Did you know the one thing that holds
most people back is the simple fact that they think too small? What separates
the average business owner from the super successful isn’t her timing or her
resources. It’s her ability to think bigger than others,
and take action
on the things that will create the biggest successes.
Take for instance the typical small business owner in your area. Go into any
local shop and ask them how many customers they have from out of state. Chances
are it’s a very small percentage of their business. Yet with the power of the
Internet, any local business – selling products or services – can change her
business model from being a small local provider, to a small business with huge
profits and paying clients around the world.
And it’s easier than you think. I know; I’ve done it myself.
I was one of those pioneers. I purchased my first computer in the 1980’s.
Remember Prodigy? I dialed in almost every day. So when the Internet began
coming on strong in the early 1990’s, I jumped in with both feet, and brought
our business online.
What I found was an incredible opportunity.
I started out as a small business owner, operating a photography studio, and
servicing people within my local area. It was a traditional studio, offering
the standard portrait and wedding services. With two people, we opened a
commercial location, and began contacting people within a 10-mile radius. But I
knew there had to be a better way. And I found it on the Internet.
Thanks to a powerful online marketing strategy, we found success quickly.
Within 3 years, we shut down our traditional studio, and began operating a
virtual studio online. Our clients changed from people in our local area looking
for traditional portraiture, to people all over the world falling in love with
our virtual wedding studio, and flying us in to their location.
No longer were we stuck selling to the people that resided in our local
community. We established an extreme niche market, and went to where our
clients were. We raised our prices substantially, and began living the life
others only dream about. By changing the way we thought about business, we
changed the way we looked for clients. And our profits followed.
You too have that power. By changing the way you think, you can change the way
your business operates. The possibilities are out there. But thinking
differently can sometimes be difficult. It involves stretching out of your
comfort zone. It involves creating changes in your business planning. And
sometimes these changes can be difficult.


Start by asking yourself some basic questions.
“How can I take what I do now, and sell it to people 1000 miles from me?”
“How do I change my marketing materials to sell to people I may never meet?”
“How well do I work with technology? What do I need to learn?”
These questions will allow you to think beyond your local area, and start
discovering ways of doing what you do anywhere in the world. People all over
the country are looking for the services and products you sell. You just need
the tools to get your information in front of them.
When you expand your target market beyond your local area, and go worldwide,
you also add another dilemma to your planning process:
“How do I market to the thousands of people added to my new target list?”
When you decide to take your business to a much larger market, it’s imperative
that you focus on who your exact customer is. As a small business, you can’t
afford to market to the world. Defining who your perfect customer is becomes
crucial. And knowing how to reach them becomes vital.
Your customer can no longer be defined by simple phrases, such as:
·Single female between 25-50 years old.
·Married female with children under 18.
Instead you have to get into the mind of your client, and define them as
precisely as possible. Start with the simple phrases. Then add in the detail.
The more you know what interests your customer, the easier it is to reach them.
Consider a customer definition such as:
Single female between 25-40 years old. Enjoys traveling, and prefers to take
short, exotic vacations 2-4 times per year to places such as the Caribbean,
Europe, Australia and the Fiji Islands. Holds an executive position in the
corporate environment, or owns the company. Spends 2-3 weeks per month
traveling for business, and holds tens of thousands of frequent flier miles.
Using the above customer description, I can begin finding many ways of
targeting this customer. I can consider building up referral partners with
travel websites that cater to young singles flying into exotic locations for
short trips. I can find networking groups that cater to small business owners,
or buy lead lists or place ads in magazines such as Inc. or Entrepreneur magazine.
I can consider creating a relationship with airline magazine editors, and
advertise or get an article placed as frequently as possible.
Obviously, I could continue with many more ideas. But you get the point. The
more details I can use to define my perfect customer, the easier it is to
determine methods to reach them.
By changing the way you market yourself, you can expand your business in ways
that will take your business to new heights.
Open up your mind to the possibilities. You might be surprised at what awaits
you.
Source: Free Guest Posting Articles from
ArticlesFactory.com
No comments:
Post a Comment