The Power of Possibilities

by: Nandang S Nugraha | Total views: 44 | Word Count: 929 | View PDF | Print View

 by: Lori Osterberg

Did you know the one thing that holds most people back is
the simple fact that they think too small? What separates the average
business owner from the super successful isn’t her timing or her
resources. It’s her ability to think bigger than others, and take
action on the things that will create the biggest successes.

Take for instance the typical small business owner in
your area. Go into any local shop and ask them how many customers they
have from out of state. Chances are it’s a very small percentage of
their business. Yet with the power of the Internet, any local business
– selling products or services – can change her business model from
being a small local provider, to a small business with huge profits and
paying clients around the world.

And it’s easier than you think. I know; I’ve done it myself.

I was one of those pioneers. I purchased my first
computer in the 1980’s. Remember Prodigy? I dialed in almost every day.
So when the Internet began coming on strong in the early 1990’s, I
jumped in with both feet, and brought our business online.

What I found was an incredible opportunity.

I started out as a small business owner, operating a
photography studio, and servicing people within my local area. It was a
traditional studio, offering the standard portrait and wedding
services. With two people, we opened a commercial location, and began
contacting people within a 10-mile radius. But I knew there had to be a
better way. And I found it on the Internet.

Thanks to a powerful online marketing strategy, we
found success quickly. Within 3 years, we shut down our traditional
studio, and began operating a virtual studio online. Our clients
changed from people in our local area looking for traditional
portraiture, to people all over the world falling in love with our
virtual wedding studio, and flying us in to their location.

No longer were we stuck selling to the people that
resided in our local community. We established an extreme niche market,
and went to where our clients were. We raised our prices substantially,
and began living the life others only dream about. By changing the way
we thought about business, we changed the way we looked for clients.
And our profits followed.

You too have that power. By changing the way you think,
you can change the way your business operates. The possibilities are
out there. But thinking differently can sometimes be difficult. It
involves stretching out of your comfort zone. It involves creating
changes in your business planning. And sometimes these changes can be
difficult.

Start by asking yourself some basic questions.

“How can I take what I do now, and sell it to people 1000 miles from me?”

“How do I change my marketing materials to sell to people I may never meet?”

“How well do I work with technology? What do I need to learn?”

These questions will allow you to think beyond your local
area, and start discovering ways of doing what you do anywhere in the
world. People all over the country are looking for the services and
products you sell. You just need the tools to get your information in
front of them.

When you expand your target market beyond your local
area, and go worldwide, you also add another dilemma to your planning
process:

“How do I market to the thousands of people added to my new target list?”

When you decide to take your business to a much larger
market, it’s imperative that you focus on who your exact customer is.
As a small business, you can’t afford to market to the world. Defining
who your perfect customer is becomes crucial. And knowing how to reach
them becomes vital.

Your customer can no longer be defined by simple phrases, such as:

• Single female between 25-50 years old.
  

• Married female with children under 18.
  

Instead you have to get into the mind of your client, and
define them as precisely as possible. Start with the simple phrases.
Then add in the detail. The more you know what interests your customer,
the easier it is to reach them. Consider a customer definition such as:

• Single female between 25-40 years old. Enjoys traveling,
  and prefers to take short, exotic vacations 2-4 times per year to
  places such as the Caribbean, Europe, Australia and the Fiji Islands.
  Holds an executive position in the corporate environment, or owns the
  company. Spends 2-3 weeks per month traveling for business, and holds
  tens of thousands of frequent flier miles.

Using the above customer description, I can begin finding
many ways of targeting this customer. I can consider building up
referral partners with travel websites that cater to young singles
flying into exotic locations for short trips. I can find networking
groups that cater to small business owners, or buy lead lists or place
ads in magazines such as Inc. or Entrepreneur magazine. I can consider
creating a relationship with airline magazine editors, and advertise or
get an article placed as frequently as possible.

Obviously, I could continue with many more ideas. But
you get the point. The more details I can use to define my perfect
customer, the easier it is to determine methods to reach them.

By changing the way you market yourself, you can expand your business in ways that will take your business to new heights.

Open up your mind to the possibilities. You might be surprised at what awaits you.

About the Author

Lori Osterberg has created three successful businesses in the past 10 years, and along the way discovered the secrets of taking a local small business and turning it into a worldwide success. She now shares this passion with people all over the world, and speaks, writes and mentors on using technology to grow your business – and stay small at the same time! Receive her FREE ezine at www.VisionOfSuccess.com.

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