Simple Business MarketingRobert Moment (28)   Robert Moment   The Moment Group The 6 Keys to Personal BrandingPosted Monday, May 19, 2008 (185 days 5 hours ago.) Viewed 18 times. PERSONA Who are you? What is your small business all about? What kind of customer service do you provide? What are your business values? What are you proud of ? What makes you different from the competition ? These are questions potential customers and clients must answer for themselves in a short period of time. How they answer them depends not just on what you say or what kind of persona you have managed to convey to them. Your policies, atmosphere, customer service, integrity, and overall quality are all factors that you can usually control. Your business "personality" has to shine through , so don't waste time wondering if they'll like you. Simply be yourself and they will. POSITIONING Everyone knows you have to be at the right place at the right time and know the right people-right? While this is true to some extent, more important to realize is that you can put your business in the right place when the time is right and get to know all the right people. Positioning is how you do it- and this simply means you want to make sure you're always in the best position possible. PACKAGING Just like you make decisions about the products you buy based on their packaging, so do prospective customers and clients. They make a decision about your business as a whole by the atmosphere you put forward, the quality the packaging of your specific products implies, and the additional support, guarantees , and other peripheries that you offer. When it comes to personal branding, packaging is a behind-the-scenes kind of preparation that's only really obvious if you don't do it, or if you don't do it right. If you've ever wondered how someone gets to be "the whole package" it's because they put the time and forethought into all the little things that many others overlook. Just a little attention to your own packaging can help you market yourself much more effectively. PRESENTATION Just as important as making sure you're "the whole package" is paying close attention to every aspect of your presentation. Again, this is a lot of little things that can add up to a big impression-and you always want to make a good one. It's an unfortunate reality in today's world that appearances do matter, and they play a large role in how prospective and current customers see you. Those who market themselves effectively know that how you present yourself is of the utmost importance, and it goes beyond just having a fancy exterior. Providing quality service, standing behind your products and services, presenting effective follow-up, and maintaining an overall professional and polite impression are all crucial elements of your presentation. PROMOTION Perhaps the most important element of personal branding is promotion- shameless self-promotion. You know your business, including its strengths, what makes it stand above the rest, what makes it a good "deal" and what qualities you possess: it's absolutely crucial you convey this to potential customers. PASSION Last but certainly not least in the concepts that make up personal branding is passion-for what you're doing, for who you are, and where you're going. Customers are looking to know you-so don't waste time trying to be something you're not. Instead, let your passion- your enthusiasm and energy for the job you're doing and the things you love-shine through and you're sure to meet with the kind of success you've always dreamed of. Remember, the key to effective personal branding is confidence. Don't be afraid to let others know what makes you great, and why you're the best choice there is. Robert Moment is an innovative forward-thinking small business and marketing coach and author of Invisible Profits: The Power of Exceptional Customer Service. Robert specializes in teaching entrepreneurs and small business owners how to start a business that profits and grow. Visit http://www.howtostartyoursmallbusiness.com and sign-up for the FREE 7 day e-course titled, Turn Passion into Profits: Small Business Startup. 
Permalink Comments (0) How to Become an EntrepreneurPosted Thursday, May 15, 2008 (188 days 23 hours ago.) Viewed 15 times. How often have you either referred to or considered the expression, "Success is a journey and not a Destination?" Probably many times, yet often being in a hurry to get there, we forget that success is not an end unto itself, but is instead an ongoing process. Though some people seem to have the Midas touch and easily turn everything to gold, most of us have to give our endeavors lots of time, effort and the sweat of our brow before seeing things come to fruition. The simple truth is that the majority of us are simply not born leaders, but become leaders by who we are and the actions we take. Consequently, whether or not you're an established entrepreneur or just starting out on your journey, there are particular traits you'll usually find operating within the exceptional entrepreneur. In fact there are 7 particular traits you'll generally discover deeply embedded within the exceptional and successful entrepreneur. If you've already taken the plunge as an entrepreneur, you know that it takes a great deal of planning, development and strategic marketing to succeed. At any given time, there are changes to be considered and new directions to examine. In which case, whether you're the CEO, CFO, Chief Marketer or Chief Solutions Officer of your company, your journey to success is probably full of trials and tribulations. To support you in your journey to success, be willing to open your mind and sense of reasoning as you consider whether these traits are part of your driving force. If they are not yet ingrained within you, I recommend that you give them some thought. The 7 Traits to Success 1) Successful Entrepreneurs Gain the Respect of their Peers One of the first and most obvious characteristics you'll see operating in an exceptional entrepreneur is an equitable and unbiased disposition . Plain and simple the successful entrepreneur recognizes that no one is above or below. With an attitude of respect for others, the successful entrepreneur gains the respect from everyone they encounter. Strategies, attitudes and methods filter down to each person and reflect on all actions and activities. A successful entrepreneur gives everyone the space to be great. No matter how effective or beneficial your expertise, becoming a successful entrepreneur requires building up of your character muscles, traits and habits, which correspondingly make your dreams a reality. 