Do You Have Fun With Your Social Media Strategy? Posted on February 19, 2015August 5, 2022 by Jessica Lunk Does your social media strategy feel like a chore? Do you create posts that your audience doesn’t engage with? It’s easy to get discouraged when your social media strategy just isn’t working despite your best efforts. When social media marketing isn’t fun, it’s time to change something. “I live by the rule, if it’s not fun, I’m not doing it.” – Kim Doyal Social media can provide you answers, inspiration, and motivation. So how can you centralize your social media strategy around having fun? Use your heart. You’re emotionally and personally invested in your business, so replicate that in your marketing. Your biggest fans will be the ones that know without a doubt that you love what you do. Talking about your passions and having others respond is so rewarding. Get in front of your customers online. If you provide great customer service, they will provide the engagement you seek. Explore your creativity. Through my years exploring social media channels and the web, I’ve found that I have the most fun when I find my niche. Social media allows you to find like-minded people with similar interests, voice, and style. Get out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there! Explore and you will find your treasure chest. Break from what you know and dip your toe in other social networks; stick with the channels you enjoy participating in. Being creative and real will help you break from the noise. Show some personality. Don’t be afraid to be yourself on social media. If social media teaches us anything is that you can be yourself and still find acceptance. On top of that, it’s easier than ever! Your online tone and voice will take some work to develop. If it feels wrong, then it’s wrong. If it feels forced, it’s forced. Use your company values as the background to your online brand. Be wary of automated social media response tools because your audience will be quick to sniff it out. Context is everything on social media. You can be silly online but looking like a fool won’t get you far. “Take your time, find out what it is you want to do, and develop it by having fun with it.” – Steve Ewing Don’t be scared. Be human. Social media is a two way street. Once you get yourself out there, engage with others without self-promoting. Respond to every tweet or comment – not because a social media expert told you to but because it makes people feel good to be heard. Provide valuable feedback and conversation to build a relationship because you don’t just walk into a networking event shouting about your business. At the end of the day, life is all about relationship building. Don’t lose your human and don’t be afraid of being emotionally vulnerable. If it’s fun, you’ll have the time. Be emotionally invested in your social media marketing. “People don’t buy what you do but why you do it.” If you aren’t excited about it, how can anyone else be? If you are creating noise, you will not see the engagement you want. Get the social conversation going with great customer service and keep it going by having fun with it. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou Shout out to Nickelodeon for creating Spongebob Squarepants and years of fun inspiration!
How to Love On Your Audience in 2015 Posted on February 11, 2015 by Jessica Lunk This year, getting more personal with your audience is more important than ever before. Reuven Gorsht introduces us to Mike, your consumer in 2015: Mike never loses sight of his iPhone. He’s very opinionated and not afraid to share his opinion using his social media channels (whether good or bad). He doesn’t trust advertising and only connects with brands that he feels are authentic and stand for higher purpose. So how do you connect with Mike and the rest of your audience members who are just like him? Leverage Personalized Email Marketing 63% of female and 73% of male smartphone owners in the US don’t go an hour without checking their phone. This means that they’re also tied 24/7 to their email. With email so attached, so integrated with our favorite device, it is an extremely powerful business tool. But, with all of the competition for your consumer’s attention, you’re tasked with cutting through the white noise of a crowded inbox. Instead of sending the same blanket newsletter to everyone on your list, get Mike’s attention with email marketing that addresses his unique interests. Download our guide to personalized email marketing for a few ideas on how to reach your entire audience on an individual level. Turn Customers into Raving Fans 34% of consumers have turned to social media to share their feelings about a company. Consumers are quick to share products they like, and also quick to express dissatisfaction with a disappointing experience. In addition, 51% of consumers aim to influence others when they express their preferences online – and believe me, these peer-to-peer recommendations carry a lot of clout. Creating an awesome customer experience can go far to promote your small brand and business. Fumbling on the customer service side can cause consumers to air their grievances publicly. Channel good social media mojo and surprise and delight your customers. Here’s how to turn them into raving fans of your brand: Send swag to your most enthusiastic customers. Say thanks by inviting top customers to an exclusive event. Share a hot resource with your customers for free. Unveil a behind-the-scenes look at your latest product or service. As you continue to nurture, surprise and delight your customers, they’ll be happy to refer their expansive social networks your way. Align to Your Mission More than 88% of consumers think companies should try to achieve their business goals while improving society and the environment. Mission and purpose can set your small business apart from the pack – even from the competition you may have with large players in your market. Defining your mission and your purpose starts at the leadership level, but to