Below, you'll find extensive information on
home business to help you on your way
to success.
Effortless Networking: Promote Your Business with Ease and ConfidenceTip! Think of small business networking as a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch your back' situation. Business professionals from various industries can provide business introductions and form mutually beneficial relationships to help each other market their products and services. A reader wrote to me once saying that making small talk was not a problem for her. Her challenge was transitioning from small talk to talking about business. Do you share this challenge? Do you feel awkward or uncomfortable talking about or promoting your business? Well, I used to feel this way when I first started my business. (And no, I don't feel that way anymore!) In retrospect, I discovered that my discomfort was due to 3 "simple" things. Once I solved these, I became quite comfortable and confident talking about and promoting my business. So here are the 3 things: - Are you clear about what you do or offer?
When I first started my business, I had the hardest time explaining what I did. As a result, I was always uncomfortable talking about my business, forget about promoting it!
"I never had this problem in the corporate world", I thought. "So what's the difference?" The difference, I realized, was that I didn't have a good sense of what I was offering. My services were too general, not focused and crisp like my job responsibilities when I worked at companies. So describing what I did was obviously difficult -- and therefore, awkward.
- Do you believe in your product or service?
A family member once asked me whether I was interested in promoting a particular software product. After looking at it, I found myself quite excited about it. I could see the potential of this product, and I believed that it could be very useful for specific businesses. I started explaining it earnestly to my husband... Tip! Effective business networking, and effective selling, can certainly include some “schmoozing.” However, any expectation of consistent networking or sales results without a well-defined strategy falls into the category of wishful thinking. And I remember stopping mid-stream and exclaiming: "Well now, why don't I talk about my own business like this?" Well, it's hard to believe in your product or service, and talk about it earnestly and passionately, if you don't know what you're offering! - Do you know who would find your product or service useful?
In another similar situation, as I was listening to someone explain why his service was useful to certain people, I realized that I couldn't do the same for my services. I didn't have a good sense of the kinds of people who would find my service useful because -- you guessed it -- I wasn't clear about what I was offering. So how could I know who would find it useful? And equally importantly, why they'd find it useful? As a result, I'd always feel awkward about promoting my business, because I was never sure whether I was promoting it to the right people.
So if talking about your business is difficult for you, check out these three questions and see what comes up for you. Tip! If you are looking to expand your business and hire staff, business networking events are a good starting point for your exploration of the marketplace. You will be able to enter into conversations with potential employees and get clear on what your needs are. Oh, and if you're curious about what I do, see below.
We strive to provide only quality articles.
So if there
is a specific topic related to home-based business that you
would like us to cover, please contact us at any time.
And again, thank you to those contributing daily to our
home business website.
|
