How many people know what you do?
-“Had I known, you would have been the first person on my mind”-
Ponder on the question (asked in the topic of this article) for a little bit...
Some weeks ago I had a conversation with a friend of mine, and in the midst of the conversation he stated some things he was presently into the business of installing solar panels, and honestly, I was speechless. Before our conversation, I had outsourced that same service to somebody else, the response I gave him was "Had I known, you would have been the first person on my mind."
How many people know what you do? Aside from your friend and few contacts, the new realities we are presently enjoying massively today (social media) have created a level ground for small businesses to operate like multinationals but it hasn't invalidated the basic principles of marketing and business networking.
What basic principles of marketing and business networking am I talking about? It is person to person marketing or person to persons marketing methods that was available in the traditional era before the advent of the internet.
The truth is: so many people are shy to evangelize their business at every given opportunity. This is not only weird, it also has a self-limiting undertone in that you are not confident about your business in the first place, let alone to advertise it.
You need to constantly remind yourself that your business is your identity. Let it be that when people mention a particular service, you’ll be the go to guy. They will see your face attached to the service in their minds.
Taking your business online is a good undertaking but also remember that some clients prefer to meet you in person and will want you to convince them on why they should actually choose you over the many others doing same business like you.
Truth is you are not the only person doing a business or rendering a service in a particular niche. Many people out there are doing it.
It is now a question of which one of those service providers can win the heart of your potential customer(s)? Trust me, a customer you got by face to face interaction will trust your brand more (even to the extent of helping you to evangelize your business to their social circles) than the ones you got online.
Don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying that online ads is not profitable. My point is that you should learn to balance your online and offline presence. What shall it profit a business owner that knows how to get customers online BUT don’t know how to get customers offline.
You see my friend, that’s why it is advisable to be prepared very well. To be prepared means that you have a huge grasp/understanding of your business. Are you in that business for the sole aim of making profits? If you answer yes to the question, then it will show when you pitch your business to your potential client(s).
It is best to put value first before profit. When value comes first, profits follow effortlessly.
When you understand your business very well, you gain the trust of the client, the client in turn will recommend you to others thereby growing your clientele.
Be like my friend, who told me about his business when he met me in person. He took advantage of that meeting opportunity to evangelize about his business. Who do you think I will go to when I require such service next time? Apparently, I will go to my friend of course. This will further cement our friendship.
Don’t ever be shy about your business for any reason! Else you are into an illegal business. If you’re into a legitimate business, waste no time in evangelizing about it not just online but also offline at any given opportunity.
Thanks for reading.
See you on the next one!
Don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe and sponsor me. I would really appreciate it.
You can get my referral links here: https://linktr.ee/infotips
