J is for Join

I hope to add to the series more regularly now. The A to Z challenge and writing about woman entrepreneurs. You may read the previous posts here. 

A is for Ambition

B is for Business Plan

C is for Customer Connection

D is for Distractions

E is for Enterprise Evaluation

F is for Fatigue 

G is for Gratitude

H is for Harmony

I is for Introspection of the Ideal Client

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J is for Join

Women are naturally talented at networking. A mother will connect with other mothers in her child's class to car pool. A wife will ensure that her husband gets dinner, even if she is stuck in a meeting on the other end of town. A daughter will ensure that if she's unable to make it back home to her parents, some friend will step in and help them with whatever needs to be done. 

Women have social groups for all occasions and can build up a fantastic support group along the way to deal with all kinds of contingencies. Just as you have a support group for your family needs, you need a support group for your business. I am not just referring to the people whom you employ as part of your business, but also to other associates who may be able to help you when you need it.

Having a business will automatically put you in competition with other business owners for sales. This does not mean that everyone else is automatically the enemy. In fact, spending time with a person who has already been through what you are just about to experience, can be a real eye opener. One good thing about most women entrepreneurs is that they are always willing to share their journey. So take advantage of their generosity and learn from their mistakes. 

As a new comer into their circle, you will learn a lot from these women. This is why it's important for you to network and join up groups in your area of expertise. Some may meet physically each month, others are simply on a group on a popular social media website. It doesn't matter how and where you connect with them, but make an effort to do so. It will teach you so much simply by listening to their discussions. Ideas, that may not have yet come to you, will begin to flow. You will be able to ask for help with suppliers, book keepers, couriers and so much more. The recommendations you get will be solid and based on personal experience.

The Exercise 

What You Will Need: A positive attitude, a  few groups to join, the ability to share in other's success

Owning a startup is lonely, especially in the beginning when you are the only employee of your business. Trying to get everything done at once can be exhausting. Yet you are not close enough to making the type of profits to be able to hire another person to do some of the work. This is where having a support system of other women entrepreneurs can come in very handy. They will be able to tell you about the girl who is willing to work part time for you. The person who can handle your marketing calls for a conversion fee. The best suppliers for your raw materials and so many more relevant details that can help make your business a true success.

Fear and jealousy can wreck great opportunities to make friends with other women entrepreneurs. If you have a positive attitude, are willing to learn, and are ready to build a relationship based on mutual respect, you will attract the right people to you. One way to begin a good relationship is to approach a person you admire and ask her for tips. You can do this online via a private message. While an occasional person may not respond, many will. 

Now that you have received some tips from them, it's time to create some good karma for them by sharing their posts related to whatever they are selling. You can promote their event or workshop on your social media pages. Be sure to add a tag to them so that they know you have done it. Eventually you may build up a relationship where you meet up in person. If you have questions related to taking your business forward, ask them their opinion. Having a different perspective can make a huge difference to the success of your business.

Having a group of women entrepreneurs, who may not be exactly selling what you do, can be a good opportunity to cross sell each other's products and services. You can come up with offer coupons for each other's businesses for existing customers during the holiday season. It will be a mutually beneficial scheme. Besides the help that it can provide for your business, having a group like this can be excellent for exposing you to different people from varied backgrounds. It will help you grow as a person as well. Eventually you will have a community of like-minded people who grow together as they share their experiences.

I is for Introspection of the Ideal Client

Continuing the series, after a bit of a longish break. The A to Z challenge and writing about woman entrepreneurs. You may read the previous posts here.

A is for Ambition

B is for Business Plan

C is for Customer Connection

D is for Distractions

E is for Enterprise Evaluation

F is for Fatigue 

G is for Gratitude

H is for Harmony

 ********

I is for Introspection of the Ideal Client

Having a good idea is not the same as having a successful business. You may have done a lot to develop your idea, design and produce your products and services, but that does not guarantee financial success. You can't sell to the world. You must know that what you are creating in your business is a solution to a problem. A problem that is faced by a specific set of people. Now you need to identify those people in order to sell to them effectively. Introspection is a great way to reach your Ideal Client. 

Your business is not meant for everyone. There are specific people whom you wish to target as clients. Now think about the reason you thought up about this business. At that time you had a certain person in mind. This is the person who would love to buy what you offer in your products and services. What are the features of this person? Think of the demographics, is it a man or a woman? Are they young teenagers or young professionals in their twenties? Is it stay at home mothers in the thirties or mid life crisis fathers in their forties? Are they living in the big cities or the smaller towns? 

Your business may be targeting more than one demographic. However there will be a thread of commonality that ties all of these potential customers together. To figure that out ask yourself a few questions when you introspect about your idea client. Here's a list to get your started. Feel free to add more questions that apply to your business in specific.

• What are values of your ideal customer? 
• What are they passionate about?
• Where do they work?
• What do they do for fun?
• What are they interested in learning?
• Why would they be interested in your business?
• What qualities are they looking for in your products and services?

The more in-depth you get, the more clarity you will have about who you wish to target as an ideal client. Once you have the ideal client defined, it's time to get in touch with them. The best place to start is online. Offer content on a blog which they would relate to. Get on to the social media platforms that they are likely to frequent and speak about your business. It's time to bring the attention of your ideal client to the existence of your business and how it can help them.

The Exercise 

What You Will Need: Time to Develop the Blueprint for your Ideal Customer, Developing the Right Relationship with them

Using the questions that have been set down above, try and create the blueprint for the ideal client. Get inside the head of the person who will be happy to buy from you. What would they like or dislike? How are they likely to shop from you? Will they prefer online shopping or would they rather hold the product in their hands first before buying it? For instance, if your product is handmade and environmentally friendly, think of the people who would appreciate these features. It would be someone who values saving the environment, may be into protecting animals, could be interested in tree plantation drives, and so on. 

Now think of the events where you may bump into these people in real life and speak with them about your products of services. You can book a stall at such an event and connect with potential clients by distributing free samples and your business cards. You may not be able to attend meetings and exhibitions on a regular basis, but getting out in the market will help your business. The second way to stay in touch with potential clients is to get the social media and online presence of your business going.

In order for you to connect with your ideal customer, you need to send out a consistent message to them. Your social media posts should have a commonality of theme running through them which links it back to the backbone of your business. Your customers should  be able to identify what you sell easily. They should value what they buy from you enough to share it with their friends through word of mouth. Each time they shop from you, they should have a similar and satisfying experience. The customer service that you extend to them will also go a long way in harnessing their customer loyalty, not to mention their praise to friends.

Keep a track of any mistakes or mishaps that have occurred with a customer. Ensure that they do not happen again. There can be miscommunication regarding offers, so ensure that your marketing material is clearly defined. Your knowledge of the profile of the Ideal Client should also be able to help you judge what their budget is likely to be. So when you design your products keep that in mind as well. Even if a product solves a problem, the ideal client may not want to purchase it, should it prove to be too expensive for their tastes.