When we see a puppy begging for attention, it looks incredibly cute.
When we see a business owner begging for attention, it makes us cringe!
We all need help at the start
At the very beginning, every business needs to push it’s message. No matter how remarkable, amazing or unique your business is, no one will know about it unless you get it in front of people.
Then, once you have pushed your business under the noses of friends and contacts, and advertised it to your target market, it’s time to listen. If your business is remarkable enough, you will see a snowball effect.
- People will start talking about you.
- They will share links to your website and pass your details to their friends.
- They will call you, email you and ask you for more information.
- As a result, more and more people will know about you, talk about you or hire you.
Or not.
So, what do you do if people hear about your business, yet it just doesn’t interest them enough to buy from you or talk about you?
When all you hear is crickets
If your business is more then 6 months old and your friends and your best contacts, along with those who saw your advertising, are not spreading the word, buying from you or you’re not attracting very regular inquiries, take heed. It’s time to find out why and fix it — to build a new proposition, which people are interested in.
Here’s what doesn’t work: Begging people to be interested in something that’s uninspiring. That approach is what happens when you refuse to fix the problem. It’s a low leverage, low profit, frustrating and reputation-damaging way, to slowly go broke.
- Pestering people with unwanted phone calls.
- Sending them emails they never asked for.
- Sending needy messages using social networks.
- Bugging people on forums and community groups.
These all have a negative impact on the way people think and feel about you.
The answer is as simple and as challenging as this
Instead of looking for new, cheaper ways to beg for attention, invest in developing a better proposition… something people will want to spend money on (and share).
Tip: Read this – How to build a successful business. It’s packed with ideas and examples for you to use.