If you’re looking to grow any kind of business venture, online or otherwise, the biggest thing I’ve found is the role of SERVICE in what you’re doing.
Service is NOT an arbitrary word used to describe whether you respond to customer support emails; it is at the CORE of what determines whether or not a business venture will be successful.
Putting this into perspective, if you consider what a “business” actually “does”, we have witnessed a sea change from a “production” to a “service” based model in the last 15 years.
Driven by Internet connectivity and advances in engineering techniques, the way to “be productive” in the modern world (particularly in the West) is to provide new products and tools. How they are made should be of secondary concern (very little benefit).
The key, unlike historical production, is that it is no longer so important to have “production capacity”… almost everyone has access to that.
What people do not have is a MARKET in which to offer their products. This market (depending on the type of business you end up growing) will determine the PRICE of the product and if it is something they will consider using.
The point is that if you are looking to “get into” the business, the most important thing you MUST consider is what type of SERVICE you will be able to provide as a professional. This service, applied using your own or someone else’s products/tools, is the real secret behind why some companies “always” seem to grow, while most struggle.
This tutorial aims to explain how it works and what to do if you are looking to get involved in the business world.
Service makes the world go round (literally)
Most people get into “business” because they have an idea they want to pursue.
Perhaps they wanted to create their own clothing line, have some kind of “lifestyle” business (winery/farm, etc.), or get involved in a particular field (cosmetics/modeling) – the hallmark of “failed” businesses. ” usually starts with someone’s melancholy wish. to “be self-employed”.
This is a lie. People don’t care that you started a “business” and all the stories you read about a 12-year-old CEO who is at his fifth company are only there because the publication wanted something new to keep their readers coming back.
The simple reality is that MOST people only move out of necessity. The “necessary” that they consider a product to be for their life is how much value they will attribute to it (and therefore a price).
The way to ensure YOUR products get bought is to create a need for their use. Don’t even think of “selling” it – [most] People are not stupid; they will attach a price to any product they deem essential to their life. No one discussed the cost of life-saving heart surgery…and the same principle holds true in every other business. People pay you in direct proportion to how much you really “care” about what you’re doing.
The most important thing is to realize that “service” is at the CORE of what gets people interested in a company.
It’s not your “products” or even your “staff”, it’s what they DO on a daily basis that drives RESULTS. This “activity” is what the market recognizes and ultimately attracts you to.
Think about it.
- Apple does not “manufacture” its products. They design them and create all the components, etc. Your service is design.
- You’re there make “manufacture” their products because no one else can do it as well as they can.
- Amazon are Really a digital logistics company – no one it is capable of storing and sending as many packets as they do.
If you want to get into the “business”, come up with a RESULT that you can provide to a market.
- 10,000+ Twitter followers in the first 60 days
- 150+ YouTube subscribers in the next 90 days
- conversational italian in 14 days GUARANTEED
- Ferrari + Lamborghini brand lessons
- CUSTOM SHIRTS CUSTOM SUITS PAY YOU
If you’re looking to “start” a business, the BEST thing to do is look at what people are ALREADY looking to buy (just browse the “best sellers” section of any marketplace).
This gives you a direct indication of *exactly* what they have a budget for (what they are willing to PAY). This allows you to deliver this RESULT as a service (meaning your way), giving you the ability to start attracting customers by virtue of how effective you are at delivering those results.
The BIGGEST problem I’ve seen is leading with a product, or even a “solution”. I hear it all the time: “What problem does your business solve?”… Hardly anyone who buys a product thinks they have a “problem”. Rather, they are looking for a particular SERVICE that can be provided to improve their life in some specific way. Or, as Gary Halbert put it, “Your marketing should make your pupils dilate.”
Think of it this way: who would you rather do business with: “The LARGEST social media agency in the world” or “The ONLY agency that GUARANTEES 10,000+ FOLLOWERS in the NEXT 30 DAYS or your money back.” While the former works for established businesses, the latter works for ANY business, especially new ones.
Do you realize that you’re not really selling anything about the “process” of how you achieve results? This comes later; you need to stipulate EXACTLY what the buyer will get for their time/money, which in the case of “social media” is followers. For SEO, it’s number 1 in Google rankings and for “programming”, it’s creating a “SAAS RECURRING BUSINESS”.
Obviously, how those various outcomes are cultivated is vital. But the irony is that no one cares how you do it… as long as it’s legit.
This is why some companies “always” seem to win: their “service” is based on the provision of particular RESULTS. They ignore (outsource) everything else.
If you start a business, it is “country” to focus on service
In conclusion, if you’re thinking of “starting” a business, the key is to forget about yourself and focus entirely on the underlying results you can deliver to the customer.
If you don’t have the skills to provide such results, you need to put in the work to develop them (which can be done on the job).
Think of each transaction from the perspective of what it can add to the commitment. Don’t be afraid to “give away the family money” (in terms of “secrets”): the 99% won’t compete with you, and the guy who will rip you off will jump on the next fad he finds.
The most important thing to do from a business perspective is to identify the various “services” that you can, or can provide, to anyone with the right budget.
