Small Business Information |
|
How to Make Your Business Image Stand Out Above The Crowd
Traditional advertising methods are still being used for almost 90% of businesses today. The number one problem with this, is that all everyone else seems to be following the same old methods. No matter how expensive, does your advertising look and sound like a lot of other advertising? If you take a look at your business card design, flyer design, brochures, letterheads, web page design and any other methods you are doing, you'll probably find some very familiar pattern to looking like your competition. Just because "everyone else" believes that the traditional method of image advertising is the way to get business does not mean that it is the only way...or the best way. Thousands of people go out of business, or miss a lot of business, because of "traditional" thinking. Don't fall into the trap of being an advertising look a like. If you follow everybody else, you'll likely end up being like 90% of the people in business on your way out or, at best, making a medium income. There are two things your marketing should do for your business 1) It gets the response that you want - it gets people to respond to you. 2) It lets you provide good products or services to your customers that you do get, so that you are making an above average income and get enjoyment out of your ongoing successful business. A business that started and runs with marketing that appeals to what people really do want, instead of what you think they should want. In order for you and your business to become a success, being different is something you're going to have to accept. Sometimes being different means that other business people will not like you, or will think you are not appealing or think other things about you that you don't want them to think. But again, the reality of this is, who are you trying to impress? Are you trying to impress your peers, or are you trying to get and help customers who need your product or service? Think about this hard, because if you are really scared about being different, this might not be the system for you. But, then again, being different doesn't mean being sleazy, obnoxious, unethical or illegal. It just means different. Sometimes the old tradition, especially in industries that are tired and steeped in tradition, think being different with being unethical or illegal. That's far from the truth. We all know that being different simply means different. And hopefully, you'll see this as a part of becoming a success or more successful as time moves on with your business operations. The reality is that you have no image, and no one thinks about you until they have a reason to. Being worried about what others think is a waste of energy and time. Spend your time worrying about what your prospects who are interested in what you have to offer think. They're the ones who are going to buy from you and they're the only people you should be concerned with. If your peers or others don't like what you're doing, that's their problem, not yours. This change of attitude is a challenge, but very necessary especially when focusing on what is important. This type of thinking and rationalizing only matters what your prospects think is important. It doesn't matter what I think, or what your competition thinks. As long as your prospects and customers are happy, then you should be happy! You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as the byline is included and the article is included in it's entirety. I also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to: [email protected] Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media, a leading performance-based Internet advertising company dedicated in helping small businesses create online presence, brand recognition and online automation. Main company web site: http://www.multiplestreammktg.com
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Joining a Professional Association I'll be the first to admit that I went a little nuts when I moved I moved recently in terms of going all-out to participate in a variety of professional associations. I had some experience with most of the groups that I visited in other places I had lived, or had clients who had positive experiences with certain groups. I was so eager to become involved again in professional associations that instead of really paying attention to a group as it exists locally, I made decisions to join groups based on my past experiences and experiences of clients. A Small Business Must Have a Solid Foundation We all know that a building has to have a strong foundation if it is to survive, so, too, a business. Postcard Marketing Your Small Business One of the best marketing strategies a business or organization can use is postcards. Even before the arrival of online postcard printing and mailing services, postcards had a good reputation amongst guerilla marketers because: Where Can People Find Information About Starting A Business? Approximately 200,000 new businesses are started each year. More people are expected to start a business for themselves this year than ever before. With economic fluctuations rippling through the business world, more and more people are getting laid off every day. Explode Your Consulting Income Here are just a few ways to increase and diversify your income from your consulting business. How to Integrate Yourself in Someone Elses Business When do you need to get more involved with the day to day activities of your business partner? Pressure Washing Business; Steam