Traditionally, many businesses cannot succeed without first being the ones that first start. The successful business owners are those that start first. Many times we meet some business owners who have been this successful business for decades and even still have not made a dime yet. Where does their time and money go? Why do they get a job instead of working hard to make it happen? Not wasting more time when they have it.
Many times we started an idea after an event or workshop. We took it to someone we knew who mostly already owned a successful business. That person agreed to be a back employee until we knew enough, and eventually that person was ignored by the owners. That person of the week or even the month passed away. We wanted that person dead and buried, just to save time and energy.
This cycle is replaying itself in every business. Have you heard this one? “I have a great business idea. But I have to wait until I have more money to care for my family more. Maybe I should wait until the idea is perfect or even perfect-even the perfect idea is never perfect. I wish I had done something about it pokerlounge99.”
WHY SO?
In today’s market, there are more ideas tomorrow than ever before. It’s too tiring for someone just starting out to put all of their eggs into one basket. No matter how many ideas we have, we eventually need, need that one to fire. We need that one to land. We want that one to make it all happen. We must get our feet under us and get up off the ground. The perfect business is never going to happen unless we take a leadership role. If you are the second business in your area and you have been around for a while, you know this from the start – so do you. You have years of experience. You should be willing to share it with someone looking for just the perfect business opportunity and solve their problem or fulfill their need.
How do you find that perfect opportunity?
Look for someone who has a successful business. Public records will tell you their attributes. We want to know if that business has an active Voice of the Customer program. We want to know if that business understands the four SCORE economists. We want to know, if they have a solid plan for obtaining the necessary, market research; loyalty program, profits and sales. This doesn’t mean you have to buy what they sell, however if you don’t, you can always buy what they sell. Focus on their history and relationships. One partner in a company may have more than 4 partners.
Contact one of these businesses and ask them if they would be willing to recommend one for you. They will most likely say: “bite me!” So, take a look at the business market and try to find one to free you up from this type of situation. This is why they are hesitant to recommend it. They like their business so do not see how an additional business in the area will rock their boat. This is why they are hesitant because they are afraid of being attacked or asked to meet these added cost. They might be afraid if handled right the potential clients might become offended by the new competitor that has been introduced into the market. A mere mention of this new competitor reaps the same cost as the original partner and could save many more without seeing it. However, one of the people who is around the most is the company leader. They may feel some loyalty to the existing business loyalty is gone – enough said.
Okay, so maybe we can all agree that you do need to show up quality work and offer solutions for your client’s problem. I am not agreeing that trial by fire is always the best thing to be done. There are good businesses and bad businesses. Use your initial trial to prove your value to the client. The problem that many find is that all of us are scared that our ideas will be attacked, criticized, criticized, rejected, and even mock by the business community. In our excitement to simply see our ideas spring to market and society, we have allowed this to happen. Let me be clear. We are not saying that your business is the greatest. There is probably hundreds if not thousands of more good businesses than you. However, there is no need for your client’s to read 200 or more reviews concerning your business or logically conclude that you must be threw in jail.
Your goal through the use of strategic alliances, networking, and merely being informed of all the businesses in your area can be actualized. Getting listed in the search engines is just the beginning. Leads are all gathered through your networking skills without ever getting a word of mouth recommendation or word of mouth recommendation from your clients.