Success Network’s

Success Recipes

for

Female Solopreneurs

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Index

Page 3: Ordinary questions solopreneurs ask

Page 4: Know your market

Page 5: Choose your words carefully

Page 6: Add a little photo genius

Page 7: Stand out from the crowd

Page 8: Social networking is the way forward

Page 9: The benefits of a blog

Page 10: Integrate social media into your overall plans

Page 11: Network to get your name out there

Page 12: How to use an event to promote your business

Page 13: Invest time in your personal development

Page 14: Make sure your website works for you

Page 15: Protect your business financially

Page 16: Each business is unique. But common to every business is the need to make a profit.

Page 17: How not to lose the sale

Page 18: More about Success Network

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Ordinary questions

solopreneurs would ask

Running up a business can seem challenging at times. We should know, we’ve all been there!

To help you on the road to success, we’ve put together a set of helpful tips, our “Success Recipes”, which we have based on our own experiences of running your own business.

You may identify with some of these questions/concerns:

“What is social networking – help I’m confused?”

“I’m not really photogenic; can I manage without a photo?”

“I know I need to use the internet to market my website, but I don’t know where to start, it seems really difficult.”

“I know I need to get out there and meet people but quite frankly, it’s scary. What if I don’t know what to say?”

“Why can’t I sell more?”

“How can I make sure I get paid on time?”

“How can I regain the support and advice I got working for a corporation, without giving up my dream?”

We hope that by following these recipes, you will see that running a business really is easier than it seems and that you will soon be sharing your own tips with the next wave of aspiring businesswomen!

Good Luck from some of Success Network’s Inner Circle Business Club members!

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Know your market

Defining your market is easier than it might sound. First, ask yourself, “What do I sell?” This will help to identify your Unique Selling Point (USP):

Look at what you offer from the point of view of the person buying;

Think about how your product/service will make their life easier (benefit);

Keep it simple.

Next, ask, “Who is my client?”

This will help you in all aspects of your business planning, including whom to pitch your USP to!

Create a mental picture of the person you want to talk to;

Be very specific;

Talk to them using their language not yours.

Hélène Cooper is a successful accredited business coach-mentor who specialises in Marketing and can be contacted on 01635 873 070 or 07876 044498

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Choose your words carefully

Just like meeting someone for the first time, making a good first written impression is vital.

The great thing about writing, whether for a website, networking site or CV is that you do get the chance to consider and refine your message, so once you’ve followed these simple tips, don’t be afraid to publish!

Make sure that your opening statement tells your readers why they should work with you and nobody else. Biographical information should be kept for the “About” page and then, only if relevant.

Put yourself in the shoes of your reader. Ask yourself, “Is this holding my attention? Am I inspired to read to the end?”

Whilst the Internet has changed the way we write, making it altogether less formal, it is still important to use good grammar, especially when it comes to spelling. It is always worth asking somebody you trust to proofread/edit your client-facing communications before they go out.

Catherine Osborn is a freelance writer who offers a unique combination of creative flair and commercial expertise to take the pain out of generating well-written, compelling copy.

Read her blog at www.catherineosborn.com

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Add a little photo genius

In the UK at least, most CVs don’t require a photo. However, many social networking sites do and if your customers are greeted with an ugly silhouette or another random image, they may wonder what you have to hide.

If you hate having your photo taken, you’re not alone. But don’t worry, just like the old saying about novels, there’s also a great photo in everyone – you just need to find it!

Wear more make-up than usual, but don’t go for a complete image change. This goes for hair too.

Make sure that the clothes you wear are appropriate for your line of business and remember that your new style may be different from the ‘uniform’ you wore for your old job. Avoid busy patterns if possible.

Ask someone else to take your photo: self-portraits are quite easy to spot from the raised shoulders and startled expressions!

Consider using a professional photographer; the price may be lower than you think. Tell them how you plan to use the photo so that they can offer you a package that includes an electronic copy of your photo and appropriate usage rights.

Alison Crown is a professional photographer who specialises in corporate and family portraits.

