3 Ways That Solo Entrepreneurs and Home-Based Business Owners Can Turn Their Fear Factor into Fun Factor

As Solo Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners, Direct Sellers we are often affected and impacted by many negative forces outside of our control and these can cause F.E.A.R! According to the Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, fear is defined as dread, terror, trepidation; emotions that react to stimulus, external or internal. The definition I'd like to focus on is False Evidence Appearing Real.

I believe that because we are natural nurturers, women more than men are anxious to see that everything follows a specific path; the slightest deviation from that path causes us intense anxiety and result in fear lurking its ugly head. In our minds we see gloom and doom when the reality is that it may just be a temporary setback. Could injecting more humor into our businesses dilute the fear factor? Could we use humor to turn fear factor into fun factor?

1) "I'm having a hard time finding customers" - Are you prejudging people you meet? You never know who your next customer or team member may be. The rules of Marketing, even for offline businesses have changed, so make it your goal to stay informed and use methods to attract the type of people you want. Be happy and positive! There's enough negativity to go around and people want to be around positive people.

2) "I don't know anyone" - Start making a list of the people you already know and pull out all those business cards you've been collecting for the past several months. Give the people you're already acquainted with a call and see if they would like to try one of your new products or line of service they've not tried. I would suggest that you work on building a relationship with those persons you've never spoken with before you offer them your product or service. When you make your phone calls, have a smile in your voice, be upbeat without sounding fake and keep it short. Convey urgency! When you sound positive and upbeat, it arouses curiosity.

3) "I'm tired of calling my same list of customers" - Then don't call! Send them an ezine/newsletter with short interesting articles. Too challenging right now? Send a postcard to say you're thinking of them with one or two quick tips based on your niche. Your customers will know you're thinking of them and because you stay in touch with them, you'll be the person they call when they need something in your product or service line.

There are many other ways to turn your for fear factor into fun factor but you get the idea. Don't let false evidence rob you of your joy in running your own business; instead, work on the things you can control and put some fun into your business.

Please share some ideas of what you do when for any number of reasons fear starts to creep into your thoughts and how you keep the "fun" in your business.

Are You Making the Mistake of Handing Out Your Business Cards too Freely at Networking Events?

Networking events are great meeting places and as the name implies, they provide a venue to work within a group - usually of professionals. Like any other successful method of marketing, there is an art to networking that involves many areas, but we'll focus on just one for now. What is you goal when you attend networking events? Is it to quickly tell everyone who you are, what you do, hand out as many cards as possible, then leave?

If your goal is to get your card into the hands of as many people as possible without taking the time to find out who they are, what they do and how you can help them, then your purpose for attending would have failed. It's important to remember that networking is about building relationships and to achieve this it is important to be others focused. Get to know people by asking questions about them. Ask simple conversation starters like: What do you do? You can follow with questions like, How long have you been in business or working this particular business? Who is your target market? How can I help YOU?

Someone may say that if all they're to be concerned about is the other person, what's the point in attending these events? The point is that when you show that you care about others, they begin to build a measure of trust in you. People are so accustomed to being pitched to so that when you display the opposite behavior they lose some of the defense wall surrounding them and will more readily want to learn more about you and find out how they in turn can help you.

Go with a mindset to GIVE, and you'll be pleasantly surprised how much you GET.

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Please feel free to comment on my blog, and I would love to know what topics that affect Relationship Marketing you would like to be discussed.

4 Reasons Why Businesses Fail to Follow-Up

Most business owners recognize the need to cultivate and maintain good relationships with their customers. At the same time, many overlook the need to follow-up after the sale or service. Here are four of the many reasons why they may be hurting themselves and being like the ostrich that sometimes waits for the danger to come to it.

1) AFRAID OF APPEARING "PUSHY": Persons involved in Direct Sales often seem to be overly-concerned about this. Keep in mind that there is a difference between being pushy and being proactive. I feel very appreciated when someone from whom I purchased an item calls to see how I liked the item, or sends me a Thank You card. Wouldn't you? And, if during the follow-up call she mentions that one of the ways she grows her business is by referrals, that in no way offends me because I would want to refer my friends or family to someone who cares enough to follow-up.

2) WORKLOAD - Admittedly small business owners and entrepreneurs often carrying a weighty load of responsibility and have to multi-task as the CEO, the Sales Person, the Marketing Department, etc. However, customers are why they got into business and why they stay in business. It may be necessary to analyze if productivity would be enhanced by hiring someone to assist with less essential tasks so that the focus can be on where it's required most.

3) FEAR - There is an old saying that What You Don't Know Can't Hurt You. In business it's the opposite! What you Don't Know WILL Hurt You - your relationship with your customers and your bottomline. Are you afraid to call your customers after a sale or service because you may get a negative response? Would it not be better to know what their concerns are right away so that these can be addressed? And if customers are happy, would this connection not be the perfect opportunity to ask for a testimonial or referral?

4) NO DATABASE: Each of us has to determine how serious we are about growing our business. Having a comprehensive updated database is not an option, it is a requirement. I'm trying to think of any type of business that could function effectively without a database and none comes to mind. Some business owners may argue that the nature of their business does not require their customers' names and addresses. What if you placed "Comment Cards" on the counter and asked customers to complete in detail the first time they fill it out and add an offer to make it worth their time?

And now, please visit my website at : http://www.sendoutcards.com/62219 to create a Free Gift Account and send two cards to try our relationship-building web-based tool. You will create the cards online but actual greeting cards will be stuffed, stamped and sent through the US Mail.