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Five Ways A Business Can Benefit From Marketing

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Business Marketing|Five Ways A Business Can Benefit From MarketingAs a business, marketing can be a highly effective tool and can have many uses. For businesses nowadays, having a marketing strategy, budget, and team to execute it successfully is key.

There are many ways that a business can benefit from marketing. Here are some of those benefits worth considering.

Engages with a variety of consumers

Marketing does more than just appeal to your targeted audience. Chances are, it’s going to be seen by a lot of the general public and who knows, maybe they’ll become a target consumer for your business?

With the right type of marketing in place, it can help greatly when it comes to enticing the right people to the company’s doorstep. Not only that but it might provide the business with a few surprising conversions that weren’t typically part of the buyer persona for the business in question.

Helps to grow sales

With any type of marketing, it can prove worthwhile to help grow sales. For example, the use of direct mail marketing can be highly efficient due to its personability. Receiving post in the mail can often be a more personal way to receive marketing and advertising materials, especially when first names are used.

That’s why it’s good to utilize marketing like this to help encourage consumers to convert and purchase, or make another purchase as an already existing customer.


Provides great customer services

Customer services are something that matter to many of those who spend money on a brand. As we seem to be heading towards a more customer-centric experience in business, it’s important that the quality of marketing is apparent.

There’s nothing better than improving a company’s customer services, especially as it helps the business to garner further success. In fact, 90% of Americans will use customer service as an indicator of whether or they should do business with the company.

That’s a considerable amount of people that judge customer service as one of the most important factors of a company’s success to achieve custom.

Improves company reputation

A company reputation is hard to make better once it’s tarnished. However, there are plenty of easy methods in helping improve the company’s reputation, especially if it’s yet to achieve one.

With marketing, many businesses have managed to rocket their reputation through the use of viral marketing techniques and trends. It’s something that can definitely be helpful to do in order to give the business that boosts of good rep.

Strengthens company brand

Businesses can benefit greatly from marketing as it’s a good part of building a company brand. Building a brand image is necessary to help stick in the minds of the customers and with customers not recognizing a brand instantly, marketing can helpful.

Remember to incorporate brand imagery and content into the marketing itself so that it starts to become more familiar to those coming across it.

With a new year just around the corner, it’s a good time to review the company’s marketing efforts and utilize a marketing strategy in 2023.

5 Tips to Improve Sales Team Performance

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Sales Team Performance | 5 Tips to Improve Sales Team PerformanceDo you want to generate more sales? It’s a silly question to ask, admittedly – every business wants to send out more orders to customers. Yet actually making it a reality is a whole different story. If it were easy, you wouldn’t see so many companies fall by the wayside each year.

The good news is there are numerous ways in which you can boost the chances of selling more to consumers. This is particularly the case if your business operates with a sales team. Whether they are out in the field, within your office, or working from home remotely, there are ways to optimize their performance.

How? That’s where this guide will help. Below are five tips to improve how your sales team operates.

1. Accurate sales forecasting

Did you know that most organizations don’t feature a scalable, repeatable method for forecasting sales? If your business falls into the same situation, it’s time to change this process. The reason for this is simple: a lot of critical decisions – from investments to hiring employees – are down to sales forecasts.

As a result, sales forecasting accuracy – where you measure how close you come to hitting your forecast – is necessary. Generally, an accurate sales forecast can be essential in improving your sales team performance. For instance, it allows your business to spend adequate resources more effectively to facilitate a successful sales strategy. It also helps your sales department to attain specific business goals by determining issues with their sales and looking for ways to correct them. Lastly, having an accurate sales forecast can help you make sound business decisions in terms of budgeting, risk management, and planning.

With all these things being said, sales forecasting indeed plays an integral role in the success of your marketing and sales efforts. But if you’re a beginner, how can you create an accurate sales forecast? Well, one way of doing this is by working out the percent difference, also known as the percentage error. Simply put, this is the difference between forecast volume and the actual volume expressed in percentage form. You can learn more online about how to calculate forecast accuracy.

If you’re not good with math and the last thing you want to deal with is a percentage calculation, there is a quick solution available. GIGA Calculator offers a simple yet effective percent error solution for this issue.

2. Implement sales tools

In the sales world, there are plenty of repetitive, unproductive tasks that each employee has to handle. This is why it is recommended to automate as many of these tasks as possible with the implementation of sales tools. When tools like these are used, it helps to save a significant amount of time on redundant assignments like data entry. This means your sales team can then dedicate more time towards tasks that matter most.

To get an idea of what is available for automation, Intercom has put together a list of 45 sales tools worth your time.

Aside from innovative sales tools, there are also other things that can help make the sales team’s work much easier and faster. One of them is the so-called sales playbook. It refers to a document containing your business’s best sales tactics, strategies, and even templates which are based on your sales successes and failures. In other words, it’s a cohesive manual that can guide your company in obtaining an increase in sales over a certain period of time.

Like the other sales tools, a sales playbook can serve as an effective tool to ensure your sales team utilize the best sales strategies. It also helps get your team on the same page in terms of your marketing and sales efforts, thereby making them much easier and more efficient. With a sales playbook, you can ensure that the sales department will properly implement your proven sales tactics. So, if you want to include a sales playbook in your list of sales tools, then you should start creating one as early as now.


3. Establish a schedule

Yes, sales reps are not known for sticking to the most stringent schedules – particularly if they’re working in the field where travel also has to be factored into the equation. However, putting together some form of schedule for your sales team is highly recommended.

When you have structure, where sales reps also know how long each client session should last, it’s easier for them to organize their daily schedule. They will know how much time needs to be dedicated for each meeting, along with other points that may apply, such as travel and preparation.

4. Decide on daily goals

Accountability leads to results. It is a driving force that gives your sales team that extra push to, well, sell your products. To add accountability, one of the easiest methods is to set goals that serve as a form of motivation. They supply salespeople with a plan of action, a sense of direction so they can hit their set targets.

For instance, say an employee is set with the target of reaching $500 in sales for the day. To do this, they need to make five sales. On average, it takes 20 attempts for them to land a single sale. As a result, it is known they need to make approximately 100 attempts to reach their goal of $500.

With this type of information and motivation, they can plan out how to make their goals a reality.

5. Communication is key

Being in constant communication with your sales team is imperative. This point shouldn’t be overlooked. The more you stay in touch with your employees, the more you’ll be aware of their performance and any feedback they might have.

When communicating with your employees, you can start with a quick meeting each morning. Yet, it is also wise to schedule a daily one-on-one check-in with each salesperson. This doesn’t necessarily have to happen each day, of course, but it is a great way to gain insight from employees.

By going with an in-depth interaction like this, it is perfect for getting valuable feedback. You can learn about not just ways to improve your business, but also the morale of your employees and if any steps need to be taken to improve their mood.

Improving Health and Safety Within Your Business Environment

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Health and safety|Improving Health and Safety Within Your Business EnvironmentWhen running a business, it is crucial to ensure everything and everyone is as safe as possible. If health and safety within your business are not a high priority, then it is time to change this. When you actively improve and maintain health and safety within your business environment, you create a much nicer place to work for all employees. You create a warm and welcoming environment that helps contribute to the productivity of your employees.

Being Proactive about Safety and Health

You can always make improvements to the health and safety protocols applied within your business. Seeing where you can make improvements and taking a fresh look at your business regularly will help ensure you are as proactive as possible. Keeping up to date with your industry’s health and safety guidelines and guidance is also a proactive move you should make. When you are proactive, you maintain a focused approach and ensure standards never slip. If standards get the opportunity to drop, you will start to encounter bigger issues and costly problems.

Talking to Employees – Finding Out Their Concerns

As well as being proactive, you also need to prioritize talking to (and communicating with) your employees. Those who work every day within the business environment will know where health and safety dangers exist. This may be in an area you had not considered before, or their knowledge may help you make improvements you wouldn’t have entertained before. Valuing your employees, taking time to listen to them, and then acting on their feedback will help you maintain a healthier and safer working environment for all.


Providing the Right Clothing and Equipment

When talking to employees, you may well have found out that not enough safety equipment is being provided. From wide fitting safety trainers to safety goggles and hi-vis jackets, it is your responsibility to provide the right equipment for staff and employees. When all staff and employees wear the correct clothing and equipment, their exposure to risk is instantly limited and halted.

Monitoring Business Operations and Premises

To make improvements, you will need to understand where you are going wrong in the first place. For this to happen, you must regularly monitor your business operations and processes. Through monitoring, you will find out where improvements are needed and why. Taking a bird’s eye view will allow you to get a good idea of what is working well and what needs improvement. Through monitoring, you may find that employees are not wearing safety equipment when they should be. Or, they may not be following the safety protocols you have put into place.

Focus on Training and Preparation

You will find that one of the best improvements you can make is to start investing in your staff or employees. Providing regular training and preparation for everyday protocols, as well as emergency situations is going to help you guarantee that health and safety risks are kept to the bare minimum.

