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The truly successful person is always learning. Books are a large part of that process. Read some every day, even if just fifteen or twenty minutes, for that matter just two pages a day and you will have read seven hundred and thirty pages in a year or around three to four books that might just change your life. Try to find books on tape or motivational talks by any number of very good sources, and listen to them while you are driving to and from. Attend any seminar that you can that will help you understand your business, or motivate you onwards to success. Whatever your faith is try to read from something inspirational every day also. True success is achieving a balance in life.
Know Your Product
Dealing with a salesperson who doesn't know all about what they offer can be
frustrating. If you are one of these salespeople, your prospective clients will
lose confidence in you, and you will probably not get the sale. Knowing your
products and services, and being able to talk intelligently about them, will
go a long way toward building your client's trust in you and your business.
It is important that you do not offer a product or service with which you are
not familiar. Formula is better than intuition. Most people starting their own
homebased businesses set up informal pricing based on rough cost estimates and
personal intuition. While many business owners succeed with this method on a
long-term basis, it's not as accurate as having a definite formula. Also, without
a pricing formula, it's difficult to forecast long-term future profits, or to
make meaningful comparisons of profits on similar jobs. Earnings aren't wages.
People starting their first business venture commonly make the mistake of equating
business earnings with wages. They base their prices on the amount of income
they would like to earn, forgetting about covering overhead costs and earning
profits. The business owner's judgment is critical in maximizing revenues. The
best pricing strategy is one that's flexible enough to take profits when possible,
or to trim profits when necessary to meet competition.
Marketing Needs--Basic Tools
Today's marketplace is very competitive. Whether you are looking to build your
business or promote a special offer, it is important that you have the proper
marketing tools in order to succeed. Strong marketing efforts can increase sales
and public awareness of your products and services, and even the best products
and services will not do well without proper marketing. Contactng
is one of your most important tasks you need to learn this skill forwards and
backwards.
Important components of your marketing package should include printed materials and an image that will distinguish you from your competition. (Why would someone want to do business with you instead of your competition?) You need to tell your story effectively and let prospective clients know why working with you is their best choice.
Printed materials.
Once you have registered your business name with your local city offices, you
should design a business card and letterhead. These will be important tools
in making first contacts, as well as getting your name and services known.
Business Cards.
Your business card should be direct and to the point. It should state clearly what business you are in, as well as your name and contact information. You can place a title under your name if you wish; however, it is suggested that you place your name with no title.Letterhead.
Having good quality letterhead is also important. Like your business card, it should state the information clearly and concisely. It should look professional, and show what you have to offer. Make sure it is printed on a good quality paper stock that goes well with your lettering and images. Getting high-quality business cards and letterhead does not have to be expensive. In fact, with today's computer programs available to the consumer, you can make them yourself at home on your own computer if you wish. A variety of paper stocks are available at most office supply stores, which also carry business card sheets that you can use to print on your own computer. Even taking your order to a professional printer is not too unreasonable, if you shop around.
Advertising.
Once you have your information and logo designed, you may want to place an ad
in your local Yellow Pages. Maintaining a Yellow Page ad has proven for many
to be a huge source of finding new customers and advertising your services.
Call your local phone directory company to find out their procedure and pricing
schedule. When deciding to place a Yellow Page ad, make sure you have enough
money in your start-up budget to provide for the monthly payment. Brochures.
Depending on your start-up budget, you may want to have someone design and print
a color brochure that tells more about you than can be found on a business card.
A slick, catchy brochure can say a lot more than just the words printed inside.
You can have sample photos of screen designs, ink colors, and other services
you offer. This brochure can be costly, depending on who you hire to do it,
and is not essential to your success, but it may just give you that last bit
of impact needed to make the sale.
Web site. These days, almost every business and organization has or is developing
a web site on the Internet. It is fairly inexpensive to get your business online
(For that matter this site is hosted on a server that provides the space in
return for adverting space at the top of each page, the domain name was only
$8.96 a year to register it with godaddy.com), and it is a great way to increase
exposure. Internet advertising works better for some types of products than
others, and operating your business on the Internet will provide numerous benefits.
One of the best benefits is letting people know you are professional, and not
just a kid in a garage. A web site for your business will help you with established
customers as well. Once you have made contact with someone, they could look
up your web site (listed on your business card) and find out more about you
and your products and services, in addition to actually placing an order.
Note: When shopping around for any type of service, such as brochure production or web page design, it is always smart business sense to get at least three separate quotes, and then make your decision.
Keep good records.
We strongly suggest that you determine how much you need each month just to
keep your business running. You can do this by consulting your QuickBooks or
other software program, or a licensed accountant. Complete a P & L (Profit
and Loss) statement weekly, or monthly, so you always know where you are financially.
Knowing where you are financially helps you to know better how to make decisions
and to set your prices.