See more at:

www.alisoncrownphotography.co.uk/blog

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Stand out from the crowd

It is vital to get your brand right first time - brand recognition is your greatest asset.

Having an eye-catching logo and well designed literature, ensures that you stand out from the crowd.

If using a graphic designer, check out their website - do you like the work they produce?

Most designers offer a free consultation. Get to know your designer, good communication between designer and client ensures you get the brief right from the start and speeds up the process.

Remember:

Research the competition - your brand should be unique

A logo must be scalable - as effective on a business card as on a roll-up banner

A logo should be just as powerful in black and white

Choose colours carefully, they should reflect both you and your business

Alix Horne is a freelance graphic designer specialising in creating original designs for SME’s and charities.

www.amaxdesigns.co.uk

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Social Networking

is the way forward People buy into people both online and offline and using social media to help build your network enables real people to have real conversations and create trusted business relationships.

By networking and connecting in a sociable way, the conversation isn’t forced, relationships form and sales follow naturally.

People need to feel they know you, creating and maintaining your personal brand and reputation is the first step.

Once you are known your network and visibility naturally increases, creating a wider circle of people who may become customers or may tell others about you.

Then you build real and trusted business relationships which lead on to new opportunities and your business grows.

By demonstrating your approach, personality and capability using professional and social media, people get to know you and if they like your approach they will make contact, without the hard-sell and without you having to attend any uncomfortable networking events. And within your social network you can ask around for recommendations, information and news from your trusted sources. Now that approach sounds really good to me!

Melanie Mackie from Scarletta Media has extensive social media marketing and project management experience. She supports and teaches business owners, solopreneurs and SME organisations how to be social and integrate social media marketing into their business.

www.scarlettamedia.com

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The benefits of a blog

Even though you may have a website, it may be constricted in how much you can say about your business on it. A blog attached to your website provides the necessary space for expression, explanation and engagement. Here you can expand on your unique selling points and your brand loyalty development. It is a medium for publicity, education, entertainment and research through polls and comments. You could elaborate on certain topics, explore what your readers think and present controversial conversations to get a social buzz. Blogs are instantly expandable by reaching out to the rest of social media. Automated subscription services immediately publish your posts in different platforms to increase your audience. Use your blog as a community hub to increase your followers and expose your business to potential new customers. And since blogs are content management systems they are very easy to update and use, with a myriad of applications available to enhance its performance.

Alice Elliott’s alter ego is the Fairy Blog Mother, a magical educational resource for all blogging needs. Find out about her courses, tuition, design and copywriting services at: http://fairyblogmother.co.uk

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Integrate social media

into your overall plans

For some of us, social media has become part of our daily lives whilst for others there is still some scepticism as to what it can do for their business. For me, it had been key in raising my profile and perfectly complements my offline activities. However before you embark on your social media journey, it is vital that you work on a plan, not in isolation but as part of your overall marketing plan. 3 key areas:

Overall objectives and what you want to achieve. For example:

Generating leads

Growing your network

PR opportunities

Research

Increasing website traffic

Being more accessible to customers

Demonstrating expertise 2. Identifying the best sites to achieve objectives 3. How will you measure your success? Remember there is no financial costs to taking advantage of the many social media platforms but it will cost you time. Therefore you need to be able to evaluate if you are getting a return on your investment.

Karen Livingstone from Little Acorn Marketing works with small businesses to help inspire and motivate them to undertake targeted marketing activities to grow their business.

Passionate about plans and lover of social media!

www.littleacornmarketing.co.uk

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Network to get

your name out there

Nervous about networking? The following tips will help:

Before attending a meeting, practise a short description of what you do, so you sound natural and confident.

At meetings, don't be afraid to start a conversation by asking someone if they are a new too. If they are, they may be glad to have someone to speak to, and if they aren't, they may help by introducing you to someone they know.

Ask people lots of open questions, and show you are interested in them. Make the conversation about them, rather than you. Don’t worry, you will have opportunities to explain what you do.

Listen carefully, to help you understand the other person’s needs. You may be able to help them, you never know!

