Finding Your Place In The Market Helps Customers Find You!

If one of your goals for the new year is to increase your customer or client base... and now I should finish this sentence with something profound and insightful. But all that keeps coming to mind is "Welcome to the club!" OK, now that I've gotten that obvious statement out of the way, I'll try to be more serious. So if you want more customers, one thing that will help you tremendously is for you to analyze your business as objectively as possible and identify its niche in the market or industry you're in. See? Simple! Do that and customers will be lining up this year!

Alright, I admit there may be a little more to it than that. But doing some analysis is a good starting point, especially if you haven't done it in a while. Begin by answering some basic questions: What are my core skills? Where do I want my business to be in the future? Who wants my product or service? What are those customers looking for? How can I meet their needs in a unique way? What sets my company or services apart from my competitors?

What's Your Niche? One Size Does Not Fit All!

OK, no more questions! Some of those "basic" questions may be difficult to answer, some easy. But either way, answering them can give you a good handle on where your company fits in relation to your customers and your competition. The last two questions are particularly important! You need to be able to identify what differentiates you, what makes you special. If you can't do that, then how on earth can you expect your customers to do it?! Once you truly find your niche, you can focus on what your customers are looking for and meeting their needs in a way that sets you apart. If this process leads you to the unfortunate realization that you don't have a niche (YIKES!), then you need to get on that! Pronto! That means your job for this year is to create a niche for yourself and focus on setting your business apart.

Not too long ago, I said that owning a business means the work absolutely never ends! Ain't that the truth? I bet your to-do list is a mile long! Make sure that the items at the top of your list are the things that relate to being more profitable. Everyone is so proud of being so "busy"...But Are You Making Any Money? Don't be too busy to focus! Do the right kind of hard work and your business will benefit!

Be Oh So Quotable This Week!

This week, we've got a roundup of quotes from some of my favorite authors to help you embrace all the hard work you do. As I often am, I was online looking for inspirational business quotes when I stumbled upon (ha!) OneMinuteList.com via StumbleUpon.com. What I love so much about this site, also aptly named, is that it really takes one minute to read their posts... and you'll learn some great information for business strategy or cocktail conversation! Over the past few weeks I've been sharing quotes from their post, 18 Most Powerful Quotes, to hopefully inspire you to keep going in your business. Also, check out 57 Fascinating Business Facts That Will Blow Your Mind from BuzzFeed News and fantastic tips from #TheHiveLA host Sean Low!

Check out the summary of last week's business tips and motivational quotes from my Instagram page which you hopefully got to see in real time! If not, let's make sure we're following each other on Instagram!! So...here is this week's roundup of Instagram images of My Top Business Tips and Motivational Quotes.

Find Your Niche – Tip #1:

Love this? Pin it to your Business Tips Board.

"Own your niche, one size definitely does NOT fit all."

Find Your Niche – Tip #2:

Love this? Pin it to your Motivation Board.

"McDonald's first menu items were hot dogs, not hamburgers."

Find Your Niche – Tip #3:

Love this? Pin it to your Quotes Board.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." – Nelson Mandela

Find Your Niche – Tip #4:

Love this? Pin it to your Business Tips Board.

"Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts." – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Find Your Niche – Tip #5:

Love this? Pin it to your Quotes Board.

"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." – Oscar Wilde

Do you know your niche? I want YOUR stories on how knowing this improved your business!

I'm sure you have some stories to tell about how knowing your particular niche made your business better. Which tips above did you find helpful? I would LOVE to hear from you!

Anyhoo...I publish these business tips and motivational quotes to get you fired up for your work week! And, if you want more business tips, get my book, But Are You Making Any Money? or contact me to really take your business to the next level!

xoxo M

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