Find us on Facebook!
North Country Chamber of Commerce
  • About the Area
    • Area Map
    • Area News
    • History
    • Information Request
    • Job Postings
    • Our Communities
    • Organizations >
      • Places of Worship
      • Schools
    • Relocation
    • Weather
    • Webcams around the North Country
    • Regional Visitor Information
  • What to Do
    • Guide to the Area
    • Events Calendar
    • GoNorth Snofest >
      • GoNorth Snofest Survey
    • Moose Festival >
      • Moose Festival Art Contest
      • Moose Festival Classic Car Show
      • Moose Festival Cow Plop Bingo
      • Moose Festival Maple Syrup Contest
      • Moose Festival Vendor Information
      • Moose Festival Survey
      • Volunteers
    • Outdoor Recreation >
      • ATVing
      • Snowmobiling
      • Fishing
      • Swimming
      • Paddling-- Kayak, Canoe, Raft!
      • Waterfalls & Covered Bridges
      • Wildlife Watching
      • Athletic Races
      • Hiking
      • Hunting
      • Biking
      • Skiing
      • Golf & Tennis
      • State Parks
    • Pick Your Season >
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Itineraries & Wayfinding >
      • Arts & Culture
      • Shopping
      • Historical Attractions
  • Find a Business
    • Business Directory >
      • Support our Restaurants - Hours, Take-out Info, Etc.
      • Support Your Local Businesses by Buying a Giftcard
      • Business Updates - Temporary Closures & Reduced Hours
      • Volunteer Sign-up for COVID-19 Support
    • Lodging & Dining >
      • B&B's & Inns
      • Campgrounds
      • Cabins, Lodges & Rentals
      • Hotels & Motels
      • Dining Options
    • Locate Members
    • Chamber Member Video Library
  • Chamber Info
    • About Us
    • Blog
    • Chamber Events >
      • Annual Dinner
      • Business After Hours & Ribbon Cuttings >
        • Business After Hours Check-in
      • North Country Light Fight
      • Workshops
    • Contact Us
    • Economic Development >
      • Balsams Redevelopment Project
      • College, Career & Job Fair
      • OHRVing
      • Riding Toward Change
    • Membership >
      • Join Now
      • Destination Marketing Program
      • Business Resources
      • COVID-19 Resources For Businesses & Employees
      • Member Survey
    • Subscribe
  • Member Login

Think You have a Great Product or Service Idea? Here’s How to Know for Sure.

3/30/2021

0 Comments

 
The world is full of gurus who will tell you to set some goals, drive action, make it happen. And that’s good advice.
 
But just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should.
 
Launching a new product or service is not something you want to do because you had a wild idea one morning over coffee or in the shower. There’s a lot more that goes into the launching of that product or service. But research and development can be pricey.
 
What if you have a business idea you want to run with but don’t have the money to hire someone to crunch numbers and present data? Should you launch without it? If you do, that could prove to be even more costly.
 
So how can you test an idea without a huge investment?

Picture
Here are 5 (mostly) free ways to test your next product or service offering.
 
Before we get into the details of how to test your product or service idea, it’s important to ensure you are approaching the right audience. As supportive and friendly an audience as your mom or spouse may be, unless they are also in your target market, you don’t want to ask them. Even if they are a tough critic and you feel they will give you good advice, if you’re not selling to them their advice (no matter how fair) will not reflect the opinion of those who will be giving you money for your product or service. So before attempting any R&D, make sure you have clearly defined your market so that you can use the ideas below to seek out your ideal audience.
 

Fish Where You’re Likely to Catch Something
What product or service are you selling and where would someone buy that or need it? Go there and start conversations with people in your target market. For instance, if you sell dog products, go to a dog park and start conversations with people about their likes and dislikes, concerns or challenges. Look for places where people would be using your product or service and involve them in conversation.
 
Seek Out the Chamber
Your chamber of commerce is also an ideal place to have conversations about your proposed product or service. Instead of presenting your idea in pitch format, start conversations about the solutions your product or service helps with. Ask questions. Get an understanding on whether people know that they need your idea or if you would have to build in an educational component to convince them of that need. Again, make sure you’re talking to people in your target audience.
 
Use Target Ads on Facebook
There is a cost with this option, but you can control it. Use the targeting features to ensure you are getting information from your ideal audience and not just anyone who’s bored on social media. Ask about challenges people face or present a challenge to see if people click on your ad. Try different things to see what they respond to.
 
