I have met many hard-working people in my life. Some became successful, while others failed miserably. It is therefore inevitable to come to the conclusion that success in business and life depends on more than your ability to work hard.
I am also, what most people call, a “workaholic”, and therefore have great respect for the hard-working, honest individual. I can appreciate the pure intentions and the feeling of hope that “your hard work will, sooner or later, be rewarded”. Unfortunately hard work alone will not turn your hopes and dreams into reality. Right now you might even be at a point in your life where your business is causing you more frustration and heartache than freedom and joy.
As a business owner and / or entrepreneur you have worked your fingers to the bone in order to plan, deploy and develop your business. You have done your market research and know for a fact that there is a demand for you product. You are the best guy for the job, and yet you are struggling to maximise profit and earn good money.
One key factor that influences the success of almost any business is communication. In modern terms we say, with absolute certainty, that technology changed the way we communicate with our customers. It changes the way we conduct business and how consumers make purchasing decisions. Businesses are challenged to find innovative ways to convince customers you to buy their products and services, and consumers find themselves in world where it is unbelievably easy to buy.
Most consumers nowadays have access to the internet and will do an Internet search on products that will satisfy their specific wants and needs. Two major factors come to mind when we look at the way modern consumers make purchasing decisions:
- Consumers are aware of their personal wants and needs, and they now have the power to search for the products and services that will fulfil those needs according to their own criteria. Consumers have access to millions of websites, packed with information, competing for an opportunity to persuade and make clients want to buy.
- People buy what, and when they want to buy. This is probably one of the biggest reasons why so many businesses fail in their marketing efforts. Most business today still attempt to manipulate clients into buying things they don’t want or need.
Are your current sales a result of assisting your clients in making informed decisions (persuasion), or are you simply selling in order to benefit yourself (manipulating)?
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