User Question from Todd
Todd a new reader wrote:
I want to start my own web page offering everything from printing services, advertising, web building, marketing, consulting and more since I work with people in this field already helping my clients.
I think one of the important things Todd is to not focus on too much stuff. You’re starting a new business and want to offer a bunch of services. But start small and add more services. Do a great job at a couple of services then add more to the list.
One of the reasons I wrote my book Nichework Marketing was talking about the importance of selecting a niche. The problem Todd has is he is trying to offer too many services to his clients. If he focused on a niche he’d have less competition and be able to provide a better service to his clients. Then develop referral partners for all those other services… and those partners will in turn refer clients back to him.
Todd goes on to write about some stuff that should bring this focus back on network marketing…
My problem is I’m always hitting the pavement and cold calling to try to make a sale to get a business to advertise. I spend many hours maintaining my clients business and so many more trying to find new ones. It gets to the point I have no more time to sell and find new ads because I have to maintain what I. Can you help with all this to increase my sales and my client’s sales?
Todd, the problem here is you are trading time for money. You have your own business but you’re basically just self employed. You have to do all the work. There is only so much time in the day so you either have to get more efficient so you can do more in less time or raise your prices to make more money.
One way to get more time is to bring on some staff to handle some of these tasks. That’s the traditional business model. Hire some employees or pay some sales people a commission to bring in more clients. At first you’ll have to give up a chunk of your income without any reward but once your staff get trained they’ll begin bringing in extra money. Whether or not they are doing some of your work for your clients or helping you sell. It will free up your time to do the aspects of your business that your employees cannot do.
One reason I do network marketing is I can leverage my time. I build a team and train them so I don’t have to do all the work. I get a small override on their efforts. Someone once asked…
Would you rather have 100 appointments to do your own business presentations or would you rather have 100 people who each go out and do 1 business presentation for you?
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to work that hard so I’d rather have 100 people who each do 1 business presentation for me!
- Ben Fitts
PS. Todd I’m emailing you more direct answers now…
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I whole heartedly agree, give me the 100 people to go out and do 1 appointment each. Sounds like Todd is eager to get going and wants to hit the ground running, and it sounds like he has a lot of gusto with as many services as he wants to offer. I think Todd should start with the service he is better at, be it the web building, advertising, consulting – what have you. And little by little perhaps find one person who is highly skilled at the other services and bring them on board as he adds more services to business. That way he will offer everything he wants to — but he won’t be the one personally providing all the services himself.