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Problems Are Beautiful! (I Mean It, Really!) By Tatiana Velitchkov © 2002 Sara (not her real name) had invested all her savings into the business she now runs from her home. But even after 18 months of hard work & carefully-budgeted overhead, she still can't seem to make her business take off. Timoteo (not his real name) had given up a steady, high- paying job at a market research firm to manage his own small company & spend more time with his family. But because he's been so bogged down by entrepreneurial stress, he now seems to be failing miserably at both. Graham (not his real name) had read all the internet marketing books he could find, set up his own business website, and waited for the big bucks to roll in. Now his books are beginning to gather dust, and still all he could find are tiny trickles of profits... And he doesn't know what to do. Do these situations sound familiar? And can you somehow relate with the anxiety & desperation of these people - maybe because they remind you so much of your own? One distinct characteristic of man as a species is our ability to sympathize with other people's problems. And if there's anything that we can expect from running our own business, it's PROBLEMS. (Actually, "problems" also mark our entire existence here on earth, and are a sure indication that we're still alive. But that will lead into another article, maybe on a totally different website. =) ) Whenever we encounter the word "problems," we really can't help leaving with a distinctly negative taste in our mouths. But when it all boils down to it, "problems" are actually the reason why man keeps on learning, advancing, and innovating. Because of problems: - fire was discovered - time-saving equipment were invented - new ways of doing things were created - and businesses have found their reasons for being. Admit it. The reason you're running your business now is the fact that your clients have problems. Their problems usually come in 4 different packages, giving you 4 different sets of business opportunities as well: 1) Your clients lack time. Maybe they're running their home business while raising a family, maybe they're trying to get new clients while trying to finish projects for existing ones. Either way, they have so many things to do and only 24 hours to do it in... and of course, they may have plans for eating & sleeping, too. Business Opportunities: Offer a service that frees up their time, so they can do more important things for their business or for themselves. You can also come up with an invention that allows them to finish their tasks more quickly & easily, giving them more time for home & family. 2) Your clients lack expertise. These people are willing to do everything by themselves - from business planning to marketing to packaging their products - but somehow the mysterious codes of html elude them, and suddenly they need an extra hand. Or maybe they need a one-time video presentation of their business, and although they have a camcorder they only have a vague idea of how to operate it, and absolutely zero knowledge on how to put together the final product. Business Opportunities: If you have the expertise they lack, you have a business opportunity! Offer your consulting services, problem-solving services, or even crash-course seminars on the topic (in case they still want to do things themselves). You can also create "dummy-proof" software that makes the process easier for them, without any previous knowledge required. (Kind of reminds of you of someone, doesn't it?) 3) Your clients lack resources. They need 5 truckloads of rose petals by Thursday, but it's Wednesday and all they have is a small garden filled with frost. They need $15,000 worth of raw materials to finish the project, and they aren't getting paid until the project is rendered & delivered. Business Opportunities: Provide the supplies, equipment, or raw materials quickly. Then seize the contract to deliver it REGULARLY. This results in surefire monthly sales for you, as well as more opportunities for your clients. 4) They lack results. On a dead beat website, what they need might be more hits. In a flickering business, it might be more sales. Business Opportunities: Offer your time, expertise, and resources to create the results they need. But make sure that when you promise results, they actually GET results! Problems = Opportunities So you see, what starts out as problems can actually become opportunities, and any opportunities that come your way now may lead to more opportunities in the future. Before you continue with your regularly-scheduled marketing campaigns, just take a moment to REALLY ask your clients: "What are your usual problems?" Then ask yourself what solutions you are currently offering them. Improve your solutions, target their problems. And you'll have the makings of a very lucrative business opportunity. P.S. At the beginning of this article you ran smack into the title "Problems Are Beautiful!" and you didn't believe me. (Come on, admit it!) Now you also have to admit that you were mistaken. Because problems ARE beautiful. Besides being fresh opportunities for you to create profits, they also make our lives interesting & exciting - and humanity ever-changing. © Tatiana Velitchkov About the Author: Tatiana is the publisher of: http://www.TheFortunesEzine.com , the FortunesEzineWeekly at http://www.TakeYourFortune.com, and owner of the traffic-solution slam advertising sites http://www.Guaranteed-Hits.com and http://www.Guaranteed-Hits.net |