Today online connected world defines business operational models, older entrepreneurs would find at least “paradoxical”! Our today business growing and international ecosystem includes the large corporations, non-profit organizations, small business owners, solopreneurs, edupreneurs, social media entrepreneurs and any other kind of business operation can provide a viable and viable business.
Time for a New Business
Any new business and startup are usually evolved around the main idea, trying to make a difference and gain visibility in a highly demanding and competitive environment!
Is not just sales, though! Business and entrepreneurship is not just that! Or at least in not mainly that. There should always be a why behind any good business venture and a good business is the result of a dialogue! A dialogue between business owners and clients!
To build a good business idea is not easy! Nor to start a new business and define your market and your potential clients! It also needs long hours of work, too much energy and resources, along to a higher order productivity and stamina to help you cope with all the cluster of things need to be handle by you!
That’s why it is crucial to start it right from the beginning! And the one thing is and will be constant in your business growth equation is your clients! And to gain clients and make sales you need to gain their trust!
Business in the new Online World
Business today is client-oriented and in order to survive should be principle/value centered! People do not buy JUST products. Buy things make them see themselves better. It is as the old quote of Degas saying:
Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. (Edgar Degas)
i.e. a dynamic interaction between offering and demand! But today there is a problem!
There are not stable roles. Clients are consumers at the same time which are owners as well in a different business.
How to Turn Clients Into Friends
Diamonds may be forever, clients (“today“) are volatile BUT friends will be always!
For this reason you need to:
- Define your market
- Analyze your client’s requirements
- Find your ideal customers
- Keep listening (check forums, Amazon comments, social media, etc.)
- Try to act and behave as your client
- Adjust your products/services to your client’s specification
- Develop your network
- Treat your clients as your most valued and trusted business associates rather than “wallets”[!]
- Provide more services and value for the one your client paid for!
- Build a network of friends rather a clientele
- Build rapport with each one of your clients, using any communication tools it is available to use
- Be available for personal contact and connections
- Provide more support than it is expected
- Be proactive, not reactive
- Offer opportunities for personal connection
- Be the one you handle all the communication personally and get a feeling of the people you want to serve
- Be clear on what you stand for, what are you do and don’t s, how you do business and what you are going to offer to your clients
- Negotiate the best deals to provide more value to your clients
- Provide value and more value all the time
- Share your best approaches and hacks with the people follow you
- Honor their trust and never prove them wrong
- Be there and try to help them on personal and familiar ways (phone, 1:1 meeting, etc.)
- Find ways for personal contact
- Attend meetings, conference, etc. you might find your clients
- Provide solutions to people needed even if it is not your job (bring together people you think they can help each other)
- Exploit any feedback you can master (questions, surveys, data, etc.) to improve your products/services and your help toward the people you serve
- Organize often “virtual” meetings and webinars to share more value and get the pulse of the people you serve
What do you think? Can it be work? Please check it! Now it is your turn!