Questions For The Entrepreneur To Be
Entrepreneurial e-gnorance
Part 1: Questions for the entrepreneur to be
If you are an entrepreneur starting out, or have been around the block for some time but are yet to hit on the jackpot, you might be missing out some of the cornerstones of doing busingg through the new age media, the internet. Ask yourself the following questions and in seeking out answers to the, you may find the magic touch that could propel you to the success that drives you everyday.
What are you going to sell?
It is not true that anyone can sell anything. I for example could never operate a cookies business because i would end up munching them all up before they saw the light of day. On the other hand I have been selling my writing for years now and i will keep doing it for as long as there is paper and pen. The point I am trying to get across is that you need to know what you are best qualified to sell, and more importantly, to know why anyone would buy from you and not somewhere else. If you think you have the capability to sell it better than anyone alse doing it, then you have a seller. Working hardest may get you results but working smart rakes in the profits. Be smart about what you are going to sell and you shall be rewarded.
Who are the potential buyers?
One common mistake that could be the deathblow in your entrepreneurial endevour is the asumption that the presence of people means that there is an obvious market for your product. In the realistic business world you do not just sell to people, you sell to a target audience that is informed about your product and have the means and desire to purchase it. To identify this target audience, you will need to carry out a market survey and identify the demographics before launching your product to the identified market.
One potential but often ignored source of such data is the local offices. As required by law, they maintain these records and though they can not divulge personal information, they are helpful when it comes to raw statistics and this should save you some time and money, a plus if you are still in the initial level of entrepreneurship. Having this initial information is crucial but it is still up to you as the entrepreneur to analyze it and based on your analysis, determine the best approach to this particular market segment.
How are you going to market to potential customers?
Having decided on what to sell and who to sell it to removes two main obstacle in your march to success as an entrepreneur. The next key step for you is to reach the identified market with your product and get them interested in it. The form of advertising that you pick on heavily influences the market section that you reach. For more information on advertising have a look at the related articles on advertising. The resources at your disposal determine the advertising route that you take but I am writing on the assumption that you may not have a million bucks at your disposal for advertising. For advertising on the internet, with the right approach it should be possible to drive enough people to your site. again there are different options to choose from depending on your product and target market(visit our internet marketing section for more information on this).
How Will You Present Your Product?
The next step after you have captured the attention of the market is to present your product to them in an irresistible manner. Their visiting you is a good sign but it is not a sure bet that they will purchase from you or even establish any mutual contact beyond the initial visit and interest. You should fuel their interest into a passion and convince them of the merits of purchasing from you. Have information on what problem in their lives your product is going to solve, the advantages that your product provides over that of rival businesses and gain their trust by providing guarantees on each purchase they make from you.
If you can succeed in making your potential market segment to feel compelled to purchase from you, for as long as you have quality and superior products on offer, you will have buyers for your product.
How will you sell the product?
Automating the buying process saves your customers not only time but the frustration of having to fill in endless forms and type in their details in numerous forms. The best way to circumvent this process is to have an automated system incorporated into your system to provide the customer with a smooth and stress free buying process. It serves no point to have everything else working smoothly for you, only to lose your potential sale at the purchasing stage because of an archaic buying pprocess.
To achieve this, one of the best prospect today is having a merchant account with a verified brand (In my opinion, Paypal is the best) that allows the customers to buy from you in the easiest way possible through a third party billing house. You should also think of having a follow-up system that informs the customers of a confirmation of the purchase and if possible, have a tracking system that alllows them to check on the progress of their purchase.
Another key issue that you will need to address is delivery. Customers want to be able to get the delivery made in their spoecified time and location so you should recruit the services of a reliable carrier, FEDEX, DHL or whichever method you think will serve your customers best.
Customer Support
This involves not only the well known practices of post-purchase support for product that w ere purchased from you but also and maybe more importantly, a system that will act as a spur for the current customers to continue purchasing from you. Putting incentives is important if you are to have loyal and dedicated customers. Though having guarantees with a refund if the customer is not satisfied with the purchase is not absolutely neccesary, it is a powerful tool in conveying the trust you have in your product. You are literally sticking out your neck and this gives the customers one more reason to trust you.
