We all have egos. How could you be a successful business owner without a certain level of self confidence? You make important decisions and take risks and you have to believe in what you’re doing.

However, that ego can get in the way when a decision you made turns out to be wrong. I’ve seen many business owners stick with something well after it was obvious it was hurting their business because they were too proud to admit it was a mistake. This happens in big corporations as well. Big companies continue to do things the way they always did them because, well, that’s the way they always did them. While the rest of the world moves forward, they remain the same until they become obsolete.

Whether it’s a product that bombed, marketing materials that aren’t working, or an employee that just isn’t serving your company well, you need to say “I made a mistake” and correct it. Maybe you even picked the wrong niche. It’s okay. Businesses re-invent themselves all the time. The marketplace constantly changes. It doesn’t mean you have failed, but that you have learned what doesn’t work.

I just heard a story on National Public Radio yesterday about Steve Jobs and Pixar. Pixar didn’t start out being the leader in computer animation which they are today. But when Steve Jobs (founder of Apple) saw an emerging opportunity to re-focus Pixar in that direction back in the 1990’s he jumped at it because he’s a brilliant entrepreneur.

No one likes to say they were wrong. But true leaders do so willingly, knowing that to waste even a day continuing to travel down the wrong road is costing them dearly.

Add to Onlywire

Up until about 10 years ago, if a product wasn’t available in your local area, or at best in a catalogue it was hard to find at all., making certain products more unique or valued. We all know those days are long gone. As it gets easier to create, find and sell almost anything, the marketplace becomes so overcrowded it’s mind boggling. In fact, it’s been proven that too many confusing choices can paralyze consumers. They want simple, specific solutions.

A few weeks ago I went to shop at Kohl’s department store. I was searching for a classic, solid colored nice looking, fitted t-shirt. What I found were racks and racks disorganized and overflowing with every possible type of big flowery print tops that looked like they belonged in the maternity department (that’s the style now and what were they thinking?). Several other women (all of us over 40) were commenting on the fact that they wouldn’t be caught dead in any of these tops. What I wouldn’t have given at that moment to see a nearby store that specialized in solid colored, simple t-shirts, shirts and sweaters! I suspect they would have been busy with people like me.

Want to stand out in an overcrowded marketplace? Keep it simple and focused. Pick a pressing need in a specific area of expertise and provide a stellar suite of solutions that works. Instead of providing a little of this and a little of that and trying to please everyone, dig deep and give your clients everything they need in your specific niche. This way people who want what you have will consider you the expert go-to person.

Identify the need or want.

You can do this by observing what people are searching for on the web when you do keyword research. You can keep a log of what prospects and clients ask for that you don’t currently provide. You can do a survey.

Plan a strategy to develop a series of products or services that provide solutions to different facets of this target client’s wants or needs. In the example above, my dream store wouldn’t sell just t-shirts, they would also sell other articles of clothing that had clean, simple lines. Now it’s a customer driven marketplace, so I simply need to do some web surfing and I will find what I want. But it would have been nicer to have it right there when I needed it.

Develop a strategy that will lead your client from an initial purchase into other purchases through building trust and by using up sells, coupons, and strategic marketing.

Rise above the confusing clutter by keeping is simple and going deep. You will create a loyal group of fans who will spread the word to other people who have the same need they do.

Bookmark This!

Add to Onlywire

Opening and running a small or solo business is a daunting task that takes courage, passion and grit. It often takes a while before you hit that sweet spot where clients and profits start to flow in and you begin to breathe a sigh of relief. You look forward to that feeling of elation that takes over as you realize that your dreams are coming true. You’ve climbed a mountain and reached the top.

If you feel like it’s a struggle just to keep your business chugging along and you’re wondering when you’ll get to that point, you’re not alone. Here are some important things to look at and think about now.

