Survival,the,Fittest--Building DIY Survival of the Fittest--Building Your Business

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and

With all the other businesses out there you must find a way to market your business uniquely (a “niche”) causing it to stand out from among the rest.Be prepared to work at building your business.You must build relationships with your customers andfellow netpreneurs by building a good reputation, onecustomer at a time.So what does this have to do with the Internet? Or maybeyou are thinking, "How does this apply to me. I don'teven see or talk to my customers, it's all automated."Even with the overwhelming size of the Internet and theonline businesses, business still boils down to people,people make decisions based on 'relationships',and relationships are made, one-on-one.Know Your Customers…This one-to-one marketing is also known as customerrelationship management. Online, I call it Internetrelationship management and it's accomplished byproviding absolutely outstanding service to youronline customers.Lay A Solid Foundation…Start by building a good reputation. Present yourselfas reliable, honest and trustworthy, a person who knowswhat you are doing, be a person of your word, andforemost…always put your customer first.Enthusiasm is exciting and contagious! Be confidentand competent in your business. The customer will getcaught up in your enthusiasm.Build relationships with your customers and fellownetpreneurs. Make your web site, ezine and products“user friendly” by asking for their participation and theiropinions. Let them get to know you and your business.On the Internet, you can build both personal andbusiness relationships without actually “meeting”someone.E-Mail PriorityE-mail is to the online line customer what the telephoneis to the storefront business...It is the lifeline.Answer all your e-mail inquiries as soon a possible.Try to make it a priority to respond within 24 hours.This demonstrates a lot about you, your businesspractices and it also reflects your character. Be ashelpful and as personable as possible.Remember you once needed help too. Most of the timethese people will become customers and subscribeto your ezine as well.Publish Your Own Ezine…This is one of the best business-building tools on theInternet and it is not hard to do. There are sites that offerfree Ezine templates and many sites from which to get “freecontent” articles for placing in your Ezine (useBizyBodies.com’s free content articles).Ezine publishing allows you to market to your databaseof customers and prospects, with new offers, updateson your site or products, resources and any otherinformation you have to make available. At the same timesending a timely ezine keeps your name and informationin front of your customers and prospects.Write and Submit Articles…By far the best business-building resource and mostpowerful form of free advertising on the Internet! Shareyour knowledge, experience and expertise and receivefree publicity by writing articles.Writing is the most important skill you can learn for onlinemarketing. This establishes you as an expert in your fieldwhile building your reputation and business, plus givingyou author status. This is another way of keeping yourinformation in front of people.Writing articles is not as difficult as it sounds. You don’thave to be a professional writer, just write your articleas if you were talking to a person sitting there beside you,one-on-one. Research your subject information andshare what you know.Write short articles around 500-1000 words. Then marketyour articles in different areas. Post you article on yourweb site, publish it in your Ezine, Submit your article to otherezines, offer as “free content” to other web sites, and/orcompile a series of articles into a “free e-book bonus”.Networking…Network through message boards, discussion groups andnewsgroups. Become part of a question and answer groupor get involved in conversations and become known and trustedin your in your field.This builds your reputation and establishes you as being reliableand trustworthy. Subscribe to and read other peoples ezinesof similar interests. Good quality ezines contain a wealth ofinformation and resources.Ask for help and never stop learning. If you not surehow to do something or have a problem, ask someone.I have “met” some of the nicest, most helpful andfriendliest people since building my web sitewww.bizybodies.com, my ezine and writing my booklet“92 Professional Telephone Skills, Tips & Techniques”and this manual.Setting Goals…Determine your main goal, and make small “mini” goalsunder that. Then work toward reaching one smaller goal at atime. Setting smaller goals that are attainable make yourlarge goal easier to reached.When setting your goals, put a date or time limit on them.Having an open-end goal can cause you to loose focus.Do not listen to negative remarks and those who sayyou can't do it. Set goals you can stick to and reach.The only person stopping you is...you!With each smaller goal you reach, you will gain confidenceand become more excited and focused on the next goal.Work at it, never loose faith in yourself and before long youwill have reached your main goal!Organize and Plan Your Time…There is a lot of time and work involved in creating andmarketing your business. Writing a schedule will help youwith keeping your time organized so that you can geteverything done.Not having a plan can cause you to feel overwhelmedand then you are more likely to become discouragedand give up.Don’t Be Content To Stay Where You Are…Things are always changing and moving on the Internet.Keep on top of things. Continue searching and readingnew information.Remember to do something every day…send an e-mail,write or send out an article, post on a message board,send a letter and booklet to a publication….do something.As you change and move with the Internet and your businessgrows…be prepared to learn new and exciting skills andtechniques along the way to.....Survival of the Fittest!