First and foremost – business owners are people like any other people. They have needs, wants, desires. Right now though, a very large number of them are concerned about the survival of their business and way of life.
The economy is suffering, money is tight, and it’s generally a time of healthy skepticism. One of your primary objectives will be getting past the “initial objections” and “overly cautious” attitudes that many business owners have.
What’s the number-one expectation clients have when they employ you as a consultant?
Results! They want to see that they spent their money well. They want bragging rights when profits increase and the business grows.
Your job is to be sure their expectations are reasonable. It’s much better to under-promise and over-deliver than vice-versa.
Study Small Businesses and Business In General
Start reading all the information you can about small business – especially those in your local community. You can start by searching…
"small business news" +[Your_City_Or_State]
You can also get business news by subscribing to various RSS feeds from small business and business authority sites. This would include magazines like Dollars & Sense, My Business Magazine, Black Enterprise, Entreprneur, Business 2.0, Fast Company, etc.
Dedicate a set amount of time each day to reading small business and general business news. Be prepared to take notes and add any good marketing ideas you find to your business journal.
You will find that you can easily integrate some of these marketing ideas and strategies into your clients’ campaigns. Do this on a daily basis – even if it’s only a half hour a day and you will gain insight that will identify you as a true expert in the eyes of your clients.
What To Do When Asked About Portfolio or References
If the question comes up – be truthful. Let the owner know that you are a new business owner just getting started out.
You will be surprised at how few owners will ask this question. Especially if you have asked the right questions during the consultation.
Marketing and Advertising
While the vast majority of small business owners understand the importance of marketing and advertising; very few of them have the time or inclination to construct and manage high effective campaigns that will grow their businesses.
Their focus is on the day to day tasks required to run the business and they simply don’t have the specialized knowledge required for implementing advanced marketing strategies.
This above is in reference to offline marketing. Throw in the online marketing variable into the mix and most of these small business owners become totally clueless. Online marketing and search engine optimization is even more specialized and more complex than regular offline marketing.
Questions business owners might ask about online marketing.
1: Hey, I just run a shoe repair place. How would an internet site help me?
2: How much will it cost?
3: How much time do I have to devote to it?
4: I don’t even know how to turn a computer on. How could I do something like that?
5: What is the “internet?”
how much will it cost me to maintain a website?
I do not know what to put on the website?
Why do I need to go online?
How much money can I make from online sales?
I do not know how to maintain the website?
How does having an internet presence help my business?
How do I sell product online?
How do I collect money online?
How are you going to help me to sell more product online?