What is it that your business does? What does it really stand for and why should anyone be even the slightest bit interested in it?
Although it might surprise you, many of the businesses that I have worked with fail to answer even the first of these questions. One problem is where businesses or business people have their fingers in too many pies; they do a bit of this and a bit of that. Unless all the pieces gel in a customer's mind in less time than it has taken to read this, you've had it. You need to choose what you do and focus on it - become 'famous' for it!
If you don't believe me ask or read about any other self made millionaire. They have almost all concentrated on the one area that people 'know them for', certainly as they've started out. Branching out later is fine but each entity must have its own clear direction. Even multinational companies regularly fall down here.
Many more business people struggle to understand what their businesses stand for. They know they are in IT, but have no specialisation or differentiation. If you don't know what makes you worth dealing with, how is a customer ever supposed to know? Ask yourself what it is you want your business to be known for.
Are you the only clothes shop in your village? Are you the telecoms company with the best service? Do you sell the cheapest widgets on the internet? Are you... Write down several simple examples of what it is you stand for. Once you have done this you have to ask yourself three very frank questions:
* Is this what the market wants or is it what I think it wants?
* Am I actually acheiving what I am setting out to do?
* How can I make money doing it?
The more honestly you can answer these, the better you will understand the relationship between your goals and what you need to do to make them acheivable. If your goals do not fit in with what the market place actually wants (perhaps you want to run the best beachware shop in Siberia) then you need to re-examine whether the market actually wants what you are offering.
Educating or changing markets is an extremely difficult job and you may have to provide a lot of free samples or generate a lot of PR to begin getting through.
Although it might surprise you, many of the businesses that I have worked with fail to answer even the first of these questions. One problem is where businesses or business people have their fingers in too many pies; they do a bit of this and a bit of that. Unless all the pieces gel in a customer's mind in less time than it has taken to read this, you've had it. You need to choose what you do and focus on it - become 'famous' for it!
If you don't believe me ask or read about any other self made millionaire. They have almost all concentrated on the one area that people 'know them for', certainly as they've started out. Branching out later is fine but each entity must have its own clear direction. Even multinational companies regularly fall down here.
Many more business people struggle to understand what their businesses stand for. They know they are in IT, but have no specialisation or differentiation. If you don't know what makes you worth dealing with, how is a customer ever supposed to know? Ask yourself what it is you want your business to be known for.
Are you the only clothes shop in your village? Are you the telecoms company with the best service? Do you sell the cheapest widgets on the internet? Are you... Write down several simple examples of what it is you stand for. Once you have done this you have to ask yourself three very frank questions:
* Is this what the market wants or is it what I think it wants?
* Am I actually acheiving what I am setting out to do?
* How can I make money doing it?
The more honestly you can answer these, the better you will understand the relationship between your goals and what you need to do to make them acheivable. If your goals do not fit in with what the market place actually wants (perhaps you want to run the best beachware shop in Siberia) then you need to re-examine whether the market actually wants what you are offering.
Educating or changing markets is an extremely difficult job and you may have to provide a lot of free samples or generate a lot of PR to begin getting through.
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Get More From Jon
Selling
First Impressions
Contractual Sales
Closing
Influence
Top Tips
Objections
Marketing
The Amazing Difference
The Traps
The Power of Attraction
Advertising
Testing & Measuring
The Internet
Pay Per Click
Direct Mail
Public Relations (PR)
Telemarketing
Customer Service
Word of Mouth
Mindset
Who Are You?
What Do You Do?
Invest In Yourself
Wealth & Success
Your Friends & Family
Serendipity
NLP
Hints and Tips
Simplicity
The Key to Success
Potholes
Business Success Group
Further Resources
Contact Us
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