truly impact your organization, your mission needs to trickle down to every member of your team. At Hatchbuck, our mission is to provide small businesses with easy-to-use, affordable sales and marketing software so they can grow. Everyone at Hatchbuck knows what our mission is, and we come to work each day not with the goal of selling more software, but with the higher purpose to help small businesses grow. So, when our customers talk to Jamie in sales, when they train with Lindsey their Hatchbuck Consultant, and when they call Eric for support, they receive a unified experience from team members who are all aligned to the same purpose. It’s one of the big reasons why our customers love us. Give Value to Gain Trust 75% of consumers don’t believe that companies tell the truth in advertisement. Consumers aren’t prone to fall blindly in love with your brand right off the bat. It’s going to take a greater effort on your part to gain their trust. Instead of focusing on selling, focus on adding value to your audience. The more helpful resources you can give away, the more good will you can build so that you’re the first brand your audience turns to when they’re ready to buy. You don’t have to have a large team or an unlimited budget to show your audience the love this year. Build individual relationships through personalized email, surprise and delight your customers, align your business to an overarching mission and purpose, and add value to your audience to gain their trust. With these simple tweaks, you’ll find your audience sending the love right back atcha.
4 Resolutions You Can Stick to with Marketing Automation Posted on January 9, 2015June 18, 2018 by Jessica Lunk We’re just over a week into the new year…have you broken your new year’s resolutions yet? Each year, small business owners strive to get more organized, build better relationships with their customers and prospects, create a sales and marketing process and drive sustainable growth. Marketing automation tools built for small businesses can help you achieve and stick to these four resolutions in 2015. Get More Organized Fresh year, fresh start. If you’re like a lot of small businesses, you probably have one homogenous bucket of contacts that you would love to clean up and organized. Maybe you have two lists – one of customers, and one of prospects – but you can’t get much more detailed than that. Marketing automation helps you automatically and dynamically segment your contacts by their unique interests, their stage in the buying journey and their readiness to buy. It’s a bit like going from grayscale to a rainbow of contacts that each fit in their own ribbon of color. Contacts fit nicely into their own compartments. With an easier way of keeping your contacts organized, you can deliver more strategic, organized communication, increasing engagement. Build Better Relationships with Customers and Prospects This new year, many of us are striving to put away distractions – like our smart phones and tablets – and put more time into building better relationships with the people who really matter. While you may think that marketing automation is just one more technology that separates us from the people we should get to know better, it actually helps to cultivate more meaningful conversations. Marketing automation automatically tracks the online history of each contact automatically, so you can see what pages on your site they’ve visited, what emails they’ve received, and what types of content they read. With more information, you come to conversations with your customers and prospects prepared to have a productive, meaningful dialogue. In addition, marketing automation takes those ho-hum administrative tasks off of your plate, and triggers notifications to let you know which contacts are highly interested in your product or service. This makes it simple to connect with prospects that are really interested in learning more about your business. With marketing automation, you can focus more time on building strong relationships with ripe opportunities and loyal customers, rather than chasing cold leads. Create a Sales and Marketing Process You’d like to see your business grow this year, and you know you can’t do it without building better processes. When your database is more organized and everyday tasks can be automated, you can put a much smoother sales and marketing process in place. Without marketing automation, many businesses build up a large sales team that chases after cold leads. However, with a scalable marketing automation system in place, marketing nurtures prospects with personalized content, heating them up for the sales team. Then, the sales team is automatically alerted when hot prospects are ready to buy. The result is, individual sales and marketing leaders can be much more productive and process-driven because they are actively pulling in the right prospects to have meaningful conversations with. Drive Sustainable Growth We could all be a little less wasteful, whether we’re trying to recycle more or striving to get the most out of the talents of our small business team. With marketing automation in place, you can build high-quality relationships with many more prospects and customers – without adding supplementary team members. In addition, since marketing automation provides insights into which marketing channels are performing the best, and which sales leaders are closing the most business, you can make smart, sustainable investments in growth. Finally, marketing automation continually nurtures new leads you acquire. So if a new contact is not ready to make a purchase today, they aren’t tossed away. Instead, marketing automation continues to educate and nurture them, recycling them into a hot prospect. Get more organized, build better relationships, be more process-driven, and drive sustainable growth – imagine if you could stick to each of these resolutions in the new year. With the right tools for your small business, you can make 2015 the year of marketing automation, and the year of growth.
