The Importance of a Buyer Persona in the Digital Age
You have something you are selling. Maybe it’s a product, or perhaps it’s a service. Either way, it’s awesome. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be selling it. But why aren’t more people buying it? Is it overpriced? Should you spend more on advertising? Maybe you should knock on more doors. But which ones? Let’s start with the most obvious factor: pricing. It is always tempting to cut your price to accelerate sales. But cutting the price impacts your bottom line. You don’t have as much to pay your salespeople; you don’t have as much left for R&D; you don’t have as much left to advertise. At some point, you don’t have a business. And there’s that other message you are sending that your product is not worth what you [...]
7 Ways to Wow Your Customers With Superior Service
Pat your back. You not only have customers, but you also have return customers. Most people would call that a successful business. And I don’t disagree. The more important question is, what do you do to make sure that continues to happen? How do we continue to create excited customers who don’t migrate toward the bargain-priced option in the industry? I believe the answer is simple: you become what is called “customer-centric.” You put the customer first and strive to always create a positive experience for them. The more important question is, how do you do that. How do you create that positive experience that prompts customers not only to come back but share with others how unique their experience was with you? Said in another way, [...]
Launching A Startup? Keep In Mind These Key Financial Tips
One of the most frequent concerns – and let’s call them what they are: excuses – I hear to starting a small business or side hustle is the amount of money it will take. “But I don’t have enough money in the bank.” “I have debt. I can’t justify taking on more.” “Whoa! That’s way too risky for my pocketbook right now.” The truth is, nearly every successful entrepreneur can share a story about how he bootstrapped his way through the start. Mark Cuban famously admits to how he struggled early in his career. Not only did he share a three-bedroom apartment with six other guys – where he slept on the floor – he often came home to the power being cut off and had his [...]
KPIs: Tracking Metrics That Matter For Success
You’re in a good place. You’ve found C.L.A.R.I.T.Y in your career path, and you’ve set S.M.A.R.T. goals to get there. You’ve made it farther than most people ever will. There’s just one thing missing: accountability. And without that, your chances of checking those goals off your list go down tremendously. “If you have set your intentions but you choose inaction, you are only insulting yourself.” – Mike Regina. How do we make ourselves accountable so that we are setting and checking off goals? In the business world, people often utilize Key Performance Indicators or KPIs. Think of KPIs as your report card for your SMART goals. Did you achieve your Specific and Measurable (the “S” and “M” in SMART) goal? If not, let’s evaluate what happened. KPIs [...]
The Essential Guide to Creating SMART Goals and How To Write Them
We’ve covered how you can find C.L.A.R.I.T.Y. in your career path. But once you have that clarity and have a long-term goal in mind, the next step is to set up shorter-term goals. Why? Because shorter-term goals give you direction and a sense of accomplishment along the way. They become your plan to accomplish the long-term goals you have. So let’s spend a moment to walk through how you can make excellent goal-setting part of your arsenal. Once again, there’s an acronym to help you remember what matters: you need to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. The first step is to make your goals Specific. Thinking of your long-term goal, what specific steps do you need to implement to get there? For example, if your long-term goal is to [...]
How to Gain Clarity When You Feel Stuck in Your Current Career
You know this moment well. We’ve all been here countless times. You are in the early stages of a conversation with someone, and the universal, inevitable question comes up: “So… What do you do?” Aside from the fact that we all wish we weren’t defined by a job (yes, our beautiful, complex beings are much more than just a reflection of a job), I want you to think today about how you react to that question. Do you freeze? Do you generalize? Do you share a few details and hope the conversation is redirected? Or are you one of the few who is so excited to share, you light up inside? If you aren’t a person who lights up inside when describing your occupation, the more important [...]