August 28, 2007 11:44 - The Secret Weapon That Every Business Must Have To Survive
Your business has a purpose...don't hide it from the world.
Your business voice as well as your personal andr professional brand have to showcase itself to the world.
There is no such thing as a faceless nor is there such a thing as a faceless and purposeless-business. Your business has to stand for something.
When you birth your business, it has to serve a purpose. It has to have a voice, a purpose and a drive and intent that's crafted to solve a problem, frustration, need, want, or desire for a specific niche of people.
You get yourself into a lot of trouble when you end up trying to sell something that sounds like everybody and everything else.
If "I-am-like-everybody-else" is what you represent in your market, then why did you decide that your business needed to exist?
That I'm-here-to-serve-everybody line of thinking never works.
It doesn't work for the big boys...and it doesn't work for you.
The big boys all exist to serve someone...somewhere.
In fact think about what has happened in Wal-Mart's, K-Mart's, and Target's recent history.
At some point all three of these stores were low-cost retailers whose purpose was to provide Community-America low prices.
But now, a decade or two later, these three entities serve three differing market niches.
Wal-Mart has taken over the world with it's low-cost, supplier-efficiency model.
Wal-Mart has decided that they will only do business with those suppliers that can manufacture goods with a manufacturing efficiency that will guarantee a low-cost.
Target has decided that his role is to give his shoppers access to an upper-end, more exclusive retail experience.
Target now gives shopper access to design-elite products that gives them an aura of visual allure and aesthetic pleasure.
But K-Mart, unlike Target and Wal-Mart, really hasn't embraced a strong purpose.
K-Mart hasn't really decided his true role. It still sits over in it's corner, facing the hypercompetitive retail market with no new stance to offer the world.
And now, it's sales are slowing and it's marketshare is slowing fading away. Pretty soon, there will be nothing left of K-mart but a retail shell because it hasn't revived it's brand to stand for something strong and solid in the marketplace.
What can you learn from the big boys?
Take your strategic lead by observing Wal-Mart and Target.
- Wal-Mart leads as the low-cost provider and Target now leads as the design-elite retailer.
- But Mr. K-Mart himself hasn't taken a role.
- He hasn't stood up and said that he stands for too much of anything except being a low-cost retailer.
So...now what?
What is Mr. K-mart to do to savage it's soggy sales and disappearing customer base?
For it to survive it has to know and stand on a solid purpose.
Learn your lesson from Mr. K-mart himself.
Your business has to stand for something or it will fall in the hands of being a nothing, a nobody, a purpose-less vessel that can't ever seem to capture enough marketshare to make a difference.
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August 26, 2007 21:55 - How To Get Crystal Clear About What You Need Your Business To Do
You're ready...set...and ready to make your business startup happen.
- You've decided to go after that dream of yours.
- You've rolled it around in your mind, and little by little, it's becoming a little clearer.
- You're even getting a little more excited and bit by bit, it seems that you will make it happen - you will take those small business ideas that are cradled in your heart and combine them with all of those ideas that are spilling from your mind.
But wait, before you pursue your vision full force, you need to spend time figuring out who your business exists to serve.
Before assuming the ready-set-startup position, you must get as clear as you can on who it is that will benefit from your business.
And, "No.." the answer is not everyone.
In fact, there is danger inherent in trying to serve eveyone.
This is because there is no one out there that will respond to a business that caters to the "everys"
- Customers today will tune you out the minute you start talking to them as if they belong to the "everys".
- They have come to the conclusion that any business that claims to cater to the "everys" really can't tailor to them because they have a unique set of problems, needs and circumstances.
So how is it that you are you supposed to capture their attention if they won't respond to your call out to the "everys"?
You capture their attention by creating a business that directly addresses what your business will do to make their lives more vibrant.
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August 25, 2007 15:44 - What You Need To Know About Positioning Your Business For Growth
It's takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to hoist your business into existence.
You've met with obstacle after obstacle and things haven't been smooth sailing since you decided to plot your own life course with a business.
After you have put your time, energy, and money on the line, you want to see it protected enough to grow.
And you've begin to wonder, "What should I do with my business to ensure that it meets sustained success?"
A stealth business chisels it's success by positioning itself as a growth companion for it's customer.
It's intent is to stay with that customer and provide that customer whatever he or she needs to continually prosper.
And understand me, growth doesn't always mean that your customer equates your growth with you getting bigger.
It just means that your customer needs your company to continually focus on ensuring that they're needs are better served tomorrow than they are today.
Customers reward your business when you use it to make them better by marketing a solution that will help them to solve a pressing problem.
Learn the steps you need to take to build a business that will make them your raving fan.
Your customers will choose to do business with you today because you've addressed their needs for today. But to ensure that they will come back tomorrow, you will need to ensure that you prep your business to meet their future needs, wants, and desires.
Thus, stealth business growth is not really about focusing solely on your business and it's needs - it's really not about the focusing on your customer and their future needs.
Your customers recognize that today is today, but they have chosen to work with you today with the expectation that you will be there tomorrow to ensure that their tomorrow's needs are taken care of as well.
Thus, you must focus your business growth efforts on positioning your customers to be all that they can by continually adding products and services that adds value to their lives.
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