Entrepreneurial Traits that Drive Sales

Frequently overlooked and hidden deep within our marketing tool box is the ultimate marketing vehicle for your business ? you! Many small business owners are so busy figuring out how to increase sales and revenue they forget to grow themselves as business owners. If you aren't evolving yourself, aren't you being counterproductive to your business development? Marketing our businesses isn't just about what ads to buy or what networking event to go to next; it's about us as people, as entrepreneurs. The following marketing traits are often overlooked by entrepreneurs but are pivotal to your long-term success. What's more, they cost very little yet earn a savvy entrepreneur a lot. Show Your Personality -- Customers want to know who you are. That's great that you offer the fastest tax services in town, or your gift baskets can be custom-made and delivered anywhere in 24 hours. But who are you? Your customers and prospects want to know. Especially if you're facilitating business on the Internet, building trust is key to making a prospect feel comfortable buying from you. One of the most effective ways to build trust is to express your personality.

How can you express personality? Even conservative introverts can develop indirect methods of exhibiting their personalities. Here are some examples -- If you own a store, at the entrance, try displaying a professional portrait of you and your family and your personal story describing how your business began. If you're an attorney, try displaying a small 8.5" X 11" picture frame on your desk that describes your background, your personal interests and hobbies. If this is too personal for you, try displaying a few photos on your office wall, including the photo of you rowing in college or the one that depicts your fabulous smile playing soccer with your six-year-old. If you're not the smiling-type, a human interest photo showing you in a common setting will help put your prospect at ease. Ultimately this person will see the photo of you and your son above your shoulder and think, "He's a dad too. He knows what I'm going through." When you allow your customers and prospects a "peek" at who you really are, they'll begin to feel more comfortable and able to express their needs, an incredible competitive edge. You'll see a notable increase in sales as customers identify more with you.

Use Your Fear -- One of my greatest fears is having to return to the workforce. I've been self-employed for almost three years. However, I didn't just one day decide to start a business. Although I'd always dreamed of working for myself, the dread of failure held me back. It wasn't until the company I worked for was purchased by another and I was laid off that I decided to launch my business. I use this same fear to push me to succeed. As you know, fear can freeze an entrepreneur right in her tracks. I've seen it time and time again. Fear can consume us, keep us from making any marketing decisions at all. Rather than wrestle with your fear, acknowledge it, let it push you to where you need to go. Use it to make marketing decisions, rather than no decisions at all. It's better to have several failed marketing programs then none at all.

Smile and Applaud -- Whether you have employees or you're a one-person show, it doesn't matter. You must smile at and applaud the people within your network including employees, associates, vendors, friends and family. When you say "thank you," "please," "nice job," "I love the design you did for me," "I really appreciate your waiting for that report," "thanks for delivering it," "It was nice meeting you," "I enjoyed your presentation," you leave a positive lasting impression on people. As a small business owner, you can't afford to miss out on what I call, "moments of positive impressions." These moments accumulate over time. Before you know it, you've created a positive reputation for yourself. Smiling and applauding are fairly easy traits to acquire and can be the competitive edge you need to separate you from the stuffy entrepreneur down the street.

Keep Away from Certain People -- Nothing will stop you dead in your tracks faster than someone who's "questioning" your entrepreneurial instincts. I'm not saying ignore these people altogether, because they may have a good point; however, don't stop doing what you're doing just because people don't completely support your ideas. Many of these naysayers are employed by someone else. How could they understand or support your ideas? They're on a completely different life track than you. They can't possibly understand what it's like to have to be responsible for making your own money. Surround yourself with other successful-minded people who have to make their own money.

Stay Focused -- You must stop flip flopping with your marketing ideas. Pick 10 of them, and repeat them continuously for more than a year. Pick a direction and stick with it!

About The Author

Sharron Senter is a New England-based marketing consultant, speaker, writer and founder of Senter & Associates, a marketing communications firm that helps small businesses deploy low-cost marketing strategies. Sharron is best known for her free weekly emailed marketing tips, found at http://www.sharronsenter.com.

marketing@sharronsenter.com

---

Why eBay Is A Smart Choice For Entrepreneurs

Attention entrepreneurs: If you think the search for the ultimate... Read More

Youth Entrepreneurship, A Disappointing Truth

The psychology of entrepreneurship can be very rewarding to one... Read More

The Entrepreneurs Prayer

As I awaken with the gift of yet another day... Read More

The 7 Major Reasons Businesses Fail and How to Overcome Them

This year, over 800,000 of the approximately 2,000,000 start up... Read More

The Dirty Dozen

1) No Umbrella Business Plan or Strategy -- Without a... Read More

Does It Really Take Money To Make Money (Online or Offline)? A Reality-Check of 2 Case Studies

The short and simple answer to this question is NO!Now,... Read More

Franchises - Success and You

Many people believe owning a franchise will make them rich,... Read More

Salon Marketing Using Wireless Broadband Internet Access

Our client in Chicago did, located right outside downtown too...a... Read More

Why I Should Go In To Business

Rohit Kochgaway was very upset with his boss for his... Read More

Reducing the Stress of Being an Entrepreneur

Starting and running your own business can be exciting and... Read More

Strategies for Overcoming Obstacles to Discovering Your Gifts

What are the unique gifts that differentiate you from other... Read More

Dream It, Create It, Become It! Design a Dream Board

Have you ever heard of "Dream Boards" or "Treasure Maps"?... Read More

New Rules

Last week I was working with one of my small... Read More

Designing a Comprehensive Franchise Company Computer System

One of the most important management tools a franchised company... Read More

The Reluctant Entrepreneur

It seems odd to think of a person opening a... Read More

Starting a Company on a Shoe-String Budget

A lot of people never start businesses because they believe... Read More

Six Degrees of Separation

Through just five or six intermediaries, you could be linked... Read More

Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur?

Q: I am interested in starting my own business. I... Read More

Taking Charge and Getting Results: The Choice is Yours

As one of the most successful direct sales entrepreneurs in... Read More

How Entrepreneurs Make Money Selling Global Brands On and Off-line

Did you know that thousands of companies from all over... Read More

My Nemisis

Living in the twilight zone has its advantages. In the... Read More

Which Niche To Conquer?

I'm sure that you've heard about how many start up... Read More

Drive Website Traffic Unconventionally, Force Your Children To Do It

If you believe that every little bit helps then keep... Read More

Motivation and Commitment

Why do people start small businesses? The most frequently cited... Read More

Innovation incubator: Build it and keep it running

If your company is like the one I work for,... Read More

Needs Versus Wants For Entrepreneurs

How often do the words "I need" come out of... Read More

Secrets of My Favorite Government Auction

I love bargains. And there's no better place to find... Read More

Franchises - Emotional Fulfillment - Control Your Destiny

Does A Franchise Meet Your Needs?When you think of becoming... Read More

Getting Rich Isnt a Bad Idea

You've seen plenty of articles claiming to offer you the... Read More

History of Enterprise Car Rentals

So few really understand the drives and motivations of entrepreneurs.... Read More

What Part of Handwriting on the Wall Dont You Understand - They Dont Hire People Over 50

In a recent talk to the Detroit Economic Club, President... Read More

Lessons Learned from Successful Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are a special breed of high achievers. They create... Read More

Youve Found Your Guru, Now What?

In my last article, "Follow That Guru", I told you... Read More