January 30, 2015 by

What is The First Action For a New Business Owner?

What is The First Action For a New Business Owner?The first action a new business owner takes might be the single most important decision they make toward their business success. In fact, when reformulating or re-branding their business, the first action may be very similar to the first action they took when first starting out.

It is assumed you know what your product or your service either is actually or conceptually and now we are discussing your first action step. What will this first action be?

Here is a list of some of the actions people answered when asked the question: What is the first action for a new business owner?

  • obtain a loan
  • lease space
  • design a website
  • print up business cards
  • create a logo
  • write a book
  • buy advertising
  • hire employees
  • draft up a marketing plan
  • form your corporation
  • buy a new wardrobe
  • join a mastermind group
  • arrange for daycare

There are many more actions people listed as the first action for a new business owner to take. Many of these items are critical and important in their own right. Are any of these the first action for a new business owner to take?

No. It is time to reveal the absolutely number one first action for a new business owner to take – test.

Test your premise. Test your product. Test your service. Test. ABT. Always Be Testing.

This is especially the case in the beginning before one single minute or dollar is spent on anything else. As essential when reformulating, revising, re-branding or re-anything of a business.

The stare given to me upon making this statement is the stare of a deer in the headlights.

Test.

A frozen look of the eyes and face which rapidly contorts into a – WHAAAAAT!

The importance of conducting the test is multifaceted. The most obvious is would someone pay for your product or service? Clearly the product must speak for  itself.

Either as a food item or helpful item or toy of some type, you need to know if a consumer will pay for it and more importantly would they pay you for it? The service you are offering, will a client or customer obtain the value from your service where it is obvious they will pay you for this service? This is the purpose of the test which is obvious.

The other point of the test is to determine in the real world, not in your garage, do you love it? Do you really, really love creating and selling this product or service? This is the start, the very, very beginning. The answer better be a resounding and absolutely YES! being screamed to the heavens above!

If not, well that is why you ran the test.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

 

Filed Under: Business Planning, Business Strategy Tagged With: , , , ,
December 5, 2014 by

Three Ways To Connect With Your Buying Audience

connect-with-audienceIn the previous article, “What is Unique About Your Product or Service Based Business?”, the discussion was about – Why do you market, advertise, write copy, conduct your social media – like everyone else does?

The promise was made to offer more specific tips than the single one given in the article – “Here is one single tip for you to standout and let people know how great your product or service based business is – work with a business coach!”

In order to fulfill my promise and to provide useful information to business owners in the service provider category or product selling business here are three ways to connect with your buying audience.

CLASSIC WAY

Begin with this plan in mind, Who are you? What do you offer? Why should I care?

This may take a one to two minute video. You might write out a paragraph to answer each of these questions. It is the classic way to connect with your buying audience.

CONNECTING WAY

We all know we need to connect with our buying audience. What better way than to tell stories or share case studies. Select a few stories or case studies in order to broadly touch upon your buying audience without leaving anyone feeling left out. Utilize real people and actual events that took place. Yes, change the names, change the company names, yet allow the facts to portray the reason your service or your product is the one everyone needs right now.

CONSTRUCTIVE WAY

Give it away for free! You read it correctly. Give away a taste, a sample of what you have for free. For the service providers possibly you offer a free meeting or workshop. For the product seller possibly a contest or a give-away you create the rules. There is nothing like getting a taste of what is being provided for free to help a potential buyer decide to become a real buying client or customer.

Here is the best part of these three tips. They do not have to be exclusive! In fact when utilized together in a strategic way constructed by you and your coach they work magic!

Try each of these out for your business and let me know how you make out. Leave your comments and if you have a follow up question an answer will be provided right here for you in the comments area or a future article.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford.

 

Filed Under: Business Planning, Communication Tagged With: , , , ,
November 28, 2014 by

What is Unique About Your Product or Service Based Business?

What is Unique About Your Product or Service Based BusinessAre you another – INSERT YOUR BUSINESS TYPE HERE – like all of the others who are in – INSERT YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE HERE?

