Taking it to the streets

Before you get all flustered, I'm not talking about getting 'hood on anyone or anything, I'm talking about marketing my business the way I know best, by getting out there. It's very simple, it's just time consuming and a pain. While I worked as an independent sales rep for AFLAC (one of my many business ventures after leaving the US Air Force), I spent a lot of time marketing directly to businesses rather than individuals. Although I had the advantage of a multi billion dollar annual marketing budget and Gilbert Godfreid to do the duck voice over, what made the company successful were the agents that hoofed it everyday in the streets going from door to door enrolling new clients. Sure for every door I knocked on, there were several more that slammed in my face, but generating over $20,000 in three months showed that I had some successes in my business approach. I simply have to apply that same strategy to marketing my own business.

Once you've defined your target audience, then you simply figure out how to attract them. I know you're reading with expectation, believing I'm about to type the words that will be your golden egg laying goose, but that's not gonna happen....unless you'd like to hire my services. LOL If you are going it alone, then it will require research on your part, and lots of it. If you solicit the help from a business consultant, then we would be able to point you in the right direction after doing the research for you. I know you have seen books that claim to be the answer to everyone's business woes, but the bottom line it's not that simple. Sure there are some basic rules that all entrepreneurs could benefit from, however once you've filed your fictitious business name statement with the appropriate county, filed your article of incorporation with the state for a corporation, opened a business account at the bank, then what? How do you get the business that will put the funds in the account so you can quit your day job (if you haven't already done that). It's not as simple as those books made it seem. You can't walk right in to developing great business credit just because you started a corporation. If you don't keep appropriate business documents and tax filings your corporation will be suspended. There's a big business world out there, and how will you get the help you need? How will you afford help? How do you determine your start up cost?

Relax, breathe, sit back down. You don't have to know all the answers immediately, but finding someone who does know the answers is beneficial. I surround myself with people in the business world who know about areas of business I don't know so we can help each other out. Information swapping is great, because it allows you to give some free information while getting some. The only way this relationship works, is you have to have some knowledge to give. While your online, research your business sector and find out how you plan to fill a service area that is lacking, or provide a product that stands out from the rest. Believe in yourself and your vision, you can do it!