Startup tips: Don’t forget you need customers
October 21, 2008 by ShannonCherry
Filed under Business
Starting a business is exciting. There’s a ton to do – and a lot of it is truly enjoyable.
For me, I loved the creative and planning side: designing logos, creating the marketing systems, etc.
But while you’re in the thick of it, you might have forgotten one key element. (And many people, do by the way!) That element is getting customers.
This doesn’t mean creating cool websites or brochures, but actually picking up the phone or visiting potential customers and referrals.
Starting out – or even when times are tough for the established business, you should spend at least 50% of your time actively pursuing customers.
Creating plans and pretty stuff doesn’t help the bottom line. You need to stop spending long hours on tasks that don’t really bring in the business.
Here are a few tips to get you started getting customers:
- Identify who your target market is.
- Develop an irresistible offer.
- Use cross promotions to help reach those you don’t know.
- Don’t forget to ask for the business.
Indeed! Sales are the key and too many entrepreneurs are too impressed with their technology or idea that they forget that it only matters if people want to PAY for their product – and to find the right team to be able to know how to make that happen.
I’m trying to share my experiences helping start-ups focus on sales by blogging at QuotaCrush.
Absolutely — there’s nothing that can prove a product like actual sales. The feedback from paying customers is invaluable to a startup and will help take the great idea and give it a chance for survival in the real marketplace.