How to find a business consultant?.

If you starting a business then you might not be experienced except if you have a MBA and  worked for a company. Then again if it is a large company then you might be experienced in certain aspects of doing business. If you were a sales agent no doubt you have no experience in human resource tasks. Unless you have switched into that department. 

Then when you starting a business small or on a large scale. Then you need a consultant from time to time. For your business strategies or setting up a marketing plan. Also if you have a issue with outsourcing then you can get advice. What if you need a search optimization expert?. No matter what, if you need help you can find an expert like a buisness consultant to help you out. This post will show you how to find and what you need to know before  you get consulting.

Get a clear idea of what type of business consultant you are looking for.

If you are going to start a buisness on a large scale. Then you need a business consultant that help you creating a marketing plan, who have knowledge of supply chain. This person can mostly connect you to B2B companies who are supplying the goods to other companies. If you starting a business online then you need to find a consultant who is a expert in doing online business. You might not need a consultant in the early stage setting up a business on budget. When you grow in due time you want to expand then you need expertise.

How long, how deep and where is the location of consulting.

You need a clear vision of the consulting period. This might be full-time or part-time. Some consultants do the job from their office or on the location where you want to meet them. If it is at a factory when your co-workers need short advice to learn new things. If it is about a new buisness process and the sales department need to know how to operate with Skype. This might be the case this coaching will be done by a consultant. Of course you need a quote then you can be specific what you need to get a tailor made solution. Then of course you can get quotes from different consultants to find the right one who offers the relevant price.

Get information from your network.

If you have worked at a company and you are going to be the next big timer with starting a business of your own then you have a network build up at the company you have worked. Then you can find ex-collegues to find out if they know experts in those field when you need support. Of course your family and friends who you know and gained trust from past few years are the best connections to find a business consultant. If you go to the local bar for a drink then you might bump into ex-classmates. Then you can get more information about finding the right business consultant for the right price.

On social media you can explore buisness consultants.

On Linkdin.com you can find experts of all the markets. You can get quotes and ask if they know about the matters that concerns building up your business. There are people with connections on social media that can help you out. You can get into depth of how much knowledge a business consultant has about the issues that matter you. Also you can find out how much experience a business a consultant has within the industry you are planning to set up a business. You can look for testimonials of how fruitful these consultants have been. 

Check freelancer marketplaces.

There are many freelance websites. But do not fall for the low prices. You need a qualified individual who handles the buisness the right way. It is all about quality. Depending on what type you going to start then you can find online a good business consultant that is going to help you out. On the sites like Upwork.com, Guru.com, Freelancer.com or Fiverr.com you can type in the right keywords into the search box and find what type of consultant you are looking for.   

Quick guide to start a dropshipping business.

If you want more information about making money online with your own dropshipping business then read on. You might have lots of ideas of your own, if you are new to making money online with dropshipping. But to lower the risks of creating a website and paying for monthly hosting then you can narrow down the niche to specific product such as fishing poles. 

HOW DROPSHIPPING WORKS.

What is dropshipping according to e-commerce dictionary?

Ecommerce Dictionary

dropshipping: A business model that you can use to run your store without ever holding any inventory. When you make a sale, your supplier will ship your products from their warehouse, straight to your customer’s doorstep. You’ll never need to worry about storing, packaging, or shipping your products 

THIS IS A QUICK VIEW OF DROPSHIPPING.

1. The visitors come to your store for example (Shopify.com). And they pay a 100 USD for a product.

2. You send out the order to the supplier and you pay the wholesale price of 65 USD for that product.

3. The product will be shipped to the customer by the supplier.

4. You will make 35 USD profit and you can re-invest this money in your business. 

WHAT ARE THE PRO AND CONS OF DROPSHIPPING?

Before you start a business you need to know what the good things are about starting a business and about the minor parts. You might have a certain vision about how you are going to start a dropshipping business.

THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT DROPSHIPPING.

Easy to start.

Without any prior experience and without a large budget you can start a dropshipping business. There is load off your back that you do not need any stocks and you can place the orders at suppliers site and the goods will be shipped to the customers.

You will get the opportunity to grow.

If you are not rushing and you can expand in due time. Your days will exist out of taking care of marketing and generating sales. You can grow at a pace you want and the investments are not going to be huge.

Dropshipping is really flexible.

All you need is an Internet connection and a laptop.You can add products to your website. You will a boss and you can set your own rules and do not have to take orders from no one. You do not have to stock inventory to sell to the customers. 

Easy to manage.

All you need is a website where you post your products and you can automate this process of sending orders to the suppliers. This means you can manage your store and do marketing to generate profits. All the customer service issues you can handle by your self. 

DROPSHIPPING CONS.

Low profit margins.

