EP.12 SME Training Course (How To Prospect and Increase Your Customer Base Growing Daily)

How to prospect and increase your customer base growing is a powerful systematic and planned method dedicated to improve your business exposure to potential clients. Consider your business as a product or service that's going to fill the need or close the gap for your customers or clients to buy a solution from you. The reason for this is that everyone is looking and searching for something. 

Competition Is Tough In Business -  But You Must Be The Best To Keep Customers Coming

We are all looking for something, to find happiness in various ways means and forms,  like "clothing", " good Food", "nice shoes" or "TV repairs", "housing, property", "beautiful hair", "safety" and "home décor" etc. This is where you and your business come in. So! Treat your business or STOKVEL like an indispensable asset from the Gods. You never know where it will take you into the future. Life is constantly evolving and changing. So commit yourself to it 100% without compromising your standards and the quality of service you're offering to your customers, is vital. Plan or have a recruiting or selling strategy in order to begin building your blocks of "marketing resources"🙏 to move forward easily and smoothly, to attract new clients and to get repeat business from previous ones.

Try and answer these SIX questions if you want to speed up your progress.
  • How are you going to approach these new people i.e. customers or untapped market? 
  • Where are you going to find these people if they don't walk into your shop or stall?
  • When will you execute this plan to start your new approach without wasting time?
  • How will you do it i.e. promote your unique services by choosing a different method?
  • Who will help you take control of other aspects of marketing to make you successful?
  • Why are you in business in the first place, instead of working for someone else?
Why Are You In Business In The First Place? 

Remember on EP. 11 We talked about "Time Management" and this is important when reflecting on the personal goals you want to achieve. Like buying a new car, a plasma screen TV or buy a new house or renovating the existing one. With all these ambitions; you need to market your business aggressively to create a snowball effect of a steady flow of income and constant supply of clients to improve your cash, bank balance and brand awareness.

You will need things like business cards, flyers, a website, exhibition props, about business articles, product photos, blog promotions and banner adverts. These are resources to help you become a successful market friendly business person. They represent your future investments that will propel you to grow each time to setup quarterly business promotional campaigns. This is how you'll tap into new opportunities for customers to identify with your business brand and products. Also, put a face to your services or products. Avoid being invisible - people relate better to advertisements that have FACES of  you and not just a product.
Why? "All businesses are going on the Internet - i.e. online and delivery of goods is done through a powerful network of distributors like, UBER Eats, Takealot, Bid-or-Buy, Wish, Shopify, DHL couriers etc. Big and Small businesses are using ZOOM to access clients and offer services. If you snooze and don't plan or prepare your business to be online you'll lose out on a new growing market of online buyers. A website is an online solution for SME's including Informal Traders. "Only The Strong Will Survive" by embracing this technology.

"Time Is Money And - Money Does Not Grow On Trees"

Be patient and focus on the ultimate goal. As a saying goes, "Rome was not build in a day". You also need to spent money to make money.  So, have a budget to advertise both online and offline products and services. "It takes time to build a business legacy" to call it "Goodwill". Like Pick-N-Pay and Shoprite, Pam Golding Properties, or Mercedes Benz Motors, Adidas and  Nike or Vodacom and Maponya Mall, Anglo American and Kaizer Chiefs or Pirates and Greyhound bus corporation. Be in a business for long-term purposes and not short term. It will defeat the purpose of building a solid foundation of your residual income, if you take short-cuts. 

Patience and positive work ethic will pay-off sooner or later. I planned 20 years ago to have my own publishing enterprises. I run and manage niche  publications  and online promotion catalogues, websites and blogs, to help small businesses and consultants to  get on to the Internet. It took me hours and years to learn each one by attending classes and night school to have a special skills. Please don't get me wrong, I am not bragging about my insignificant personal achievements. I still go to Business Schools at night to catch up with other business and life skills courses.

(I'm sharing my difficult trials and tribulation experiences with you to show you that we are all in the same boat. Your pain is my pain its all about caring for another). You'll need a dedicated coach and a mentor who has been through the trenches to thread the difficult patches of business in order to outface competition. Or survive during or after this COVID-19 pandemic. I paid my coaches a fortune to know what I know today. Like you can access the same coaches on these Categories Here, to understand where I am coming from.

Every business you operate should not look like it's an accident that happened to you through a lineage of luck or inheritance. Because Apartheid or Democracy favoured you against race or gender prejudice from religious or class distinction to be where you are or vice verse. I come from a very poor disadvantaged background and started with nothing. I sold apples and oranges at Johannesburg Park Station to and from Springs Kwa-Thema trains. And lollipops at Uncle Charlie Motor Dealers Potchefstroom crossroads to Baragwanath Hospital Taxi Rank (around Bara nurses home bus stop) in the late 60's.- Until I left school to become a debtors clerk at a factory in Booysens called Westvaal Industries.

Life Is What You Make Of It - Be Prepare To Duck It's Curve Balls

No! I don't have a rich family or political affiliation to fall back on. I earned my skills and education the hard way. Through street hustling, door-to-door encyclopedia sales rep, bad company temptation to drugs, school and street bullying, gangsters harassments, a bloody hard township infested with alcoholism and hopelessness. A terror filled life to grow and trade in under Apartheid conditions. I know what it feels like to walk next to your battered shoes and sleep without food in your stomach. 

I embrace and understand what it feels like to sleep in a shack in winter and drink sugar-flavored water with one slices of dry bread for lunch and breakfast once every two to three days a week. But, like any other victim in "Pursuit of Happyness" you live to become strong like a rock to resist every temptation to accept defeat, or resort to crime. Why! Because the human spirit can only survive torture, pain or suffering - to keep life alive when "hope becomes the ultimate anchor". Like Treblinka in Poland when you give up hope you simply die.