Having a customer support contact (both mail and phone), customer opinion page etc gives you an edge over some of your competition that may be overlooking this simple but nevertheless effective way of creating a lasting rapport with your customers.
About The Author
Charlz Wachira, the Online Marketing Alchemyst, runs http://www.e-gnorance.com, an online venture aimed at marketing entrepreneurial endeavors online. He also writes on a variety of issues related to entrepreneurship, e-commerce and online marketing. He can be reached at charlz@e-gnorance.com
 Google News Updated : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:05:30 GMT Stocks: A Terrible Thursday - BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek - Major US indexes each tumbled nearly 3% as worries intensified over the health of the economy. All eyes are on Friday's jobs report Market players were probably wondering Thursday why they bothered to come back from their summer vacations. Stocks Are Broadly Lower Tracking Falls on Wall Street Stocks slide on economic worries Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:53:27 GMT UN warns of Haiti flooding crisis - BBC News
BBC News - Several hundred thousand people need help in Haiti, which is suffering severe flooding after being hit by a series of tropical storms, the UN says. Attempts to Aid Desperate Haitians Hindered by Floodwaters Storms line up to slam western Atlantic, southeastern US Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:05:26 GMT Kilpatrick's rise and fall - Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press - BY BILL McGRAW • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • September 5, 2008 Kwame Kilpatrick entered the mayor's office with extraordinary gifts -- charisma, savvy, flair, pedigree, connections, ambition and chutzpah -- everything a 31-year-old needed to make a ... Video: A Timeline of Detroit Mayor's Text Scandal Detroit’s Mayor Will Leave Office and Go to Jail Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:27:50 GMT Tropical Storm Hanna aiming for Massachusetts - Boston Globe
Boston Globe - By Andrew Ryan and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to churn up the Atlantic coast and lash Massachusetts this weekend with winds gusting up to 50 mph near the coast and up to four inches of rain. Video: Hanna Nears US, but Stronger Ike Looms Area departments gearing up for Hanna's arrival Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:23:14 GMT House committee widens probe of Vytorin safety - International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune - AP TRENTON, NJ: A House committee investigating the safety and effectiveness of the popular cholesterol drug Vytorin and one of its components is turning up the heat on the drug's makers. Many Questions About Vytorin Drug Scare Shenanigans Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:32:18 GMT Jesse Jackson hospitalized for stomach pains - Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune - By Jeremy Gorner | Chicago Tribune reporter Rev. Jesse Jackson was being treated Thursday in Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after falling ill. Video: Rev. Jesse Jackson Hospitalized Jesse Jackson hospitalized after stomach pains Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:00:48 GMT Arthritis Drugs Linked to Risks From Infection - New York Times
New York Times - By AP WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration ordered stronger warnings Thursday on four medications widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses, saying they can raise the risk of possibly fatal fungal infections. Deaths Heighten Arthritis Drugs Warning Nation Digest 4 arthritis drugs get tougher warnings Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:38:34 GMT Amazon RSS Feed Generator |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... If you believe that every little bit helps then keep... Read More I've gotten several questions recently about the legalities of starting... Read More As a service provider, the most important type of "boundary"... Read More Widget sales are booming ? the competition is scrambling, demand... Read More When it comes to a startup, the luxuries shared with... Read More "Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) to purchase Clayton Homes for $12.50... Read More Rohit Kochgaway was very upset with his boss for his... Read More Use this comprehensive checklist to plan each step of your... Read More When a company decides that it must raise capital, a... Read More Site location analysis of regional service areas and planning for... Read More If you look at those Corporations in franchising today you... Read More In "The Incredible Hulk", mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner discovered that... Read More Life as an entrepreneur is the American Dream. To be... Read More You have decided to strike it out on your own... Read More Before you decide whether or not running your own business... Read More Who would ever have imagined that going door-to-door in my... Read More Times are tough. The economy is in a constant state... Read More If you want to compete in the world of high... Read More How you think, your relationship with yourself is what decides... Read More In business, you plan to protect your inventory, your unique... Read More Entrepreneurial e-gnorancePart 1: Questions for the entrepreneur to beIf you... Read More Too many people are trying to start their home businesses... Read More When companies enter into negotiations with venture capital firms, there... Read More If that sounds like you, here's what you may be... Read More Franchise companies are not born they are made and when... Read More
Adsense
websites
Drive Website Traffic Unconventionally, Force Your Children To Do It
Starting Your Business By The Book
Developing A Contract
Securing Second and Third-round Venture Capital Financing
A Startup Never Closes
Could a Book About Your Company be Worth $1.7 Billion? Building Value Through Publishing
Why I Should Go In To Business
Business Startup Checklist
Pre-Money vs. Post-Money Valuation
Bonsai Marketing
Abstract Business Marketing Strategy for the Entrepreneur
Identify the Growth Factors
Entrepreneurship: Insight and Closer Look At The Entrepreneur
Great Tips Of Choosing An Office
From Employee to Entrepreneur: Taking the Plunge
The Entrepreneurial Difference
Why Most CEOs & Entrepreneurs Fail?
