Recently I came across a good article by Lyve Alexis Pleshette, Staff Writer of Power Homebiz, underlining where a small business usually go wrong when it comes to picking up its customers for the first time. Read the article and I'm sure you will profit from it. Wishing all member success in their business:

How do you get that first customer? Many new start-up entrepreneurs are caught up with the chicken-or-egg situation: potential customers want to see your track record in serving other customers before jumping on board. It is common human behavior to expect people to patronize businesses that have already established a good reputation. Imagine two restaurants - one is bustling with customers while the other one has only the cook standing at the door. Unless you are really starving, you will most likely opt to go to the restaurant full of customers. But how can you have a track record when no one gave you that first chance?

There are various ways of attracting that first customer. You can get customers for your business by doing either one or all of these things: walking, talking, showing and telling. It is important, however, that you select the method that your budget allows and is workable for your home business.

As soon as you are ready for your first customer, you have to start pounding the pavement. Customers do not know that you exist, so you have to start going around your neighborhood or community and begin the process of networking. Distribute flyers or brochures, post announcements in community bulletin boards, or even volunteer.

You can also attract customers by showing them what you offer or what you can do. The simplest is to give your product or service away. This is a strategy that many companies, large or small, adopt when introducing a new product in the market. These companies understand that customers opt to buy into products that they understand, know how to use and has verified that the product is useful to them. While you are not expected to adopt AOL's strategy of sending its CD-ROM program every week in every household's mailbox, you can distribute a small sample of your product either in your community or a small group of targeted buyers. You can use this as a way both to improve your product and to expose future buyers to what they make.

(Contd...)

Mr. Neeraj Sharma

Neeraj Electronics

CEO, Neeraj Electronics
Jorhat, India

Free Member, Joined :06/09/2007
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