Good Business Advice

Thanks to Homer Dearmin, Town Manager of Walnut cove for sharing this information. It sounds like common sense but I am always surprised at the number of businesses that fail to do the simple things.


A Business Dies Every 2 Hours
It breaks my heart to go shopping sometimes. There's the "Going out of business sale!", the pride saving "Lost our
lease sale!", and the cardboard headstone "Space For Rent". They are all a result of the same problem . . . not
enough customers.
It's nice when you can open a business and attract new customers the next day. It's great when a web site
guarantees your profitability. But none of those things happen without good planning. Without a good plan, and
the proper execution, businesses die very quickly.
3-RULES TO ATTRACT NEW CUSTOMERS
1. Let people know you exist - Advertise and market yourself -- don't forget social media. If people don't know
where you are and what you do, they can't buy from you. Advertising and marketing greatly increases your
chances of success.
2. Don't scare the customer - Make the customer feel comfortable with your product, service or services.
Provide an environment that they will feel safe in. Make them feel good about spending their money.
I walk by stores all the time that are open, but look very dark inside. That doesn't make me feel like going inside.
You can't attract new customers if they are not comfortable with you.
3. Look the part - Businessmen wear suits. Policemen carry guns. You are reading this article because we look
the part. We effectively display our ability to attract new customers. You can do the same when you look the part.
If you were going to buy tools, you would expect a guy with a tool belt and a smock to help you out right? After all,
he looks like he knows what he's talking about. What if you went to go buy a power saw and a lady in a clown suit
asked if she could help you? Exactly. Look the part and you can attract new customers without any problems.
You be surprised at how many people break these simple rules. I go exploring around my city and I find little out
of the way businesses that I would have never known about before. They are good businesses with absolutely no
exposure. So when I go back a few months later to see them again, they are out of business. It's very sad. They
don't go out of business because they are bad at business, it's just that no one knew where they were so they
never made enough money to stay open. You can't attract new customers when they don't know you exist.
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"Our work is the presentation of our capabilities."
Edward Gibbon
English historian and Member of Parliament
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Barbara Wold
International Speaker, Author and Business Strategist
Global Retail & Consumer Expert
Keynote Presentations -- Seminars & Workshops -- Retreats
Manager Meetings & Corporate Conferences
Downtown Revitalization & Merchant Retention
P.O. Box 5755, Balboa Island, California 92662 USA
949.675.8845 fax 949.675.7732
bwold@ix.netcom.com
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Barbara Wold is a street-smart, down-to-earth business speaker, presenting topics from sales and marketing to
customer service and tourism. She is an international speaker who has "WOWED" over 450,000 people from all 50 of
the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Canada, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines,
Japan, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, India and the United Ar