When it comes to marketing your business, I believe that it takes several methods to be truly successful in the long term. There are countless books and resources about networking, online marketing, closing the sale, prospecting, time management, website development, and the list goes on.
In reality, it takes a combination of several well-planned strategies. Sure you need to know the basics of marketing, networking, getting referrals, and internet marketing. But you also need to know how to run a business. An entrepreneur is always a sales person first, a business person next, and then a professional in his/her chosen industry.
For example, I am a great event producer and meeting planner. I have more than 15 years of experience in a variety of event capacities and industries. That alone wouldn’t have made me successful as an event planning entrepreneur. Thankfully, I also have been a sales professional, so I understand sales cycles, the buying process, and how to close a sale. Sometimes it is more difficult to ‘sell yourself’ than a product or service; that is what entrepreneurial success takes. Additionally, I've run offices and managed staff and earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration.
So before you ‘jump off the ledge’ and start your own business, in a full-time capacity, be sure that you are comfortable in the following roles:
1. Selling Yourself – your experience, your ideas, your value
Prospecting
Networking
Followup
Closing the sale
2. Know the basics of business –
Budgeting
Web content development
Legal issues (corporate structure, basic contracts, etc.)
Negotiation strategies
Business and strategic plans
3. Understand your product and service better than your competition
It takes more than industry expertise to be a long-term successful Entrepreneur. With a lot of planning, experience and personal motivation it IS an achievable goal!
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