It is easy to have the idea in your mind and it is possible to make money with dropshipping. All you need is the determination. You are not the only one who is selling products bought from suppliers. The low competition markets are the most lucrative ones. You can do research to find where you can generate lots of money by tapping into these markets. 

No control.

This one of the issues when it comes to making money as a dropshipper. You will have to believe the supplier that those persons send out your goods to customers. You have no control of stocks, shipping and order fulfillment.

Tough customer service.

Lack of control make the customer complaints tougher to handle. You do not have the overview if the supplier have send out goods and if the customer received the goods. You might get the blame when these things go wrong. To keep the customers happy you will need to take the responsibility.

 How to get traffic.

You can do pay-per-click advertising. Run Facebook ads to generate traffic. Also you can comment on blogs to build backlinks. I think Adwords is one of the best ways to get traffic. This means you will have to pay when visitors click on your ads.

How to follow-up your prospects?.

 

You will have to approach your prospects without annoying. You will have to do a research first if the products fits the prospects needs. After that you can contact them through the phone. It can be annoying to the prospects when you contact them too often. The real battle occurs when you got to follow-up and get them to buy. 

You can decide if it the phone or the email.

You can pick out of the options if you are going to call or send e-mail. It is up to you to decide what will sooth you. There are pros and cons when it comes to these options. Nowadays if your prospects perfer you can contact them through Skype for example. This will give more of a personal touch than just flat selling or buying.

E-mails.

This can be more soothing because it gives you more detailed status of the proposals and it is detailed. This can be send to other employees and marked as read, important or and save for later. Then again there are lots of e-mails received everyday. If the prospects do not work accurate then it might cause lots of misunderstandings.

Phone calls.

This is can touch you in a more personal manner than e-mail. There is a contact established and you can discuss matters what come up at that moment. This can be a better way to get the prospects to convert. Phone calls are more personal and can be seen as more personal and can build a relationship with your customers.

Be more informal to approach the prospects.

Other than e-mails and phone calls there are other ways to approach prospects. This can be text-messages too.

Text-messages.

Text messages are read with in three minutes. Ten out of nine text messages are read within this time frame. This can be also touchy and more personal and you can offer discounts and call-for-action text messages to convert the prospects. You can quickly get your messages through to get the customers who are interested. 

Social media.

This is good way to get your prospects interested in your new products. You can send them messages and get them to engage with you to offer them upgrades. This is also a great way for the customer support to solve problems. On social media you can post your new products to get more traffic to your products on your website.

Provide more appealing and new information.

To get more customers you need to appeal a certain way the market work. It is needed to offer more information and new information through any of these above mentioned channels. You need to offer a taylor-made proposals to the prospects and find out why they are interested in your products. And get them at the right moment to convert.

Prepare your prospect for a next step.

Once you have contact the propects then get them interested for the next step. Give them a more clear idea what the next step is going to be. Get them interested in the advantages. If they ask for a quote or a proposal then you can discuss when they want a phone call or a contact moment through Skype.

Do not follow-up too often.

How do you follow-up to get the prospects to convert?. You want to get into touch with the propspects soon as possible. And this might be the case but you need to plan a schedule and stick to it. If you contact the prospects too often then you can be make an impression as annoying. 

Keep your cool for a while.

If your phone calls do not work or the e-mails then wait for two days. Offer relevant solutions that can solve the customer's problems. It can be annoying if you call or contact the prospects through the e-mail too often. Then you need to find out why they have not converted. Offer through social media for example more appealing solutions.

 

How to connect with customers to build a relationship?.

We are all unique and we all have different needs and we can not be all treated the same. That is also with the customer's approach. If you are salesman then you know that cold calls can not be dialed at any moment of the day. After prospecting you need to approach the customer at the moment they find okay. You have many possibilities to connect with the customer. You can connect through the phone, social media, e-mail or even video calls.

It is not okay to only reach the customers when you want their money. You are the care taker. Their problem is your problem. You must feel their need to satisfy it. Just place your self in their shoes. You do not want to be treated like another number, but as an individual that breathe and live under the same sun as the customer. Through listening and taking closer look at the market and it's trends you can generate profits for a long time.

Start a consumer-centric conversation.

When a customers come to your store. You need to give them a chance to look around before you attack them with your sales pitch. Talk to the customers about brands you sell and do not overdo the task of guts and glory about your store. Give the customers the reasons to give their opinions and ask if they could not find the products they are looking for else where. You are going to help these customers out and that is your main goal. Offer information about alternative products you sell and give them price indications. 

Show the customers that you appreciate them.

Your profits come from the customers and that is the main part. It is matter of fact that you need tobuild a good relationship with your customers to maintain your business for a long term. You have plans to expand that means that you need more customers. To attract clientele you need to be honest and help them out. You are not the only sea in the fish. If you want to a marketshare then you need to make the customer feel comfortable with your brand or coming to your store. You can send holiday wishes to your customers and give discounts to generate more sales.