Double Down on Marketing
Think - Dont React
The Entrepreneurs Dilemma
Questions For The Entrepreneur To Be
How Home-Based Business Entrepreneurs Think
Venture Capital Negotiating Issues
PR That Entrepreneurs Often Overlook
Oil Change Guys History; Part II
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
A Startup Never Closes
When it comes to a startup, the luxuries shared with... Read More
PTO; Justification of the Means and the Ends
Some would say about certain issues that the means do... Read More
Enterprising Route is to Go Your Own Way
DON'T talk to me about education for entrepreneurs. They're pouring... Read More
Answering Why You, Why Now Critical in a Winning Business Plan
Business plans continue to be an essential element of the... Read More
What It Takes To be An Entrepreneur Series: Action
Many people have the professed desire to be their own... Read More
Starting Your Business: 3 Tips for Bootstrapping Your Way to the Top
Bootstrapping a business startup does not necessarily mean that you... Read More
Meet Success: Business Profile of Sylvia Acevedo, Communicard Owner
Sylvia Acevedo needed a break from her technology job so... Read More
Franchise Business and Franchise Businesses
Franchise business is being part of a successfully proven business... Read More
Making the Financial Transition
Making the financial transition from paid employment to earning a... Read More
Be an Entrepreneur
The Department of Labor predicts that the #1 employer in... Read More
About Ending Competition
1. Why should I not compete with others?The very concept... Read More
Secrets of My Favorite Government Auction
I love bargains. And there's no better place to find... Read More
Designing a Comprehensive Franchise Company Computer System
One of the most important management tools a franchised company... Read More
The Use of Common Stock in Venture Capital Transactions
When raising capital for a business venture, a company can... Read More
Can You Make Money Without Money?
When I ask why you don't start your own business,... Read More
Prescription for the Future and Technological Revolutions
The world sure has changed in the last two-decades hasn't... Read More
Selecting a Venture
The basic rule is simple: "Find a market need and... Read More
The Entrepreneurs Prayer
As I awaken with the gift of yet another day... Read More
Traits and Skills of Successful Internet Entrepreneurs
There are certain traits and skills that many successful online... Read More
Business Start Up Tips From Some Hearty Entrepreneurs
When's the last time someone asked you: "What's new?" If... Read More
The Perfect Little Coffee Shop: Are You Afraid of Failure? Are You Letting that Failure Cripple You
Ah, coffee, the drink of choice when I want to... Read More
Could a Non-Profit Structure Be Right for Your Business?
If you have a business idea, or an idea for... Read More
Adding a Service After You Buy a Business
When you buy a business, you should have a plan.... Read More
Expand Your Resourcefullness!
The success and failure for the entrepreneur is largely dictated... Read More
Compensating for Your Entrepreneurial Style-or Lack of Style
I recently took an entrepreneurial quiz which evaluated my answers... Read More
Entrepreneur |