“Oh, heavens to Mercatroid,” as my mom would say. You want ME to discuss business success? Great. Um…

Copy.

Paste in previous “How To Succeed” articles.

Okay, so I’m being a bit silly here, but that’s okay. The thing is, the more of these success articles I write, the more tickled I get because it seems I am more or less repeating myself.

And no, I’m not mentioning this here so you will think I have nothing new to write on the varied subjects of success. Rather, I am pointing out the “samenesses” to be found in each of the articles so YOU will realize or recognize the basic principles for success are THE SAME in all areas of life.

That being said, let’s dig right in to what I consider to be the five best tips I could give you to help you succeed in business.

Numero Uno …

Be Honest.

I’m serious. Honesty is the number one quality we seek in others, as people. Think I’m lying? Okay, raise your hand if you prefer to buy from a schlick, shifty-eyed, hard-to-find-after-the-money’s-changed-hands shyster salesman…

(Counting hands…)

No one?

So … raise your hand if you prefer to give your personal medical history, your therapy notes, your private income details to a “non-professional.”

(Counting hands again…)

No one?

Right. That’s what I thought. You prefer to do business with “professionals,” right? Those people you believe you can trust with your private, confidential details, yes? So, onward.

Number Two …

Offer value.

This should be a given, but you and I both know often it’s not. How many times have you been burned buying a product that wasn’t anywhere near what it was made out to be? Yeah? Me, too. The “thud” factor may indeed have been present (several manuals, uncountable number of “video tutorials,” CD’s, DVD’s, slick packaging, etc.) Yet, in going through the materials presented, we discovered there was no actual “value” in the package.

If you’re a “guru-follower” you’re probably sick and tired of hearing them all hammer on the explicit need for your products or services to deliver (actually, you should OVERDELIVER) on VALUE, yes?

Sick and tired you may be, but there IS a very good reason they’re telling you this, hammering it home as best they can. If your products or services deliver thud but skimp on value, you’re going to lose customers. Period.

So … value. Hmmm. Important, yes, I see that you agree, but…

I hear you asking: just what exactly “is” value? What is this unquantifiable “stuff” we must deliver with our products and services in order to succeed?

Okay, in black and white and the most simple terms, here’s your answer: VALUE = RELEVANT Worth — and worth equals “usefulness” or “importance.”

I could break this down more, go into some deep discussion about both relevancy and relevant worth, but I won’t — today. Look for it in a future article. For now, let’s go on to Number Tres:

Treat Your Customers Well.

Your customers are the very people who will make your business a success. Kinda makes sense to treat them well, yes? As a business person you will most certainly be making offers to potential customers.

A lot of people will tell you to “offer them good stuff.”

I say offer them your best.

These people, the people who will buy what you are selling, are the lifeblood of your business. Why would you treat them less than well by offering them less than the best you have to offer?

Bend over backwards (within reason) to make sure your customers absolutely LOVE being your customers. Do everything within your power to make them so happy buying from you they’d never dream of buying what you offer from someone else.

On to IV, which is…

Sell Something People Want To Buy.

Yeah, people will occassionally buy things they only “think” they want, but there’s a problem with selling to the “I think I want it” crowd. They aren’t repeat buyers.

To be successful in business, you sell things a lot people already want to buy. Book lovers buy books. Not just one genre either. Many of them buy and read books from every category across the board, fiction and non-fiction.

Music lovers buy music, whether already created or instruments with which they may create their own, or sheet music that allows them to recreate others’ music.

Pet lovers buy things related to their pets. Entrepreneurs buy things related to entrepreneurship. Business people buy things related to their business.

Find something a lot of people already want to buy, and sell that, and you have the potential for success in business. Sell things people don’t want, and it’s a recipe for disaster.

Now, #5 explains how to take the potential for success you will gain by selling something people want and turn that potential into a reality…

Once you’ve found something to sell that a lot of people already want to buy…

Sell A Lot Of It.

Here’s the final piece to business success. Once you’ve discovered that “something” people want, and you know you can sell it because it’s making sales, sell more of it. A lot more.

Need an example? Hmmm. How about…brown widgets. Yes, that’ll work. Brown widgets sell. You know this because you’re selling them, and now it’s time to sell more. But…you’re already selling brown widgets! Now what?

Simple. Offer up some red ones. Offer some green ones, some blue ones, some large ones, some smaller ones. Offer widgets that stay in place, or offer widgets that move.

Ugh. That sounded a lot like the late great Dr. Seuss, eh? But it works. When you find something that sells, sell more of it.

There ya go, then. My tippy tippy top five tips for how to be a business success. Hope these tips help you out.  If you have any questions, pop them in the comments section below. I’ll answer as best I can.