As a Business owner you have vendors, products, services you need to support your Business. This presents opportunities for Business Consultants to come in and provide a free consultation. Evaluating challenges, concerns and coming up with solutions for those needs. I have always told myself before I can earn a living, I need to help others do so. It sounds foolish but I believe in the “what goes around, comes around” law.
Let’s say you're in B2B Sales like I am, and you offer ice to Restaurants. Don’t only go in to help with ice but if you have a network of professionals who can help the owner “Dave” who you may see a struggle with Marketing and you know someone who possibly can help refer “Dave” to them. No guarantees just s referral. Dave and the Marketer may be super grateful you did.
Considerations for Business Owners, this year I would encourage you to re-evaluate all of your expenses. Here are some areas to consider but remember this will not fix itself. You’ll need to do it or have someone do this because itll take time. We can also help get these expenses for an hourly rate.
- Utlities – believe it or not if you call and ask for a discount most of the Utility companies have promotions, discounts for energy and more. Gas, Power, Water. Can't hurt to ask. When we have helped our Partners in these areas, they save 15-25%. Every bit of savings helps.
- Merchant Services – you may not think of it but asking for a lower rate normally helps but just know the majority of processors do raise rates every 6-12 months. You’ll need to evaluate this often. We help in this area and if you Partner with us, we will waive any fees to help reduce rates with your current provider. We provide a detailed report of how you can save.
- Point of Sale – this is also another monthly expense which adds up with monthly add ons, Saas fees and more. We can help negotiate what you're paying and ask to remove services which may not be necessary as they once were. Taking a Saas fee from $300 down to $129 or lower can add to your bottom line. We offer a free consultation.
- Staff – Did you know with the right technology you would need less staff? With the right Point of Sale, you can reduce staff needs by 2-4 people. I’ve seen it. Using QR Codes, Mobile Payments and Online ordering You do not need a staff member to wait on you. Done properly you can have self-seating with QR codes on the tables, on a board outside for Pick up and so much more.
- Vendors – Sometimes it makes sense to shop for new vendors who can sell you the products at a discount to earn your Business. I am not saying to quit a vendor I am saying have options. Your meat supplier or other vendors may be rising their prices so keeping comparisons do help.
Considerations for Business Consultants, whether you call yourself a consultant or an agent let's think about ways we can help our Merchants for their good and when you do that it comes back around to you. Let's start!
- First meeting – When approaching a potential new client ask questions that may reveal their pain points. It’s important to know why you were invited into their domain. Merchants are busy people and not everyone gets invited to the table. So when the opportunity is there find out what it is they need help with. Sometimes it may not even be the reason your invited. It could be the main issue they dont want help with but other processes, policies, employee issues their seeking advice on. If they allow you to introject your thoughts, then consider wht you may say beforehand as to be prepared.
- Follow up – After you have heard all of the pain points and they have made it clear what they seek from you then consider the time frame when to reconvene. Make sure you give yourself enough time to research the matter out as to be prepared for the meeting. Being transparent and honest is key to an ongoing partnership. It’s ok to not have the answer but make sure to have the answer(s) on the follow up.
- New Services – When you have heard the areas, they seek your opinion and solutions; introduce maybe some new ideas you believe can really help. It may be something they haven’t considered yet. That’s what your here for. Remember, your there to help and if a new service or product is a good fit sell it. Sometimes you may want to offer it for free if it's a new product or service and you're not sure how it will work out. This could be a try and test but think about the success of it and how your next client could benefit from a testimonial.
- Be Ready – Once you have foudn solutions and are ready to help make sure you bill for your time properly. Being upfront about cost is crucial. You do not want to seem like you're winging it. Know how to give an account for the time and effort it will take to resolve the challenges. If you care about their Business and see that with your thoughtful process, they will appreciate it. Always ask for referrals and recommendations.
If you're a Business seeking a referral for a specific need contact my office. I have a network of Professionals which may be able to help with your specific need. I will do my Best to help.
