Give Before You Take
When entering a market online or in the offline world, it's easy to get distracted by setting up shop and going to your sales process. While sales are key, providing your customers with a chance to see how the service or business works is huge. This way you give yourself via consulting, writing, or advice to the market you wish to serve and you will never run out of customers. First those who receive your services will come back and pay for continued learning or consulting. Second and more important is that those customers will tell their friends or write about how you helped them. Unsolicited reviews and referrals are the key to success or failure.
Stay As Organized As Possible
Organization is an aspect of business that many fail when they begin and once you become unorganized, getting back to sanity can be a task in and of itself. So instead of taking the easy way out, get organized. Set yourself up a simple process on how to keep files, software, spreadsheets, and orders organized. Even the smallest amount of organization can really help you in the long run. I have seen many businessmen and consultants fail at organization and it always costs them.
Become More Positive
I think this step is a no brainer, though I see many marketers who fail to see the benefits of being positive. You see, each thought affects our mood and our mood affects our day. When our thoughts are positive, we begin to see each moment in a positive light. The world looks full of opportunity and every challenge becomes a step on the way to success. So never forget that being positive can be the one thing that helps you stay in business.
Generate New Business
I know I just wrote above about keeping the referrals coming by helping as many people as possible. I also feel that generating new business is essential to keeping sales and prospects on the rise. Marketing is simple, don't let anyone tell you different. If you get in early, and struggle to find out what people want, you can make a killing. When you learn to research a niche and find out not just what people want, but how to get inside their heads, by "Knowing the Customer Better Than the Customer Knows Themselves". When you have a good idea of how your target customer thinks, then you just have to offer what you know they want to buy. This is a simple but key ingredient is growing a business on and offline.
Turning Customers Into Repeat Buyers
A good goal for any business is making sure you have a customer for life. Whether you are selling cars, jewelry, or informational products the sales process should include follow up emails, Special Offers, Cross Promotions, and Repeat Customer Sales among others. The or service, they have no problem helping you with your business. Yes, people will feel like they are helping YOU and they are right, without customers, you have no business.