Blog: How to Become a Business Coach

Make a Great Impression

7/19/2015

I received a call last week from a business owner whom I've known for a couple of years — great guy all the way around. However, when he called, I naturally assumed that he was calling for a favor, some advice, or some other need. When he asked me for copies of my promotional flyer so that he could take them on a business trip to a convention (to promote me!), I was quite taken aback.

This guy is in the service business, and he just showed me that level of service extends to everything he does. That is why it is a key to his success. I’m not even a client of his, and he went this extra mile for me. This extra step in customer service not only made me feel grateful to him, but it also sent me a clear message, “Stuart, I’ll take this time for your referrals, too!” I know that he’ll take great care of my clients when I send them his way.

It just took a couple of minutes, but this small effort has gone a long way in building a strong business relationship. He got me thinking about how I might do the same for others. Can you think of ways you might do so?

Where Should I Go Now?
Main Blog Page
Become A Business Coach like Stuart

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Fail More! (oops, the F word again)

7/11/2015

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Thomas Watson, founder of IBM, has an easy formula for success: “It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You’re thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all.”

Double your rate of failure. In other words, if at first you don’t succeed…you know the ending!…try, try again! I know at least three times in your life that you failed miserably, but kept trying, and eventually succeeded. In fact, you went on to become pretty good if not an expert in each one.

You:

1. Learned how to walk after countless head-knocks on walls, doors and furniture. I mean, talk about bouncing back!

2. Learned how to speak a language. Do you know how ridiculous the English language is? But you didn’t give up!

3. Learned how to ride a bike (or swim or skateboard or sprint) . Are you kidding me? How many skinned knees did it take? This all just supports the previous post about Resolve. We can’t fail. That’s why I say just remove that word from your vocabulary. In each step of the way, you are just getting that much better at your business. Your sales strategy is improving. Your marketing efforts are paying bigger dividends. Your customers service is getting to be top-notch.

As long as you don’t take your eye off the Big Picture, you are on your way to success.

Where Should I Go Now?
Main Blog Page
Become A Business Coach like Stuart

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Scratching A Niche

7/1/2015

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Sorry…I couldn't resist that title!

When it comes to marketing, one of the most powerful concepts is the Niche Market. I've found that many small business owners are reluctant to focus on a smaller segment of their market, for two key reasons:

1. They have a hard time actually defining that segment/niche

2. They are afraid they’ll lose potential customers that are outside that niche

Defining the niche is a tricky task, but your niche might just be sitting there waiting for you to run with it. Take a look through all of your customers. Is there a group that are just a real pleasure to work with? You know, the ones who pay on time and truly appreciate the value of your product/service! Or…Or! You might look at one particular product or service that sells the best. In either case, your potential niche might just be right there in front off you.

The second problem is a little more difficult. I completely understand the reluctance to take your current efforts and, in a sense, REDUCE the size of your target. The key is to make a smooth transition from a general marketing campaign to a niche marketing campaign. I hate to do this to you, but look at the law industry (lawyers). It’s very rare that you see a sign for a law firm that just says, ‘Lawyer’ or ‘Attorney’. They all dig out a niche: accident law, business law, sports law, divorce law, bankruptcy law, etc. In fact, they likely carve it a little deeper by sticking to a certain geography.

The other thing to consider here is the shear size of your market. If you did some research and counted the size of your current market, I’m positive you’d find enough of them to start getting more focused and still have plenty to sell to.

The point is that a marketing message designed to target a specific niche will be heard faster and louder by its intended audience. Isn’t that something we’d all want from our marketing campaign?

Where Should I Go Now?
Main Blog Page
Become A Business Coach like Stuart

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Make a Great Impression

Fail More! (oops, the F word again)

Scratching A Niche

Stuart Preston

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