There's a mistake I see happening everywhere. In fact, it's one of the biggest mistakes I've made in the past. The mistake is this: Many business owners never get clear about WHO their market is, IF there's a demand for their product or service, or HOW they will market and sell their products or services. They only know that the business idea they were given was a gift from God and therefore it MUST be destined to work in the marketplace!
Copyright (c) 2009 Christine Kloser
There's a mistake I see happening everywhere. In fact, it's one of the biggest mistakes I've made in the past. The mistake is this: Many business owners never get clear about WHO their market is, IF there's a demand for their product or service, or HOW they will market and sell their products or services. They only know that the business idea they were given was a gift from God and therefore it MUST be destined to work in the marketplace!
If you are a business owner with incredible gifts and talents, but you're unwilling to get serious about sales, marketing and money because you say, "God will provide for me," listen up. Yes, God does provide. But, remember that money doesn't drop from the heavens; it is given to you through human hands (your target market's hands), in exchange for the products and services you provide and sell.
If your idea or dream feels like a spark of the Divine, that is a good start! But even the greatest ideas, the greatest dreams have to be relevant and delivered to your market to secure income and success. So, before you put your big idea into big action, take the following steps. (You'll thank me later.)
Step One:
Research - Research your idea to see if there is already an established market demand for your service or product. This step can be as simple as a Google search to see if other people have successful businesses in a similar area. I also recommend you go to the bookstore and look to see if there are books on the topic your business idea is based on. The more research you do, and the more similar enterprises you find, the better. (Competition means there's a market for your product/service.)
Step Two:
Identify - Identify your specific target market. You need to become crystal clear on who your target market is, because this will help you execute a marketing plan that simultaneously attracts those people you feel called to work with, and repels those people you don't. Repel may be a strong word, but it's true. Your Divine gift is not going to be expressed at its highest potential when you have clients who drain your energy, don't pay you enough money, make mountains out of mole hills and don't respect your time. And, that's exactly what happens when you attract the wrong type of client.
Step Three:
"Sell" Finally, you've got to get comfortable with selling. I'm not talking about the "cheesy car salesman" type of selling. I'm talking about selling something you believe in because you know your product or service matches the needs of your prospect or client. Take comfort in the fact that conscious business marketing is totally ethical. It has nothing to do with "closing the deal" but everything to do with "opening a conversation" about the ways in which you solve problems for your clients. Sadly, I see many entrepreneurs completely miss the point when it comes to connecting with their market. Without the connection to your market, you have no business. Remember, all successful businesses are the solutions to someone's problem.
The bottom line is, as a conscious entrepreneur, you have to go beyond the big idea. You must be clear about who your market is and how you can reach them with your message. And, you need to embrace the value of your product or service and ask for what you're worth!
Success as a Conscious Entrepreneur
Business planning. Team building. These things typically sound too corporate and boring for a conscious entrepreneur. Right? You'd rather create, collaborate, develop, teach, train, coach, write and help people! I understand; I'm the same way. I admit it; when I first heard about business planning and team building, I honestly wondered what place they had in my small entrepreneurial endeavor... weren't those things only for big business?
How to Succeed as a Conscious Entrepreneur
I set out on a mission to learn from those who had already achieved what I wanted to achieve... success with a purpose. I became extremely curious about how other people did this because I wanted to learn from them, model them and implement what they taught me in my own life and business.
How to Become an "Overnight" Success
Have you ever noticed entrepreneurs who appear to become successful "overnight"? It's a bit of a mystery, isn't it; one day nobody knows who they are and the next day everyone's talking about them. This is an interesting phenomenon that happens with entrepreneurs, but I assure you... the success rarely happens "overnight."
