BUSINESS FOR VETERANS

By Barbara Eldridge www.mindmasters.com

How Consistent Do You Present the Business and YOU?

Dying has made Prince’s music even more popular now then when he was alive. What can we learn from this legend? Well, when it comes to marketing, it pays to build a buzz and then back that up by being the real deal. It’s important to get the word out about who you are and what you do. Prince did it through record releases, public appearances, concerts, interviews, and fan clubs.

Yeah, but that was Prince, you say. It was easier for him. Is he really that different than us? If we build a buzz about our business, position ourselves as a leader in our field, deliver quality products and services to our target market—and are promote-able and likeable, what’s to stop us from changing the world—or at least make our mark in our area of expertise?

By identifying and following a set of core values, you will have the foundation for the kind of visibility and credibility you want. From these values come the behaviors that create consistency, integrity and measurement for how you are doing as a business and business owner.

The most important step to positioning yourself in the market is defining yourself. This includes taking stock of your strengths, values, goals and personality to determine the personal messages you want customers to take away from their encounters with you.

When you have taken the time to be consistent to your targeted audience then:

1. You are perceived as an authority in your field, you gain credibility

2. Your performance brands you as highly experienced, talented, proven to get results.

3 Recognition starts to come from leaders in your domain and adds to your credibility.

4. You find ways to differentiate what you excel in.

5. You form alliances with those who are already perceived leaders in their domain.

You must be perceived as truly special, with attributes unique enough to create a strong and lasting market position, being consistent does that. Otherwise, when money is tight, consumers will make a necessary if unpleasant choice: They simply won’t look to you to fulfill their needs.

Few products or services are unique, you make them unique by looking at your strengths to create your competitive edge.

What strengths do you have that you can effectively capitalize on? When you have answers to the questions that apply to you, you must be able to deliver that information verbally and in all your written and hand out materials. Remember people want to know “what’s in it for them.” So what is the outcome and value you deliver; this is not the how, but the what, that will keep them coming back over and over again?

Barbara Eldridge has built a solid reputation as a Results strategies specialist, within industry and business over the past 40 years. Her unique message, since starting Mind Masters 30 years ago for entrepreneurs and small business owners, continually stresses vision, purpose and values as the key elements of business philosophy. www.mindmasters.com