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
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M is for Market
No matter how good your product is, or how useful your service, if people have not heard about it, it's not going to sell. This means that you have to ensure that you get the word of what you are doing out there to your potential market. You need to identify your "Ideal Client" who consist of your market, then then share your offerings with them, via marketing.
The mere word, marketing, tends to bring out extreme reactions from entrepreneurs. Most of the small business owners who are operating from home, feel that it's some sort of high level commerce concept which they can't handle. Nothing is further from the truth. Most Women Entrepreneurs have an inherent knack of building a relationship with their potential clients within minutes of meeting them. They also have the charm to nurture this relationship and turn them into returning clients.
Being a people's person helps, but having a strong ethic practice helps more. As your clients figure out that you always provide good quality, they will gladly spread the word to their friend circle. You should have your sales pitch practiced up before you attempt to speak with strangers, so that you are prepared to answer any questions that they may throw at you. This helps you to come across to potential clients as a level headed business woman, who knows what she's offering with clarity.
For instance, I remember ordering a cake from a home baker, She asked me a ton of questions about the number of people who would be consuming it, and recommended that for every kg of cake I would be able to serve 8 to 10 heads. I felt her task was done when she delivered it to me. Yet she had included a whole set of instructions on how much time before I served the cake I should bring it out of the fridge. She also let me know how many days any remaining pieces could be safely stored in the fridge. While this was not required, it added value to the service that she provided. It made me feel that she took her business seriously and wanted to preserve the quality of her baked goods. Since she invoked trust in me, I was much more likely to order cakes from her the next time there was an occasion in the house.
The Exercise
What You Will Need: A description of your products and services, a list of common questions clients may ask, and a good friend to practice your pitch on
Needless to say you should have a good idea of the pros and cons of exactly what you are selling. So sit down and make a list of all the features of your product. What are the points that you should highlight when you discuss this with a client? Write down possible pain points that your service is resolving. Now think up of questions that they may ask you. You need to have solid responses to any queries or doubts that they throw your way.
Once you have sorted all the facts out in your head, you need to practice describing your offerings. This is essentially pitching your products. Get a good friend of yours to help you. It's a lot more effective when you interact with a live human being rather than simply looking at your own face in the mirror while describing your pitch. Let them interrupt you, poke holes in your theories, and be a good sounding board. This will allow you to come up with more queries that may come up with an actual client.
You should be effectively able to pick up from the interruptions and clearly deliver the details of your offering. Besides letting them know what and when is being sold, you need to also add subtle reasons why they should buy from you. You don't need to oversell or hard sell your products or services, just bring up different scenarios in which they will be really useful. Always end on a personal note and ensure that they have a way to contact you. Exchanging phone numbers is a great way to do this.
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