It's always heartwarming to attend a workshop or seminar and have something you believe right or have even shared be validated and expanded on. I recently attended a workshop by presenter Valerie Gross, the CEO of the Howard County Library in Maryland. Her workshop title was Transforming our Image: no explanation needed. It was all about using words whose intrinsic value and message convey exactly what we want conveyed. The words we use matter. I would highly recommend attending her workshop if you get the opportunity.
The words we use can work for us or make use work harder. I have said in the past that you have to "Speak the Language". The two messages combine for a powerful one-two punch.
Speak the Language - and "Use the best words to say what you want to say" or "use the right words to convey the right message." Working to do that alone will keep us busy for some time to come.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur - Part 5
5. Ask for the sale.
A home business entrepreneur must always remember that marketing, advertising, or promotional activities are completely worthless, regardless of how clever, expensive, or perfectly targeted they are, unless one simple thing is accomplished--ask for the sale. This is not to say that being a great salesperson, advertising copywriting whiz or a public relations specialist isn't a tremendous asset to your business. However, all of these skills will be for naught if you do not actively ask people to buy what you are selling.
*taken from 25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs on entrepreneur.com http://www.entrepreneur.com/homebasedbiz/article200730.html
But we're a library,we don't sell anything!
Oh, really? Are you sure about that? Let's take a second look.
Certainly, as a public library we are not in the business of selling products to our customers and taking money for them, but we do sell, and they are not the only people we should "sell" to?
To our customers we are selling an idea, the concept that a library is a resource to use and share and promote. We are asking them to buy this thought and pay for it with their support, their voice to advocate for us. (and a nice donation now and again also helps)
And for our non-customers, we need to ask them for the sale them too. They need to buy the same concept - that the community is a better place with a strong, thriving library. That like a good school or community center, a good library adds to the quality of life for all in the community. We are asking them to pay for this sale with their voice and their consent, to allow public funds to continue to flow or start to flow to the library.
We sell to our local and state officials. We want them to "buy" that they need to support the library and to pay for their sale with the offical treasury, with their presence at events, with their voice, speaking well of the library and it's contributions to the community.
So while we are not in the "retail sales business", there are a number of folks we need to ask for the sale. Have you asked today?
A home business entrepreneur must always remember that marketing, advertising, or promotional activities are completely worthless, regardless of how clever, expensive, or perfectly targeted they are, unless one simple thing is accomplished--ask for the sale. This is not to say that being a great salesperson, advertising copywriting whiz or a public relations specialist isn't a tremendous asset to your business. However, all of these skills will be for naught if you do not actively ask people to buy what you are selling.
*taken from 25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs on entrepreneur.com http://www.entrepreneur.com/homebasedbiz/article200730.html
But we're a library,we don't sell anything!
Oh, really? Are you sure about that? Let's take a second look.
Certainly, as a public library we are not in the business of selling products to our customers and taking money for them, but we do sell, and they are not the only people we should "sell" to?
To our customers we are selling an idea, the concept that a library is a resource to use and share and promote. We are asking them to buy this thought and pay for it with their support, their voice to advocate for us. (and a nice donation now and again also helps)
And for our non-customers, we need to ask them for the sale them too. They need to buy the same concept - that the community is a better place with a strong, thriving library. That like a good school or community center, a good library adds to the quality of life for all in the community. We are asking them to pay for this sale with their voice and their consent, to allow public funds to continue to flow or start to flow to the library.
We sell to our local and state officials. We want them to "buy" that they need to support the library and to pay for their sale with the offical treasury, with their presence at events, with their voice, speaking well of the library and it's contributions to the community.
So while we are not in the "retail sales business", there are a number of folks we need to ask for the sale. Have you asked today?
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