How to Grow Your Business using Nature's Secrets

Written 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 orrepparttar 'survival ofrepparttar 104654 fittest', first detailed by Darwin inrepparttar 104655 19th century, now confirmed byrepparttar 104656 science of genetics.

In business, we are encouraged to have strategies, vision and mission statements, and objectives to ensure our success and survival, butrepparttar 104657 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 withrepparttar 104658 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 - notrepparttar 104659 latest management fad. Could we use this model from nature,repparttar 104660 principles of natural selection and genetics? The answer, I believe, is yes.

In nature, it isrepparttar 104661 environment - competition for food, shelter, mates,repparttar 104662 prevalence of disease, and predation, that dictates who isrepparttar 104663 fittest. The fittest displacesrepparttar 104664 less fit inrepparttar 104665 population. What determines your success and survival chances inrepparttar 104666 ever-changing environment - isrepparttar 104667 genetic make up of you and your team.

Your genes determine your traits or features and capabilities.

The greaterrepparttar 104668 diversity of genes you have,repparttar 104669 better your survival and success chances. You need to enrich your 'Gene Pool'. In business, genes can be thought of as, not justrepparttar 104670 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: Allrepparttar time. The good news is: It isn’t that hard.

“Market research” may sound like a complicated concept, but it’s something you do allrepparttar 104653 time. It’s just a matter of becoming aware of it, and orienting it toward your product or service. Most people, once they getrepparttar 104654 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, byrepparttar 104655 marketing of others. Paying attention to what gets YOUR attention isrepparttar 104656 first step. With hundreds of emails coming in daily, which one gets you to open it? With allrepparttar 104657 billboards you see onrepparttar 104658 way to work, which one catches you eye? When do you tune back in to an ad onrepparttar 104659 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 yourselfrepparttar 104660 question “why”? Why with allrepparttar 104661 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 berepparttar 104662 beautiful babe. The unusual font. The color. The protusion overrepparttar 104663 top (likerepparttar 104664 chick-fil-a cows).

Next time something “catches your eye,” or “holds you spellbound,” or “keeps you nailed to your seat,” breakrepparttar 104665 spell and THINK. Analyze. Figure out why. Someone has gotten throughrepparttar 104666 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 meansrepparttar 104667 people who are going to buy your product or service. Rarely is it “everyone.” For instance, if you sell baby clothes,repparttar 104668 obvious market would be mothers, but fathers buy for their babies as well. And what about grandparents? Did you know thatrepparttar 104669 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 forrepparttar 104670 information on PayPal, by sending a feedback satisfaction form afterrepparttar 104671 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.

Atrepparttar 104672 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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