Good Networkers recognise that networking is about building long term trusted business relationships, rather than selling!

Ute Wieczorek-King is owner and founder of Success Network, a business support organisation for women.

Ute helps women to be more visible, focused and effective, and their business to be more profitable.

She runs the Inner Circle Business Growth Clubs for start-ups and established businesses, and also offers training, coaching and mentoring programmes.

If you would like to learn how to make a bigger impact with your networking and receive more referrals, you may wish to try “From Contact to Advocate™”, our interactive training manual for solopreneurs & leaders.

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How to use an event

to promote your business

There are lots of ways to promote your business, for example, a website, an e-newsletter, or a presence on social networking site, but have you ever thought of holding your own event?

A conference, seminar or workshop might seem too daunting, but a simple get together can be a very effective way to share your message, showcase the way you do business and raise your profile.

What you are aiming to do is build relationships and what better way than face-to-face.

Sending out the invitations puts your name in front of your audience and reminds them of your product or service.

The actual event needn’t be expensive. Holding a morning event might only require you to provide tea or coffee, with biscuits or cake a nice addition!

Of course, if funds allow, a day at the races or an outing to the theatre can be a great way to say ‘thank you’ and build new relationships. Often your client may be very happy to pay for their own ticket, just pleased that you have made the arrangements.

If you would like some help in planning your event but don’t know where to start, then please contact me, Catherine Sutton at Waterloo Brown Limited, Events and Conference Management.

www.waterloobrown.co.uk

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Invest in personal development

There is so much to learn when setting up a new business - marketing, planning, products and finance. All of which are very important, however it’s equally important to look after the people in the business. Usually in the early business stage that means only one person – YOU! Always invest time in your own personal development.

Find yourself a coach or mentor, ideally someone who has already run a successful business and is willing to help you and your business grow. Choose someone who will challenge and support you and offer constructive feedback too. All of this will provide great learning for you.

Create your own personal development plan. Think about what am I really good at? How can I use this more? What are my areas for improvement? How can I develop these areas?

Always build on your own skill set, for example speaking in front of a group of people? If this is something that scares you consider joining a local speakers club.

Do attend different business meetings and exhibitions in your area. This will provide you with opportunities to meet other business people hear their business stories and give you an opportunity to share your business story. We learn from listening to other people’s business experience too.

It’s important that as your business grows and develops you do too! Mary Fraser owns Fraser HR and helps small and medium sized organisations. Her areas of expertise include recruitment and selection, people development and ensuring organisations comply with employment legislation.

Visit www.fraserhr.co.uk to learn more.

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Make sure your website

works for you! Many talented designers can build you a beautiful website, but that doesn’t guarantee website visitors will turn into customers! For that, you need to make sure it is usable as well.

Usability means how well your website persuades visitors to do what you want them to do and how easy it is for them to do what you want them to do. That could be signing up to a newsletter, sending an email or completing a purchase online.

There are several key elements which should be present on your website to capture the visitor’s interest and keep them engaged throughout that process

On every sales page:

Benefits: Your customers will be asking “what’s in it for me?"

Audience clarity: Who is this page targeted at?

Differentiation: Your customers will want to know "what makes you special?”

Credibility: Your customers will want to know “why should I trust you?”

Call to action: Quick, low risk, easy, obvious

Must be on the website:

Experience: testimonials, case studies

Proposition: 15-25 words that explain what you do, encompassing the benefits

Jayne Reddyhoff of The Adword Adviser: providing business focused, measurable website marketing support, delivered in plain English; helping businesses to get their websites found by Google, and convert website visitors into paying customers.

Learn more at www.AdwordAdviser.com

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Protect your business financially It’s easy to focus purely on making the first sale without having the right processes in place to protect your income. Avoid payment delays or default by adopting some simple “best practice” measures:

Know your customer. Use their letterhead to verify company details, carry out a free check on Companies House and make sure you have the trading and registered address. Invest in a credit check report for invoices over a certain amount or ask for trade references from other suppliers.