• Make sure you’re key products are something for which there is a clearly expressed need in your market-something for which people are hungry. Your prospects and customers will let you know what they want and you need to give it to them, rather than what you think they want.
• Check to see if your niche is overcrowded. Competitors may be crowding you out and you may need to re-focus in on a less crowded niche within your area of expertise.
• Carefully measure the results you get from your marketing efforts. Are you creating a flood of interested leads? If not, your marketing approach isn’t working and needs to change. You need a powerful, new strategy.
• Your message may be getting lost in the flood of information with which people are bombarded. Making your message fresh, unique and benefit focused-even remarkable and memorable- is key
• You’re great at what you do, but are you struggling with the “running a business” part, like marketing, selling, website, bookkeeping, systems? These Entrepreneurial skills will make or break you no matter how good you are at what you do. They need to be mastered.
• Do you have difficulty managing your time and staying focused on profit generating activities? The most successful 6 and 7 figure income Entrepreneurs are time masters.
• You’re great at the daily details, but are you good at big picture planning? Remember, no one else can be the CEO and strategy maker but you.
• Persistence and follow-through are key. Don’t give up if something doesn’t produce immediate results. I’ve seen people throw an ad in the paper and expect the phone to ring like crazy. When it doesn’t they pull the ad and move on to the next short lived idea. Have a strategy, then stick to your plan. Follow through and you’ll see results.
• Are you feeling some resistance to doing tasks you know are essential to your success? Many business owner clients have told me that they know what they should be doing but every time they try they find themselves procrastinating of doing a non-priority activity. That can lead to inertia. Tasks that drain your energy may be better outsourced so you can spend your time on profit generating activities. Outsourcing is a success strategy and more inexpensive than ever. Or break the task down into 10 minute segments. Anyone can devote ten minutes to a task, even if they don’t like it. What’s important is to keep taking action! Keep moving forward. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

If any of this rings true, know that you are definitely not alone. Every business owner has experienced some or all of these roadblocks at one time or another. And all of them can be over come! If you want to breakthrough to a new level of success and reach the top of that mountain you need a solid, proven business and marketing system that works.

Try answering this question: “What is the one thing, which if I did it, would make a huge difference in my business now?” If there’s more than one thing, write it down. Voila! You know what you need to work on beginning now.

To access a series of free videos that will show you a solid, proven business building and marketing system that can take you to a solid 6 figure small business income, go to http://www.MaximizeYourProfitsNow.com/

Janis

There are a few Internet “gurus” who I really respect. They are generous human beings who truly care about offering really valuable information and content that the average business owner can comprehend.

Unfortunately many others are simply in the business of writing compelling sales copy that is crafted to convince you that only they have the new secret e-book or program that will help you skip all the hard work and will take you to thousands of dollars a month in just a few weeks.

Today I read a sales page that put down all the top Internet marketers for smokescreening everyone. Then the sales page went on to promote a program that would make the buyer thousands in the first month through the same old methods like products with re-sell licenses, private label rights products and re-packaging and selling material that is no longer in the public domain.

These marketing pitches can be hypnotic and distracting to anyone hungering for knowledge about marketing online as they try to build their small business. Don’t fall into the trap.  Yes you need to learn the basics of how to market online and which marketing activities are really going to create results in your niche and industry. Then you need to spend your time implementing those marketing activities relentlessly rather than looking for the next idea.

There needs to be a balance between learning, keeping up with trends and working on your business. My suggestion–set aside a small block of time each week to learn and don’t fall prey to following every link that comes through your inbox the rest of the week.

Create an e-mail folder called “check this out” and put all the stuff you want to check out in that folder until the allotted time.

This will save you a ton of time, a lot of frustration and confusion and will open up more time for you to focus on building your business.

I constantly get contacted by clients, subscribers and people seeking coaching who have a fear of technology and it’s preventing them from moving their business forward.If you’re under 35 this is probably not an issue, because you grew up with technology and it’s in your blood. If you’re over 35 read on.

The reason so many small business websites are not very good is not just because it may have not been designed by someone proficient in web design. It is just as likely that the business owner only put up a website because they realized they couldn’t really have a business without one. It’s like not having any business cards.

A static, boring, non productive website is just one casualty of the technophobic. The list of business building tools you’re missing out on may be daunting. Here is a random list of technology tasks and tools you may be avoiding but which may be crucial to your business growth.

• An autoresponder, with an opt-in mailing list and an opt-in form on your webpages
• A database software program to keep all of your business network contact information organized and easily accessible
• Scheduling software or an online calendar for your clients to schedule appointments with you or to share your schedule with employees
• Social networking-using the amazingly powerful, mostly free online marketing social networking websites,  groups, and tools that are a must today if you want an increasing stream of interested leads and an ever expanding network and reputation.
• A shopping cart on your website
• An understanding of how to use your website’s control panel to track and analyze traffic to your website.
• Simple time saving technical knowledge, like how to organize your e-mails in Outlook, or how to make simple changes to your business website
• How to upload and edit photos
• How to upload or even create simple videos
• How to scan and file documents to decrease paper clutter
• How to use Quickbooks
• How to convert documents to PDF format
• How to do keyword research.

These are just a few of the real life tasks that people have told me they have no idea how to do and are scared to death of learning.

Well I want you to hear this—your fear is much worse than the learning process. Mastering any technology is simply a matter of learning a series of steps. After you do it once or twice it’s a breeze. Honest. I promise. If I can learn it so can you.

Every day, think about how technology could make your life easier and your business stronger. Then take a deep breath and have the courage to find someone to teach you what you need to learn.