Small Business UnMarketing

Confidence and Success - Is there A Connection?

We all know people who seem to exude self-confidence. No matter what the situation, these people are able to keep on smiling and get things done. Does this level of confidence really lead to success? All research says yes, those with more confidence are able to achieve a higher level of success in their lives. This success  can be both personal and financial.

The question is now - can you build confidence where you had none before? Again, the answer is yes. Here are some tips on how to be more confident in your own life.

• look for the positive in every situation. No matter what is happening around you, think about the best possible outcome and focus on getting the results you want.
• Be willing to take chances and to fail while you are looking for success. People who have more failures also have more chances to succeed.
• Include others in your success. Confident people are willing to give others credit and to work together with others to achieve success.

So, be a team player and a leader and success will be on your doorstep. Boost your level of confidence and the world can be yours. Find out more about building confidence in your life.

Networking - A Chore or a Choice?

Networking means different things to different people. I was recently at my local Chamber of Commerce's monthly mixer and began to question my purpose in being there. I work online and most of my clients are not even in the same state as I am. Did I really want to connect with people I would probably never do business with? A post over at Iowa Biz gave me more insight.

Networking is about connecting with other people. Even if you are not interested in doing business with them, connecting is still a positive thing for all of us. We are all just six degrees from the people we want to connect with, so meeting new people should be viewed as a positive action towards our future. So even if you don't have a networking plan, know that you are connecting with others who are probably thinking about this in the very same way.

Leadership in your small business

What makes for a good leader in a small business? I was recently at a leadership camp and gave this lots of thought as I facilitated a group discussing this subject. We came up with some ideas on what qualities a good leader would posess.

• the ability to bring out the strengths of people working in the business
• making people feel like their ideas were recognized and considered
• giving workers the freedom to explore their own leadership qualities

If you are working online you may have people working for you who live in another state or even another country. It is important to be able to lead from afar while still maintaining the original focus and structure of the business. A good leader is secure enough to accept ideas and criticism from the people around him in order to improve the overall quality of the business.

Finding Your 1,000 True Fans

Brian Clark, of Copyblogger, has done it again. He is the author and thought leaders behinds Teaching Sells, and now he has written a post that is a must read for anyone wanting to be successful on the internet. This post, entitled A 20-Step Process For Finding Your 1,000 True Fans, discusses how you can go about the process of finding 1,000 people who are willing to pay you for what you do.

There may be over one billion people on the internet, but you only need 1,000 of them to keep you in business. Read that post and put into practice as many of those 20 steps as you can right away. My business has grown dramatically during the past year; I now have people who trust me and believe in my ability to show them how they can get starte on this road to independence through doing business on the internet. I teach them how to do everything that I know and to avoid the mistakes I have made since beginning this quest.

Are you accessible to your clients?

One of my clients told me today that she works with me because I am accessible. I thought about that for the rest of the day. Could it really be that simple? Yes, it is. If people can reach you by phone, fax, text message, email, or in person, they are more likely to do business with you. They may only need a question answered or something small, but they want to feel like they can get in touch with you when they need you. Be accessible and your business will flourish.

Marketing Your Online Business Offline

Marketing and your online business can also be done offline. In fact, by increasing your marketing efforts to include both online and off, you will see a significant increase in your business in just a short period of time. Here are some ways that you can promote your business in person, over the phone, and my mail.

• Design a one page poster with some tips and your contact information. You can then print it out and laminate it. Give this poster out to people when you meet them in person. People will keep these min-posters forever and your contact information will always be readily accessible to them.
• Give a short speech or presentation to a group. There are civic organizations, such as the Rotary Club, that are always looking for speakers. You can also speak to chambers of commerce in your city or in neighboring cities. You may want to direct them to a website to sign up for more information or to call you to discuss how your business can help them.
• Make sure your business card is printed on both sides. You can make an offer or direct people to a website or blog to sign up for a free teleseminar or free special report so that you can stay in touch with them.
• Prepare a recording and burn it to CD. This can be a sample of what you do or a special recording to introduce yourself to new clients and prospects. People will listen to your CD in their car and some will call you to learn more about what you do.
• Mail postcards to people who have shown interest in what you do. This can get expensive so make sure you are mailing to people who are more likely to want to do business with you. There are several methods for determining this.
• Hold a teleseminar. This is the very best way to build your business. My entire business changed and began to grow rapidly when I started holding weekly teleseminars. I encourage you to learn how to give teleseminars from someone who is an expert in this field.

These are some strategies for attracting business to you using offline methods. These will work for you if you take the time to implement these ideas for your business.