Ingredients for business success

Now, you want to go into business, you have a product or service to sell . . . I would strongly advice that you go into a business you love, a business you enjoy. A business you know something about or that you are good at. If you don’t know or enjoy your line of business, your customers will sooner or later discover this and disappear.

Acquire the necessary skills you need to understand your line of business. Gain the experience. You can be very effective and productive in a business you understand. It sure helps if you enjoy it, but you must understand something about it.

Statistics show that most businesses started nowadays, fail. The truth of the matter is that your business can be among the successful ones out there. You just need to do the right things at the right time. I have discovered that many business people suffer because of lack of knowledge.

It’s actually very easy for businesses to excel and increase their sales. All it takes is for businesses to understand and implement certain things to enhance their business. You need to start doing some things you have probably been neglecting. I will explain these things to you in this book . . . so get ready to improve your profit dramatically.

Your business needs certain ingredients for it to be prosperous. Think of a well-prepared soup with all of the necessary ingredients . . . It becomes a delight to the stomach. Take away some vital ingredients and the result is soup that even your dog would sue you for offering to it as a meal.

Create a business plan. This serves as a road map for your business. I really want you to understand the importance of having a plan before you go into business. Don’t just jump into business without thinking carefully. You need to have a clear vision about what you want to achieve with your business. Stick to your plan, but I must emphasize that you need to be flexible too. Your plan might need some changes as time goes on.

Don’t stick with a direction that isn’t working forever. Make new changes to your plan to fit your present situation. You must be willing to change when necessary. There are useful computer software available in the market to help you with your planning.

An important ingredient in achieving business success is preparation. Find out all you can about what laws, rules or regulations that apply to your business. Keep your business legal. Protect your business against law suits and other legal problems by talking to a Lawyer whenever you have agreements/contracts being signed. This could save you a lot of headache and money in the long run. Get the necessary permits for your business.

Set appropriate and realistic goals which should make you achieve and create something good. Have confidence in your ability to provide and promote your product or service. Remember the old saying: “All things are possible to he(she) who believes?” . This is very true about business.

Determine what type of product(s) or work/service you want to offer. If you are into a business with a broad area of operation(market), I would advice you to narrow your focus and specialize in a particular branch of your kind of business. Don’t be a jack-of-all-trades.

You then need to ensure that you portray your company to the public in the right manner. Your business cards, brochures, flyers, adverts, posters, website, etc. should reflect your business in the best way. Enlist the help of experts to get this done. The customers first and continuos impression of your business is very vital in creating a successful business. Your business needs to look good!

Determine the type of person that will be most attracted to the product or service you are offering. Determine the best method to reach them. Are they limited to a particular area? Do they belong to a demographic group? Do they have special interest? Do they read a particular type of newspaper or magazine? Are they more prone to listen or watch a particular type of show?

You can market your product or service more effectively when you have answered these questions. You must learn to accept other people as they are in any sales effort. Don’t get impatient when a prospective customer is slow to understand or make a decision. In any sales effort, you must accept other people as they are, not as you would like for them to be.

One of the most common faults of sales people is impatience when the prospective customer is slow to understand or make a decision. Handle such situations as if you were on a date or applying for a new job. Be patient!

Be determined and stay focused. You probably have invested all or a substantial amount of your money in your business. It can be very difficult owning your own business initially, but it’s worth it. You realize you have to work more, you worry more and you push yourself harder. It’s really very challenging.

Things can get really stressful sometimes that you almost want to give up. You start regretting leaving your employed job. Your determination has to come in here. No one can guarantee your success in business, except you, but utilizing the advice in this book would go a long way in making things much easier for you.

Like I earlier mentioned, it helps if you love the business you are into. You generally have an easier time getting through your initial start-up problems when you enjoy what you do. Be motivated. You can make it. One very important step in improving your business is your reading this business enhancement book. Information is power!

Your business should have an effective accounting and record keeping plan. Have a well-planned book keeping system. Keep sales records, proper employee records, tax records, business agreement records etc. There are several good accounting software available in the market for those with computers. Otherwise, get an accountant to review your records from time to time.

Think of the kind of customer your product(s) will appeal to, and focus on that customer base. Target your customer base with your sales message. It’s very important that you know who your typical customer is. You get to increase your sales by providing this customer group with other products or services.

Advertising/Marketing is very important to your business. Potential customers have to know you exist. They have to be able to reach you. To be successful in business . . . you must do some form of advertising or marketing. Put aside money for advertisement.

Monitor how effective or ineffective your adverts are. Don’t waste money and time running an advert that doesn’t work. Your business needs an efficient customer service plan. You will lose your customers if you don’t treat them right.

They might even tell others not to do business with you. It’s very difficult to repair a damaged image. With all the competition out there, word of mouth still remains the most powerful form of advertisement . . . so don’t spoil your reputation.

Treat every customer like your most important customer, and they will not only come back, they will recommend you to others. Get your staff to be polite and friendly. I don’t shop at certain shops because of how rude and unhelpful their staff are. I am quite sure others feel the same way too.

Forget the idea of some people being “born with great sales skills.” We all have this talent. Every society is built on selling. Just think about it . . . we all do some form of selling(marketing) every time. We do this when we try to be close friends with others, when we try convincing people to see things our way. We’re all sales people in one way or another.

A wise man once said “Anyone can sell anything to anybody. We could correctly say that some things are easier to sell than others, and some people work harder at selling than others. But regardless of what you’re selling, or even how you’re attempting to sell it, the odds are in your favor.

If you make your presentation to enough people, you’ll find a buyer. The problem with most people seems to be in making contact – getting their sales presentation seen by, read by, or heard by enough people. Selling is challenging.

It demands the utmost of your creativity and innovative thinking. The more success you want, and the more dedicated you are to achieving your goals, the more you’ll sell.” Patience must be applied here.