Small Business - You MUST Network

Oh how important marketing is to growth in business! Lots of entrepreneurs fall short when it comes to effectively “selling” themselves. It has a lot to do with vision. One has to see opportunities to position himself wherever possible so as to reduce the negative effects of budgetary constraints and size limits. Marketing can be relatively cheap or rather affordable even with a small budget. The power is in the strategies that are employed.
Many businesses are started based on an intriguing idea but many owners don’t have the slightest clue as to how to properly market their product or service. Your main priorities in a small business should be sales and marketing. Marketing takes many forms. One common form is ‘word-of-mouth’ marketing. This is extremely beneficial to any business but there must be a track record to create the buzz about that particular business. A new business does not benefit much from word of mouth marketing because this form of marketing comes from satisfied customers. During the first few months of its existence the business is building the foundation for the word of mouth ‘campaign’ to begin. One happy customer tells his/her friend or family member about his/her experience with your business and the word spreads from that point onwards. Traditional businesses do not rely too strongly on this avenue for growth. On the other hand, this is how network marketing businesses function and the growth is exponential and the business owners can earn tremendous incomes this way, while keeping operational costs to a minimum. The key factor for success in this form of business is a powerful product with great appeal. I only became familiar with this network marketing concept in the last year or so and I must say I was quite happy step outside of the box to start one of my own.
Networking however can be incorporated into just about any business model. The same word-of-mouth effect described above can be achieved by maintaining direct contact with clients via email or perhaps trade publications.
Having a small business does not necessarily mean your marketing program should be small as well. One must think BIG. Think outside the box and reach for the stars literally. Commit yourself to training to swim in deep waters. An earlier post may give you some ideas. Swim with the sharks if you can because you may stand a slight chance of landing a really huge deal with an established reputable company. Networking is the key to great success in business because people love to do business with people whom they know and trust. This is where the power of relationships comes in(Search previous posts for article). A huge client can be a well-known company and such companies can be very influential. People like to follow leaders to achieve similar levels of success.
Another important aspect of marketing is your business card. It may seem trivial to some but it is extremely vital to have a decent business card. This is often where people get the first impression of you and or your business card so it has got to be very simple and professional in appearance and it must do justice to your business model as well. Remember, you only have one opportunity to make a first impression so it MUST be done right the first time.
A common mistake that many businesses make is where they may be very successful and are having ‘fun’ writing checks and they do not put much energy into marketing at that point. This is a bad idea. NEVER put all your eggs into one basket. Success is not measured by how much you reap...It is measured by the number of seeds you plant. Marketing is like planting seeds and it is a practice that you should never abandon regardless of how successful your business is.
The thing is, many businesses are held back because they take little or no risks. There leaders are not taking the time to delegate properly within their teams so they end up trying to do too many different things. It’s like being “Jack of all trades” and “Master of none”. Regardless of how many years experience you have in business, there’s always someone who has the “Knows more about that” than you do. Never be afraid to seek help and when seeking help, seek the best and most competent help you can find whether it’s an attorney for your legal department or an accountant. When you delegate effectively, you create the time where you can focus on the items in your ‘active portfolio’ and productivity goes through the roof.
Finally let me say a bit about goals. It is of utmost importance to set goals...6 month goals, 1 and 2 year goals and so on. Goals change the way everyone thinks. It’s the opposite of just doing the work as a routine. WRITE DOWN what you want your business to look like at the beginning and at the end in terms of sales, clients and so on.
Remember, marketing can make or break a business so be sure to get it done the right way all the time.
Thanks for reading.