Solopreneurs - Get Real; There is No Secret!
Copyright (c) 2008 Audrey Burton
There are a lot of very intelligent people on the internet telling you all kinds of secrets to making tons of cash working 4 hours a week. I have seen a lot of their offers, but none that sounded like they would work for regular solopreneurs.
If you already have a huge emailing list or lots of mon'ey you can spend on programs and seminars, and this sounds fun to you, let me know. I would love to hear your reviews on all of them to see which ones worked exactly as they said they would.
For all the rest of us, let's get real and put together a logical, do-able plan we can all get behind, without spending a mint.
To start a business that will make you an in'come, then keep it that way, you need a few things to start. You need a product or service people will buy. You need to know who will buy it and why, and you need some mon'ey to live on while you get it going. If you don't have ALL of these, do your homework and then come back to this article. (If you need help with this, let me know.)
Although it's not complicated to do this, it is not easy, and you will have to work. The sooner you get started, the sooner you will see results - so let's start now. I'll make it as easy as possible.
First, let go of all the resistance. If it turns out you need to give talks in order to bring in the kind of money you want, you may need to do some training. Same thing with writing a plan, using the internet and accepting all the responsibilities that come with running an actual business. If you just want a hobby where you barely break even, stop reading - this is not for you.
Next, study. What does your successful competition do to get clients? Don't look at everyone, just the ones you know for a fact are making the kind of mon'ey you want to make, or more. Do they get clients on the internet? Do they give talks? Do they network? Who is their target market? For me, the best person to study has been Alexandria Brown. There is no way I can do everything she does, the way she does it, but I can still learn a lot from her and not re-invent the wheel.
Of course, there is a lot more studying to do than that, and I recommend you look at websites, read ebooks, newsletters and books and whatever else you can find to get up to speed as fast as possible.
One mistake I see many solopreneurs making is having lunch and coffee with everyone. Everyone? Really? Be a little selective, please. It is true that you never know who knows whom, but you only have so many hours of daylight. Be as strategic as possible.
Meet with people who could either be prospective clients or strategic alliances first. A truly strategic alliance is a fellow business person who is in a complimentary business to yours who shares your target market, or someone in your same field who does not work with your target.
Just about everyone can benefit from giving first, without being concerned about getting payback. You have information that some people want you to tell them. Maybe you know about nutrition or business or spirituality. Help people as much as you can for fr'ee without damaging yourself.
One of the keys to this is to tell them what they need to do without telling them everything about how to do it. If you tell them how to do it themselves, they think they don't need you. For example, if you tell a woman in menopause that she can eliminate her hot flashes in 5 easy steps, and you tell her one of them in detail, she will want to try it.
She will go to Whole Foods and buy the supplement you suggested, and it will work - a little bit. Now she needs the other 4 steps! She will come back to you. If you don't demonstrate your expertise in any way, she may not believe you can help her, since lots of people make promises that don't work.
Do this a lot, in talks, during networking, on your website, in articles, etc. Do not expect everyone to respond, even though you know it is best for them, and DO NOT take it personally when people do not buy, or don't listen to your great advice. Just give, knowing you are contributing as much as you can.
Once you have studied, networked and given, and tried some marketing strategies that have worked for your competition, analyze the results. The marketing actions that work the best to get you clients are the ones you should keep doing - drop the rest. Even if you just paid the $350 annual membership fee, if that group isn't working and others are working, cut your losses and drop out.
You are striving for efficiency.
Put together an action plan before you start, and keep revising it as you discover what works best for you. Take a close look at where your clients come from and continually analyze the return on each marketing investment you make.
By following your own plan, cutting out what doesn't work and maximizing what works best, you will become more and more efficient at getting new clients. You will be able to predict your income more accurately, making more mon'ey when you want to, and you can work fewer hours!
About the Author:
Audrey Burton, Women's Small Business Coach, is "The Tigress". Claim your copy of Audrey's popular FREE Special Report, "Closing the Sale is Not Complicated!" at =>
http://www.TigressCoaching.com .
ForeLady: The Boss Lady. The Successful Business Woman. Home page.
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