“Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.” – Zig Ziglar
I’m curious. What drove you to start your own small business? A passion for the product or service you provide? A desire to be your own boss? A chance to dust off some ambition? A drive to stick it to “the man?”
Did you become a small business owner because you enjoy marketing? Probably not. But, if you’re going to continue to grow your business you have to realize this important fact: You are a marketer, not a service or product provider.
Let me quickly show you the difference between a marketer and a service/product provider.
A Service/Product “Provider”:
- Has products or services
- Talked to prospects
- Has customers
- Owns a business
- Hopes they’ll stay in business
A Marketer:
- Sells products/services
- Continually talks to a list of prospects
- Builds relationships with customers
- Grows their business
- Is building their business future
So how do you become a marketer? Well, here are a few questions we both should be thinking about…
- Do we know the difference between advertising and marketing?
- Are we building our prospect and customer lists?
- Do our businesses have a marketing “system” in place?
What I’m learning: smart marketing can make the difference between doing “alright”, and skyrocketing your business.
Yes, I’m a tax professional — but you must understand, I’m a business owner too, and these are hard-won lessons.
I want your business (and mine) to grow, and grow FAST.