Master Reading Body Language
If you’re considering a new product or service offering, it’s important you are always ready to talk about it. Even if you don’t want to discuss details of the idea for fear that someone may duplicate it, talking about the need for it in nebulous terms can help you see if your target audience would be interested in it or not.
 
When you find an opportunity presents itself and you’re facing someone who’s likely in your target market, watch their body language as you speak with them. Do they turn in to face you interested in what you have to say? Do they cock their head as if trying to understand? Is there a look of confusion or one where they are scanning the room? These can all be good clues as to whether they like your idea (or see a need for it) or would rather be anywhere else.
 
Use Polling
Polling on social media, through email, or in your newsletter can yield a lot of worthwhile data too. Again, even if you’re not ready to disclose the idea, you can get some understanding of whether your audience is ready for it or not. Ask them solution-oriented questions like “if a product to do X came out that would save you time and cost less than $10 a month would you embrace it?” Use a scale of 1-5 to gage interest.
 
The poll itself might be enough for people to start asking questions and drum up interest in your launch.
 
R&D doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, online outlets and in-person encounters have (almost) taken the place of costly panels, at least for small businesses that are operating on a tight budget.

About the author:  Christina R. Metcalf is a marketer who enjoys using the power of story and refuses to believe meaningful copy can be written by bots. She helps chamber and small business professionals find the right words when they don’t have the time or interest to do so. Christina hates exclamation points and loves road trips. Say hi on Twitter or reach out on Facebook.
0 Comments

3 Things in Business That Aren’t Worth It

3/17/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
We only have so many hours in the day so the last thing you want to do is spend time doing things that aren’t worth the time. Being labeled as “not worth the time” doesn’t mean they are annoying to do. In fact, some of the things you’re doing in your business may be very enjoyable, but aren’t worth the effort in that you don’t get the return out of the time you’re investing.
 
Every hour of your business day is valuable.
 
You want what you do to move you closer to your goals. But some things we do in the name of our business don’t have the same benefits of other things we could be doing with our time. As a businessperson you should always be performing a cost/benefit analysis.

​3 Things in Business That Aren’t Worth It

​The things in this list are items that are generally not worth your time, but you’ll need to do the analysis yourself before deciding whether you will continue to do these activities as part of your workday or sunset them for a more productive use of your time. 

Spending Copious Amounts of Time on the Coolest “New” Social Media 

Whether a social media site is worth spending time and interacting on depends largely on your audience. If your ideal customer is there and you can engage them, it’s worth it. If they’re not, it’s not.
 
There’s no reason to get on a social network so you can be an early adopter and wait for your ideal customer to get on the site. The only way this makes sense is when your audience looks to you to tell them what the next “cool” or techy thing is.

Spending Money on Free Things

Thanks to our giveaway economy, there are a lot of free options out there for things you use in your business every day. If you’re just starting out, there are items you absolutely should pay for. And then there are items (especially software) where a freemium item could work for you…at least until your needs grow. Using Google docs instead of Word is an example. This may seem like a small expense but every dollar you save on something you can get for free can go toward the items where your monetary investment is very important.

Staying up Late

Have you ever stayed up hours past your bedtime to finish a project? Sometimes it’s just what you have to do. However, sleep deprivation comes with a high price. You’ll likely sacrifice tomorrow’s productivity to meet your deadline today. It’s much better to chip away at the project bit by bit than it is to put it off until right before it is due and then work most of the night on it.
 
True, most adults don’t plan on this type of course of action. And it might feel like you have no choice but to do it at the last minute. However, unless this project was completely unexpected, each time you agree to do one thing over the other, you’re making a choice based on importance to you.
 
If you analyze both requirements on your time and you make a decision that one is more important than the other, and then defer the project until it becomes an urgent need, and a sleepless night, so be it. But don’t let someone else dictate that for you.
 
Set clear expectations. A customer who wants a timely answer doesn’t know what else you’re working on. Do your best to balance their needs and the needs of your business by letting them know when you will have an update for them. Then check back in even if you don’t have a resolution.
 
If you have a boss, or are otherwise not in charge of scheduling your own workload, and they give you an ASAP project clarify that it bumps everything else. Be clear about what projects are in jeopardy by doing that.
 
Being upfront about the demands on your time will help set expectations and minimize sleepless nights. If you fail to do this, you will be exhausted and turning in subpar work. No one wants to sacrifice sleep to make a deadline, only to turn something in that will need to be redone later. This doesn’t benefit anyone.
 