The Last Minute List: 5 Ways to Give the “Perfect” Gift this Christmas Posted on December 18, 2014February 20, 2024 by Jonathan Herrick There’s only one week until Christmas and if you are like most holiday gift givers you’re probably waiting to the last minute, struggling to find that perfect gift for that loved one or coworker this time of year. Let me guess – another pair of socks? A gift card? Or how about another necklace for the wife? Before you throw the towel in and go to the old stand-bys, it’s not too late to boycott the traditional go-to presents and give the perfect gift this year. In his transformational book, “The 5 Love Languages” Gary Chapman talks about how everyone feels loved (valued) in the following ways: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. You, your family, friends, and coworkers can take the test here. I recommend it to anyone wanting to master the holidays and have an A-plus relationship with family members, friends and coworkers. For instance, if your primary “love language” is receiving gifts, getting another thoughtless gift – like pair of gold toe socks – can really deflate your love tank this time of year. Also, because your love language is receiving gifts, you’re probably an awesome giver, showing love to others by giving great gifts (You know who you are. Everyone in your office always wants to get your gift during the white elephant exchange at the company Christmas party) But what if your spouse or son’s primary love language is quality time? Maybe all they want for Christmas is for you to put down the laptop, quit updating your status on LinkedIn, and spend more time with them this holiday season. So here are a 5 ways you can be a bit more personal and spread joy with your last minute gift giving: 1. Words of Affirmation.Those who feel loved (valued) through words of affirmation want to hear you say you care about them. Card shopping? Don’t just pick up the first card you see. Take the time to pick out just the right card and write something meaningful in it. Trust me, they will know the difference and see that you have spent valuable time on them. Write a poem, letter, or create a photo album with past memories and personalize it. Customink is a cool company that lets you create custom t-shirts or sweatshirts, making your gift say “I know you & I care.” My mom passed away a few years ago and I knew the first Christmas would be tough without her. So I gave my dad and my brothers and sister a little bear: “Until we hug again.” It had a recording of my mom’s voice that said “I love you”. I had her voice on an old voicemail, and it didn’t take much for me to upload it to the bear. For my dad, who thrives on words of affirmation, it was just what the doctor ordered and an easy way for him to know that I care about him. 2. Acts of Service. Those who feel loved (valued) through acts of service will know that you care through serving them in some special way. A great gift of service could be to hire someone to clean the house for your significant other, enlist someone to take care of the yard work, or have their car detailed (if your minivan looks like ours that’s a great gifts for the whole family). You can also give them a “coupon book” to redeem services by you that they see as helpful or valuable. Serve them breakfast in bed over the holidays. Or, how about cooking the big holiday meal this year or doing the pile of dishes after your Christmas feast. What about your kids? I know it sounds crazy, but how can you serve them this year? When thinking about your team members, find ways that you can go beyond the mundane corporate holiday gift. Try working together on a service project, serve at your local food pantry or homeless shelter or find other ways to serve in your local community together. 3. Receiving Gifts.Those who feel loved (valued) through receiving gifts want to receive gifts from you that are thoughtful. So if you are getting a gift for someone who loves receiving gifts, make it count. Bag the gift-card. Say no to the personal check and the money holder card. A bad or thoughtless gift can make them feel unimportant. Instead, think about the recipient, what they like, what interests they have. If you’re stuck without ideas, don’t fret – ask for help. Talk to their family, friends and co-workers for creative ideas. And if you still feel in the dark about what to give, check to see what they have been pinning on Pinterest or liking on Facebook. It will give you a good idea of what they are interested in so you can give a gift that won’t end up on the return pile at Target. You can also check out what gifts are hot for 2014 on Pinterest here: https://www.pinterest.com/smileatmydreams/gifts-ideas-2014/ In the