How to Grow Your Business using Nature's SecretsWritten by Syd Stewart
Nature has no grand plan, no long-term plan, no vision statement, no foresight, no mission statement, no manifesto, and no long-term objectives.Yet, in nature, complex, powerful, elegant, awe-inspiring, incredibly capable organisms and species have evolved, thrived, and survived for millions of years. This has been achieved through an incredibly simple process of natural selection or 'survival of fittest', first detailed by Darwin in 19th century, now confirmed by science of genetics. In business, we are encouraged to have strategies, vision and mission statements, and objectives to ensure our success and survival, but success of business as a whole is still questionable, with few companies really thriving over substantial periods-of-time. Major issues continually present themselves, for example, competing with ever-increasing number of conglomerates, recruiting and retaining appropriate staff, new and recurring old diseases, and rapidly changing technology. We need a better way of coping, a simple process that is robust and proven - not latest management fad. Could we use this model from nature, principles of natural selection and genetics? The answer, I believe, is yes. In nature, it is environment - competition for food, shelter, mates, prevalence of disease, and predation, that dictates who is fittest. The fittest displaces less fit in population. What determines your success and survival chances in ever-changing environment - is genetic make up of you and your team. Your genes determine your traits or features and capabilities. The greater diversity of genes you have, better your survival and success chances. You need to enrich your 'Gene Pool'. In business, genes can be thought of as, not just traits and capabilities of you and your staff, but your procedures, knowledge, and experience.
| | When Should You Do Market Research?Written by Susan Dunn, MA, Market Consultant and Coach
The bad news is: All time. The good news is: It isn’t that hard.“Market research” may sound like a complicated concept, but it’s something you do all time. It’s just a matter of becoming aware of it, and orienting it toward your product or service. Most people, once they get hang of it, love it. In fact many of us can’t stop doing it! We are all consumers as well as sellers. All day long we are bombarded with sales messages, by marketing of others. Paying attention to what gets YOUR attention is first step. With hundreds of emails coming in daily, which one gets you to open it? With all billboards you see on way to work, which one catches you eye? When do you tune back in to an ad on radio? What TV commercial do you sit and watch instead of channel surfing? Which ezines do you actually bother to read? Which ones do you read every single word? This all becomes market research when you stop and ask yourself question “why”? Why with all billboards out there did that one catch your eye? What’s different about it? You are as capable of answering this as any ad genius out there. It could be beautiful babe. The unusual font. The color. The protusion over top (like chick-fil-a cows). Next time something “catches your eye,” or “holds you spellbound,” or “keeps you nailed to your seat,” break spell and THINK. Analyze. Figure out why. Someone has gotten through fog with you, and this is invaluable information. There are three aspects to market research: ·The target market ·Your website and collaterals ·What others are doing TARGET MARKET Target Market means people who are going to buy your product or service. Rarely is it “everyone.” For instance, if you sell baby clothes, obvious market would be mothers, but fathers buy for their babies as well. And what about grandparents? Did you know that biggest buyers of teen CDs are seniors? They are buying them for their teenage grandchildren. Periodically go over your records and see who is actually buying your products. Get as much information about them as you can. You can do this by asking for information on PayPal, by sending a feedback satisfaction form after sale where you ask for this information, by offering something free where you garner this information, and by various other methods. If you sell a service, such as coaching, when someone finds you, be sure and ask them how they found your name. At same time, ask your current and past purchasers where else they go, so you can go to those websites and see how those people are selling. Studying your target market and their preferences is particularly important when you aren’t in it. By this I mean, if you are selling something to teens, and you are middle-aged, you are trying to discover what appeals to teens, not to you.
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