Fortune Is In The Follow-Up: Book Review

Awesome book for any woman to have starting out in business. A great tool for men to have as well. .................... This book talks about building relationships, taking action, developing your marketing plan, networking, Positive mindset, a short list of entrepreneurs who dealt with rejection some even bankrupt but would not give up on their dreams. ............................................................................................................... I love what she said about Nelson Mandela. ............................................................................ There are many options available to entrepreneurs to help them create successful profit centers from their businesses that do not involve huge influxes of capital. ......................................................................... Gone are the days of "build it and they will come!" Business owners must search out new and emerging markets for their goods and services. ................................................................................................... Business owners need to excel in marketing and sales, in order to succeed in business today. .......................... Action is the name of the game. ....................................................................................... The author's professional career has been one typical of many women in her generation-lots of transitions, constantly reinventing herself professionally, all while balancing the needs of her children and family. ......................... Two important things she learned from her father: cultivate who you know and always treat everyone well - you never know when you will want or need something from someone. ............................................................... A key component to success in any business is to have a support system. ............................................... People do business with those they like, know, and trust. ............................................................. Marketing is about building relationships. ............................................................................ A great marketing plan starts with defining your target market. ....................................................... Most people want to hire a specialist, in this day and age. ........................................................... If you develop the reputation for being an expert in a certain field, on a specific subject, or for a targeted population, you will differentiate yourself from your competition. .................................................... The bottom line is that everyone is not a viable target market. ....................................................... Having a focused market does not mean that you serve or supply only the market position you choose. ................... If you are selling services or products online, make sure that your target market has access to the Internet. ......... Does your target market have money? This is critical for building a business. ......................................... A marketing plan is like a roadmap. It tells you where you want to go and how to get there. ........................... Don't limit yourself to thinking that marketing is the same as advertising. ........................................... A business coach will help save you time, money, and energy. .......................................................... We know that marketing takes time and sometimes money. ................................................................ You want to pick a target market and then become their expert - remember experts make more money. ..................... You need time for your health and personal life, too. ................................................................. Grow too fast and you will not succeed. .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Marketing Strategy Ideas: ............................................................................................. eNewsletters, Blog, Articles, Publishing, Videos, Public Speaking, Internet presence, Direct Mail, Joint Ventures just to name a few. ........................................................................................................ Pick only 4 to 8 strategies to work on at a time. .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. We need some downtime, some time when we are not working. ............................................................. Business owners need to be able to creatively handle all sorts of challenges and opportunities. ....................... Delegating is not a simple or easy chore to put together, but it will yield huge results for growing your business. ....................................................................... Be careful about delegating any task to anyone. ....................................................................... It takes time and thought to train someone to do the task the way you want them done. ................................. Relationship building is critical, and follow-up is the way to do this. ............................................... Your follow-up is to remind them that you are still here and able to help them. ....................................... Education-based marketing educates your prospects and clients by sharing information that they will find valuable, as opposed to constantly pitching to them. ............................................................................... The key is to make sure what you provide is meaningful to them. ....................................................... A slower economy has made everyone more cautious in their purchases and elongated the process. ........................ Keep a file (hard or electronic) of articles and information that you write and/or come across from industry e-zines, magazines, newsletters, blogs, etc. This is information that you will share with your prospects and clients in your education-based marketing. ............................................................................................ There are a few industries and target market where networking will not work; however, they are the exception and not the rule. ............................................................................................................. "An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life," according to Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker. ....................................................................... The good news is that networking does not take a lot of money. ........................................................ There are many social network groups such as facebook/ twitter/linkedin. .............................................. Great networking goals include meeting people with whom you can: connect, have fun, be able to help, be authentic with, be an interested listener, be curious, ask questions, be of service, build rapport, and meet potential clients. ....................................................................................................................... Relationship building is not just about how you can help someone professionally, it can be about how you help them in other aspects of their lives, as well. ............................................................................... Don't make an offer that you can not deliver. Make sure that you have the time and resources to make good on what you offer. ................................................................................................................ Never lose sight of what your clients need and want from you. ......................................................... Survey your clients: find out why they do/did business with you; invite clients to a special event, etc. .............. Mindset matters and allowing your fears to determine the outcome of your financial success is not effective. .......... Informal Market Research: information you gather help you to market more effectively and sell more persuasively to your target market. ........................................................................................................ There are many factors that affect our success of our businesses that we cannot control: market conditions, the economy, suppliers, or consumer demand. ............................................................................... Creating a positive mindset begins with thinking positively about yourself, your abilities, and what your business has to offer to clients/customers. ........................................................................................ The definition of an entrepreneur is one who sees problems as opportunities and can capitalize on them. ............... Dream big. Dreams fuel our abilities to grow, take calculated risks, and find success. ................................ In order to learn from failures, start viewing them as inspiration. .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Short list of famous entrepreneurs who all had to deal with rejection and failure long before they found success: Henry Ford, R.H. Macy, Akio Morita, Soichiro Honda, Bill Gates, and Walt Disney. .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Your desire for a better life and a better business is the beginning. ................................................. There are wonderful tools, techniques, and very talented life coaches who can help. ................................... 30 days to better habits. Try picking one or two habits at a time that you want to either add or end. ................. