 If there’s one thing that holds promising entrepreneurs back from launching their business, it’s this: a lack of confidence in their products. Sure, you think that new course or workshop or service is a great idea, but how do you know it will sell?
Imagine spending weeks or even months of time—plus the cost of document design, video editing and all the other pieces that go along with it—only to discover it’s not what your audience wants or needs. How frustrating would that be? You don’t have to leave it to chance, though. There are plenty of ways to test your idea before spending the time and energy on a full launch. Just Ask This is the simplest way to get a feel for what your market needs and wants. Simply ask them. Create a survey with Survey Monkey (or even a Google form) and send it out to your mailing list. For best results, keep it short, but do ask:
These three pieces will tell you everything you need to know to create a program that’s practically guaranteed to sell. Listen to Their Complaints If you have a community (or are part of one) of ideal clients, pay attention to what they’re asking about the most. These are the things they need help with. For example, if you’re a business coach and your Facebook group is filled with questions about running Facebook ads, then clearly there is a need for some training in that area. Study Your Competition Hopefully you have a list of competitors and you’re reading their blogs and emails, and lurking in their Facebook groups. This is a great way to gain insight into what they’re doing—not to copy them, but to discover what’s hot right now. Consider buying their paid products as well. Again, you should never copy them, but you can either:
Creating products in a vacuum is a great way to waste a lot of time and money on programs that won’t sell. Instead, pay attention to what your market is asking for, find out what they’re willing to pay, and delve into your competition’s offers. The information you gain from these three activities alone will give you incredible insight into your market and what they want and need, and make it easy to create your own hot-selling program. To your success! Lindsey xxx www.digital-duchess.com
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 Many people dream of working for themselves, being their own boss, and having the freedom to only take on clients and projects they love. What they don’t realise, though, is that there is a huge difference between building a business and being self-employed. READ MORE: 50 Things Your Website Needs to Make More Money Business owners scale their income. Self-employed people trade time for money. Business owners leverage the skills and talents of others. Self-employed people rely only on their own skills. Discouraged yet? Don’t be. Every business owner started out self-employed. Just don’t stay there. These tips will help you build a sustainable business instead of just another job. Don’t Try to Do It All Yourself Building a sustainable business requires that you leverage the talents and time of others. While it might seem cost-effective to simply do everything yourself—especially in the start-up phase when you likely have more time than money—it’s a path to burnout and stress. READ MORE: 50 Things Your Website Needs to Make More Money Instead, separate your tasks into those that you love and are especially suited for (such as marketing) and those you dislike and aren’t good at. Then make a solid plan to get those that you aren’t good at off your list of things to do. If you feel like you can’t afford to outsource it all right now, start with what you tend to procrastinate the most on, even if it’s just a few hours each month. Don’t Allow Yourself to Work All the Time The trouble with working at home is that you live at work. And that means that there’s no clear line in the sand between your work day and your home life. READ MORE: 50 Things Your Website Needs to Make More Money Since there’s always work to do, it’s easy to find yourself working every available moment—often to the detriment of your family relationships. You can help avoid this by:
Vacations and Downtime Are Important Don’t create a business that requires you to be “in the office” every day. At the start, you may need to be available more, but you should definitely be planning for the day when you can be “off the grid” for extended periods of time.
While you might not be able to hit the road with no internet access for weeks at a time, at the very least you should be able to reduce your workload to a daily check-in. READ MORE: 50 Things Your Website Needs to Make More Money Sound impossible? It’s not. With some forethought and planning, you can create a team—and the systems they need—to successfully run your business without becoming overwhelmed and overworked. To your success! Lindsey x www.digital-duchess.com Email Marketing: From Hot Mess to Mega Success in 7 Days  Want to know what sets the uber-successful apart from the wannabe entrepreneurs? It’s not money, or brilliant ideas, or even powerful friends. READ MORE: Uncover The Real-Life Copywriting Strategies That Can Turn Your Sales Pages And Content Marketing From “So-So” To Super! All of those things (and more) are nice to have, but they’re not a requirement of success. What is a must-have, though, is a good attitude. Without the proper mindset, you’ll constantly be battling your own brain, and that’s exhausting.
And before you know it, you’ll have talked yourself right out of launching your new program, asking for a JV partnership, or writing your book. In no time at all, you’ll be back at your day job, working away on someone else’s business because you don’t have the confidence to create your own. But a simple mindset change can make all the difference. READ MORE: Uncover The Real-Life Copywriting Strategies That Can Turn Your Sales Pages And Content Marketing From “So-So” To Super! Dress for Success Ladies, this one is for you. When we work at home, it’s easy to fall into a habit of wearing sweatpants and T-shirts to the office. After all, why dress up just for the dog? But if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to instantly shift your mindset in the right direction, ditch the yoga pants and break out the lipstick. You’ll suddenly find you feel more professional, more confident, and sexier, too. (That last one won’t help your business, but it might just help your love life, and that can’t hurt, can it?) READ MORE: Uncover The Real-Life Copywriting Strategies That Can Turn Your Sales Pages And Content Marketing From “So-So” To Super! Never Let Fear Drive Your Decisions Too many would-be entrepreneurs operate with a scarcity mindset rather than approaching business from a place of abundance. Rather than telling yourself that you can’t afford to hire a virtual assistant or work with a coach, try reframing your thoughts. Rather than thinking, “I can’t afford to attend that event,” ask yourself, “How can I earn the money to invest in this trip?” READ MORE: Uncover The Real-Life Copywriting Strategies That Can Turn Your Sales Pages And Content Marketing From “So-So” To Super! Rather than saying, “I have to do everything myself because I can’t afford to hire a VA,” remind yourself that your hourly rate potential is much more than you’d pay a virtual assistant. Then fill those hours you’re saving by outsourcing with money-making tasks of your own. By reformatting your thoughts, you’ll turn that negative money talk into positive solutions that help you grow. To Your Success! Lindsey www.digital-duchess.com Uncover The Real-Life Copywriting Strategies That Can Turn Your Sales Pages And Content Marketing From “So-So” To Super! |
AuthorLindsey Archibald is a Journalist, Broadcaster, Digital Marketer, Author and Business Coach. Archives
February 2017
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