Here they are in no particular order.

So, let’s get started.

1. They value their time. Time is your most valuable asset, yet many people surrender control of it. Guard your time. If you do, you’ll always have enough time to do all the things that matter each day.
2. They are approachable. If you want people to get in touch with you, they need to feel comfortable doing so. Some business owners are distant. Others are snarky. Warm and approachable is way more effective.
3. They are brave enough to risk being wrong. They know that the only people who never fail, are the people who lack the courage to try, (which is failure in itself).
4. They avoid costly detours. Don’t waste your time on shortcuts or growth-hacks. Shortcuts to success fail you on 2 fronts: Firstly, they’re seldom shortcuts. Secondly, they never lead to meaningful success. Instead of looking for shortcuts or hacks, look for the most direct, proven route.
5. They demonstrate leadership. Leadership is something you do. It isn’t something you self-proclaim. It’s an ongoing habit. So lead. And be very suspicious of anyone who calls themselves a leader.
6. They listen with intent. They listen to their clients. They listen to their marketplace. They’ve figured out that the more they know, the better their decisions will be. This allows them to create better products, better services and massively better relationships with their clients and future clients.
7. They are useful. They’ve figured out that the more useful they are, the more the marketplace will value them. This is closely linked to number 9.
8. They know that they can either be criticized or be ignored. There’s no middle ground. Every decision you make either helps your business stand out or camouflages it.
9. They turn up. If you want to remain relevant to your clients, customers and marketplace, you need to turn up regularly with something useful. A newsletter, blog, vlog or podcast are proven ways to achieve this. Bonus: By showing you can be relied on to regularly share ideas, you start earning the trust of your marketplace before they even speak with you.
10. They commit to lifelong learning. They read the books. They get expert advice. To see the effectiveness of this approach, we only need to look at those who take the opposite route. Those who don’t study and think they can do everything themselves, place a very low ceiling on their potential.

I hope you found these ideas useful, my friend. If you did, get to work on at least one of them today.

Would you like to get far more, highly targeted client/customer enquiries?

If you just answered yes, then I have a suggestion for you. I want you to consider a more deliberate approach to your marketing. It’s about intentionally choosing what your business stands for, then acting in accordance with it.

Here are just a couple of examples.

• Do you want your business to be known as a reassuringly expensive, high quality brand or a no-frills provider? Choose. Then set your prices and quality accordingly.
• Do you want your business to be remarkable or do you want it to be similar to your competitors? Choose. Then either offer something amazing or do what’s expected.

The thing is, you need to choose

In the examples above, both options can be amazingly successful.

There are billion dollar luxury providers and billion dollar no-frills providers. These successful brands intentionally choose which end of the market they want to serve. Then, they market their brand accordingly.

There are remarkable and unremarkable businesses, who make billions.

• The remarkable brands put their time into developing something spectacular, which people will talk about, recommend and share.
• The unremarkable brands invest their time developing high-return advertisements, introducer networks and hustling.

Both approaches work extremely well, when done correctly.

What doesn’t work well, is either failing to choose what your business stands for, or choosing, but acting inconsistently with your choice.

Overcoming the main challenge here

Over the years, I’ve found there is a major reason why small business owners get this wrong. It’s that they almost always feel as though they MUST be a high price or remarkable provider. And that if they aren’t, they’re somehow setting their sights too low.

This thinking is totally, utterly incorrect! Your business can thrive whatever end of the market you choose to serve.

McDonald’s, globally, will generate more income and profits today, than the most expensive, high class restaurant in your city will manage, in the next year or 10 years.

So, get intentional. Choose what you want your business to stand for and market it accordingly. This 1 step alone, will give you a huge advantage over your competitors.

And that’s not all my friend.

It will also provide you with massively more clarity and allow you to make better decisions.

Here are 10 inspiring reasons to get things done, for the next time you need a little extra motivation.

1. Do it because it’s the right thing to do.
2. Do it because you care.
3. Do it because you said you would.
4. Do it because it works… beautifully.
5. Do it because it matters.
6. Do it because they matter.
7. Do it because others will learn from it.
8. Do it because you’ll learn from it.
9. Do it because we need more leaders.
10. Do it because you may never get another chance.

And then, do it as well as you possibly can.

There is a powerful success factor behind every great business, which you can implement starting today.

It can be summed up in just 4 words: It’s all about them!

It’s all about them

The most successful business owners have figured it out. They know that their success is always going to be an extension of what they do for their clients. So, they consistently look for ways to be of greater value.

In short: They are more interested in the success of their clients, than they are in their own success.

That may sound counter-intuitive, but it isn’t. Allow me to explain why.

Why the me, me, me approach doesn’t work

The least effective business owners are focused on what they can get from their clients or customers. This mindset manifests itself in many different ways. Here are just a few common examples.

• They talk about closing the sale, rather than opening the relationship.
• They talk about up-selling, rather than upping the value they provide to their clients.
• They focus on what they can get, rather than what they can contribute.

That approach comes across in everything they do. As a result, their client retention is poor and they get few referrals from their clients. That’s because we don’t recommend greedy, self-obsessed people to our friends.

Some ideas for developing the ‘them’ approach to business

It starts with an understanding that it’s all about what you do, not what you say. That’s because every business owner claims to be client focused. So, you need to demonstrate that you are passionate about the success of your clients. You need to step up and walk the walk.

For example:

• Keep in regular contact and if you find they have a problem, offer to help. Over the years, I have helped clients overcome major problems, which weren’t part of the service I provide. I have a huge, international network of top-level contacts, spanning pretty-much every area of business. I can almost always get my client any answer they need, and fast, from a leading expert. So that’s exactly what I do.
• Help your clients to make extremely valuable connections. Think of people you know, who you can introduce them to… then do it!
• Take a little time out every day, to help one of your clients in a way they were not expecting. This can be something as simple as sharing a useful article or video with them.
• Find something valuable, which has a low delivery cost to you. Then add it to the service they receive from you… at no extra cost. My new clients are always amazed at the number of additional things I do for them. And I do this at every possible opportunity.
• Keep your promises. Surprisingly few service providers can be totally relied upon. I started my business in 1995 and today, I’m still in contact with people, who I worked with in my first year. Deep, long-term relationships are a cornerstone of every excellent service provider. So, keep your promises and be there when they need you.

22 Years after starting out in business, I can confirm that Zig Ziglar was right: “You can have everything you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want”.

This isn’t just an effective way to build a successful business. It’s also a wonderfully rewarding way to build a business you’re proud of, my friend!

It works like this. When the supply of something is limited, the demand is high. The more limited the supply, the higher the demand.

Conversely, the things that are most plentiful have the lowest value. They’re easy to provide. Most or all of your competitors provide these. As a result, they’re everywhere.

There’s a lesson here. A lesson that’s based on a pattern you’ll see in every high demand business. These businesses embrace the tricky stuff. The kind of things that are in short supply, because most of their competitors aren’t providing it.

There’s always a very limited supply of people who will.

• Lead.
• Be reliable.
• Create.
• Encourage others.
• Show appreciation.
• Contribute.
• Solve problems.

Embrace the tricky stuff. Because that’s where the demand is. It’s where the best clients are, too.