Are you really building a business?

by sallan
11 replies
I enjoy this forum, and I think there can be some good advice offered here too. However sometimes some of the stuff posted here makes me cringe. People panic about the simplest business tasks, and regularly someone seems to be jumping into offline consulting with little knowledge and trying to close sales the next day to the cheers of other posters.

Maybe I'm too cautious for some peoples tastes, but if you are offering a service to offline businesses I think the thing that matters most is customer satisfaction, not your closing skills.

Don't get me wrong sales skills are very important, but if you can't deliver on your pitch then your business is going to collapse very quickly, and most likely very painfully if you have upset businesses in your local community.

If all you want to do is sell, there are plenty of opportunities around for great commision only sales people. But if you are going to run a business you need a plan, you need to develop good business practices, work on your branding, keep good records and up to date accounts.... the list goes on.

But above all you must deliver a great customer experience. This is how you will build repeat business, brand trust, referrals, and a comfortable income.
#building #business
  • Profile picture of the author Mav91890
    Very true, great post.
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    “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it.” ― Jordan Belfort

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  • Profile picture of the author IMguy123
    Originally Posted by sallan View Post

    I enjoy this forum, and I think there can be some good advice offered here too. However sometimes some of the stuff posted here makes me cringe. People panic about the simplest business tasks, and regularly someone seems to be jumping into offline consulting with little knowledge and trying to close sales the next day to the cheers of other posters.

    Maybe I'm too cautious for some peoples tastes, but if you are offering a service to offline businesses I think the thing that matters most is customer satisfaction, not your closing skills.

    Don't get me wrong sales skills are very important, but if you can't deliver on your pitch then your business is going to collapse very quickly, and most likely very painfully if you have upset businesses in your local community.

    If all you want to do is sell, there are plenty of opportunities around for great commision only sales people. But if you are going to run a business you need a plan, you need to develop good business practices, work on your branding, keep good records and up to date accounts.... the list goes on.

    But above all you must deliver a great customer experience. This is how you will build repeat business, brand trust, referrals, and a comfortable income.
    It seems you are assuming alot. Just because you see many how-to sales/marketing threads does not mean we don't care about customer satisfaction. I believe it is inherent within most peoples being/soul/person to offer value and customer satisfaction. It really goes without saying.

    The reason you see so many how-to-get clients threads is because most need to get customers to start their business. You can't have a business without customers. You can't put the cart before the horse.

    Also, if you don't intend to offer value then you might as well not even start. But you can't start without getting the first customers in some way.

    Can you imagine having a bunch of threads talking about giving customer satisfaction? What would they say? It does not really need to be said because it is assumed. Otherwise, why start a business?
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    • Profile picture of the author sallan
      It seems you are assuming alot. Just because you see many how-to sales threads does not mean we don't care about customer satisfaction. I believe it is inherent within most peoples being/soul/person to offer value and customer satisfaction. It really goes without saying.

      The reason you see so many how-to-get clients threads is because most need to get customers to start their business. You can't have a business without customers. You can't put the cart before the horse.

      Also, if you don't intend to offer value then you might as well not even start. But you can't start without getting the first customers in some way.

      Can you imagine having a bunch of threads talking about giving customer satisfaction? What would they say? it does really need to be said because it is assumed. Otherwise, why start a business?
      I may not have been clear enough in my post, I am in no way disregarding the value of the posts on sales, as I said it is vital to have good sale skills. I'm just saying there is a danger in over focussing on one business aspect, and I do see posts from people who talk about things like " This offline stuff is cool, I'm gonna making some sales and then go find someone to do the job on Fiverr."

      I'm not saying that type of approach is going to fail every time, in fact you might start like that and then go on to build a good business, and the people who start out like this probably have great intentions too. However I do think it is risky.

      I guess I just read a couple of posts recently that got me thinking about this.

      BTW I think some more threads on how warriors keep keep customers happy and how they build referrals would be great.
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      • Profile picture of the author IMguy123
        Originally Posted by sallan View Post

        I may not have been clear enough in my post, I am in no way disregarding the value of the posts on sales, as I said it is vital to have good sale skills. I'm just saying there is a danger in over focussing on one business aspect, and I do see posts from people who talk about things like " This offline stuff is cool, I'm gonna making some sales and then go find someone to do the job on Fiverr."

        I'm not saying that type of approach is going to fail every time, in fact you might start like that and then go on to build a good business, and the people who start out like this probably have great intentions too. However I do think it is risky.

        I guess I just read a couple of posts recently that got me thinking about this.

        BTW I think some more threads on how warriors keep keep customers happy and how they build referrals would be great.
        Yes, I understand your point.. true.

        I think you will see comments from some people saying watch out when outsourcing, etc. However, people live and die with their own decisions...it seems to me that it comes down to common sense when it involves trying to keep your clients satisfied. Otherwise, your business will fail most likely.

        Okay, you try to start a thread on what you are saying and see how long it lasts. I will be surprised if it lasts very long...but I could be wrong.
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  • Profile picture of the author sallan
    Originally Posted by Nathan Robinson View Post

    Well we all talk about sales because that is the hardest part. Once we have the client we have almost an unlimited resource of outsourcers here and other sites to get the job done, regardless if we have the skills ourselves or not.

    Delivering is not a problem for the majority of us.
    I use outsourcers for some work too, but I test them first before I use them on clients projects because I have been burned before. It is not a great feeling having to explain to a customer why their project is very late or is of poor quality. You can fix these things, but you may not be able to regain their confidence.
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  • Profile picture of the author mojo1
    Rus Sells, Bayo, Scott Gallagher, Sandalwood, and Jason K. now those guys are hella awesome business men whose advice are definitely worth listening to as they are the total package.
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  • Profile picture of the author CollegeCEO
    I think sometimes we just get obsessed with trying to get that first sale that it might come off like we don't care about anything else. But I think for the most part people around here realize the importance of other aspects of the business as well. It's just that the actual "sales" part is usually the most difficult for people to execute.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bayo
    Thanks for making such an insightful post.

    Even though this message is constantly stated, the results make it look like it's a new paradigm for offline consultants.

    You're spot on when you talk about 'customer experience' because the 'CX' as it's called in the corporate product development and marketing world where billions are made and lost each and every day, the CX is an area that gets a lot of attention and focus, before, during and after the sale.

    Finally, poor customer service is one of the top reasons why people experience one-off or once-only sales with business owners because they quite understandably, won't knowingly put themselves through a poor (not even necessarily 'bad') experience with you again if you drop the ball in this area.

    Great post!

    Bayo
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  • Profile picture of the author itzpaul
    Great Advice. I am definitely working on creating a real business in Offline Marketing.

    I've gotten a professional website designed to my liking and got my branding and logo created.

    I'm working on populating my website with content and hunting for some clients.

    I want to provide a great service to clients so I can have them for the long-term and for the referrals.

    I plan on providing amazing customer service at all times for my clients.

    Marketing is also the hardest part. Everything, before that has been easy but the Marketing part seems to be the hardest part so far.

    I've found a lot more customers working dead-end job previously but was working way too many hours to fufill any of those jobs.

    Now, that I don't have any dead-end jobs and am focusing on my business. It's tough to find clients but I'm working on it and going to try everything. Eventually, it will click.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jon Martin
    In a general sense, members of this forum are more aware of how to satisfy clients than they are at garnering the clients in the first place.
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    "Be the hero of your own movie."
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