1. Marketing to Established Business Clients
General introduction to the seminar. Introduce yourself and what you do at the SBDC.

2. Definition of a Workshop
An educational seminar or series of meetings emphasizing interaction and exchange of information among a usually small number of participants:

3. Today’s Goals
Share information from your past successes in obtaining & keeping established clients.
Enliven interaction.
Stimulate consultants to increase number of long term established clients.

4. Gary owns a small local chain of fast food restaurants
Gary owns a small local chain of fast food restaurants. He explains to you:
“I want to be more strategic in running my business. At one time I might have thought it was not that important, but the more I have been involved with my company and see the gaps it has, the more I feel I need to be very purposeful about more things. I wrote a business plan early on in the business, but it does not seem to reflect my current challenges and opportunities. Every time I try to block out some time to work on these bigger picture issues, I seem to get sucked into the day to day minutia. I don’t feel in control of my time – or the future of my business – at all.”
Gary views you as a mentor and successful business person. What suggestions would you give him?
Talk about what the SBDC has to offer, how you can help them during the start up process as well as when their business progresses. As a disclaimer it should be stated that the SBDC can not do everything for everyone.

5. Discussion
- Discussion
- Comments
- Questions

6. My QUESTION
How can I stimulate a business owner’s interest in our services?
Talk about what the SBDC has to offer, how you can help them during the start up process as well as when their business progresses. As a disclaimer it should be stated that the SBDC can not do everything for everyone.

7. Strategies to Acquire Grade A Valued Clients
Advertise
- Newspaper articles on successes, new business ribbon cuttings
- Local Radio Interviews
Network
- Attend Community Functions
- Chamber & Civic Organization Events
- Interaction with business owners, pass out business cards,
SBDC brochures, flyers
Talk about what the SBDC has to offer, how you can help them during the start up process as well as when their business progresses. As a disclaimer it should be stated that the SBDC has experts in many areas, but, can not do everything for everyone.

8. Strategies to Acquire Grade A Valued Clients (continued)…
Visit commercial lenders to market services and resources.
Build a relationship
Become a valued resource to help them
Gain their respect and trust
Ask for referrals
Let them become a stakeholder
Ask for contribution. They then will expect a return on their investment and make referrals.
Most referrals come from stakeholders.

9. Marketing to Business Owners who don’t attend community events
Do what successful sales persons do
MAKE COLD CALLS
to describe SBDC free resources
Call and try to make an appointment
Make an unscheduled visit and ask to speak to the owner
Leave SBDC brochures/flyers

10. Ask them if they are happy with their profitability.
MY QUESTION
Ask them if they are happy with their profitability.

11. “Revenues minus expenses equal Profits”.
Profitability:
Is a simple concept that can be boiled
down to five words:
“Revenues minus expenses equal Profits”.
But the execution of this simple concept is anything but simple.

12. MY QUESTION
Do you have a strategy?

13. Examples of revenue growth strategies:
Sell more to existing customers
Develop a new product line
Increase the number of distributors carrying products throughout the local area and beyond
Expand into additional national and even international markets

14. Examples of revenue growth strategies (continued)…
Add features to existing products that allow us to grow revenues and/or maintain and/or grow prices
Increase business advertising and tradeshow visibility
Hire new sales staff and improve training for existing ones

15. Activities designed to manage the efficiency of expenses:
Getting better deals on raw material and purchases
Increasing employee productivity
Reducing overhead expenses

16. Sustained Competitive Advantage
A company’s strategies enable it to maintain above average profitability for a number of years.

17. “If you don’t have a strategy you will be...
part of somebody else’s strategy.”
-Alvin Toffler

18. Discussion
- Discussion
- Comments
- Questions

19. “The essence of strategy lies in creating tomorrow’s competitive advantage faster than competitors mimic the ones you possess today.”
Gary Hamel & C. K. Prahalad

20. MY QUESTION What would the company like to achieve?
A good vision is meant to stretch a company by articulating an ambitious but attainable future state

21. Internal Analysis Includes review of:
Company’s resources & capabilities
Company-specific competencies

22. Internal Analysis What does the company do? Who is being satisfied
- what customer groups?
What is being satisfied
- what customer needs?
How are customer needs being satisfied
- by what skills, knowledge, or distinctive competencies?

23. Defining the Business

24. Making Short Time Clients Long Term clients
Keep in contact
Make follow up phone calls
Make on-site visits
business news articles
Provide a value
Develop a relationship
Talk about what the SBDC has to offer, how you can help them during the start up process as well as when their business progresses. As a disclaimer it should be stated that the SBDC can not do everything for everyone.

25. Discussion
- Discussion
- Comments
- Questions
RECAP

26. THE END While I might see my office as a
physical location with clients and
stakeholders coming in and flowing out, all my office is, really, is a series of relationships.
THE END
Michele is buying the drinks 