BlueWave Media Inc.

There is always room to grow

Posted on 14. May, 2009 by Kimberly in business, marketing

Although the changes in the economy have forced some businesses, and individuals to rethink their approach to marketing and branding, it is so important to have an overall strategy to get yourself out there and in the minds and hearts of your customers, potential and actual. There has never been a more important time to be consistent and effective. But how do you go about doing that? Well, although I would not state that these are the “only” and the “most complete” suggestions, I would say they are a great starting point. Let me also state that knowing something is kind of nice, but the value comes in the doing. If you plan to read this blog post, bookmark it for another time and never commit to taking any of the ideas and putting them into practice, then well, I’d have to say that might be the reason you are not finding your success in your business right now. Doing nothing qualifies for failure, doing something brings the first stage of success.

1. Do not give up.

Just because you have not been successful right out of the gate does not mean you were wrong or that you should stop. Sometimes it takes a willingness to keep going, keep working, fine-tuning and re-evaluating, but not stopping dead cold. Certainly, you should have already evaluated whether your idea or business model actually has possibilities for succeeding or that someone actually wants what you are offering. So I will not go into that here as I am assuming you have taken that first crucial step. What I am referring to it the internal, gut-wrenching desire to see it through.

2. Admit you need more training or need to learn more

If you need more training — take a traditional class or possible e-learning course. Lynda.com is a great way to continue learning at your own pace while not interrupting your work schedule. Perhaps a community college or university has evening or online courses as well. Whatever the medium, invest in yourself. Clients appreciate that you are a life-learner. Even when you honestly admit you do not know something and are willing to find out, clients do appreciate your honesty. You do not know everything. Of course, this only works when you are finding out about new and evolving information, not the core aspects about the business you are doing. If that is the case, maybe do the learning route first before you state you are a wiz or guru in that field. In fact, never call yourself a guru — it is such a put-off to many potential clients.

3. You may need a better system

People who just give up or think that success should come without any work involved are just deluding themselves. It also involves changing our mindset or the way we think. What has worked before was for that time, in that circumstance or for that reason. This is today.

If you have always been a “fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants” kind of person and now you find yourself caught off guard, consider an organizer, whether online or on paper, and plan out your goals, your ideas (mindmapping) and get a bigger picture of things. You might just need to take an objective step back and see things from a different angle. I use MindJet MindManager, OmniFocus and OmniPlan everyday. I also use Anxiety that integrates with my MAC’s iCal as well as Things. Whatever method or apps that work best for you, just get a system going. The sooner the better. A finely-tuned system makes you better at your business, makes more people happy, and lessens the stress-load. It is a win-win situation.

4. Be an Innovator

When you follow the crowd there is no personal investment and consideration that the action or idea is even plausible or fit’s into your realm of business. Mediocre thinking will always keep you at the initial comfort level; dare not go forth into new territory, ever. You may make some money or get a few new clients here and there, but you will never realize your full potential. Maybe that is okay for you, but it is not a long-term strategy if you wish to be successful. The better solution is to be an innovative person, willing to take some well thought out risks and get yourself out of the “Linus Blanket” syndrome. You may become the trend setter, or the person people gravitate towards to hire as a consultant or business professional because you think out of the box. This allows you to be the memorable person, and business you were intended to be.

Although not exhaustive, these will give an initial loading dock to start your review of yourself and your business. Taking the time to look over things and reflect is a healthy practice that you should be doing no matter the stage of your business. Everyone needs to take a fresh look at things a few times throughout the year.

Great resource for your reading:

Company’s hiring today are looking at uniqueness, enthusiasm and preparedness in recent university graduates and undergraduates. LFP May 5, 2009 by Anita Bruzzese

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Tags: business, marketing