end, according to Chapman it’s not about the amount of the gift it’s about the purpose behind the gift: “Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift.” So here are a few ideas for the gift receivers: Get something from their favorite store that they normally wouldn’t purchase on their own. Maybe it’s a painting or artwork they noticed with you 3 months ago that they never purchased. Or start today and give them something small but meaningful to open every day until Christmas. I know it’s not 12 days of Christmas but 7 days can work just as well to remind them every day that they matter to you. Bonus tip: If you have someone in your life whose love language is receiving gifts, don’t just use the holidays to tell them that they are important. Look for opportunities throughout your week, month and year to let them know you’re thinking of them. Give something thoughtful to the people in your life who feel loved by receiving gifts – like your spouse, kids or coworkers – something thoughtful from you from time to time, even if it’s small. 4. Quality Time.Those who feel loved (valued) through quality time want your undivided attention. Sometime the best gifts don’t come wrapped with a bow on top. This holiday season find time for those around you who need a little more “You Time.” I know the tendency is to try to get more work done during a slower time of year, but put away the work (it will be there in 2015) and take some time off. Disconnect to connect. Spend time with your family and friends. After all, that is most likely what they really want if quality time is their love language. Don’t believe me? Here is an actual response to a post I found online. “What do you want for Christmas?” So go catch some light displays, go ice skating, build a fire or a snowman. Slow down, watch a movie together, like “A Christmas Story.” There are no excuses here, it’s on TBS for like 24 hours straight! At the office take the time to get out to lunch with the team and have meaningful eye to eye, heat to heart conversations. If you’re looking for a gift for a quality-timer, think about tickets to a movie or play , or a trip where they can spend time with the people they care most about. 30 years from now the people you care most about may not remember what you bought them this Christmas but they will remember the memories that you made together. Time is one of the few things you don’t get back in life, so invest some this holiday season. 5. Physical Touch. People who feel loved through being held or touched. An easy gift is utilizing the 3 H’s: Hugs, High Fives and Holding Hands. Know when and where to use them and make sure that the type of contact is appropriate for the relationship. If it’s your spouse holding hands may seem insignificant, but shows that you outwardly care for them. If you are hanging with a coworker this holiday season, don’t forget the high 5 and occasional fist bump. Maybe you need to give that someone special this year the gift of a massage, a pedicure or spa treatment. Book as session at Massage Envy or send them off to the spa at The Four Seasons. It’s a great way to speak their love language. If you’re like most of us, you really do want to give the perfect gift to show that you care, but it’s easy to get distracted by trying to spend the right amount or even just trying to get it all done around the holidays. Put those holiday distractions aside and pause for a minute this season. Use the 5 Love Languages to take a closer look at your relationship with the ones who love and support you all year round. By spending a little extra quality time getting to know your family, friends and co-workers you can give the perfect gift – and stay off the Naughty List…
What’s Your #FirstBuckStory? Share it with us for a Chance to Win a $25,000 Marketing Makeover. Posted on October 23, 2014 by Jessica Lunk For entrepreneurs and business owners, it all starts with that first buck. Maybe it was the first buck you made on your paper route as a kid that enticed you to pave your own way. Maybe it was your business’s first customer – the one who validated your idea and brought to fruition all of the blood, sweat and tears you’d put into your company in one triumphant sale. Which ever first buck you hold the most dear, we want to hear about it! It’s Time to Celebrate the First Buck See, we know that as an entrepreneur or small business owner, you’re always looking ahead with your sites on the next horizon. You don’t always take the time to stop and celebrate those small, but significant milestones, like the first buck. That’s why Hatchbuck has launched First Buck Stories. First Buck Stories is partially a contest, but more than that, it’s a social movement to encourage entrepreneurs to share stories about what motivated them to become entrepreneurs, how they made their first sale, and what inspires them to keep moving forward. