by Stewart Borie | posted on March 27th, 2008 | Strategy
What is the single most important characteristic of successful entrepreneurs? And if you had one question to ask an entrepreneur that would uncover that characteristic, what would you ask?
The most important characteristic of successful entreprenuers, I believe, is integrity.
There are countless definitions of what, who and how are entrepreneurs. There are countless definitions of the meaning of “success.” And there are countless traits and characteristics of successful entrepreneurship and successful leaders.
Much of this data is myth and folklore, and some of it is derived from decades of academic research, which has yet to be definitive. Moreover, success is interdependent with time, and a key test of success is, does it withstand the sands of time?
by Tim Johnson | posted on March 25th, 2008 | Marketing
If marketing is about matching buyers with products, it’s time for conventional marketers to wake up.
As you probably know if you’re running your own business, it’s no longer about interrupting people. The game now is to proactively engage with your prospects through participatory media, making evangelists of your clients, and collaborating with them to create a word-of-mouth dynamic that delivers qualified leads every day.
What does that really mean? Sometimes it just comes down to treating your prospects and clients with respect.
Let’s begin with the end in mind. As a small-business owner, you want more clients, which translates to more revenue.
However, the only way to attract more clients is through effective and compelling marketing. Unfortunately, marketing is expensive these days. So when you do it, you want to make sure you’re getting the right message out to the prospects who are most likely to buy what you sell. And if you get the right message to the “right” prospects, they’ll not only buy from you, they’ll keep coming back and buying from you forever. They’ll tell their family and friends to buy from you as well. And they’ll spend more money with you than your typical client.
So your number-one priority is to find out exactly who your ideal client is.
A massive volume of clients is not nearly as important as serving the right clients. When you match your business with the right clients, you’ll increase customer loyalty, decrease complaints, and have fewer returned items from dissatisfied clients.
I think I have been asked at least 5,000 times what it really takes to be successful in business or your career, so I jotted down 10 questions you can use to gauge whether you already have what it takes, or if you need to do a little work to get there.
Many years ago I heard Jim Rohn say that you either pay the price of discipline or the price of regret. Discipline weighs ounces… regret weighs tons!
With that said, here are 10 questions to ask yourself:
Everything in business gets easier when you attract more clients.
Your sales, referrals and revenues all go up – which is why you’re in business in the first place. And once you build a solid base of clients, you can grow your business as big as you want.
So if someone could show you a proven path to attracting more clients, you’d want to hear what they have to say.
Well, here’s your chance. This Saturday, OneCoach Founders John Assaraf and Murray Smith, and Managing Partner Scott deMoulin will address this topic for about 45 minutes.
by Tom Stacey | posted on March 6th, 2008 | Technology
You’re totally immersed in a conversation with a prospect or client when an e-mail comes in. What do you do?
For years, Blackberry users have embraced the reality of always being on a short electronic leash. Dubbed the “Crackberry” for its addictive properties, RIM’s handheld delivers what is for some a constant stream of mission-critical information – or at least an irresistible distraction.
Now Apple is trying to capture some of that market. The company today hosted an event at its headquarters in Cupertino to show off its new business-friendly iPhone features. If you have an iPhone, you can now sync it up with Microsoft’s Exchange, which means you can access your e-mail and calendar functions wherever you are.
That’s a great capability to have if, say, you’re in a large sales organization and you need to stay in touch with prospects while you’re out in the field.
But what if you’re running your own business? Does constant connectivity to e-mail enhance your ability to deliver value to your clients? Or is it an annoying nuisance?
Maybe your clients expect you to always be available. How do you manage that expectation? The cell phone migration path leads to iPhones and other smart phones, and as millions more adopt these devices, this will become an issue that every small-business owner will have to resolve.
How do you draw your e-mail boundaries? What are your best practices for maintaining your privacy, your sanity and your clients in the age of 24/7 connectivity?
by OneCoach Team | posted on March 4th, 2008 | Strategy
You’re in business to make money, right? So why would you want to give away any part of your product or service?
Giving it away can actually a winning strategy, if you do it properly. OneCoach members learned this last year through OneCoach CEO John Assaraf’s interview with Mitch Axelrod, author of The New Game of Business. Among Mitch’s new rules:
Position yourself as a trusted advisor. The old game was all about positioning yourself as a vendor or salesperson first and then as an ally or friend. In the new game, it’s essential to establish yourself first and foremost as a trusted advisor.
To become a trusted advisor, add value to the relationship before someone becomes a client. Ask your prospects questions like, “What’s the single biggest problem that keeps you up at night? What excites you the most?” Then isolate their biggest issues and give them as much support as you can.
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Disclaimer
The views expressed here are those of the individuals affiliated with OneCoach, and should not be construed as the opinion of OneCoach as a whole, nor of its clients.