No?

Of course not!

Your product is special because of the reasons you know, the originality and unique aspects of it. Or it is an organic item from specially grown – whatever it is.

Or the service you provide gets amazing results for your clients. The people you work with rave about working with you.

In fact, anyone who speaks with you in person finds out this information fairly quickly as you are each learning about each other’s businesses.

You know the special attributes of your business. You have fans and customers or clients who gladly offer testimonials for you. Here is my question. Why do you market, advertise, write copy, conduct your social media – like everyone else does!

Okay even more to the point – why don’t you explain in a unique way what makes you and your business unique?

Here are a few reasons why you follow the crowd in these areas.

  1. Experts are saying these are the methods that work so everyone is following along. This is interesting, however, there was a time when everyone said the earth is flat. One thing to remember about these experts is they are experts at selling the solutions that everyone buys into, not necessarily running a business and actually putting anything into practice other than selling these ‘works every time’ solutions.
  2. You read the social media posts and realize you must be missing something so you either do it yourself or hire someone to replicate what you see everyone else doing so you don’t miss out. If you are a follower of the stock market, when you start to see everyone buying into the position of a company, or the market and new highs are being made everyday, the saying goes ‘you are chasing the market’.Please do not take this to heart without doing your own research or seeking the advice of a properly licensed investment advisor. The statistics show that when people buy into the market when the market hits new highs, are often the same people who sell when the market is near, or has hit new lows.  Think about it for a moment. This is not investing, it is gambling.
  3. You find it easier to copy what others are doing than to create your own strategy for your business. If it was this easy everyone would be rich!

Here is one single tip for you to standout and let people know how great your product or service based business is – work with a business coach! More specific tips in the next article. Come on back!

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford.

Filed Under: Coach Mentor, Marketing Tagged With: , , , ,
December 5, 2013 by

Would You Use Ron Burgundy in Your Advertising Campaign

Are you tired of trying new ways to market your business or products? Are you starting to say, ah, these ideas never work! Or, it is ridiculous we spend so much time and money and nothing really ever works.

Maybe you feel that way sometimes, but you need to get over it and soon! Check out what has happened with these two concepts and their results and then let’s discuss. First there is the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas. See the link provided if you need to refresh yourself.

Just about everyone knows the words and the tune for this song. There is a list of presents for each day of the song. The list grows as each of the twelve days passes by.

Some analysts decided a few years ago that this list of gift items would be a good measure of the economy. See the below link for more information on this subject.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/offbeat/20121301/cost-of-twelve-days-of-christmas-gifts-leaps-in-2013/

Essentially they have taken a memorable and popular song which is heard often during the holiday season and tied it to measuring the economy.  This is reported annually on CNBC and the Wall Street Journal among other news sources.  It has become a measuring stick.


The second story is being called the Ron Burgundy effect. It is a reference to the character Will Ferrell plays in the hit movie “Anchorman”. He is seen in a commercial for the Dodge Durango.  See one or both links which explain in detail.

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-2014-dodge-durango-stayin-classy

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/call-ron-burgundy-effect-chrysler-142049793.html

This comedic commercial by a fictional character has increased sales and demand for the Dodge Durango substantially.  In fact, it has taken the dealers and the manufacturer off guard in terms of the speed and the instantaneous demand response.  The one new thing was the release of the ad, they said, then everything spiked.

The point of this discussion is that a memorable tune or the words might be the exact messenger for your business or product.  Or a funny, silly, slapstick video or photo might do well.  The main point is not to say these will always work out for the best.  The real point is to never stop trying.  It is virtually a certainty that no one on the team who produced the Ron Burgundy ads had a clue they would evolve into the type of response which has taken place.

The key to marketing your business or product is first to always stay true to your values and second is to loosen up a bit and try new ways to grab the attention of the audience.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Marketing Tagged With: , , , ,
October 23, 2013 by

Does your marketing represent you and your business properly?

