How to succeed in 'business'?

[gfx]

Hi guys,
Hoping to get some real solid advice here. There are lot of successful webmasters hanging out at V7N, hence I'm posting this topic here hoping to get some great advice.
Basically, I'm a graphic designer and I have a decent portfolio. I believe I'm not a great marketer because competitors with less better portfolios sell lot more. Somehow they know how to do the business part well. I feel that I'm lacking at the marketing part and could do much better and deserve to get more work. How can I become a good businessman, how can I make my clients find me, basically I want to be a master seller. It's true that quality of work=business but I am convinced there is definitely a 'way to sell' on which business depends. Some people can sell even bad quality things and earn loads(I'm not looking to do that but trying to explain what I mean) Looking for how to go about becoming a successful businessman, books that have helped you a lot, advices that you have.
Awaiting responses.

Thanks,
Kris

[mauritiusl]

gfx, it's all start with a good planning of the kind of business you want to do. Research well and plan accordingly and develop your own business strategies to move things forward.

[Surminga]

Plan thoroughly, then with a firm dive into it no looking back whilst persevering and wishing to get a bit of luck on the way up.
Invest what you make back into what you do always!

[AdamCochran]

It all depends on what you want to do?

For the past few years I've run my own marketing consulting firm (focusing on online marketing) as well as recently started running a major online entrepreneur forum.

Through the years I've learned the ropes of running a business and of making sales, it takes time and it takes practice. You are going to have upset clients but you need to earn from it.

First you need to think of what your service is, and what makes it stand out. I like to look at it this way:

"What is the one thing I can be absolutely BEST at. Everything else I will be good at, but I will focus on being the best at ONE thing".

We can't be the best at everything, we have to accept that we can do a number of aspects well.

For me my business is strong at delivering marketing with unique perspectives, we include business and technical analysts in everything we do and that's unheard of in the marketplace. But what I am best at, what I am absolutely known for is my customer service, helping clients with every question, always being there for them and making sure that they get peace of mind.

By defining what I was going to be best at, I was able to obtain it and get a number of new clients via referrals.

My price is higher than others, my results are well above average, but my customer support is simply renowned.

Once you've picked your service, what you are going to be best at, and priced it (don't be afraid to be a premium price, too many people compete on price, clients will pay more for a better service) think of who will use your service.

Perhaps you are a web-designer that does simple sites, nothing complex, nothing elaborate, you design something simple on wordpress and provide hosting and analytics reporting. This service would be geared towards individuals who aren't tech savy and don't already have a website. Whip out your local YellowPages and search up local doctors, lawyers, dentists, individuals with expendable income, who want to reach consumers that don't have a company behind them and are less likely to own a good website.

Target them via cold calls, or pre-pared mailouts outlining what you can do for them, set a price for the webdesign and a low price for the monthly hosting (maybe $30) include the analytics reporting free of charge. With the analytics reporting you can then comment on aspects of there site that need improvement each month, and bill them at a standard rate for that.

Such a method would let you build and maintain a client list, increase your income with additional service, and get great word of mouth traffic.

Being good at business is simply a matter of knowing what you do best, being dedicated to your clients and thinking outside the box!

[Dadelius]

Depending on where you are with your design work and how busy you are you might consider teaming up with someone stronger in marketing but weaker in design. You're two skills would compliment each others, and while you're working together it just stands to reason that you'd become a better marketer by watching your partner, and he'd become a better designer by watching you.

[gfx]

Originally Posted by mauritiusl

gfx, it's all start with a good planning of the kind of business you want to do. Research well and plan accordingly and develop your own business strategies to move things forward.

That's a really advantageous advice, to research and plan well.

Originally Posted by Surminga

Plan thoroughly, then with a firm dive into it no looking back whilst persevering and wishing to get a bit of luck on the way up.
Invest what you make back into what you do always!

Alright. So it's like any other skill that we learn. Got to invent strategies, persevere, learn and improve
.

Originally Posted by AdamCochran

It all depends on what you want to do?

For the past few years I've run my own marketing consulting firm (focusing on online marketing) as well as recently started running a major online entrepreneur forum.

Through the years I've learned the ropes of running a business and of making sales, it takes time and it takes practice. You are going to have upset clients but you need to earn from it.

First you need to think of what your service is, and what makes it stand out. I like to look at it this way:

"What is the one thing I can be absolutely BEST at. Everything else I will be good at, but I will focus on being the best at ONE thing".

We can't be the best at everything, we have to accept that we can do a number of aspects well.

For me my business is strong at delivering marketing with unique perspectives, we include business and technical analysts in everything we do and that's unheard of in the marketplace. But what I am best at, what I am absolutely known for is my customer service, helping clients with every question, always being there for them and making sure that they get peace of mind.

By defining what I was going to be best at, I was able to obtain it and get a number of new clients via referrals.

My price is higher than others, my results are well above average, but my customer support is simply renowned.

Once you've picked your service, what you are going to be best at, and priced it (don't be afraid to be a premium price, too many people compete on price, clients will pay more for a better service) think of who will use your service.

Perhaps you are a web-designer that does simple sites, nothing complex, nothing elaborate, you design something simple on wordpress and provide hosting and analytics reporting. This service would be geared towards individuals who aren't tech savy and don't already have a website. Whip out your local YellowPages and search up local doctors, lawyers, dentists, individuals with expendable income, who want to reach consumers that don't have a company behind them and are less likely to own a good website.

