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The Ups and Downs of Business: 3 Common Mistakes to Avoid

Managing a successful business requires finesse, skill, proper timing and a bit of luck, much like mastering a yo-yo trick. Today is National Yo-Yo Day, a day to honor one of the most exciting and frustrating toys of our childhood. Just like yo-yoers trying to execute a perfect Cat’s Cradle, those of you running your own business may be familiar with feeling tangled up in a string of challenges.

As we’ve grown over the last 25 years into a full-service marketing and public relations firm, we have had plenty of experience with the ups and downs of business. There are three common mistakes made in business that we encourage you to watch out for:

1)   You’re so busy servicing the client that you forget to market yourself.

When business is good it is easy to be so busy servicing your clients that you forget to do your own marketing that generates new business. Generally speaking for small to mid-size businesses, your phones will stop ringing between three and six months after you stop marketing yourself to customers. In order to keep business going, it is essential that you always devote a portion of your time to marketing your services to potential clients.

2)   You forget to think like your customer.

Just because your team likes an idea does not mean that your customer will. Understanding your client is especially important when you are marketing yourself. By understanding your customer before they hire you, you know where to advertise. Just because one marketing channel is right for one client doesn’t mean that it’s right for every other one. Once you earn someone’s business, being able to understand them will help you better serve their needs.

3)   Your staff is speaking so many different key messages you have no consistency.

Too many varying messages can confuse customers. Make sure that your staff promotes the same key messages so clients understand exactly what your company’s goal is. Word to the Wise: No more than three key messages will be remembered, so keep it short and sweet.

The key to any special trick is developing the skillset you need to perfect it. Take note of these mistakes and try to avoid them in your company. It will keep you from feeling tangled up in a string of stress and will help you successfully manage your business.

What are other common mistakes that you see business owners making?

 

Photo Credit: Enrique Calabuig

Published on: June 6, 2013

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