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to feel like you’re on an island. But the more we reach out and share where we started, how we faced challenges and how we thrived, the more we can learn from each other and push each other to succeed. Share. Vote. Win. To get the conversation around the first buck started, we’re calling all entrepreneurs and business owners to share a video of their first buck story. As extra incentive, we’re also giving away a $25,000 Marketing Makeover. The marketing makeover will include a PR campaign, a website redesign, content strategy help, and a lifetime subscription to Hatchbuck sales and marketing software. Here’s how to participate: Share: Share your first buck story at www.firstbuckstories.com by November 16, 2014. Vote: Get the vote out for your video during Global Entrepreneurship Week, November 17, 2014 to November 21, 2014. Win: Win a $25,000 Marketing Makeover. Finalists will be determined by the 5 videos with the most votes, and the winner will be selected based on creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and the story. We hope you’ll use First Buck Stories as an opportunity to pause and look back at where you started, marvel at where you are today and share your story to inspire other entrepreneurs to keep going toward their dream! Learn more at www.firstbuckstories.com.
Fall is for Community Posted on October 10, 2014June 3, 2016 by Jessica Lunk Fall is for small business. Fall is for community. Fall is for magic and spirit and joy. When fall kicks in, there is magic in the air. Green leaves have soaked up enough color from the hot, summer sun to change hues, harvest moons are the sign for the last of the crops to come in before winter, and the air gets comfortably crisp. There’s a communal sense about as everyone preps for the winter – to soak up the last bits of fresh air. Vacations are over and it’s time to be as productive as possible. The best part of fall traditions is that we all help each other out. Transition seasons are our favorites at Hatchbuck… spring is the time for growth and fall is for productivity. Work hard and have fun is a strong fall theme and a Hatchbuck core value. By working together to get the ‘harvest’ taken care of, we can then sit back and reap the rewards of our hard work. Apple picking, pumpkin patches, canning parties, Oktoberfest are all celebrations of the labor that began in the spring but also continuing to prepare for the winter. There is beauty in the fall because it’s a celebration of the hard work that was put into the summer months but still wrapping up those rewards. Slowly, we’ll switch gears after this month to reward ourselves and others during the holidays and thank those that helped us prosper during the year. Make a difference! The first steps to start a community: Connect with other small business owners There’s power in the local business community. Entrepreneurs are cut from the same cloth, so very often our vision and goals align. Whether it’s idea-generating conversation or an inroad to a flourishing business partnership, there are many ways small business owners can connect to impact growth. Ask how you can help We often get caught up in what we need and we forget to ask others what they need help with. Whether it’s outside of what you’re selling, you still might be able to help another with a problem they are trying to solve. Plus, you’re set yourself up to receive help in the future. Trade your service Bartering is a great tool in your small business arsenal. Maybe I’ve got something you need and you have something I need… cutting out the middle man (cash money) can help you build a healthy, strong relationship within the community. Participate in a community festival Joining together with your community is a great way to build communal trust. The local community will come out in droves to a large local festival and the more they see of you, the better relationship they build with you and your brand. Block parties, festivals, and carnivals can be the highlight after a long work week – bring in the positive vibes and small business mojo! We’ll start seeing more and more holiday decorations and changes but only we can make the decision to ignore it just a few weeks longer to fully embrace the best season of the year! Don’t wait for someone else to start building a community… Take these small steps to start connecting with your fellow local business owners as you take in the last of the crisp fall air and sip on craft pumpkin ales. Tell us what your favorite autumnal things are on Facebook!
Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day! Posted on September 19, 2014June 3, 2016 by Jessica Lunk “It’s better to be a pirate than to join the Navy” – Steve Jobs Small business owners are pirates and rebels. We don’t accept the status quo and we set out on our own paths. This doesn’t necessarily mean we’re lawbreakers but we are troublemakers. Without a little disruption, we wouldn’t have the internet, smart phones, or even the United States of America. This country wasn’t built for big business but rather a community of people sticking it to The Man working together to actualize their ideas. That’s why we are recognizing Talk Like a Pirate Day… just another excuse to celebrate small business owners with big dreams and the wind in their sails. Ahoy, me Hearties! Would ye like t’learn how t’talk like a pirate? All hand hoay! – All hands on deck Batten down the hatches! – Put everything away on the ship and tie everything down because a storm is brewing… that’s a metaphor and as a small business owner, I think you know what it means 😉 Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! – Pull up the anchor and the sail and let’s get going! Walk the plank! – Punishment for bad email marketing. The consequence is a visit to Davy Jones’ Locker! Davy Jones’ Locker – Where your business could go when things make a turn for the worse Scallywag – Your competitor Hornswaggle – What your competitors do Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!
Marketing to Millennials Posted on September 12, 2014June 3, 2016 by Jessica Lunk This past weekend, a few of us from Hatchbuck attended a local music festival, Loufest, filled with great music, local beer, delectable food, perfect weather, and a swarm of millennials. Festivals are sensory overload and an experience that lives on with the attendee. I’ll never forget the colors and friendly warmth of Coachella, the torrential down pour that always occurs during Lollapalooza, or 3 days on the beach. However, when you really get down to it, how is one festival any different than the next on the business end? If anyone tells you that the music industry is dead, they aren’t paying attention to these festivals popping up all over the country. Here are a few things that I believe small business can learn from these millennial playgrounds: Great Visual Content Millennials love pretty pictures. Instagram and Tumblr are for millennials which are both the social channels designed for visual content. Check out the full Millennials and Social Media infographic from Marketing Strategies. Instagram is an excellent channel to start with because users aren’t as guarded as they are on Facebook and it’s easier to create a successful strategy. Your visual content strategy will lead to your success on this social channel. Use Instagram to showcase and tell the story of your brand. Here are a couple examples of a few brands I follow on Instagram: Coca-Cola Coca-Cola is a great example because they are clever and creative while making it looks so easy. Not much else needs to be said since Coca-Cola is one of the most loved brands worldwide. Coolfire Studios Instagram is also great for B2B! Coolfire is a design agency in the St. Louis area so naturally they’re bursting at the seams with creativity. They use Instagram to highlight their company culture beautifully. Madewell This one is used for a lifestyle branding technique. Madewell uses their buyer personas to drill down to figure out how those girls live their daily lives from what the’re eating, reading, or doing; they have it figured out. If you’re feeling really up to the challenge, I would suggest checking out Vine. This channel is, in my opinion, where the pulse of millennial trends spur from. However, they don’t typically make it to Facebook unless in a Buzzfeed article. User Generated Content (UGC) You might as well call us millennial smart-phone-hands… and instead of griping about it, capitalize on it! Loufest did a great job encouraging attendees to submit their images to their hashtag which they then pull onto their website. They also used an Instagram campaign to build excitement in the days leading up to the festival. With the rise of easy photo editing and Instagram, anyone can become a photographer with professional looking images. By setting up a UGC component to your visual content strategy, you can increase your volume and share of voice without paying an arm and a leg with a professional photographer. Running social contests is your best bet for collecting UGC. Set up a relevant hashtag for your brand that can live on past