But through deep introspection, reflection and focus, including personal goal setting. I worked on these lifelong goals meticulously. With time slowly clouds of despair began to lift off my shoulders. Then there was light at the end of the tunnel, called "Hope" to become a self-reliant entrepreneur who did not benefit from any Government Tenders, nor wish to get involved in.

Somehow, I knew in my mind there was a powerful force behind all these ups and downs of chaos called "God". He kept me sane during my down-falls and pulled my confidence up to stand tall; when times were rough and tough. This kind of credit is due to His Grace that we all survived, Apartheid and violence between ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party during the 80's. Life was business as usual. Ducking bullets, spears and stones. Encountering road blocks of police vehicle searches. To Army Hippo Trucks of security forces parading dusty streets of our Black townships. (Even to this day today there's hope during this volatile political masquerade of corruption and power play between government officials in 2021, July 22th).

"I had to wait for my ship to arrive" to be where I am today. It's your turn now to taste the fruits of our liberation struggle the country has fought for - Oops Let's not talk about me:-

After all this is about recruiting clients and selling of your products and services, to a larger market place including the Digital Online Space i.e. The Internet. Not every person you talk to will buy your services, just because you compete against someone who offers - The best services, or affordable pricing or quality product with excellent packaging. You must review your position and sales pitch to suit these standards. But overall if your product is not unique and differentiated against your competitor. You'll experience low sales and poor responses from buyers. You'll need a new plan like every other strategy I recommend below. 

What  Steps To Take To Make Two Sales Or More Per Day...

  • Be prepared to counter that rejection with an alternative sales effort. The more you talk to 10+ people you meet every day 1 or 2 are going to buy. For every 10 people you talk to 1 is ready to buy. (Depends also on the industry and products you're selling, this should not be cast on stone).
  • Prospecting and selling is a numbers game. If you want 2 sales per day, talk to 20+ people etc. If you distribute 1,000 flyers you'll get between 8% -12% response and 5%  sales conversion. If you send out minimum of 2,500 you'll yield an average of +/-13 sales.
  • Learn to change your attitude and direction when things don't work your way. Try another way to solve and discover alternative marketing solutions for your business to find new customers. 
  • Yes. there will be good days and bad days. Just like the weather and the seasons of the year. Somedays are hot and other days are cold. If winter goes spring will approach. Hang in there, don't stress too much. "Every cloud has a silver lining". 
  • If newspaper or flyer advertising doesn't work, let's trying hosting a Flea Market Exhibition to invite the public to come to our "Special Event". Prepare to be a guest in one of our events.
  • Some customers will response better to this event because they like outdoor living and meeting people outside their homes. This will attract them to come and buy.
  • Have faith and enjoy doing what you LOVE doing and do the best you can for your business. It's not going to be long before every thing comes together and you're blessed with extreme success and happiness.
  • Last but not least keep using different methods to let customers know you're in business. Sometimes customers forget if you're still in business. Remind them by sharing your video or Tik-Tok voice note Jingle about your product. Now you'll get their attention, they'll buy.

Mix With The Right People - Even If It Cost Money - They'll Rub-off  A Positive Energy To Your Psych  

Every effort you make to attract customers to your business will add value to the rolling sales, that will come long after you've forgotten about the advert. It's called "delayed sales reaction". Only time will tell. Make things happen, don't watch things happen. Learn a new skill - Grow daily to become better tomorrow - Read business biographies and books that will increase your "point of view". Study self improvement courses, attend business seminars and workshops for entrepreneurs. Learn and participate in our "fundraising programs" to help you raise money for business your business projects etc. Connect with me if you can, by writing blog comments and remarks on this site. You'll earn credits to receive one of our  (FREE pdf Business eBooks)

Invite people to join these sessions. Ask questions and obtain knowledge from those who know and care about you and your business. This is the only way to cope with change and survive the torture and turmoil of being human and lonely when sales are zilch. It's called "responsive ability" i.e. The ability to response in time when your thoughts and actions unite and are synchronized and require your readiness to solve a problem  with a dire sense of urgency. JIT Just in time, is called RESPONSIBILITY. If you account for it - it means you're a responsible accountant. (Belong to something that will transform or revolutionize your outlook on life to improve your business acumen and also contribute to the life of others if you can).

We Use These Tools And Resources - To Unleash The Potential Of Your Business Using Integrated Strategies

  1. WhatsApp Members Status Group Sharing
  2. BTG Blog Social Group Comments
  3. BTG Radio Podcast Jingles  (Aim Training)
  4. BTG Flyers Distribution Outlets 
  5. BTG Website Members Blog Promotions
  6. BTG Flea Market Events Promotions
  7. BTG Member Online Magazine Advertising
  8. BTG Video Products Promotion Channels

If you do not join our group and are looking at short cuts, please be my guest. I've seen "lost souls" travel this road before and come back later to complain about their association. I've seen their WhatsApp Groups collapse like a house of cards on the table. Without any promotional or marketing tools and resources to guide and help members improve their businesses to flourish. If you are still where you are when this started 2 years ago. 

I believe you need to change direction and join a different group of entrepreneurs who transform lives and take ownership of team work like Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates players. We are a groups and leadership that offers active problem solving  to engage you with dynamic ways that will challenge your thought process and skills to grow. Six months from now things will look different for us all. This is just the beginning. We are targeting about 250 small businesses before we shut our doors from accepting new members. Good luck to those who join now. Please invite other SME you know who might benefit from this program. Why am I doing this? This is why I do it. It's in my blood I've been fortunate to do it as an individual for all Black folk to pay-iy-forward. 

Remain blessed

Mr. I. Khonjelwayo

Also listen to this - HERE



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