2) Successful Entrepreneurs Believe and Trust in Themselves The savvy entrepreneur is good at trusting his or her own ideas and instincts. Starting out as an entrepreneur requires persistence, determination and a high level of self-discipline. Continuing as a successful entrepreneur requires even more persistence, determination and self-discipline. The wise and successful entrepreneur knows this and works hard at developing their level of confidence. If you have a strong code of ethics and believe in yourself, then your ideas can work. Having the desire and passion are the first steps on your journey; getting there requires believing in yourself. 3) Successful Entrepreneurs Follow a Plan The successful entrepreneur follows a plan. Haphazard or trial and error have no place for the triumphant entrepreneur, for no one gets to his or her destination without a map or a guide to follow. That doesn't mean you won't go off course if another road seems better, but it's still more effective to have a plan in place. Most successful entrepreneurs start out by writing a basic business plan that acts as the impetus and guide for their endeavors. It doesn't have to be fancy or lengthy but it should include marketing strategies, goals, intentions, ideas and why you can do better than your competition. A business plan should be reviewed and updated periodically for each new idea stirs and inspires other ideas. 4) Successful Entrepreneurs Think Creatively Successful entrepreneurs are not afraid of thinking creatively. Whether a business idea has already been tried makes no difference to the exceptional entrepreneur. He or she sees better ways of doing things and knows that every idea can be expanded upon, made better, enhanced or broadened . The successful entrepreneur is willing to think outside or the proverbial box, which means using imagination, trying new things and expanding on a vision. The savvy entrepreneur pays careful attention as to whether a particular strategy is working. If after giving it his or her best shot the entrepreneur realizes the particular strategy isn't working, they know there's no point in continuing to invest energy, time and effort in the strategy. They move on to another approach and idea. 5)Successful Entrepreneurs Explore Their Exceptional Skills Successful entrepreneurs realize that we each have our strengths and weaknesses as well as a multitude of skills and talents. Successful people ask themselves often what skills they have that no one shares in quite the same way. An exceptional and successful entrepreneur explores their particular skills until they find the ones that match most closely with their ideal. They don't try to be and do everything. If the successful entrepreneur needs help, they're willing to find someone who can do it better, and allows in the support. The successful entrepreneur stays open to change for they recognize that as they move forward, doors open in unexpected places that carry them to their next level of success. 6) Successful Entrepreneurs Envision Their Success The successful entrepreneur gives time to envisioning how they want their business to look and how they want it to be. Intention is a powerful and dynamic tool. For those who are not inclined towards intention and visualization, talk to a successful athlete and you'll discover that before each sporting event, the successful athlete envisions exactly how he or she wants things to turn out. Imagine what it will feel like when you've reached a particular set of goals. Get in touch with the feelings, you'd have as a successful entrepreneur. Practice and conceive of the sense of empowerment and the joy of having succeeded. The successful entrepreneur knows they have the power to live life the way they want, but to make it a reality, they know it has to be seen first. 7) Successful Entrepreneurs Never Give Up Giving up is never in the vocabulary of the successful entrepreneur. Of course there may be days when a successful entrepreneur feels discouraged or disappointed, but giving up is not an option. Having faith, trust, confidence and determination are the qualities needed for the successful entrepreneur. To keep their focus on track, they seek out the support of those that know them, encourage them and bring out their natural enthusiasm. The smart and successful entrepreneur realizes that there will be good days and not so good days. Being a successful entrepreneur requires accepting the ebbs and flows of business for it is in fact what separates the exceptional and successful entrepreneur from the one who gives up far too soon. Robert Moment is an innovative forward-thinking small business and marketing coach and author of Invisible Profits: The Power of Exceptional Customer Service. Robert specializes in teaching entrepreneurs and small business owners how to start a business that profits and grow. Visit http://www.howtostartyoursmallbusiness.com and sign-up for the FREE 7 day e-course titled, Turn Passion into Profits: Small Business Startup.
Permalink Comments (0) |
Archives:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||