Finding the right market for your product or service can be a daunting task. How do you go about it? How do you find the "target client or customer." Here is a quote from www.paysoncooper.com that we found most interesting and helpful, while doing research for a some clients.
“You can find an extremely hungry market for your product or service. The key is in connecting with your target market and effectively communicating your message.
If your passion is to provide your product or service to help others and to make their lives better you have a responsibility to let them know it exists, you owe that to yourself as well as to them.”
Using this quote and perhaps others that are equally effective or powerful as a guide line can help any business develop a marketing / game plan to get the word out. Tell us about your experiences in "finding the right market."
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Make Continual Course Corrections
By Brian Tracy
Problems, difficulties, and setbacks are a normal, natural, and unavoidable part of life and business. When you set a new goal or launch toward a new destination, you will experience challenges and difficulties that you never expected or anticipated. By the true test of character is the inevitable and unavoidable crisis. Your ability to solve problems is important, but your ability to deal with a crisis largely determines your success or failure in life.
Leadership Abilities
In a multi-year study conducted at Stanford University, researchers examined the annual performance appraisals of hundreds of presidents and chief executive officers of Fortune 1000 companies, some of the most successful executives in every business or industry. This study revealed that top executives had two dominant qualities in common. The first was the ability to function well as a member of a team. When they were starting out, they were good team players, making valuable contributions to the teams they were on. As they were promoted to more senior positions, they demonstrated the ability to bring together winning teams of talented people and organize them to accomplish important goals and results for their companies.
We received this article by e-mail. Applies to small - midsized business as well.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Invoice Psychology - Smart Business Builder
The other day I ran across a term that caught my attention, " Invoice Psychology."
We all know about invoices, a written billing for goods or services, showing what a customer or client is being billed for, individual line items with quantity a description, price per unit, sales tax, due date etc.
Invoice psychology is especially valuable as a marketing or sales tool for services. In addition to the traditional details of the line items or the invoice in general. Invoice psychology is simply adding value to your service as you add details or additional descriptions to a line item explaining why the service was done, what the service did to resolve a problem and how that service helped to improve the, average or general service performed.
An example might be from a computer repair business. Defrag hard drive and remove viruses.
With Invoice psychology this service might further explain...how many sectors were cleaned up, recovered and with the viruses, how many viruses and the names that were found on the computer, removed or quarantined.
As a professional in your industry...how can you use this "invoice psychology" concept to help up sell or explain the professionalism of your business. It's worth looking at to help increase your bottom line and keep clients in the long run.
Your business is better than your competition, because you know more and explained it...along with the normal billing.
We all know about invoices, a written billing for goods or services, showing what a customer or client is being billed for, individual line items with quantity a description, price per unit, sales tax, due date etc.
Invoice psychology is especially valuable as a marketing or sales tool for services. In addition to the traditional details of the line items or the invoice in general. Invoice psychology is simply adding value to your service as you add details or additional descriptions to a line item explaining why the service was done, what the service did to resolve a problem and how that service helped to improve the, average or general service performed.
An example might be from a computer repair business. Defrag hard drive and remove viruses.
With Invoice psychology this service might further explain...how many sectors were cleaned up, recovered and with the viruses, how many viruses and the names that were found on the computer, removed or quarantined.
As a professional in your industry...how can you use this "invoice psychology" concept to help up sell or explain the professionalism of your business. It's worth looking at to help increase your bottom line and keep clients in the long run.
Your business is better than your competition, because you know more and explained it...along with the normal billing.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Growing Your Business in 2010
2009 is past, what will 2010 bring. Some say, "who knows?" and that's what they will get...who knows.
Plan your 2010 sales objectives and then implement the plan. Whether they be small or larger. A plan of action, with focus and constant execution can bring great results.
Direct mail, door-hangers, flyers, twitter, facebook, web pages, articles all build for your business story, new or on going, a sense of progressive action. Results will come.
From time to time, fine tune your plan if needed and always watch for new ways to tell your story.
Telling your business story...from whm at onewest.net (Wild Horse Media LLC)
Plan your 2010 sales objectives and then implement the plan. Whether they be small or larger. A plan of action, with focus and constant execution can bring great results.
