April 27, 2006

Vol. II, Issue 08

A Note from the Editor

Hello to All,

Welcome to this issue of The ART of Business newsletter, and a big welcome to all the new subscribers. I'm happy to introduce you to this month's Featured Artist, Paulette Ensign of Tips Products International. Paulette's story will inspire anyone who has ever wondered how to go about building brand identity. You can check out her profile here: Featured Artist.

I've also added two new original articles to our website that you'll definitely want to read: Adventures in Joint Venturing and Blogging for Business. Each article contains unique business development and marketing strategies that I'm sure you'll find helpful in growing your own business.

And last but not least, we've been getting a lot of great feedback from our fre*e Infopreneuring 101 e-Course, and I'll be posting some of your comments to our website in the next couple of weeks. People are reporting that the course has inspired them to get started with their own infopreneuring plans because they've learned exactly how to zero in on what they need to do to begin.

If you haven't taken the course yet and you want to learn more about the business of infopreneuring, you can sign up here: Infopreneuring 101. And if you've already taken the free course and are ready to gain the in-depth knowledge of how to run and succeed with your own infopreneuring business, you can still sign up for the May session of our Infopreneuring Intensive workshop here: Infopreneuring Intensive.

Now, on with the business of business. I hope you enjoy this week's feature article, "Know Thy Customer," which emphasizes the importance of knowing exactly who your customers are so you can tailor your efforts specifically for them.

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Know Thy Customer

One show I do enjoy is The Apprentice. As a former New Yorker, I think it's funny to see Donald Trump on TV, all pompous and arrogant, trying to find the perfect job applicant to help him run one of his many companies. Whether you like him or not, there's no arguing with the fact that this man knows what it takes to succeed in business.

In one recent episode of the show, his two teams of candidates were assigned the task of renovating and furnishing the playroom of a recreation center for underprivileged children. Each team's design would be judged by the company sponsor funding the centers.

One team did extremely well because they targeted their efforts at creating a room that pleased the judges. The other team lost because, although the children loved their room, the design didn't hit the mark with the judges. According to "The Donald," the losing team failed because they didn't connect with their target customer--which was the sponsoring company, not the children.

At first I didn't agree with Mr. Trump's decision, but in the end, I had to admit that he was correct. The end user in this case--the children--were not the customer. The target market was the people who had contracted for the work to be done.

This is an important point to keep in mind when you're promoting your products or services.

For many businesses, the general public is the target market, but in some cases, the customer might be a company, not the end users or clients who buy from that company. For example, if you're a freelance commercial writer, your customers will generally be businesses who hire you to write their advertising or white papers. Your job is to please them, not win literary awards, which might mean writing copy that doesn't necessarily thrill you, but makes the customer happy.

Sometimes the customer will ask you to produce something in a particular way, which you might not agree with, but it's the smart businessperson who delivers what the customer asks for. After all, they are the customer, and you're in business to serve them.

Obviously this doesn't mean violating your own ethics; you can always turn down their offer of work if it conflicts with your own morals or personal standards. The key is to sit down with your clients before you begin a project and find out precisely what their desires and requirements are. You can:

• Ask questions and listen carefully to find out what's important to them.
• Take notes highlighting the points they make.
• Repeat to them, in your own words, your understanding of the project parameters.
• Make suggestions about how you think the task will best be managed.
• Encourage their feedback on your ideas to make sure you're on the same page.

Whenever possible, take the time to assess exactly what your customers want and need so you can gauge your ability and willingness to fulfill their orders, according to their specifications. Happy customers are repeat customers, and connecting with them is what business success is all about.

Until next time, here's wishing you much success in your endeavors,

Angel Brown

www.womens-business-gallery.com

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and co-workers. You can subscribe to this newsletter by visiting: www.womens-business-gallery.com/newsletter.html

Copyright 2006 by Angel Brown. All rights reserved.

Published by the Womens Business Gallery, Woodland Park, Colorado