By being proactive about health and safety measures in your business, you are carrying out your duty as an employer.

How to start an amazon private label business

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StrategyDriven Starting Your Business Article |Amazon Private Label|How to start an amazon private label businessHave you ever thought about starting your own business? If so, you’re not alone. Many people are turning to entrepreneurship to achieve success, gain financial freedom and leave a great legacy.

An Amazon Private Label Business is a popular option for starting your own business. In this type of business, you create a shop/store and sell your products on Amazon. This can be a great way to start entrepreneurship because it’s relatively low-cost and low-risk.

Keep reading if you’re interested in starting an Amazon Private Label Business. This article will give you an overview of what you need to do to start.

1. Research Your Niche

When it comes to Amazon’s private label, research is everything. You need to know your niche inside and out before getting started. This means understanding the needs and wants of your target market and the competition.

The research will help you source a product that meets the needs of your target market and gives you a competitive advantage. It will also help you price your product correctly and choose the keywords for your listing.

Without proper research, it won’t be easy to succeed with Amazon’s private label.

However, if you want to avoid getting into the hectic process of researching, a quick and easy way is to take help from experts who are providing their services.

One such example is apical ecommerce which gives a helping hand to start, scale and automate your Amazon business.

2. Pick Your Products

After selecting your niche, it’s time to pick some products you will sell. While doing so, consider your customers’ needs and wants. What will make their lives easier or better?

Many sellers choose a product they think is great without considering whether there is a market for it. They create a listing and start selling, but they don’t get any sales because no one searches for their product.

The key to Amazon’s success is prioritizing your customers over your product. Find a product or products that have a lot of demand and build your brand around that.

Don’t force a product into a market that doesn’t want it. If you can do that, you’ll be well on your way to success as a private-label seller on Amazon.

3. Find an Experienced Supplier

The next step is to find a reliable manufacturer or supplier for your product. It can be challenging, but there are a few ways to do it. You can attend trade shows, or even reach out to potential suppliers directly.

So, it’s important to research and ensure you are working with a reputable supplier. You can read online reviews, ask other businesses for recommendations, or visit the manufacturer’s facility to get a feel for the company.

Once you have found a manufacturer or supplier you can trust, you can start working on developing a good relationship with them. This will help ensure a smooth process and quality products for your Amazon business.


4. Focus on Packaging and Branding

When selling on Amazon, two aspects can make or break your product: packaging and branding. These two elements can help you differentiate your products from the competition and make them more appealing to customers.

Packaging is important because it is the first thing customers will see when they see your product. It is important to make sure that your packaging is well-designed and eye-catching.

Branding is also important because it can help customers to remember your product and to associate it with a certain image or feeling.

If you want to be successful in selling products on Amazon, make sure to focus on packaging and branding. These two elements can make a big difference in how customers perceive your product and help you stand out from the competition.

5. Choose the Fulfillment Strategy

When it comes to Amazon fulfillment, there are a few different options to choose from. You can opt for Amazon to fulfill your orders, which can be a great option if you don’t have the time or resources to handle fulfillment yourself. However, it’s important to note that Amazon will take a cut of your profits in exchange for their services.

If you have the time and resources to handle fulfillment, go that route. This can be a great way to save on costs, but it requires more work.

Regardless of your choice, it’s important to plan ahead and ensure you have a fulfillment strategy in place before you start selling on Amazon.

6. Create Product Listing

When creating a product listing for your private-label products, be sure to include the following:

  • A brief description of the product
  • A photo or image of the product
  • The price of the product
  • The benefits of the product
  • A call-to-action (CTA)

Your product listing should be clear, concise, and compelling. Remember to highlight your product’s unique selling points (USPs) and why customers should buy it. Include a CTA so that customers know what to do next.

If you follow these tips, you will be well on your way to creating a successful product listing for your private-label products.

7. Run Amazon PPC Ads

Well, this is when things start getting tougher as now you have to sell your products. And everyone knows that getting the first sale on Amazon is very complicated. But did you know that you can use Amazon PPC ads to help you get that first sale?

Amazon PPC is a form of advertising that allows you to pay for placement on the Amazon marketplace. When customers search for products on Amazon, your ad will appear in the search results, allowing you to reach more shoppers.

Conclusion

To summarize, starting an Amazon private label business is a great way to get started in ecommerce.

The process is relatively simple and doesn’t require a lot of upfront investment. The key is finding a niche product, sourcing it from a reliable supplier, listing your product on Amazon, driving traffic to your listing, and getting sales.

Who Is Eligible to Get a Mortgage With Zero Down?

