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Your
EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 444
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Thought
for the week: "If
you don't sell, it's not the product that's wrong, it's
you." Estee Lauder
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In
this week's issue:
Rocket
science and the small business owner
If
we asked you the question, "What business are you in?",
what would your answer be? Perhaps it would be something like:
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"We
make hand-crafted garden furniture."
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"I
run a restaurant."
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"We
supply PC accessories."
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"I'm
a freelance rocket scientist."
...
or something else along these lines, which merely describes what
your business supplies or what you do for a living?
In
our 'how-to' manual The
UK Small Business Marketing Bible we make a specific point
in Chapter 9 when we refer to an old advertising slogan which says:
"Any fool can make soap, but it takes a clever person to sell
it."
The
point here is that any Tom, Dick or Harry can make a bar of soap,
but even if it's the most advanced soap in the world, it won't matter
a jot if nobody buys it.
And
the same principle applies to your garden furniture business, your
restaurant, your PC accessories shop, or whatever other line of
rocket science you're in and whatever else it is that you supply.
It doesn't matter how good your product is - or how good you are
at what you do - if you can't persuade people to buy from you.
Failing
to grasp this principle can be deadly in the small business world,
and is a big reason why so many small firms fail so quickly after
they start up.
If
any small enterprise is to stay in business, it needs cash flow.
To get cash flow, you need customers. To get customers, you need
to be proactively selling your product or service.
You
need to be able to sell regardless of what business you're in -
because you are, in essence, in the business of selling your product
or service.
It
doesn't make any difference whether you're the best electrician
in town, or have the tastiest, freshest ingredients on the menu
in your restaurant, because there will be plenty of other electricians
and restaurants listed in the Yellow Pages. No matter how great
you, your business or your products are, your business will fail
if you can't sell and can't persuade people to buy from you, or
do business with you.
Now
if you were to take this point on board and recognise that the most
important function in your business is the selling and marketing
of your products and services, what would you do differently from
now on?
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Would
your to-do list look different?
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Would
your own personal priorities change?
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Would
your view on the recruitment of new employees be different?
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Would
the way you look at your business overall be different?
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Would
you look again at your expenditure and how much (or little)
you spend each month on marketing and sales?
The
point is that if you genuinely get the point and believe deep down
that your primary business objective and number one goal is to sell
your product or service, then your to-do list, your personal priorities,
your approach to recruitment, your marketing budget and the way
you view your venture overall would be radically different to the
way it is at the moment.
So
now that you know what business you're really in - which is the
business of selling your product or service to your
customers - what are you going to do about it?
It's
not rocket science, that's for sure.
To
comment on this article please
click here to have your say.
Each
week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business
ideas in the UK and elsewhere around the world.
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NEDay
Crafts is gift subscription service delivering a child's
craft kit every month for a year. The kits are customised
for the child's age and preferences.
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Grub
With Us is a
social dining service based in the USA. Users can browse
the website and pay to reserve a place at a meal. The focus
is on dining, socialising and making new friends.
Creating
a business plan online
Stepbystep
is an online
business planning tool that features guidance notes and
interactive spreadsheets, and can be shared with business advisers
and colleagues. A free demo version is available.
How
to market your business on YouTube
This
article from Mashable provides six
tips for marketing your business on YouTube, including buying
ads, going viral and tracking return on investment.
Free
scheduling tool
Doodle
is a free event
scheduling tool that allows users to suggest a meeting or
event, invite participants and confirm the time and date. This can
then be connected to compatible calendars such as Google, Outlook
and Lotus.
Hire
freelancers or bid for projects
Freelancer
is an online
marketplace for freelancers where businesses post their
requirements and freelancers bid for contracts. Once projects are
complete, payment can be made via the website.
Here's
our weekly look at some unusual, daft and often ridiculous business
ideas, products and news.
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Also
from EnterQuest's publisher
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The
UK Small Business Marketing Bible contains hundreds
of tips and tactics for boosting your sales using proven marketing
strategies that work no matter what product or service you
sell.
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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.
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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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