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Avoid the Most Deadly Mistake Most Business Owners Often Make
By Tatiana Velitchkov ' 2002
You're a business owner, and of course you'll do ANYTHING to
make your business succeed.
After all, you don't just believe your idea/product/service
will work -- you also know you're the ONLY PERSON in the
world who can make it work, because you're simply PASSIONATE
about it.
But sometimes -- sometimes -- this business owner's passion
and conviction turn out to be the very same things that can
bring about failure.
All because of a common mistake that too many
well-intentioned business owners often make...
What IS This Mistake'
....And how do you avoid it'
Before we get to these questions, let me ask you to think
about a few people first:
Dentists. Doctors. Teachers. Parents.
What do these people have in common' What do you remember
most about them when you were a child'
Most likely you started out hating these people, because
they always seemed to be making you do things you didn't
like. Horrible stuff like root canals, flu shots, research
papers, and eating leafy green vegetables.
But as you grew older you probably looked back on your
relationship with them, and you realized you had more
reason to love them than anyone else. Because during those
times when they told you those horrible things were "for
your own good" -- they were actually telling the truth!
Now, we think we're all grown up and we know all about that.
But there is ONE IMPORTANT LESSON that we mature business
owners can learn from this juvenile mistake:
No matter how old you get, you still can't always recognize
the things you REALLY NEED.
My Head Hurts... I Should Buy A Car!
Personal AdvertsWhat do the key words represent' Key words - these are the words that the users enter .....
This is a hard truth, and we all need to learn it.
Although we like to think we're in total control of every
aspect of ourselves & our business, there WILL be times when
it's best to consult the experts.
Let's take "marketing," for instance.
Marketing gurus have always advised you to put yourself in
the mindset of your customer. And at first glance, this
seems too easy. After all, no one knows your product better
than you.
But then you watch your marketing efforts flop over & over
again, and you start blaming the ezine & website owners
(where you place your ads) or your ad distributors (for not
doing their jobs).
You overlook the part where you probably made your first
mistake: When you failed to REALLY put yourself in your
client's shoes.
And it's not really surprising, or anything to be ashamed
of. Simply because you are NOT your client.
You're the business owner, the product developer, the
service provider. You know too much, have gone too far,
and it's really hard for you to teach the concept of a
simple star to a first grader when your mind is already
filled with relativity and nuclear propulsion.
So what DO you do to succeed' How DO you reach the
imagination of a "first grader," when you're already a
Doctorate Degree holder'
Simple: You ask for the help of a first grade teacher!
Ask The Experts, And DO What They Say!
Again this sounds so simple, but many floundering businesses
today prove it is not.
Branding expert Rob Frankel even laments that there are 2
kinds of business owners that are beyond anyone's help:
- The first kind believes in his own style of
marketing so much, he doesn't think he'll ever
need the advice of a marketing specialist.
- The second kind acknowledges his need for a
marketing specialist, but after spending time
& money to engage the services of one, he lets
office politics, pride, or his own preconceived
notions take over... in the end simply dismissing
the specialist's suggestions.
(Of course there's the third kind -- the business owner who
brings in the specialist and actually acts on his
suggestions -- but these types are too few to mention, as
evidenced by the too-few outstanding brands on the Internet
today.)
But Maybe You're The Fourth Type...
That is, you KNOW you need a specialist for many of your
important business functions, but you just can't afford
them right now. What can you do in the meantime'
You can do as I do, and try these 3 simple steps:
ASK!
Sooner or later you'll be needing services outside of your
expertise. And once you accept these services, you'll be
opening yourself up to new opportunities!
For instance, you can maximize your interaction with your
service providers by making them your sort-of consultants
as well. ......
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