3 Simple Steps to Create the Business of Your Dreams – A Business that’s On Purpose

Imagine for a moment that at this same time next year, you have accomplished everything you’ve ever wanted… and more… for both yourself, and for your business.

Is that possible? Why of course! In order to accomplish that though, there are three very important components that you’ll need to put into practice:

First, be crystal clear on what it is you want.

As crazy as this may seem, in my many years of experience as a marketing coach and consultant, this is the number one breakdown I see entrepreneurs and small business owners make time and time again. They simply don’t know what they want! And believe me, it’s very difficult to get what you want if you don’t know what it is.

Essentially they’re like a dingy floating aimlessly in the ocean… instead of rowing towards a specific destination… a destination they choose… they let the tide push them around at will… all the while hoping the tide will push them somewhere good… not really knowing where that somewhere good is until they get there… and the sad truth is, is that since they’ve not chosen their destination, there’s a strong chance that they will never get what they want.

I don’t know about you, but that scenario scares me a bit. It scares me enough to dedicate ample time on a regular basis to get crystal clear on what it is I want. And the interesting part about this is that what we want, will and does change in one way, shape, or form over time… and that’s okay… that’s a good thing. There’s nothing worse than blindly continuing on a path to something we once wanted, only to find out that when we’ve gotten it, it wasn’t what we wanted any longer… as a matter of fact, we’ve wanted something different for quite a while… we’ve just negligently avoided revisiting our desires. Implementing regular checkpoints along the way should prevent this from happening.

Second, put a solid plan in place to achieve it.

I don’t care if you only take 5 minutes and jot it down on the back of a napkin… I’m a firm believer that every business needs a plan... for me, that’s both a business plan and a marketing plan. The business plan at a minimum should dictate the “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, and “why” your business exists and your marketing plan should spell out the “how” you will get it done. The marketing plan must directly support and tie into your business plan… there’s no place for autonomy here.

As far as I’m concerned, a plan is not a plan unless it’s written down… just having it in your head doesn’t work effectively... I’m sorry to break it to you. Additionally, it’s not a viable plan unless it is shared with and supported by your team. Just like sports, business simply happens better with a team approach. Accountants, Coaches, shipping companies, your staff… these are all members of your team… get them involved... give them a chance to help you further your cause.

Third, diligently work your plan.

It’s not enough to create a plan and then file it away somewhere to collect dust. You need to diligently work that plan… making adjustments as needed along the way… all the while keeping your eye on the prize… that is, what it is you want.

So in closing, please know that there are no shortcuts here… you need all three of these components to purposely manifest what you want for your small business. If you’re unclear on how to approach these three steps, don’t be shy, get some help… bring in a coach or a consultant to help you make it happen. Bottom line is don’t be a victim of circumstance… create your business on purpose!

© 2008 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' (www.MotivationalMarketer.com). Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute' (www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com/marketingminute), -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Technorati Tags: Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, marketing, marketing plan, marketing coach, marketing consultant, business plan, small business

In Regards to Marketing… let Freedom Ring!

“Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed -- else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.” -- Dwight D. Eisenhower (34^th President of the United States from 1953-1961)

Every 4^th of July, with barbeques blazing and skyrockets soaring, here in the states, we sure know how to celebrate our freedom. And fortunately for us, the extent of our freedom goes way beyond that very special day. As Americans, our civil liberties grant us the right to be, do, or have whatever we want, so long as we abide by our laws and no one gets hurt in the process.

Our limits become only the ones we set upon ourselves -- both personally and professionally. So in essence, freedom is not enough; it’s how we exercise our freedoms that make us truly free.

Let me explain.

Whether you are either an independent professional or a small business owner, your freedoms of speech and self-expression allow you to promote and “brand” yourself and your business pretty much however and whenever you choose.

Essentially, you’re the artist. You paint the picture you want your target market to see. Then you show it to them whenever you want.

Now unless you’re playing out a specific game, withholding that picture from those who could clearly benefit from it is simply negligence -- that is, once again, so long as you don’t have a specific reason for doing so.

As a marketing coach and consultant, it amazes me how often I see businesses for whatever reason being stingy with their marketing, yet complaining that business is slow. I’ve heard 1001 excuses why they couldn’t market themselves… “I have no money”… “No time”… “I don’t know how”… etc. etc. etc. I’m sorry but with today’s resources available, especially with the availability of the Internet, there just is no excuse.

