Clear Business Objectives

Have you ever had a great idea for something for your business - a new blog post or a new product to promote but after a few days experienced feelings of doubt or confusion about it?

If you have then you are in good company because it happens on a regular basis and if you fail to deal with it your business can start to stutter and stall and you will be left wondering what you should be doing to take things forward.

The way to get around this and eliminate it is to have clear business objectives and focus on these three particular principles of online success.

1: Focus on what customers WANT

Too often we focus our business on what we believe our customers need. This is a fundamental mistake!

It seems counter-intuitive but people are much more interested in things that they want rather than things that they need. You could of course jump on your high horse and say something like "I only promote things that people genuinely need". This is very admirable but you can still achieve you goal of selling things people need by positioning it in such a way that they will want and desire it.

For example, many people NEED to lose weight but they don't really want to eat salad and drink water for weeks or months. If you can show them how you can help them lose weight by eating foods which they will like and enjoy then you are providing what they need by focusing on what they WANT.

Next time you write a blog post or choose a product to promote just ask yourself, "Would I be genuinely excited to read this post or buy this product myself?"

If the answer is NO, then look to see how you can modify your message to focus on what the customer wants and desires.

2: Focus on value and income

The key principle of creating a successful online business is summed up by Zig Ziglar's famous quote:

You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want

Everything you create in your business should add value to your potential customer. By doing this and focusing on how you can help your customer you will gain trust and then you will be able to sell.

If you try to sell to people before you have earned their trust then you will find that your promotions will be a flop. Be sure to take the time to add value and then you will find that the income follows on.

3: Keep it Simple!

Avoid the temptation to over complicate things. When writing your blog post be sure to focus on setting out all the important points that you want to share with your reader. Don't stuff it with filler content to hit some arbitrary words target. Write solely for the benefit of the reader.

Don't embellish the positives of a product you are promoting. Give an honest and truthful review of the product and focus on the benefits for the customer.

The excitement about the product seeps away when you start thinking of extra things to "jazz it up a bit" as you will know that you might be stretching the truth. At the same time you should avoid thinking about reasons why it might not work. A simple, open and honest review will get people trusting you and buying from you again!

Clear Business Objectives

Your business objective should be to earn an income by providing value to people. Helping others to achieve their goals is the route to achieving your own goals.

Focus on what people want and then provide them with something that also meets their needs.

Have a great week!

Dave