MarketingThe marketing methods we utilize for our business are making a statement about the business we run. If you are sending out multiple emails every single day in addition to multiple social media statements and all of these are sales oriented, your customer has a view of you and your business. If this is the intent and this fits your business model it is your choice. If you are following a formula or a program and have not considered the view of your potential customers, this may be a problem. The point is let’s be wise enough to recognize our marketing may be the first impression a potential client or customer has of us. Another approach might be more well suited which we might categorize as relationship building marketing. Offer value in your emails and social media in a seven to one ratio. One time in seven you would clearly be selling a product or a service.

It is not to say you cannot frame up what you will be selling in the other seven emails or posts by reference. The point is, don’t always outright and solely sell in every single email and social media post. This same exact strategy works in personal and networking settings as well. How many of us have played golf with that one person who is constantly speaking about the deals and why we need what it is he is selling? For the entire eighteen holes there is a running testimonial and commercial for his business.

A similar marketing error is too stretch the truth. Of course outright lies would be illegal, however, there are instances where business owners stretch the truth. What does this mean? Let’s take a clear and easy example – online dating. It has been said that there are men who borrow a photo from a friend or utilize their own photo, from thirty years ago. They describe themselves as athletic, full of energy and outgoing. What happens when these men meet their dream date in person? Reality hits. They are actually balding, overweight, fairly short and want to go to a local restaurant for the early bird discount dinner. This relationship is going no where. It is a non-starter as it was started with a dishonest marketing plan.

When we are marketing our business we are not only representing our business, we are beginning what we hope to become a long term relationship with a customer. Bottom-line, show your marketing plans to your trusted advisers and see what they have to say before you just jump in and start waving your arms.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: , , , ,
October 2, 2012 by

Marketing Messages for Business Success

Business SuccesHave you seen the so called “Business Success Tips” from people marketing their service?

“The Three Secret Steps to … whatever you need.”

“Easy ways to make millions…now.”

“The Fast Way to do… whatever you want to do.”

Are these types of lines seriously enticing enough for you to want to engage someone or their business and hear more or read more? Or would you rather someone be straight up with you and tell it like it is.

“Ready to End The Year With Success?”

“What You Do In These Next Sixty ( 60 ) Days Will Either Close Your Year Strongly And Set You Up For A Soaring Start Next Year”

OR

“Same Old, Same Old, Keep Doing The Same Thing, Expecting Different Results.”

Which style is the one which interests you more? Me personally, it is tiring seeing the same style of ‘grabbing’ headlines that lead you into a maze of no real value words or audios that have only one sole intent that is separate you from your money.

The second set of headlines gets my attention. There is a statement and a promise of something we want. There is a defined timeline which gives me comfort that this is when there will be results, if not sooner. Now there is real interest from me for you to show me what you are speaking about. How do you feel about this?

When we are promised that there is a fast way to success or an easy way to achieve ridiculous amounts of money, don’t we intuitively know this is a bunch of nonsense? Who is it that is falling victim to this type of marketing? Not for me to judge on either side of this one. Don’t we just want to know, in a few sentences, why what someone is offering is special? Why working with someone or their company and utilizing their service or learning from them will be of value to me and my business?

The result of asking questions to the expert marketers is ‘well, hype headlines and wording works’. Then a handful of case studies are presented to prove their point. There are two sides to this marketing equation. There is what type of marketing interests you to explore a person or business further to see if what they are offering is of value to you and your business. Then there is the marketing that you and your business conducts in order to attract new clients and customers. These may not result in the same answer.

You and your company may not be your ideal client. This means the type of marketing you conduct may not appeal to your specific style or taste as it would not be designed to attract you. This being said, the marketing campaign you conduct does need to stay within your value system.

Are you ready to explore the right marketing methods to grow your business? Contact Mitch Tublin today, www.easysmallbusinesssolutions.com or call 877-907-8223.

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Coach Mentor Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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