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Let Your Light Shine

Written by: Rodger Blaker

Article Overview: In the Bible there is a story that warns us not to hide our light under a basket, and it applies in business as much as anywhere else. Turn the lights on! Let the world know who you are, what you can do for them, and how to contact you. In business, that is an every-single-day activity.

Let Your Light Shine

I recently read about a woman with a small business selling accessories for Mattel's "Barbie" doll and "Hot Wheels" toy cars. She collects and re-sells clothes and little tiny shoes, umbrellas and purses for Barbie, along with components for the little Hot Wheels cars. She has revenue of over a million dollars and earns a nice 6-figure income from her home.

How does she do that? Simple! She's found a niche and she lets people know she can help them complete their collections and fulfill their hobby.

In general, I'm not a fan of "advertising" in the traditional sense. Sure, for some businesses it works, but for professionals and most online businesses, I prefer to think in terms of "marketing." It's cheaper and more effective.

The fact is that almost no one needs the goods or services you provide. As a coach, I understand that less than 1% of the population are ever going to hire me. Most people don't know what a coach is, or they've never heard of me. They can't afford coaching, or don't think they need a coach. The reasons for not hiring a coach are endless!

The two keys are letting that tiny sliver of people who DO need me know that I exist, and making it easy for them to hire me. It's imperative to help them appreciate the "investment" in coaching, rather than the "cost." If they understand the value I provide, and they know they can safely "try before they buy" and if it's easy to do business with me, plenty of customers will--and do--show up. The same is true for your business.

How do you reach out to your community? How do you let your customers know you exist, that you can serve their needs, that they can trust you? How do you make it easy for them to contact you?

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Article Tags: barbie doll, clothes, coach, collections, hot wheels cars, marketing, mattel, million dollars, niche, population, purses, small business, tiny shoes, tiny sliver, toy cars, traditional sense, umbrellas



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