Cleaner Fuel Maintenance It is essential that you fully understand how the fuel system works on your hot water pressure washer or steam cleaner. If you mess it up it could catch on fire and if you are not right there to put it out, you could potentially lose your machine. This type of equipment has been known to explode and Hydrotek out of California actually has a CD Rom video of a machine exploding when a fuel leak is ignited just to show operators what could happen. We recommend the Hydrotek Hot Water Pressure Washers. Some people prefer Landa, but we have tried them all. Operational Aspects on P and L Statements of Mobile Services Businesses What kinds of things effect mobile service businesses P and L's? Well this is an excellent question and as I see the Annual reports of companies who do mobile services, such as Ecolab, Service Master, Halliburton, Luftstanza Food Services, etc. I see many similarities. For instance we have noted as many of the others the climate conditions, El Nino effects, Mud Slides, road closures, snow. low temperatures, Hurricanes, etc. How to Get Started As A Government Contractor Becoming a contractor or sub-contractor for the U.S. government can bring in lucrative, on-going revenue to your small business. But doing business with the government is very different than typical business-to-business selling. Why Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Should As the owner or an employee of a small-to medium-sized business, you might have never thought about media monitoring. Maybe you are not even sure what exactly is meant by this and have thus ignored it so far. But you should take some time to get acquainted with the concept of media monitoring. For companies of every size, it is a crucial tool for market success. More Rules for Franchising? The FTC- Mighty Federal Trade Commission has unilaterally decided to change the franchise rule. They changes are sure to hurt American business, Franchisors and the over 400,000 Franchisees in the United States today. These regulatory changes even if mere interpretations and opinion cause events which have unintended consequences. Such changes are rarely forgotten as one simple stroke of a pen by a Federal Trade Commission attorney who does not understand the real world of franchising can wipe out several quarters of profits. 7 Habits of Highly Successful Small Business Owners Do you spend every waking minute in your business? Do you find it difficult to take time out for you? Are you constantly working in a mess? How to Promote Your Business by Entering Contests You are probably hard at work promoting your business (and if you're not, you should be!), but if you haven't submitted your profile to any contests yet, you may be missing a golden opportunity. Reaping the Rewards of Cost Cutting In these days of insecurity and uncertain futures, the tendency is to manage for survival but the smart business leaders are actively hunting for profits. Franchise Buyers Lying On Forms The Federal Trade Commission which governs the franchise industry thru the franchise rule, which enforces Franchise Disclosure laws seems to think that consumers need to be protected even when they lie. Often The FTC takes complaints from consumers who claim they had been ripped off or lied to from someone selling a Biz-OP or some corporation, which sells franchises. The Federal Trade Commission will not admit that at least two-thirds of the incoming complaints are made in falsehood by consumers; as a participant in the industry I can safely say that much misrepresentation comes from the buyers side and not from the sellers. Conquering Confidence Killers for Small Business Success "The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear". -- William Jennings Bryan Not Listening Can Hurt Your Small Business Most small business owners seek advisors who can help them improve their businesses. They want advice from those who have the experience and really know what they're talking about. But they can only benefit from the sound counsel if they listen to the expert's guidance. Unfortunately, there are some entrepreneurs who aren't going to hear the professionals out or follow a plan no matter what. At that point, experts realize that they might as well save their breath and hope that the business owner will eventually see the error of their ways before it's too late. Grab Your Consumers Attention in a Cluttered World of Marketing Communications A cluttered world of marketing communications diminishes the ordinary. The consumer can no longer be bother with the dull, trite and a boring hodgepodge of marketing communications that are pandered in front of them every day. They simply haven't the time, nor are they willing to figure out what irrelevant messages warmed over with pseudo-showmanship the marketer is selling them. But Weve Always Done It This Way Sacred cows take a long time to die. We get comfortable in the way we do things and lose sight of how they could be improved. Here's an interesting story. Discover How You Can Start Making Your Small Business Dream Come True As a teenager I worked for my father's small business. At 18 I worked for a small video rental business owned by two partners; there were 4 employees. At 23 I worked for an auto body shop, the owner was from Greece; there were 8 employees. At 25 I became CEO of my family's small business; we have 15 employees. Today, I own a 3-employee automotive repair shop; an online business; a promotional licensing business and I still consult for my family's business. |
home | site map |
© 2005 |