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Mortgage With Zero Down|Who Is Eligible to Get a Mortgage With Zero DownBuying a home should be accessible to all, regardless of how much you can afford to put down on a mortgage. Fortunately, homebuyers don’t need 20 percent down anymore to qualify. Take advantage of one of the many programs designed to help get you into a home for less money down.

You can apply for a mortgage with zero down and move into your own home now. You don’t have to wait until you scrape together a sizable down payment to achieve this dream. But who is eligible for a mortgage with zero down? Let’s explore the options available to potential homebuyers seeking more affordable alternatives. Read on to learn if you qualify and start the process now.

What Is a Zero-Down Home Mortgage?

Lenders typically require down payments to offset the chances of defaulting on a loan. The idea is, the more up-front investment you have in the property, the less likely you are to default. This large down payment prevents many potential buyers from owning a home. Removing the obstacle of needing to put 20 percent down opens the door to more future buyers. Lenders who offer these programs understand that a mortgage with zero down makes homeownership accessible. Qualifying borrowers are now able to purchase a home without a down payment.

Often, borrowers who could not afford to put 20 percent down had to wait to purchase a home. Fortunately, with a zero-down payment loan, you can still qualify for a loan. Look for lenders that offer zero-down mortgages or government-backed loans.

Are There Options for No Down Payments?

One option is to take advantage of a government-backed loan and buy your house without a down payment. These loans are designed to make it easier to qualify for a mortgage, especially if you are struggling to save enough for a down payment. They are insured by an agency of the federal government, reducing the risks for a lender. The agency insures the loan amount. If a borrower cannot repay the loan, the lender is protected. Less risk frees up the lender to offer lower rates and low- to no-down payment options.

If you are a first-time homebuyer, you may be eligible for more options. What qualifies you as a first-time buyer? This varies from lender to lender, but if you haven’t bought property anywhere in the world, chances are you will qualify. Keep in mind these restrictions: if you have inherited property, your partner has bought property, or you own foreign property.

Apply directly to a private lender that offers these government-backed loans. They will help you better understand if you are eligible. Two of the more common loans offered by lenders are USDA and FHA loans. Let’s look at both to see if you are eligible for either.


USDA Loans

USDA loans are backed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). These loans are in place to encourage development in rural and suburban areas. There are several types of USDA loans available, but to qualify, you must meet both financial and regional requirements.

These loans are great for borrowers with low-to-moderate incomes who are looking to purchase in a rural area. The exact income requirements vary from loan to loan, so it’s important to check with your lender when applying. However, a typical gauge is as follows: a credit score of at least 640, household income not exceeding 115 percent of the county’s median income, and debt-to-income ratio no higher than 45 percent.

USDA loans are also subject to location. Meant to increase development in rural areas, the home must be located within a certain zone to be eligible. Check with the USDA Rural Development to see if the house you are considering is eligible. To qualify, you must also live in your home as a single-family primary residence.

If you qualify, a USDA loan offers reduced rates that may allow you to apply closing costs to the total loan amount. Additionally, no down payment is required, and both the mortgage insurance premium and the annual premium are lower than FHA loans. However, you cannot remove the mortgage insurance like you can with an FHA loan.

FHA Loans

FHA loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration and have fewer restrictions to qualify. You may want to consider an FHA loan if you are a first-time homebuyer, though it’s not a requirement. These loans are considered low-down payment loans. Obtain an FHA loan with as little as 3.5 percent down.

What are the requirements for an FHA loan? You must plan on living in the house as your primary residence and be ready to move within 60 days of closing. You will also have to pay mortgage insurance for the life of the loan unless you put 10 percent or more down. Consider an FHA loan with plans to refinance to a conventional loan once you’ve built 20 percent equity.
A considerable advantage to this loan is allowances for anyone with financial issues in their credit history. If you have a bankruptcy or a lower credit score, you may still be able to qualify.

What If I Am Not Eligible for a Government-Backed Loan?

You can choose a lender that makes zero-down home loans available to all borrowers. These programs are designed especially for first-time buyers, anyone struggling to make a down payment, or current homeowners looking to purchase their next home without having to tap into their retirement or sell their homes first.

Not all lenders offer these programs, so shop around. Ask lenders what the options are for a mortgage with zero down.

Solarity Credit Union, based in Washington State, offers Home Now, a mortgage with zero-down, featuring waived lender fees and reduced private mortgage insurance (PMI). Or take advantage of a USDA home loan. Solarity Home Loan Guides will review your income and credit, and recommend the best loan for your circumstances.