New Business Development – Page 45

The Revival Of The Travel Agent

Four years ago,
many people declared
travel agencies to be
a dead business.

It was super easy
to book flights
and hotels
and other vacations
online.
There was no need
to pay a middle person
to handle that.

In today’s environment
of climate change
and pandemics,
wars
and strike actions,
that has all changed.

Many people would love
to pay extra
not to have to worry
about all of that.
They would pay
to have someone else
monitor situations
and quickly rebook travel
and accommodations.

The key words
there are quickly
and monitor.

But those two requirements
are made easier
with AI.
Alerts can be set up.
Alternatives can be offered.

Dead industries
aren’t always dead forever.

Consider basing a new business
on one of them.

Flexibility As A Selling Point

Yesterday,
I talked about how
the world is challenged right now
and flexibility will be
key to success
going forward.

Flexibility will also
be a key selling point
for products/services
going forward.

It WILL influence
more and more buying decisions.

Flexibility could look like…

Offering cancellation insurance.

Making it easy for customers
to rebook services.

Allowing customers
to change delivery times.

Giving customers
a credit
when they cancel.

Allowing customers
to switch from pick up
to delivery.

Accommodating customers
with last minute bookings
or changes.

Flexibility WILL be
a selling point.

Can you factor flexibility
into your product or service?

Flexibility Will Be Key

A loved one and I
were planning to go on vacation
soon.

This vacation will likely
be postponed
due to a strike.

We’ll be okay financially
as we had planned
for a possible delay.

We had thought that delay
would be
climate change
or pandemic (COVID or the next one)
related.

It was a strike,
something entirely different.

Flexibility will be key
to success
going forward.

Try to make your plans
as flexible as possible
AND
try to increase
your customers’ flexibility
when using
your products/services.

Things happen.
They will continue
to happen.
Plan for that.

What Items Should You Buy In Bulk?

It is the Costco dilemma.

Yes, an item purchased in bulk
is usually substantially less expensive
per unit
than if it was bought separately
but do we really need
a two year supply of it?

I look at my monthly consumption
of the item.
I use a LOT of
white printer paper,
for example.
That might be a good item
to bulk buy.

I also look at how generic it is.
I give away
a lot of stickers
featuring my romance novel covers
every month
but I change the design
of those stickers often
so different covers are featured.
Bulk buying a year’s worth
of stickers
would be a waste of funds.

I look at the storage space needed.
I use a lot of white printer paper
and it IS generic
but that paper is bulky
and it has to be stored
in a dry place.

I look at
the use by date.
If it perishes quickly
and I don’t use it quickly,
it isn’t a good candidate
for a bulk buy.

I look at
sharing potential.
Does another business
want to split
the bulk buy?

An item bought in bulk
is only a great deal
if we use it.

Evaluate bulk purchases
before making them.

Celebrate Results

We’ve been fortunate
to have quite a few
bumble bees
in our neighborhood.

Bumble bee numbers
have been decreasing
significantly
the world over.

So a rebound in
their numbers
is something to be celebrated.

And it should be celebrated.
Because that rebound
was due to people taking action.

Pesticides were banned.
Dandelions were left
to grow.
Leaves were left
for the bumble bees
to winter in.

If we don’t celebrate
this success,
along with pointing out
that not everyone is seeing
the same success,
people will stop
taking these actions.

This, of course,
applies to business building
also.

People want to know
their actions
result in successes.

Celebrate your successes.
And acknowledge the hard work
that drove those successes.

Our Jobs And Passion

Yesterday, I posted
about an agent
who believes
writers don’t need money
because they have a passion
for writing.

We should ALL have
passion for our jobs.

I am passionate
about starting businesses.
I am passionate
about new business development.
I am passionate
about blogging here on client k.

Is every day and every task
all cuddly kittens and beautiful rainbows?
Of course not.

There are tasks I hate to do.
Failures also happen
and those are never fun.

But we should find some joy
in our chosen jobs,
whether
that’s the business we starting
or
the sales job
at the Fortune 500 company
we currently hold
or
our job as a writer.

Be passionate
about what you do.

F*ck that agent.
I hope everyone she represents
looks for someone else
to partner with.

Because, of course, writers
need to make money.
Writing might be a great job
but it is still a job.
And writers need to eat also.

Also…
no one works with an agent
for fun.
That is purely a business relationship.

Make certain
the people and businesses
you partner with
have the same view
of your future
as you do.

If they don’t,
look for someone else
to partner with.

Recognizing A Yes

I asked my Mom
if she wanted me
to call her on a certain date
or would she be receiving
too many calls
that day.

She told me
she didn’t think
she’d be very busy.

That’s a yes.
She wants me to call her.

My Mom NEVER gives me
a clear yes.

Some of our prospects
are like this also.
They will never say
yes, they want our products.
They’ll say things
like
‘That would be useful’
or
‘That is lovely.’

I do the presumptive close
with these prospects.
I’ll tell them
I’ll add the product to their bill
or I’ll write up the contract
or I’ll place it in their shopping basket.

If I misread the situation,
they’ll tell me.
But usually I haven’t misread it.

Some prospects will never
give you an outright yes.
If they don’t give you
an outright no,
assume they want your product/service.

Track Your Progress

Many social media platforms
remind users
of what they posted
1, 3, 5, 10 years ago.

It shows people
how much or how little
they and their world
has changed.

I track my progress
similarly.
I’ll look at stats
from 1 year or 2 or 10 ago.
And I wonder
at how much I’ve progressed
and how much I’ve learned.

I was a dumba$$
10 years ago.
I didn’t know
a fraction of
what I know now.

I’ve also published
close to 50 stories
in the past decade.
That’s a HUGE accomplishment
and it inspires me
to push forward.

Track your progress.
Use it for inspiration.

Shipping Shock

After I’ve transplanted
a tomato seedling
from the grow station
to the backyard garden,
there’s a week following
where I’m not certain
the seedling will survive.

The leaves look stressed.
It doesn’t grow.

This is called transplant shock.
And it is a very stressful time
for the plant
and for me, the gardener.

When we ship our products
for the first time,
there’s a duration
that has a similar feel
to transplant shock.

We haven’t yet received
any customer feedback
on our product
and we’re not certain
it will be a success.

This is a stressful time
for many entrepreneurs.

Plan something
to keep your mind off
your ‘transplanted’ product.

And know this is normal.

Shipping shock
is a thing.
It happens to many of us
and is part of
the new business development process.

Category: New Business Development