot for your brand, mascots will give life to your logo, for example, MailChimp uses a Chimp named Freddie, Reddit uses a character named Snoo.

Making your product exclusive is one of the ways to create a unique identity around your brand. You could offer exclusive deals to your customers, and discounts for referring other customers, or you give them bonus content that they can brag about.

Other avenues to increase brand awareness is through:

  • SEO Advertising
  • Branded Packaging
  • Catchy Slogan
  • Surveys
  • Referral Programs

Would you like to explore avenues to increase the brand awareness for your business, reach out to us here

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