I firmly believe that it’s our duty as businesspeople to consistently educate our target market on what we make possible for them through our products and services -- our marketing is simply a vehicle for communicating that.

As a free market society, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how good we’ve got it. Imagine a world where you weren’t free to market your business. How would your target market find you? How would they know to even look for you in the first place? How long do you honestly think your business would last? -- Probably not very long.

Well lack of marketing will most certainly bring the very same result. But what’s worse is you having a choice of either success or failure and choosing failure by opting to not market yourself effectively.

In our free market society, your marketing becomes the sustenance needed to make your business not only survive, but thrive. Stop nurturing your business by not marketing, and it will most certainly wither and die.

In a nutshell, effective marketing builds strong roots, and strong roots bear healthy fruits.

So in closing, I’d like to leave you with some questions to ponder. Are you fully leveraging the freedoms available to you and effectively marketing your business? If so, how and how often? Do you have a marketing plan? If so, does it position you to fully leverage the freedoms bestowed upon you?

© 2007 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal'. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter, the 'Marketing Minute' -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Technorati Tags: marketing articles, Dean Mercado, target market, marketing plans, marketing planning, marketing coach, marketing consultant, small business marketing

5 Factors To Look For When Choosing The Perfect Target Market

As a marketing coach and consultant, one of the biggest and costliest mistakes that I see small businesses make time and time again is that they’re neck deep in their business and they still haven’t clearly defined their target market. They continue to try to be everything to everyone -- that’s just not realistic -- and unfortunately, that usually ends in them being nothing to no one.

As one of my marketing mentors, Dan Kennedy says it, it’s critical that you “find your herd”. Your “herd”, or your “who” as I call it, being your ideal target market -- your perfect prospects and clients so to speak.

It’s critical that you understand that that your “who” is more important than your “what”. In other words, it’s more important to be clear on who you’re serving than what you’re serving them with. The “what” will most definitely change in one way, shape, or form over time as you target market’s wants and needs change.

So how does one go about choosing the ideal target market for their business?

Well here are my 5 factors to look for when choosing the perfect target market.

1. They’re Hungry!
Your target market should already want or need what you offer and the more insatiable the appetite, the better!

The key word here is “already”. If they don’t already want nor need what you offer, it will ultimately cost you much more in marketing dollars to educate them on what it is you do offer and why they should buy it now.

2. They’ve Got Cash!
Simply put, it doesn’t matter how hungry your target market is. If they can’t afford to buy what you’re selling, they may not be a good target market for you – you simply can’t draw blood from a stone.

However, there’s always the possibility of finding someone else who can afford you on their behalf. In other words, look for others who have the cash that would stand to benefit from your shared target market having access to what you offer and market your idea to them.

3. They’re Easily Reachable!
The harder it is to get in front of your target market, the more expensive it gets -- and for small businesses, that typically spells disaster. Unfortunately or fortunately, small businesses just don’t have that bottomless pocket full of cash to spend on marketing themselves -- this forces them to be smarter and more creative marketers.

Bottom line here is you don’t want to make your job any harder, or more expensive, than it has to be, so pick a target market that you can get to easily.

4. There Are Enough of Them Around!
A proper target market has to be large enough for you to not only survive, but thrive. Chances are that if there are only a handful of prospects interested in what you offer, unless your product is extremely consumable, it may be difficult to sustain your business -- let alone grow it.

Bottom line; pick a target market that’s sizable enough for you to serve and relentlessly go after its sweet spot.

5. You Like Them!
You know, some people may think this one is silly, however I’m a firm believer that if you generally like those you serve, you’ll serve them better. And the better you serve them, the better you chances of increasing your market share.

Bottom line here is that life is too short to spend your most precious commodity, your time, with people you don’t like. So why do it? Even if the money is good, chances are that eventually you’ll feel unfulfilled -- so play with people you want to play with.

So in closing, don’t make your job any harder than it needs to be. Clearly choose and define your target market, right from the get go. Take the time to find out everything you can about them -- know their demographic and psychographic profiles -- Be able to answer such questions as: What are their interests? Where do they hang out? And what makes them tick? An understanding of the answers to these very simple yet profound questions can make or break your business.

© 2007 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal'. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter, the 'Marketing Minute' -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Technorati Tags: Dean Mercado, target market, marketing plans, marketing planning, marketing coach, marketing consultant, small business marketing