I have a thriving business today because I have embraced what I see as the eight massive changes to business building strategies and actions that have occurred since I began my business almost 20 years ago. These eight have also been key to the success of my colleagues at Training Edge International.
1) Spin to Story
Authentic stories sell. Most people ignore advertising because they don’t see it as the truth about our product or service. People embrace real stories about real people which is why genuine testimonials about what we do and case studies about how we have helped people to meet their wants and needs are key ways to attract customers/clients.
What are people saying about your product/s and/or service/s? Are you using what people are saying about you as a key way to build your business?
2) What to Why
“Doing well by doing good” or enlightened self-interest is a key way to build our businesses which is why so many people have embraced the triple bottom line of environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and economic prosperity.
How good is your business for people, and our planet? If you are doing good for people and our planet it is likely that you are making higher profits.
Profit is not a reason for being in business however, rather a result of being good at business. What’s your reason? Douglas Atkin, author of The Culting of Brands, asks: What’s your cause? What do you want to have happen? If you’re not out to cause anything then you might as well go back to bed.
3) Interruption Marketing to Permission based marketing
In the early days of my business I had to cold call. The biggest hurdle I had to overcome was the fact that people saw my call as an interruption to their work. Advertising of cause is the biggest way we interrupt people which is why many of us mute the ads when we are watching television.
Today if we are seen as interrupting people it is unlikely that they will hear our message.
In what ways do you have permission to communicate your message to people. Do you have an electronic newsletter for example that people have opted-in to receive? Do you have numerous ways to collect people’s details and do they know what will happen on a frequent basis once you have their details?
4) Media to Mass Media
When I first started my business, phone books, newspapers, magazines, radio and television were the media available to me, and most were inaccessible as I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t have a lot of funds to spend. Today we can use a multitude of media channels to add value and attract customers/clients, for free!
Are you blogging? Are you on YouTube? Are you using Facebook, LinkedIn or others to build relationships. Today one of the big questions we must ask and answer thoroughly is - What is our strategy for using social media to build our business?
5) Expert to Thought Leader
I could easily validate my expertise when I first started my business. Today being a expert is a given. In order to thrive we must be seen as leaders in our fields of expertise otherwise we get ignored.
How are you perceived in your markets? Are you seen as a leader or just one of many?
In all your business building activities are you positioning yourself as a stand out? And do you prove your standing in all your transactions and interactions with people?
6) Generalist to Niche
Once I tried to be all things to all people. I learned the hard way that I can only truly serve people in certain niches. Are you open for business to everyone or are you the go to person for certain people?
7) Provider to Partner
I was once a provider of certain services and usually I was hired for a specific period of time to provide a specific solution or meet a particular need. Today I don’t provide my clients with solutions to their challenges or problems, rather I partner with them to discover their own solutions. A consequence is that I get paid for the value that I provide rather than the time it takes.
Do your customers/clients see you as a partner or a provider? If your answer is provider then it won’t be long before someone makes your customers/clients a perceived better offer and you will lose their loyalty. Being perceived as a partner is a key way to build loyalty and therefore retain customers/clients.
8) Service to Experience
Providing our customers/clients with great customer service is a given today. Provide less than high standards of service and people will simply go somewhere else.
What kind of experience do you provide for your customers/clients before they buy, when they buy, and after they buy? Unless your answer is memorable across the board then you are not building the business you could be and not only are you are missing out on significant income and profits, you are most likely go backwards.
Article Contributed by Ian Berry, International Business Speaker with Training Edge International
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