When it comes to your business, you need to make the most of your day. Avoiding these activities—and others that don’t provide good return on your time investment—is a solid business approach. Look for things that impact your productivity and weed them out of your schedule.


About the author:  Christina R. Metcalf (formerly Green) is a marketer who enjoys using the power of story and refuses to believe meaningful copy can be written by bots. She helps chamber and small business professionals find the right words when they don’t have the time or interest to do so. Christina hates exclamation points and loves road trips. Say hi on Twitter or reach out on Facebook.
0 Comments

7 Quick Ways to Get More Upsells and Referrals

2/18/2021

0 Comments

 
​You current clients/customers are likely an untapped resource of additional revenue. After all, it is much easier to sell to someone who already likes you than it is to win over a new person.
 
But there’s a lot of competition out there.
 
There’s a saying in the restaurant industry that a diner who described their meal as “satisfactory” will never be back again. In order to get return customers, upsells, and referrals you must do better than just meeting expectations. You must exceed them.
 
Thankfully, as they say, the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just a little extra. In this article, we’ll give you seven quick ideas on how to create those extra opportunities that will translate into greater upsell and referral opportunities. When someone is “wowed” they will buy more and talk about you (exactly what you need for referrals).
Picture

How to Go from Ordinary to Extraordinary for More Upsells and Referrals

  1. Offer samples without people requesting them. When someone is looking at something in your business, offer them samples. Don’t even ask. One restaurant brings individual samples of gelato to the table at the end of the meal. Even if the diners don’t buy any, they leave with a (literal) pleasant taste in their mouth which could yield a return visit or referrals.
  2. Send/give swag. If you mail your products or bag them, consider adding something unexpected in the package. Pure Vida sends branded stickers. Some companies stick in a postcard. The surprise needn’t be expensive. The point is it’s unexpected and that is delightful.
  3. Invite engagement. Make sure every purchase is accompanied with a request to engage on social media but don’t make it about you. Most people are excited when they make a purchase, and they want to show it off. Invite them to share a picture of themselves using the product or service. Give them a hashtag and perhaps some incentive to share such as a contest entry or a future discount. If you have a well-known brand sometimes simply retweeting them and being on your radar is enough.
  4. Send “just because” discounts. Some companies send birthday offers but not everyone feels comfortable giving you their birthdate these days. Instead, send “just because specials” periodically and thank them for being a fantastic customer. If they haven’t purchased recently, tell them you miss them and give them reason to return.
  5. Drop expiration dates. If you use coupons, don’t turn someone away because their coupon is past the expiration date. Make it well known that you will accept coupons whenever the customer is ready to use them.
  6. Put everyone to work. It may not scale to have your CEO or owner answer customer support questions all day. However, giving leadership the opportunity to field the occasional question or post a response on social media or to a review can make someone’s day and get them talking about you. The customer will be in shock that leadership responded. And it will make them (and everyone who reads the interaction) think that leadership is reading every review or comment.
  7. Follow and respond on social media. Don’t simply post what’s going on in your world. Learn what’s going on in your customer’s as well. Set Google alerts for mentions of your business, what you sell, and your area. Listen to conversations going on around you and join them when it makes sense and when you can add value. Also, don’t hide behind the brand. When you are posting, use your name even if you’re responding from your brand’s account. People are more likely to interact with a person than a company name.
 
If you want to cut through the noise and get more upsells and referrals, you want to make people feel special and valued. Think about experiences you’ve had as a customer. How can you replicate those in your business?

About the Author:  Christina R. Metcalf (formerly Green) is a marketer who enjoys using the power of story and refuses to believe meaningful copy can be written by bots. She helps chamber and small business professionals find the right words when they don’t have the time or interest to do so. Christina hates exclamation points and loves road trips. Say hi on Twitter or reach out on Facebook.
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Recent Posts

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017

    Categories

    All
    ATV
    Business
    Destination: Colebrook
    Fall Foliage
    Moose Watching
    NH
    Professional Advice
    Snowmobiling
    Waterfalls
    Winter

    RSS Feed


    Visit our Preferred Members
    ​Below 



Contact Us:
​
P.O. Box 1 
104 Main St., Suite 206
(2nd floor of Citizens Bank)
Colebrook, NH 03576

603-237-8939
office@chamberofthenorthcountry.com

Quick Links
Join
Blog
Go North Guide​
Store



Visit Us:
10-4 Monday-Friday

​Resource Lobby:
Monday - Wednesday 8:30 AM - 3 PM 
Thursday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5 PM 
Saturday - 9 AM - 12 PM


​
Picture
Picture
Picture