Direct mail, door-hangers, flyers, twitter, facebook, web pages, articles all build for your business story, new or on going, a sense of progressive action. Results will come.
From time to time, fine tune your plan if needed and always watch for new ways to tell your story.
Telling your business story...from whm at onewest.net (Wild Horse Media LLC)
The Need To Lead
By Brian Tracy
The greatest need we have today, in every area, is for men and women to practice the values of integrity, discipline, responsibility, courage, and long time perspective, both as individuals and in their families. These are the key qualities of leadership.
Our society needs leaders at all levels who practice the principles that lead to long-term success. Especially, we need people in positions of authority and political power to support and encourage others, whose lives and work they influence, to develop character and resist the tendency to act expediently in ways that are harmful to themselves and others.
Everyone needs to take "The Values Pledge," to live by it, and then encourage others to live by it. It is only the solid bulwark of character, based on values, virtues, long-term thinking, and the accurate assessment of secondary consequences that can curb and mitigate the destructive influences and behavior of the Expediency Factor (the E-Factor)
Live In Truth
The philosopher Immanuel Kant postulated what he called "The Universal Maxim." He suggested that "you should live your life as though your every act were to become universal law for all people." The very best judge of truth for you is to ask, "Is it true for me?" If everyone was to be encouraged to live their life as though your every act were to become universal principle for all others, most government policies and programs would be abolished overnight. The fact is, that the only way that many "something for nothing" ideas in government and society can be put forward is with the hope that most people will not take advantage of them.
Think about it. What if everyone were to go on welfare? What if everyone were to apply for every government program that was available to them? What if everyone dedicated themselves to doing the very least amount of work that they could get away with? What if everyone began spending all their time trying to get free money from anywhere that it might be available?
The greatest need we have today, in every area, is for men and women to practice the values of integrity, discipline, responsibility, courage, and long time perspective, both as individuals and in their families. These are the key qualities of leadership.
Our society needs leaders at all levels who practice the principles that lead to long-term success. Especially, we need people in positions of authority and political power to support and encourage others, whose lives and work they influence, to develop character and resist the tendency to act expediently in ways that are harmful to themselves and others.
Everyone needs to take "The Values Pledge," to live by it, and then encourage others to live by it. It is only the solid bulwark of character, based on values, virtues, long-term thinking, and the accurate assessment of secondary consequences that can curb and mitigate the destructive influences and behavior of the Expediency Factor (the E-Factor)
Live In Truth
The philosopher Immanuel Kant postulated what he called "The Universal Maxim." He suggested that "you should live your life as though your every act were to become universal law for all people." The very best judge of truth for you is to ask, "Is it true for me?" If everyone was to be encouraged to live their life as though your every act were to become universal principle for all others, most government policies and programs would be abolished overnight. The fact is, that the only way that many "something for nothing" ideas in government and society can be put forward is with the hope that most people will not take advantage of them.
Think about it. What if everyone were to go on welfare? What if everyone were to apply for every government program that was available to them? What if everyone dedicated themselves to doing the very least amount of work that they could get away with? What if everyone began spending all their time trying to get free money from anywhere that it might be available?
Monday, December 28, 2009
New Year's Planning For Business Owners.
Every business owner should from time to time pause and do some planning and reflecting. Here is a link to a great article. With 2010 coming this article has some great points.
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/planning-for-business.asp?partner=forbes-hpm&viewed=1
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/planning-for-business.asp?partner=forbes-hpm&viewed=1
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Five Rules of Entrepreneurship
December 10, 2009
Five Rules for Entrepreneurship
By Brian Tracy
Entrepreneurship is the art of finding profitable solutions to problems. Every successful entrepreneur or business person has been able to identify a problem and come up with a solution to it before someone else did. Here are the five rules for success.
1. Find a Need and Fill It
Human needs and wants are unlimited. Therefore, the opportunities for entrepreneurship and financial success are unlimited as well. The only constraint on the business opportunities available to you are the limits you place on your own imagination.
2. Find a Problem and Solve It
Wherever there is a widespread and unsolved customer problem, there is an opportunity for you to start and build a successful business.
