Every day brings with it new tasks, situations, and a to-do list that may get overwhelming. Thinking of the day ahead and the things that need to get done can be stressful and frustration may take over. One proven solution to stay in control is to apply prioritizing techniques.
Prioritizing what must get done in a day is a skill that anyone can acquire with a little bit of organization and discipline. However, learning to stay focused and focused on goals requires determination and persistence.
Each day, one gets to do planned activities and unplanned activities. It is easy to prioritize planned activities. Applying a few prioritizing techniques will increase efficiency on a normal day. As for the unplanned activities that unexpectedly come up, the best way to handle them is by making decisions that are focused on business goals.
Techniques that may help in the prioritizing process:
Create a To-Do list the night before. Just work on a list without even thinking of what should get done first or last.
First thing in the morning, get the To-Do list and read it carefully. Based on business goals for the day take out the tasks that may not seem important for that day.
Number the remaining items on the To-Do list based on importance to the set goals for the day.
Deal with unplanned activities that may unexpectedly arise, by making decisions that are based on daily goals.
During the prioritizing process, learning to say “No” may seem a difficult practice at first. However, it is a practice that needs to get done in order to stay focused on the prime tasks assigned for each day.
Entrepreneurs and small business owners may have the brightest business idea, but if they fail to identify their target market and their target audience they have set up their business venture for disaster. A distinct target market is the number one element of a successful marketing strategy.
WHAT IS TARGET MARKET?
It is analyzing a business sales market with the ability to identify who will be most interested in the product and/or service it is offering… and why? It is a segmented market whose interests are focused on the product and/or service a business is selling.
3 REQUIREMENTS FOR DEFINING YOUR TARGET MARKET
Research
Look at the demographics and geographic positioning of the market you are selling to. Explore their social status: their age, family size, education level, jobs they are holding, what area they live in, can they afford your product or services?
Segment Your Market
Based on your research divide your market and filter your data based on market interest and income status. You may find that a segment of your target market can afford to buy your offerings at full price; while you may also find another segment of your market that is interested in your offerings but can only afford to buy them at a discounted price.
Know Your Customer Base
Connect with your customers regularly and occasionally survey their needs for what you are selling. As your business grows, your client needs and social status may change. Build a system that will keep your client base information up-to-date. Your current clients already have an interest in your product/service and after all word of mouth will help you acquire new clients or even potential clients that are interested to follow your business.
WHAT IS TARGET AUDIENCE?
Based on its target market a business can then identify the group of people that may be interested to get their promotions and advertising material, or they may even be at the ready stage to buy a product! That group of people can vary in terms of age, occupation, geographic location, family status, or income, but the only factor that makes that group the target audience is that they are identified as having developed an interest in your product/service.
3 REQUIREMENTS FOR DEFINING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
Knowledge of target market
The more you know about your target market the easier it is to identify your target audience. If, for example, your target market is Women in high positions in the workplace; then in order to identify the audience it will help to know their management ranking. Are they part of Senior management or are they in Junior management? Are they involved in a decision-making process or do they just transfer recommendations through the company hierarchy, etc…
Surroundings matter
When the target market gets outlined it is also important to consider its surroundings. If women in high positions, that make decisions in the workplace, are the target market, then the target audience will be these women along with anyone in their social and professional circles: their subordinates, coworkers, direct reports, husband, partners, kids, and family members, fitness club friends, etc….
Purpose is Key
Define the purpose for providing your business offerings. Is the purpose behind your product/service to enhance beauty? Or is it to facilitate logistics? Is it to develop your customer team? Or is it a food item that your clients or family members may be interested in?
Knowing the target market and knowing the purpose behind providing that specific product and/or service will definitely help the business define its target audience and stay focused on the needs to whom they are selling. A distinct target audience is definitely the number one element of a successful sales strategy.
Most small businesses create their marketing strategies without considering the many online marketing tools available for them to use as they promote and create visibility for their business. Here are three promotional tools that will help grow a small business.
Speaking at events
Becoming a speaker at events may require some effort to attend the different events that take place in a business area. Joining business networking groups and becoming active members there may open up opportunities for increased visibility for a small business. In some groups, speaking at events may be offered as a benefit to members only.
Podcasting
Position your business as a leader in its business industry, and create podcasts that educate, inform or maybe create awareness about a product or service. Podcasting is a growing trend that will increase visibility for your business, and they make good content to post and circulate on social media platforms.
Advertise in a community newspaper
Community magazines are usually widely distributed and read by the public. Find the community magazine that is most viewed by your business target audience and run an ad there for a few months in a row. Ads are most effective when seen by the viewer repetitively.
Some beneficial promotional resources that are worth exploring are:
Bizbites (bizbites.ca) – a pool for business podcasts
Canadian SME – the #1 small business magazine in Canada.
More tools are available out there, explore opportunities and search for what works best to position your business as a leader in its own industry.
Interact with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, especially to further one’s career.
In business networking events we find all three definitions represented. We meet the people that are there to exchange cards, tell others about their business; with little interest they may wait to hear what others have to say in order to complete the networking process, but they do not engage in conversations that elevate the connection into a lead.
In the second meaning of networking google’s dictionary talks about connecting computers to create a network, but that reminds me of the people that attend networking events but barely connect with anybody, they are just there for the purpose of exchanging cards in order to get people’s e-mail addresses to add them to their mailing list in order to establish that computer connection.
The third meaning of networking is what true business networking is all about. Business owners interacting with other people to discuss business topics, exchange information, acquire contacts; of course for the purpose of developing and growing their business. This type of business networking will definitely reap the benefits for the business as that connection will turn into a good lead that will refer others to the business and that may turn into a faithful customer one day.
The success of business networking depends on the mindset one develops as they approach networking events. To reap the benefits for the time spent at a business networking event one has to be authentic about meeting people, show interest to know more about other represented businesses, reflect clear objectives when exchanging cards, develop a business connection that is built on respect and a willingness to contribute knowledge and exchange referrals. Is your business wasting time or reaping benefits during business networking events?