Appeal to your customers in a soothing manner.

If you are an owner of the clothing brand then your catalogue exsits out of also out of baggy pants, hoodie sweaters, baseball caps and of the streetwear clothing. Then you need to connect with you customers making ads to show on Youtube.com for example with rap music in the background and hip hop models wearing your clothing. This way you catch the attention of that part of particular market that might be interested in your streetwear clothing. If you sell a exotic soda drink then appeal to the crowd in your television ads showing them the paradise you bring with your flavours of soda. 

Give your sales pitch a personal touch.

You can ask about where a customer lives or what kind of car this person drives. Do not be rude sell in a agrressive manner. You are regular person just as the customer. It is mutual benefits when it comes to buying and selling. You need the customer to sell them the products they need and you get paid for this. If you are not careful then one by one might be dissapointed if you are only after the customers money. You do not have to rub it in. They know that and they know that you know that they need your help. The sales pitch can contain a personal touch.

Offer a reliable customer service.

Go that extra mile for the customers. Give them a piece of mind that they wish after purchasing your products or services. You need to make the whole staff dedicated to the tasks that are delegated to that certain department. You need happy customers. Help them out when they are in trouble. If customers come after buying your products with a complaint then offer them alternatives. Gift cards for example. You also can give discounts on their next purchase. You should not be available when you want to generate profits but also after sales is also a part of the job.  

Checklist for improving your business.

It is a matter of fact that you want to make lots of money from day one of your business. But is this realistic?. If you starting out you can map your business, if you have the proper vision to to take action for the next 10 years, 20 years or even 30 years. You need to adapt to new trends to be effective and save time and money. You can not imagine this new age that you can do business without a computer or a cell phone. I have found this information that I would like to present to you. These few points will help you improve your business in due time.

Keep a record of finacial status.

There are small businesses that have a overview of financial records. Daily cashflow, liquids and of couse the turnover and costs. Nowadays you can find a project management software to keep your bookkeeping intact. This means that you know what you are doing and you can plan ahead to focus on improving your business to grow. 

Be effective when marketing your business.

Do not overlook the conventional marketing methods like newspapers, radio or TV. Also you can market your business by printing out flyers handing it to people on the streets or delivering into their post box. If you have a budget in mind then plan your marketing activities within the borders and do not fall for get into hall of fame fantasies. There are marketing firms that offer your good deals if you want your soda brand to get a name. You can promote your products with Adwords. 

Set realistic goals.

If you are going to launch a clothing brand then do not expect that you will be the next Tommy Hilfiger within 5 years. There are competitors you need to set your brand apart from others. How are you going to do that? First of all your brand name and logo need to be catchy. Who are your market?. And what type of profits are you gaining? What is your production cost budget? And what are you willing to spend on marketing?

Keep a close eye on the market trends.

What are the ups and downs that move your crowd?. If the flavour of the regular Coca-Cola is not enough for the current market then they can get Vanilla Coke or Cherry Coke. If you want to fight the competition then you need to be unique. If you want to get a piece of the marketshare then you need to appeal as the trends are set by your favorite sport persona, actor or pop star. If people's favorite rap star wear Gucci or Nike then no doubt a 16 year kid from The Bronx, New York is going to wear that too. 

Present your business to get people a clear idea.

When people walk into your store they will know what you are selling and what types of prices you charge. There are low budget supermarkets that do not unpack their goods out of packaging and the price is relevant. Then there are supermarkets that offer real smooth looking displays and customer service. The employees who work in those supermarkets are often more skilled and the prices is higher than discount supermarkets. People who live in a discount supermarket area will do most of their foodshopping at that supermarket. But image matter. See back in the days you can tell a punk rock fan from a country music fan. 

Focus on generating sales and upsells.

Start a conversation to find out the needs of the customer. If you are worker at a shoe store then give the customer the chance to look around. Do not breathe in their neck. People feel uncomfortable if they feel like they are constantly watched. Approach the customers after you get a the idea they can not make a decision. Some people have the money but can not make a choice. Then you can solve their problem to satisfy their initial need. If they came for a pair of Nike Air Max 95. Then you can ask if they need Nike Air Jordan sport socks too.     

How to get a clear vision of what customers think about your business?.

 

If businesses like Coca-Cola and Nike do not research what people think about their businesses then they did not got that image what they have now. To find out what customers think about your business you can do several things. Image plays big part nowadays. If your brand name's lettertype do not appeal to your targeted audience then you might leave money on the table.

Organize a survey online.

There are lots of sites that you can turn to get this done. Such as Swagbucks.com, Neobucks.com or Ciao.uk.com. You can find out what is your company missing out. Why the customers buy from a other business owner than you. You can find out about your packaging and delivery. If the customer service is friendly or the website is user friendly.