Once upon a time, before photocopies, the only way to type multiple copies of a letter was with carbon paper places between sheets of stationary. But a single mistake would require the typist to go through and erase the mistakes on every single copy. This was enormously clumsy and time consuming.
Then a secretary working for small company in Minneapolis began mixing flour with nail varnish in order to white out the mistake she was making in her typing. Soon, people in other offices began asking for it. The demand became so great that she quit her job and began working full-time manufacturing what she called “Liquid Paper.” A few years later, the Gillette Corporation came along and bought her out for $47 million cash.
3. Unlimited Opportunities
There are problems everywhere. Your job is to find one of these problems and solve it better than it has been solved in the past. Find a problem that everyone has and see if you can't come up with a solution for it. Find a way to supply a product or service better, cheaper, faster, or easier. Use your imagination.
4. Focus on the Customer
The key to success in business is to focus on the customer. Become obsessed with your customer. Become fixated on your customer's wants, needs, and desires. Think of your customer all the time. Think of what your customer is willing to pay for. Think about your customer's problems. See yourself as if you were working for your customer.
5. Bootstrap Your Way to Success
Once you have come up with a problem or idea, resolve to invest your time, talent, and energy instead of your money to get started. Most great personal fortunes in the United States were started with an idea and with the sale of personal services.
Most great fortunes were started by people with no money, resources, or backing. They were started by individuals who came up with an idea and who then put their whole heart into producing a product or service that someone else would buy.
Action Exercise
Look for business opportunities everywhere, develop, an entrepreneurial mind-set, and continually be open and curious about the needs not satisfied and problems not solved.
One idea is all you need to make your first million.
Copy of an E-Mail received from Brian Tracy....great content
Five Rules for Entrepreneurship
By Brian Tracy
Entrepreneurship is the art of finding profitable solutions to problems. Every successful entrepreneur or business person has been able to identify a problem and come up with a solution to it before someone else did. Here are the five rules for success.
1. Find a Need and Fill It
Human needs and wants are unlimited. Therefore, the opportunities for entrepreneurship and financial success are unlimited as well. The only constraint on the business opportunities available to you are the limits you place on your own imagination.
2. Find a Problem and Solve It
Wherever there is a widespread and unsolved customer problem, there is an opportunity for you to start and build a successful business.
Once upon a time, before photocopies, the only way to type multiple copies of a letter was with carbon paper places between sheets of stationary. But a single mistake would require the typist to go through and erase the mistakes on every single copy. This was enormously clumsy and time consuming.
Then a secretary working for small company in Minneapolis began mixing flour with nail varnish in order to white out the mistake she was making in her typing. Soon, people in other offices began asking for it. The demand became so great that she quit her job and began working full-time manufacturing what she called “Liquid Paper.” A few years later, the Gillette Corporation came along and bought her out for $47 million cash.
 | "Rapidly Increase Sales, Cut Costs and Boost Your Profits!" Just like you, I've laid awake worrying about money…I've started businesses with an idea and borrowed cash…I've made mistakes and had to try again to succeed. Believe it or not, profitability in any market is predictable—and I want to show you how to cash in year after year. Click for more >> |
3. Unlimited Opportunities
There are problems everywhere. Your job is to find one of these problems and solve it better than it has been solved in the past. Find a problem that everyone has and see if you can't come up with a solution for it. Find a way to supply a product or service better, cheaper, faster, or easier. Use your imagination.
4. Focus on the Customer
The key to success in business is to focus on the customer. Become obsessed with your customer. Become fixated on your customer's wants, needs, and desires. Think of your customer all the time. Think of what your customer is willing to pay for. Think about your customer's problems. See yourself as if you were working for your customer.
5. Bootstrap Your Way to Success
Once you have come up with a problem or idea, resolve to invest your time, talent, and energy instead of your money to get started. Most great personal fortunes in the United States were started with an idea and with the sale of personal services.
Most great fortunes were started by people with no money, resources, or backing. They were started by individuals who came up with an idea and who then put their whole heart into producing a product or service that someone else would buy.
Action Exercise
Look for business opportunities everywhere, develop, an entrepreneurial mind-set, and continually be open and curious about the needs not satisfied and problems not solved.
One idea is all you need to make your first million.
Copy of an E-Mail received from Brian Tracy....great content
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