"When you make as many speeches and you talk as much as I do and you get away from the text, it's always a possibility to get a few words tangled here and there."
How to Build Business Credit Despite Your Personal Credit Business credit is more of a science than an art. The first rule for this science is that it is not the same as personal credit.Many would-be and aspiring business owners are not aware that establishing credit for a business is just as important as ... Small Business's New Regulations Time was, you could just hang up a shingle and call yourself a business. As long as you didn't shoot anyone, you were pretty much left alone. Not so any more. A glut of federal and state regulations have come into being, many just over the past few years, ... Starting A Home Business: Step 5 After completing Step 4 of this series, you should have your home business entity created and licensed and your professional internet marketing tools all set up. If you've been doing your homework up to this point, you've also finished your keyword and ad ...
"Building your Business for Success in 2002."
"Building your Business for Success in 2002."
By Paul Barrs. (c) 2001
It's a strange anomaly.
Most people who set out to start their own business, no matter what type, build it for failure, not success.
Crazy isn't it? But true.
The saddest part in all this, is that they don't even know that they are destined for failure long before their dreams shatter and break apart.
Statistics tell us that within 5 years of start up 90% of all small business will go under.
My personal experience shows me that 98% of all home based business will do the same.
Why?
Because they lack the fundamental skills, education and development to plan ahead, foresee the pitfalls, and capitalise on gains.
Here is a key secret to business success. It's "Easy to Do", it's also "Easy not to Do."
That applies to everything. It's easy to do a business plan. It's also easy not to do one.
It's easy to create a marketing plan, but it's also easy not to create one.
It's easy to pick up the phone and call a new potential customer; it's also easy not to do it.
That one thing will determine your success, or measure your failure.
However, on a brighter side, there are three specific things that you must focus on doing if your want to develop a powerhouse and dynamic business in 2002.
Those three things are:
1. Get potential customers to your business. 2. Get those same people to come back. 3. Get them to refer their friends, family and associates.
Sounds simple doesn't it?
It's aasy to do, it's also easy not to do. And if you're not consciously aware of this business reality, you're probably not doing these three things.
Let's look at them.
1. Get potential customers to your business.
It does not matter what your business, your product, or your services. Whether you are online or offline makes no difference. You absolutely must focus 50% of your time and energy on gaining new customer enquires. (Initially 80% if you are just starting)
Use every method available to you. Utilise every single resource. Study and learn what it takes to get people to call you, or visit your website, or mail you a form.
I know I'm pointing out the obvious, but if your head is stuck in product development, or management and accounting you won't be able to see the trees from the forest.
Customers are your lifeblood. They are your bread and butter. They represent every reason why you go into business in the first place - to make money.
So get them and get them quick.
2. Get those same people to come back.
It's a proven fact that most people will not buy from you on their first contact. There are no exceptions to this rule. A prospective customer must have exposure to your business an average of 5 - 8 times (depending on your products and services) before they will even contact you.
The world of professional selling tells us that most sales closes take place on the 7th contact.
What does this tell you?
If you work so hard at getting new people to your business front, but then not getting them to come back - you're building for failure.
Don't do it!
Stop right now and look at your sales systems. Do they make allowances for automatic or semi-automatic follow up? Do you offer Autoresponders from your website? Do you have an offline sales letter follow up plan. Do you use contact management software so that you don't loose track of potential customers?
Why do you think the Pro's in your industry are the top income earners? Think about that. They keep in touch with people.
3. Get them to refer their friends, family and associates.
This is the cream of the crop.
When you set out in your business, you must focus 80% of your time on getting new contacts. As your business develops, you must then change that focus to 80% gaining referrals.
Referrals are the sweetest prospective customers of all. They are already pre-qualified. They already want what you have to offer.
And you don't have to spend a cent getting them!
If your business is online, you can do this with a simple, click and refer a friend script. If you're not on the web, you can do this by using a business card referral system.
But even more - are you ready for the kicker?
You must ASK people for their referrals!
When you've got a great product and a great service, it fantastic. But there is really no point in working really hard to get a brand new fresh customer at great expense when all you have to do is ASK your existing customers for a few referrals.
Don't be shy. You ask, and most of them will happily give.
It's that easy. Easy to do, easy not to do.
Can you see the pattern developing here, the difference between success and failure, those that do and those that don't?
All these things are easy to do. They are, really. But most people opt for the easier choice - not to do.
The choice is yours. Build your business for success in 2002 with qualified customer flow and you will reap the rewards.
=======================================
About the Author Paul Barrs is the creator of the 12-month "Home Business Mastery - Home Study Course." as well as being a professional speaker, trainer and presenter. He would like to offer you a free subscription to his "Home Business Gold Online Audio e-Magazine" where each week you'll receive a free audio seminar delivered to your in-box. To get your subscription, go now to http://www.paulbarrs.com/news.htm today.
Business News
Fabulous fib is named Wis. club's top lie of 2008 - KUSA-TV The Burlington Liars Club bestowed its top award for this line: "My grandson is the most persuasive liar I have ever met. By the time he was 2 years old he could dirty his diaper and make his mother believe someone else had done it." Garth Seehawer ...
Fed starts program to buy illiquid mortgage assets - Marketwatch WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday began buying illiquid mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae as part of an earlier announced $500 billion program. The program was ...
Electronic gadgets on display in Las Vegas - St. Louis Post-Dispatch The International Consumer Electronics Show, the largest trade show in the United States, opens this week in Las Vegas with a full slate of giant TVs and inventive gadgets, despite the pall of a recession hanging over the industry. The economic ...
Stock & fund quotes - ninemsn Wall Street opens for trading on Monday at a two-month high as investors have grown more optimistic that the worst of the market's rout might be over. But, analysts contend, the real test is still to come. There will be no shortage of economic data ...