the contest. If you have a brick and mortar, post that baby all over the place and encourage your customers to use it! There are so many social tools to track social hashtags and even plug-ins for your website to pull those images directly to your page. I’m a huge advocate for UGC because it takes much of the burden of creating visual content off of your shoulders. Plus, you create a legion of advocates without much work to maintain it and it’s an easy way to boost employee engagement and morale. Go Straight to the Source… If it’s appropriate for your small business, becoming a vendor at a local festival could be an awesome opportunity. Millennials get a lot of criticism but one thing they do surprisingly well is supporting small business. Corporate sponsors are very clearly there but on the grounds of a festival, local business and restaurants have so many opportunities to connecting with the festival audience. At Loufest alone, 19 restaurants made up the “Noshpit” and 15 small business “from the St. Louis creative community and beyond” in the Market Square. Festivals aren’t a new idea; every generation has had their fair share of outdoor music festivals. Shout outs to the Boomers… there’s a great visual content strategy there by putting a modern spin to your nostalgia; you guys knew what was up!
Leadership, Customer Service, Small Business and Scalability Posted on August 15, 2014August 5, 2022 by Jessica Lunk Today, Jonathan, our CMO & CSO, was helping out a team member and made a follow-up call to an opportunity in our pipeline. It struck me that we are fortunate at BenchmarkONE to work with leaders who drive home the idea that true leaders don’t just lead, they serve. At BenchmarkONE, we know that our leaders are always willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in so we can achieve the important objective we’re passionate about solving every day – helping small businesses to grow. It also brought up another truth: Scalability is everything if you want to grow. Jonathan is phenomenally passionate and knowledgeable about our product and our space. If he could speak to each and every small business that raised their hand to learn more about BenchmarkONE, he would. But that’s not realistic, and if that were our business model, we could never grow. Scalable Process As soon as he hung up, Jonathan put notes into BenchmarkONE and assigns the opportunity to one of our sales reps. They’ll follow up to walk the prospect through BenchmarkONE to make sure it’s the right fit and close the deal. Everyone, from the tippy-top of our company to each marketer, BDR and sales rep knows our process. So as we continue to add new team members and grow, the small businesses we touch can continue to get the same great customer service experience that they’ve come to expect. The beauty of small business is that we’re close to our customers. In early growth stages, we know each customer by name, and can memorize the details of their account. But if we want to grow, we have to let go, develop a process, train our employees, and let technology automate tasks so we can free up our time and use our brains and hearts to solve problems that matter. Scalable Culture Just the other day we grabbed lunch at one of our frequent lunch stops. The regular potato chips were out, so we asked the hourly paid employee behind the counter if there were any more plain chips. “No.” Well, that left us feeling disappointed. What are the odds of a sandwich shop running completely out of plain potato chips? Not very good. So when we spotted the owner we asked him if there were any more plain chips in the back. “Of course, here you go. They’re in your hand,” he said as he handed us the plain potato chips. There was a big disconnect between the level of service and the culture. The owner’s enthusiasm and passion for his deli were not being translated to his employees. It’s this breakdown in process and culture that inhibits growth. If you talk to anyone at BenchmarkONE, we are all on the same page. If you ask anyone here what our mission is, they’ll tell you in their own way that it’s to provide small businesses accessible sales and marketing tools so they can grow. That way, no matter who a customer or prospect speaks to, they get the same enthusiasm and the same message. With a scalable process and a scalable culture, your small business doesn’t have to worry if a customer gets a hold of the CEO or the newest employee. Everyone delivers, so you can maintain the level of service your customers love you for, while expanding your reach and growing your customer base.