Target them via cold calls, or pre-pared mailouts outlining what you can do for them, set a price for the webdesign and a low price for the monthly hosting (maybe $30) include the analytics reporting free of charge. With the analytics reporting you can then comment on aspects of there site that need improvement each month, and bill them at a standard rate for that.

Such a method would let you build and maintain a client list, increase your income with additional service, and get great word of mouth traffic.

Being good at business is simply a matter of knowing what you do best, being dedicated to your clients and thinking outside the box!

Thanks, this is a gem of an advice, I thoroughly enjoyed it. By focusing on 1 quality, I will be able to increase my brand presence. You have also mentioned the same thing like others have i.e. to try, improve and build this skill with time. I agree with the price factor. If you compete with price you keep going lower and lower in terms of quality.

Originally Posted by Dadelius

Depending on where you are with your design work and how busy you are you might consider teaming up with someone stronger in marketing but weaker in design. You're two skills would compliment each others, and while you're working together it just stands to reason that you'd become a better marketer by watching your partner, and he'd become a better designer by watching you.

Well, that is a good advice. But I don't want to rely on my partner for that because I do intend to become a good marketer myself.

All the replies have been really informative and are invaluable. Keeping your advices in mind I plan to write down a strategy. I consider reading some books, I'm going to buy 'How to Sell-Shiv Khera' it looks interesting and relevant. I'm also going to do some reading on the net. I will definitely let you know if I make very good progress. Thanks a lot.

[zylun]

Man, you can be the best web designer but without PR your works are nothing, if you have a past or future client make sure to make them happy that would be the key to a successful in business.

[DCast]

I have learned a lot from this thread. At first, I was looking into developing a Joomla based site, now, i didn't realize that one could actually earn a decent income by doing such. Perhaps, become a marketer as well. As of now,I have to determine what I'm best at, as per the advice of AdamCochran (Thanks! you rock!) and work my way from there.

[greentek]

It's all about depend own you and work. you want to success in business than you should to do work hard.

[weinstips]

Stick with it. You might not be a good salesman now. But with practice anyone can succeed in business. It is like selling anything be committed to it.

[wavegroom]

it is all about your planning. i have seen people do things quickly as they think about it. but failing at the end. so plan everything carefully. prepare for the worse case scenario. and work towards a "can achieve" aim.

[backlinksrockstar]

Use social media in promoting your business. Surely, there are many of your friends and relatives who are already part of it. Look for information about using the social media for business. It usually requires that you create your own business page or thru a social networking site. Facebook, for example, is used by a lot of small businesses as their sales channel. Hoping you success for your business!

[fstep]

Let me give you a different perspective. You need to find the right people to take care of things you are NOT an expert in. If you try to do everything yourself as most small business owners do you will fall behind very quickly.
Build yourself a board directors (financial, marketing, business development, etc experts) and ofcourse focus your own efforts on whatever it is you do best. Alternatively try something like this startupmanufacturer.com that's actually how i got my start and have done pretty well since.

[Troy Brindley]

the key to success online is to have a good strategy or method and then just repeat process over and over again until your making a life chaging income then its time to play n have fun with all the new toys you buy with the online free money if you want to start making a life changing income you can definatly start here

[jackjohan7299]

A successful business requires a successful planning and hence it is necessary to do a good planning that actually works for a business and then management plays a vital role in business success.So all these thing lead to successful business.

[cassiemayel]

My client shared about business during the first day that i work for her and what she pointed out is for you to be able reach success with your business you must have a marketing plan that will give you an in-order task. And both online and offline, marketing your business needs patience and hard work.

[ufavors]

Lot's of wonderful responses here. It is very much a combination of many things as all the comments pretty much prove.

To be specific though, I think it depends what you want to charge for your work. I'd recommend some research into market rates and sell at mid level (on the low side) to be more competitive. You are getting started and can't compete with the big boys just yet. Your only advantage is that you can do it cheaper and more personal.

Once you figure that out, make sure you have a great portfolio. Make sure people can see it, etc., you already know this. Make a website if you don't have one already. The nice thing about your particular industry is that the more simple the (meaning not overly designed) design, the cleaner and more professional it looks.

Now, read some articles or books on the psychology behind selling someone on something. Figure out the art of sales from the source: The brain. Do this now before you contact people because what is the point of contacting them now when you can learn even more about selling them on your proposals beforehand? Make sure to keep it simple, and mostly look for the basic tricks. Mold the basic tricks in a way that fits your personality and attitude (unless you have a bad attitude :/).

The key to these is knowing what advantages you have over the big boys. The reading won't work unless you know your price, advantages, quality, and time you can deliver.

Don't worry if people will find you, worry about what they will see when they find you, what they will get out of it.

Once you have your foundation planned and accounted for, its time to start finding people. But this is all networking. Just know that good design work is highly sought after and things typically begin to snowball in the design industry. Your best marketing will be word of mouth after sales. Doing work for people you already know / kind of know is a great way to begin as well.

Good luck!

[tanvirhossain]

Its all about honesty and hard work. If someone is really honest and hard working,he/she will become a successful business person.

[paulwebmaster]

Don't forget Location matters too and advertising. you will need to get the word out to those that needs it.

[leandros21]

Create your own idea, perfect it and advertise it in proper way for best results.