A small business startup is a challenging experience.  It is easy to become absorbed in one area and distracted in another.  But, to have your small business successful and to take the steps to business success, you must keep one thing in mind.  Your customer must have a great experience. 

Too often when you are creating your marketing business plan or coming up with a successful performance strategy, the customer experience gets overlooked.  For customers to want to return and for them to spread the word their experience must exceed being good.  It must be great.

Growing small business is about growing your customer base.  Your customer base, if they have that “WOW!” experience will become a part of your sales force.  Think about it. 

Different isn’t necessarily better.  But better is always different.  Are you giving them a better experience to talk about.  In an era of great competition and many product similarities how can you differentiate your customer’s experience in a positive way?

It could be something as simple as a follow up thank you note or email.  And, don’t try to send anything else in this communication.  If you do, it is another in your face sales pitch and is more likely to take your excited customer and cool him or her very quickly.

Think about a great customer experience you have had.  Think of ways to get your customers to say “WOW” not only about your product but about your organization and you.  When you do you are building a foundation to have your small business successful.

For most of us who are self-employed one of the most crucial measuring sticks for success is sales.  A good marketing business plan is a must to support consistent sales and small business growth. 

And, if you don’t address some of the other topics in the previous posts then you are more likely to have a more difficult time with sales.  A successful performance strategy in marketing is about finding prospects who are interested and keeping the pipeline full. 

In sales you must have a sound conversion strategy.  Obviously, when there are no conversions there are no sales. 

Successful sales and marketing is built first and foremost around identifying a pain or need of your market. 

After you have identified the pain or need then you want to show your market how you can be the solution.

Next, you want to show them the benefit of you as the solution. 

Then you want to add features. 

Let’s say, for example, that you are selling a particular type of car.  Benefits to this car may be safety, good acceleration and good gas mileage.  Features may be reinforced steel frame, a responsive engine type and low body weight to increase gas mileage. 

I think you get the picture.  Too often people try to sell features instead of benefits.  In the process, the customer gets disinterested.  Find out the benefits and solutions your customers want.  When you do, you will be on the way to having more sales and your small business successful.

What is marketing?  Marketing is the process that you will use to bring in prospects for your product or service.  Once you have the prospect’s attention then you can focus on sales. 

But, how do you plan to market your business to keep the pipeline full?  Before you get started in a business be sure of two things:

1. How to successfully market your business?
2. How that marketing strategy will be implemented consistently?

These two components will be part of any good marketing business plan.

Small business growth is about having a good marketing plan and executing it consistently.  Interestingly, the creation of the marketing plan is not as big a challenge as is the consistent execution. 

And, it is lack of consistent marketing that can doom a business to failure. Why does this happen?  It happens because the entrepreneur, business owner or solo professional does not have the skills to execute the marketing plan.  And, because the budget is tight they will not pay to have it executed. 

Making your own business the success you envision requires, in most instances when starting out, that you wear most, if not all the marketing hats.  It must be part of your performance strategy for success.

For example, for some businesses to be successful it may require consistent phone calling with a script from a targeted list.  If you are not good on the phone or don’t like it then it won’t happen. 

Maybe your business requires a great deal of face to face contact and networking.  If you aren’t comfortable with that then it won’t happen. 

Know what type of marketing your business needs.  Either be ready to develop the necessary skills to be successful or look for another business that caters to your strengths. 

I have observed many small businesses fail, not because the owner wasn’t a good person, but because the owner didn’t have or wouldn’t develop the marketing skills necessary to make his small business successful.

Need information on starting up your own business?  You can find more than enough on the internet, in books and classes to take up all your time.  Since time is finite the goal should be to cut down the cycle time to getting the business going to where you are focusing on running your own business. 

How do you do that?  Find the right relationships.  It’s that simple.  Keep a list of your questions.  Then go about seeking the appropriate person to answer them.  Here’s what will happen.

• You will get to establish a new relationship that could be helpful.  That’s a pretty good benefit.
• You will receive an answer that is much more likely to be on target because there is no substitute for verbal communication to establish the context for a good answer. That’s helpful.
• You will receive encouragement (not always, but most of the time) to continue your search and grow your small business.  A boost for you and your enthusiasm–you’ll like it.

Think about it.  You get the personal attention to your questions.  You receive the support and encouragement of others.  And, you build relationships that will help you and your business. 

When you are dependent on the right people you will be amazed at the good things that will start to come your way.

Whether you are starting up your own business, running your own business or just seeking small business growth the quality of your relationships can accelerate and simplify the path to designing the business and life you desire.

In the first two posts we have looked at two components that are often overlooked in a successful small business startup.

1.  Build the business around you and your passions

2.  Act as though you cannot fail.

You may not think these are important.  After all, where’s the focus on sales, marketing, cash flow, business planning or hiring?  Truthfully, you can get all the information you need on these subjects from the internet, books, government agencies and schools. 

I think you would agree that there is plenty of education in these areas.  How come in today’s world, with an abundance of information like never before, that starting up your own business or running your own business doesn’t seem to be any easier?

The short answer is that people are not building businesses around their passions and around who they are.  As a result, they get into a business and end up creating a job they don’t like.  Last time I checked, when you don’t like something you either get out of it or end up performing at less than an optimum level. 

The third piece to successfully creating your own business is create a job you like.  To do this you must truly understand and appreciate “Who” you are.  This is what I call a “soft skill.” 

Understand what you are motivated to do.  And, understand what you are not motivated to do.  Make sure that somehow you cover what you are not motivated to do. 

You can do this through other people or create a system that takes care of it for you.  The goal is to create a business, and more importantly, a job for yourself that you love.  One of the key steps to small business success is enthusiasm. 

Be enthusiastic about what you are creating.  If you aren’t enthusiastic, neither will any one else.

How would you act if you knew you could not fail? 

Too often, I see good, well intentioned people go into business for themselves only to fail for any number of reasons.  The second puzzle piece for starting your own business and being successful is:

• Act as though you cannot fail
• Fake it until you make it

Ask yourself this question.  Do you find people who act successful more or less attractive?  Of course, you find them more attractive.  And, if they have a product or service that is of value to you then you are much more likely to do business with them. 

When you act as though you cannot fail you are focusing on success.  Focusing on success is a positive marketing business plan.   And, when you are positive you are more likely to attract the things you need to be successful. 

The worst thing I see business owners do to themselves is complain to others outside of their immediate business about some aspect of their business that isn’t right. 

Think about it.  That’s not attractive.  It isn’t that the complaints aren’t legitimate because they are.  Others don’t need to hear about them since a complaint very often is about a failure or failing in business. 

Here’s another thought.  If you are talking about failure and what is not working with others outside your business it confirms to them and to you that you are failing.  Your words are the clothes you dress yourself with each day. 

Dress yourself with positive words and actions.  Act as though you cannot fail.  In running your own business you must fake it until you make it.  When you do you will….make it!