Agree payment terms, price and other terms before you supply in writing. Set out late payment charges and interest in your terms – you don’t have to invoke them but it’s useful to have the right to do so. Obtain written acceptance of your terms and check that your customer’s order does not suggest a different arrangement.

Invoice accurately, clearly and promptly. Avoid disputes and payment delays by detailing accurately all goods or services delivered. Quote customer references - missing PO references mean “payment hold” – and address the invoice correctly as the wrong company name or address on the invoice will result in it being returned or ignored.

Don’t be afraid to ask for payment. The only good customer is a paying customer and if you don’t ask, you may not get. For large invoices, make a pro-active call before due date to make sure all is OK and don’t delay contacting the customer once payment is due.

Rita Adams is an accomplished credit control professional who helps businesses get paid without jeopardising sales relationships. www.armcreditcontrol.co.uk

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Each business is unique.

But common to every business is the need to make a profit.

Ensuring the profitability and therefore viability of your business is more than just (boring) numbers. It’s about planning, controlling and measuring your business.

Planning – the structure of your business, in simple terms will your pricing structure ensure that income exceeds all costs, will the business generate enough cash and if not have you a way to cover the shortfall?

Controlling – ensuring that all sales are accurately recorded, invoiced and debts collected. Control of costs requires good financial systems to ensure invoices received are charged correctly, not paid twice or not at all therefore upsetting key suppliers.

Measurement – accurate and relevant measurements help you assess, control and plan your business.

Each of these elements is important in maintaining the healthiest (most profitable) business. For example you may have a fancy report but if not all costs or revenues are correctly recorded that report does not reflect the business circumstance and is also ineffective for formulating future plans.

Fiona McKenzie runs Blue Note Solutions Ltd, helping business owners to maintain financial control as their business expands.

She provides them with better analysis and understanding of the business, leading to improved decision making and planning.

Fiona has many years’ experience of obtaining positive financial results in diverse organisations

and can help you to save both cost and time, increase profits and achieve a healthier business. www.bluenotesolutions.co.uk

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How not to lose the sale

When a sale is not made one of 5 things may take place in the process:

Your prospects do not feel they need what you are selling. This can be because they do not know enough to say yes.

Desire - they don’t want what you are selling. Your belief in your product, service or skills should be unshakeable.

They don’t buy because they are not in a hurry. If they ask how much time they have to make a decision, but essentially want to buy, can they think of a reason why they should not do so at the moment?

They don’t have any money. People may or may not lie to you when they say they have no money, but it may be worth noting that when the response is ‘no’, it may only be ‘no’ for that item. It can also be a good idea to probe whether the real reasons are need, lack of desire or trust

Trust is a significant reason for prospects not buying. If the prospect thinks or feels that you are not sincere, they will not buy. You must be consistent as a person in all areas of your life, not just as a sales person. Trust is vital and should be taken seriously.

Jen Joseph runs Envisage Executive Coaching (EEC) and specialises in helping senior leaders who experience stress, anxiety, trauma and change such as divorce, redundancy, loss, discrimination or reducing health.

‘Revealing dreams, destroying blockages, developing vision’

www.eeccoaching.co.uk

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Inner Circle Business Growth Clubs

Running your own business can be a double-edged sword. With the freedom to be your own boss comes the responsibility for all aspects of your business and identifying the right way forward is not always easy.

Inner Circle Business Clubs are small peer support groups that help business women connect with people they can trust, who are happy to share their knowledge and provide feedback, advice, or even moral support when needed.

Being a member has been likened to being part of a team or having your own virtual board of directors. Inner Circle's winning format was first introduced by Success Network in 2007.

Find out more at www.successnetwork.org.uk/inner-circle

Success Network

Success Network is dedicated to supporting women in business, inspiring them and helping them to develop and grow the business.

We offer motivational training, coaching, mentoring, ebooks and a large selection of free articles.

Please connect with us via our Linkedin group, our Facebook page, the Success Recipe Blog and on Twitter.

www.successnetwork.org.uk

info@successnetwork.org.uk