Turn to a marketing research firm.

Marketing research firms go out on the street to get information about products or companies. They have skilled workers that have communication skills to talk to people on the street to get information. They record all the information with surveys and they can hand out samples to get an idea if the flavour is different from the competition. This can save you time if you outsource these tasks to a marketing research firm.

Give out discount coupons at stands on location.

If you own a soda brand then you can give out samples to taste to customers on location. You can get to know why they rather buy your soda or competition's soda. If you own a shoe brand then you can find out on location which sports personality you should sponsor. You can create a survey online to find out what customers want you to improve. Why they are saying this. 

Get an idea why people are buying from you and why not.

If your business' name is spreading word-a-mouth then you can organize an annually meeting with prospects to find out why they are want to buy from you and how you can generate more profits. Especially if you are a B2B company. Then you can pick up the phone and dial prospects numbers and find out more information why they have not converted yet. 

Organize a contest with prizes for a survey.

If you organize a contest to give out prizes in return for a survey. This is often online. You can send out through mail too. Print flyers and be colourful and show the people the prizes and get them interested to get involved in your company. Or you can organize a bingo and give out prizes that you sponsor to get people's idea about your business in return.

Organize customer interviews.

You can ask for prospects Skype address or phone number to get idea of the image the customers have about your business. If you own a sneaker store. Then of course you have a website this means you can keep a sales records to find out what people often buy and what budget they have and if the upsells are in what demographics. At the end of the day it is all about the profits. 

Start a conversation.

You can start a conversation to find out what the customers need to be changed and what they likes your products. Listen to customers closely. If it is about your business' image then start a conversation about this topic. And dig deeper into aspects that concern the matter. Get more details about a specific topic. These conversations give you idea how your company is preceived by the customers and what they are expecting to get when they step in your store or visit your site. 

Ask your customers why they are not buying from you.

It might the price, location or even how the products look like. If you are a supermarket owner. Then you know that there are more supermarkets in your city. If it is the location people do not care about that extra 10 cent or 50 cent if their need is satisfied within 15 minutes. Then you know you need to find out if there are people from other locations come to your store.  

How to outsource to generate more sales?.

The times are changed and there are changes made in the game of making money with doing business. There are companies that can not afford to hire people do all the vital tasks. Therefore outsourcing is a pretty good option to get a load off their backs. The term outsourcing might be not that well known couple of decades ago. But nowadays it is getting known to business people and companies to save money. Outsourcing to experts with the proper knowledge to do the job is getting more terrain. 

Outsource to experts.

Outsourcing to companies with the proper knowledge and expertise that can do the job better is a good way to save your company money. Delegate the task to right department can be a quite expensive when you have to hire a whole bunch of people to do the job. Then you will have to train those people in case they are not fully qualified. You can not expect the human resource manager to do the cold calling like your companies sales agent. Get a clear idea how you are going to outsouce and what tasks and what department.

Outsource to generate more income.

It is the best to delegate tasks to generate more money. There are supermarkets that outsource the tasks of delivering their goods to consumers. This can mean that the company do not have to buy trucks to deliver and hire their own employees. If there is the proper expertise owned by those outsourcing companies then they can generate more profits by working efficient and being more productive. This will save your employees time to focus on other money generating activities. 

Outsource to increase your company's knowledge and value.

This means you can add more value to your business along with the knowledge. If your workers are highly skilled then they know what they are doing. Then they will execute their tasks to the fullest. You need do some sort of research before you outsource the tasks. Once you know what tasks to outsource then the tasks will be executed by the outsourcing company. There are for example sales firms that will take the load off your back to cold call or approach people on the street to help you get more sales. This means they bring in added value your business by offering their knowledge to work for you. 

Outsource to expand.

For the expansion of your business then this is a good option. This means with the expertise of those outsourcing companies you can reach your customers with ease. The key factor is the knowledge and skills those outsourcing companies posses. This can mean that you can generate more sales or produce more to expand in due time. By saving time other departments can focus on their main activities and give their best shot. 

These are the advantages of outsourcing.

Outsourcing is called channel sales or indirect sales. This is when a company hires a third-party to do the job. This can save you daily costs. They work with a revenue model. If there is no sales generated then the outsourcing company charges nothing. Also there are companies with their own sales teams. The company pays even there are no sales generated. There are also fewer departments a company have to deal with in this case. There are pleny firms that take over the sales deparment or production department. There are lots of options for a business owner to pick from when it comes to outsourcing companies. 

Idea's for outsourcing buyers.

Come up with a project plan prior to outsourcing. Before the service providers can give you a quote they need a clear proposal. This can be same as hiring people to do other tasks. To match the needs you need a clear vision before getting started. It is all about the quality and do not let lower prices get you souped up. Start with small projects first.