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Your EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 258
In this week's issue:
Have you got the fear? Enterprise and entrepreneurship is all about doing something new, often things that you don't like doing, and about having the balls, brass or bottle to take calculated but frequently very risky decisions. Yes it's fun, yes it's scary and yes it's risky, but this is probably what ultimately drives us to do it and keep on doing it. It's not just the fear but also the challenge of tackling the unknown that is the motivator for many people. But perhaps the biggest area of all where the fear factor comes into play and limits an entrepreneur's chances of success, or even brings about their downfall, is the fear of selling. Not so much the thought of selling in principle, but the fear of actually doing it and the effect it has on your nerves and self-belief. The problem is that it is very difficult to teach people to sell, as it's a skill or a 'business sense' that most people will only learn by doing, by making mistakes, and by learning those streetwise tricks that you eventually pick up over time. The problem, the fear that people have, is that they're afraid that selling is seen as intruding or imposing on someone who doesn't want you there in the first place, and so they feel daunted by the potential for rejection or failure. But most business owners, who become good at selling and overcome their fear, learn to develop a sense of timing and appreciate the art of being sensitive to customers' needs. They also soon realise that if you target the right people in the first place, those people will generally be predisposed to listening to your sales pitch or sales messages. And if the timing isn't right, you can always try again later. You should also remember the old adage that selling isn't about being pushy, it's about being persuasive, patient and persistent. That's what ultimately pays off and what gets you over the fear factor. As far as failure and rejection are concerned, what on earth do you expect? You're never going to win every sale, or every deal you're trying for. And if you get bombed out, it isn't down to you personally, it's down to the timing not being right, your offer or pitch missing the mark, or not targeting the right prospects in the first place. You'll learn and you'll get better at it all the time. Even if it makes you feel bad, you'll get over the fear and the occasional rejection and gain your black belt in entrepreneurship. The key is to not be frightened of failing occasionally or of looking stupid when you get it wrong. You just have to wake up the next morning, put it all behind you and have the courage to get on with the next challenge you face, which will be sitting there waiting for you.
Tips for better networking Many inexperienced networkers think networking is just about selling something, but it's more about taking the opportunity to share knowledge and information. To a lesser extent, it's also about receiving too. It's about many things, including:
Here are some tips to help you get more from networking. Purpose - What do you want from each networking event you attend? Is it information, feedback, a competitive update, building a rapport with customers, raising your profile, or something else? Preparation - Take business cards, prepare your introductory pitch, think of topical questions to ask. You could also read the list of people attending and any event information such as location, start times and names of key contacts. Keep your promises - Respond to referrals quickly, then give feedback, and return phone calls as soon as possible. If you don't do what you said you were going to do, within a given timeframe, you will probably lose the trust of your contact. People skills - Make conversation and keep your body language in check. Smile, listen, ask the right questions and dress appropriately. Patience - You can't expect rewards to materialise overnight, but if you persist and keep your profile high, the rewards will come eventually.
Each week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business ideas in the UK and elsewhere around the world.
Regularly improving your vocabulary is not just about learning a new word and its meaning. It will improve your general knowledge and make you feel and act smarter in all sorts of personal and business situations. Do you know the meaning of the word 'voluble'? a) taking up a lot of space Answer at the end of the Bulletin.
The following topical business issues have been recently reported in the media. Did your radar pick them up? 1) The Government is to spend £11 million on six pilot projects to provide which type of services to small businesses? a) occupational health services 2) A survey by the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA) has revealed that over 40% of businesses say that which factor has had little impact on their business? a) the steep rise in energy and fuel costs 3) The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has said the Government is failing to meet its commitments to reduce the regulatory burden for small enterprises, as it introduced how many pieces of business legislation on 6 April? a) 22 Answers at the end of the Bulletin. Latest workshops from the British Library The British Library regularly hosts intellectual property workshops and events as part of the services offered by the Business and Intellectual Property Centre. Its website lists the latest events, and there's also the opportunity to sign up to a free e-newsletter and listen to podcasts and webcasts. Free business forms and documents ContractStore has free business forms and documents which you can download and use as templates. You need to register with the site before you download any documents but once you're registered you can access the information and download it free of charge. Documents on the list include a force majeure statement and a website privacy policy. Free online tutorials The Beginners.co.uk website has a list of free IT and computing tutorials on all sorts of topics, including Dreamweaver, Photoshop, eBay, soft skills and accountancy. Simply pick the category you're interested in and scroll down to see the results. Free patents journal search The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) has launched a searchable patents journal. Users can browse to see the latest patents that have been filed, patents that have been granted, European patents and patents which have expired. Read more about the database in the accompanying press release. EnterQuest has teamed up with ContractStore.com to give four businesses the chance to win specimen legal contracts of their choosing worth an average of £50. ContractStore.com have a number of ready-made, professionally drafted business contracts to help protect you in your dealings, give your business a professional, established image when you use standard terms for buying and selling goods and services, and help you meet legal requirements. These can be useful when establishing and managing alliances with suppliers, customers, agents, distributors and joint ventures, as well as when employing staff. ContractStore.com are offering one lucky reader the chance to win four contracts of their choosing and three runners-up can choose one. To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question: Q. According to the FSB, how many pieces of legislation were pushed through by the Government on 6 April? E-mail your answer, together with your name, address and daytime telephone number, using "ContractStore Competition" as the e-mail subject line, to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com. All entries must be received by 30 April. EnterQuest and ContractStore will use the information you provide for their own marketing purposes only and your details will never be shared with any third parties (except to arrange delivery of the prize). Competition rules are available on request.
This book helps the reader to write better copy. The reader can gain insight into incorporating hypnotic words into their sales copy to motivate prospects to act on what they are reading. It contains strategies, before and after case studies and further examples of how to write hypnotic copy. Check out:
Visit www.enterprisequest.com to access all back issues of the EnterQuest bulletin. If you have any feedback or suggestions for us to make this service more relevant please e-mail your comments to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com. If you wish to discontinue your subscription to EnterQuest please click on the 'SafeUnsubscribe' link at the bottom of the bulletin. Remember that we guarantee never to sell or give your e-mail address to anyone else. Good luck The EnterQuest Team This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate. |
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