1. Refocus
· Ignore negativism
Believe in
yourself, your dreams and your visions. Surround yourself with people who share
the same aspirations and dreams with you be it friends, mentors, employees,
colleagues or family members. Most importantly, avoid those that will run you
down, distract you or people that generate negative vibes. It is contagious and
you might start doubting your abilities or the workability of the vision/dream.
In essence, avoid negative criticism but accept and review positive ones.
· Seek information and knowledge
Seek information
on your intention and gather all you can access. Learn about the mistakes
others made in the process of achieving success. Learn more about your chosen
field and how you can improve. Note that learning is an on-going process and
must continue as long as the business remain a going concern. Don’t be ashamed
to ask questions or help from those who have done it better or have a better
understanding. Be open to information and never discard any input or
information no matter how low the source might be, even from your clients.
· Seek to satisfy a need or service gap
Every product or
service seeks to satisfy a need. Yours should not be different. Always remember
why you started the business and make sure that the purpose or vision remains
your focal point at all times. This should be well communicated to those that
will run the process and ensure regular variation analysis to determine
possible deviation for the vision and make amends.
2. Position smart
· Determine your marketing/product strategy
At this point,
who are my target market, what would they need, how do I penetrate the market,
what is my growth potential, who are my competitors, what can I do better, etc.
are some of the questions that should be asked and are critical to the
acceptance of any product or service. Efforts should be directed at answering
all the questions and others that will spring out as you progress. Your business plan or feasibility study should be
able to answer a greater part of these questions. Endeavour to do this or have
an input if you plan to assign the task to a consultant. It’s your vision/dream;
your input is key.
· Packaging
The kind of image
you want your clients to have about you and your product is key. This must be
well thought out with consideration for the environment or market you plan to
serve. Avoid conflict with culture/environment/religion. The service of a
branding specialist could be sort to assist and it could be as little as
determining a company name (will be better explained in future posts) or logo
or stationery Whatever the style or approach, the message must be well
presented.
· Localise your product/service
For easy
acceptability, your product or service should be designed or structured
according to the needs and aspirations of your target market. It’s obvious that
your product/service will not be acceptable to all, probably not due to quality
but due to class, environment, religion, etc. Market segmentation is therefore
crucial to identify the sector that has the critical mass to ensure good
patronage and volume. Understand the needs and aspirations of the market
segment you want to service.
· Service Quality
Note that others
offer the same product or service and the only way to stand out amongst the
crowd is the quality of your service which will help set you apart from the
rest. You should strive not only to meet your customers’ needs but surpass it
at all times to guarantee repeat business. Repeat business is what will ensure
the success and growth of any establishment. Learn to always surprise your
customers positively and they’ll become your free evangelists.
·
Ambience
“Dress the way you want to be addressed”. Your office or factory or business area needs
to be welcoming and comfortable. The staff should also be proud to be working
in such a place and people generally swayed more with what they see than what
they hear.
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