2 Specific Ways to Double Your Small Business Sales in the Next 30 Days

With unemployment rates climbing rapidly towards 10% and the credit markets frozen, most small business owners would try almost any methods to double their business in the next 30 days.

And the exciting news is that it is possible in any local market. All it requires is a sound strategy and getting back to the basics.

This may not sound sexy and exciting but is an almost guaranteed way to put money in your pocket.

So if you can have just one marketing method right now to grow your business what be the one strategy that you give you the highest return on investment?

1) Finding and Recruiting JV Partners.

The fastest way to grow your business is to sell directly to another small business owner who already has a list of qualified prospects. Preferably the ones who compliment your services.

I understand that you may be hesitant to approach a JV partner or brace the subject with them. But if you find the right partner you can literally dominate your local market.

If you are a doctor, you could team up with a local dentist. Imagine a cross endorsement or promotion. Think of the revenue share and ability to double your market share overnight.

I found one of the best way to target savy joint venture partners with some really good marketing chops is to use Google.

Here is a strategy I use quite effectively. Let’s say you are a Doctor in Chicago and looking to connect with a local dentist. Just type in dentists in Chicago in the Google search box. Any marketing savvy business will appear either in the organic or paid search area.

This is where you can connect with professionals to build a relationship and if you are able to put together a team of JV partners, you can dominate your local market.

Don’t make the mistake of finding only one JV partner.

Think about it: how many times have you heard someone comment, “I can’t get anyone to promote my offer”? Or, maybe you’ve said it yourself?

Don’t ever let that stop you. Now is the time to embrace the change and do what’s required to dominate.

2) Profiting from Pay Per Click Marketing.

Ah the mysteries of PPC marketing. Does it really work? Well the real question… why is Google a billion dollar company if online marketing does not work?

If you talk to people who are new to pay per click (PPC) marketing, you’ll often hear horror stories of folks dumping hundreds or even thousands of dollars into AdWords with nothing to show for it.

They don’t gather leads, they don’t make sales.

Next thing you know, these struggling small business marketers are posting on forums, “AdWords doesn’t work.” Of course those that make a profit every day (sometimes to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars) know differently. And with a little guidance, the struggling PPC marketers could start turning a profit, too.

But the keys to success and doubling your leads are quite simple

Measure the return on investment of PPC dollars spent. Only invest money if your returns are high.
Develop the system to turn leads into dollar. 80% of PPC marketing is actual conversion of leads.
Create a simple system to test and track their way to success.
Don’t ever outsource your PPC advertising to any telemarketers who solicits you over the phone. This is almost a recipe for disaster.

These simple steps alone with the right long term strategy can almost double your leads and sales in the next 30 days.

As a CPA in practice in Southern California, I see business of all shapes, sizes, and types. I have seen firsthand the effects of globalization and our current recession on the small businesses in our area. I have seen many good businesses close their doors because they can no longer compete with overseas labor. According to the SBA Office of Advocacy data, small businesses are job creators. Their data and research shows that small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all firms; they create more than half of the private non-farm gross domestic product; and they create 60 to 80 percent of the net new jobs.

To say that anything that hinders the effectiveness of American small business affects America is not an understatement. Currently, legislation is being debated in the Senate called, “The Employee Free Choice Act”. Implementation of this act as currently presented would effectively eliminate the ability of small business to compete in a global labor market by favoring unionization at the small employer level. In my mind, anything that further hamstrings small business in this recession affects America at a fundamental economic level.

That’s why I went with the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce this past week to lobby against this legislation in Washington D.C. There were delegations representing small business across the country, including chambers from all over California, Indiana, South Dakota, Florida, and Texas. It was a whirlwind trip of two days. It began Tuesday evening with a reception at the US Chamber of Commerce building where we briefed on the details of the bill, along with who the current supporters of the bill were. Wednesday nearly 200 hundred of us were bused to the capital where we met with our Congressmen and women and the State Senators to voice our opinions. It was a tremendous experience that I think everyone should experience once in their life.

Here’s what we communicated with our legislators:

This act, if implemented as currently written, would dramatically increase the way in which union organizers can establish a union in a work place. Currently, when a group of employees indicates that they might want to unionize, the National Labor Board is brought in to hold a secret ballot election. This proposed legislation eliminates that step. Additionally, if passed, the union would be permitted to automatically form once 50% plus one of the employees is signed up.

The most disconcerting part of this process is that the sign-ups could take place in the workplace or at the employee’s homes, allowing union organizers going door-to-door urging people to sign up. We communicated to our legislators that we believe that the decision to join a union or not should not be one that is made under intimidation, be it from the employer or the union! We let them know that that decision should be made secretly; in the same way we elect our government officials to represent us.

Another clause in the act would require the union and the employer to come to an agreement within 120 days. It provides that if an agreement is not reached during this time, a government official would step in and pick between the proposals of both sides. We feel that it is inappropriate for the government bureaucrats to dictate to business owners and employees their work rules, pay, and benefits.

Anything that makes American labor less efficient is almost always a bad idea. In our current economic downturn, it could be catastrophic. Union favoritism as expressed in “The Employee Free Choice Act” will force more jobs overseas, positioning American labor to be even less competitive in a difficult global market. Increasing the speed at which jobs leave America will only encourage us to create short-term solutions that do not fix long-term problems, jeopardizing the foundation that small business provides our economy.

Make your voice known today. Contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives and remind them about the detrimental effect this legislation will have on U.S. small businesses, the backbone of the American economy.

Copyright (c) 2009 Nick Hodges