Being is business is not for everyone. It’s quite possible to get shaken and stirred while climbing your way to the top.

When it comes to marketing your business, having a plan of action is everything………emphasis on ‘action’.

Why?

Because too many of us get ‘stuck in strategy’ and while we’re busy planning, someone else is doing, learning, growing and making that money. Don’t get me wrong, planning is crucial but being in motion is that much more important to the life of your business.

If you’ve been rocking the business world for some time now, you should know the basics of setting goals in your business……….you know……they must be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Bound.

A simple Google search will give you everything you need to know about that, but what if I gave you five other SMART rules to follow in your business? Something that you can’t just Google but is equally important to being SMART in business. Wouldn’t you just love that?

Now I cannot take all the credit for what I’m about to share. It was shared with me by my mentor……(God bless that woman), but I feel the need to share it with you, cause that’s what friendly neighborhood marketers do

 

So here’s my/(my mentor’s) version to being a S.M.A.R.T entrepreneur:

 

S – Simple & Serviced Based

The best way to connect with your customers is to keep it simple. The acronym KISS comes to mind: Keep It Super Simple (or Keep It Simple Stupid…..whatever suits your fancy). But the saying rings true. Stop overcomplicating your messages as people just need to know that you have what they need. Stop over complicating your messages with fancy words and technical jargon that only you alone may be familiar with. It does nothing except confuse your would be customers. Remember, your mission in business is to help people. The sale will come once people understand that you, and only you, can help them with the issues they are struggling with. So go ahead, drop those nuggets of information, establish yourself as creditable and a master in your field and show people that you are here to help them. The money will find its way to you.

 

M – Mindset & Marketing

You need to get your mind right if you you’re going to be in business. People will come at you in different ways with all different things. I swear, some days you just want to stay under the covers and cry! But you have to push through. You must to do things even if you don’t feel like it. It’s the nature of the game. There may be things that would make you super uncomfortable, particularly for the introverts out there, but it will be all worth it in the end. I’ve seen so many fantastic and talented individuals with great potential fall victim to the voices in their heads….the ones that say “you’re wasting your time” or “you know you’re not good enough”. Those liars that mess with your head, but I am here to say that you need to silence those demons and stay positive even in spite of what may be happening in front of you. Say your affirmations daily, call a friend who is on the same journey as you, seek advice from a mentor but do not let those liars win. Constantly putting yourself out there and showing people who you are and what you do can be scary but it’s necessary because the world needs you. No playing in the safe zone, push yourself to the limits and market yourself by showing people that you mean business.

 

A – Action & Asking

As I mentioned before, you need to get into action at some point, but before you go all crazy……..simply start by asking a question so you can be sure you are giving the people what THEY want. Many of us think we know or try to sell people what we think they should have but the best way to make money is to do some market research. Get feedback from persons who are within your target audience as they are more likely to purchase when you are ready to launch. Think of it this way, if you want to launch an alcoholic beverage, you won’t need information from non drinkers would you?  I would also steer clear from asking family because they are certainly not your ideal customers and may not fully understand the journey you are on. You may get an outright and aggressive ‘NO’ or a very passive ‘YES’, neither of which will help you. As my mentor says: You don’t need people to pet you, you need people to PAY you!

Don’t make the process too complicated either – remember Keep It Super Simple. Pick up the phone and call someone, send out a questionnaire via Survey Monkey via email or your social media network, just collect as much data as possible. You can never have too much information.

Once you’ve gotten what you need, now you gotta sell it baby!!

Remember what I said about dropping those nuggets? Well add a call to action. Ask people to call you, whatsapp you, email you, check your website, sign up for more whatever you want them to do to get in touch with you. Make it easy for them to reach you, I mean after you’ve gotten them all fired up, let them contact you so you can close the deal.

 

R – Resourceful & Resilient

We live in the age of technology. Anything we want is quite literally at our fingertips so it really upsets me when business owners throw up their hands in defeat because they can’t figure something out. You have to be resourceful.  If you don’t know something, ask someone who knows or Google it. Find a mentor or coach and get going – you have absolutely no reason to become overwhelmed. Information is all around you.
You also have to be resilient in business. Bad things are going to happen to you from time to time. You will have days you do not feel like going on and you will fail a few times well…….let me let that sink in a bit.

When things go wrong that’s when you need to be tough and shake it off. Keep moving forward. You are in it to win it and many people will hate you for it. They will unearth every fear you have buried deep inside to rock you to your core but you have to let it roll off your back. You are different. You are an ordinary human being doing superhuman things (another quote from my mentor). Keep your eyes on the prize and don’t give up.

 

T – Tenacious & Tireless

You have to keep going: consistency and persistency is the name of the game. You have to show up and show people you can be counted on – your reputation is at stake. Keep moving forward, whatever it takes. If you do feel tired all the time then maybe you need to redirect your priorities and focus your energy. Maybe you just need to eat better, take some vitamins, meditate or hit the gym – whatever it takes to keep you at your peak.

 

So there you have it. Think you’re ready to become a SMART entrepreneur?  I know you are – so let’s do this together!!

Book your FREE 30min consultation by heading over to my website www.carlimedia.com or sending me an email at carla@carlimedia.com.  You are also invited to join my FREE Facebook Group: The New SMS: Strategic Marketing Specialists to get all the tips you need to stand out from the crowd and effectively promote yourself. Join now: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thenewsms/.

It’s what all the SMART entrepreneurs are doing these days.

Talk to you soon.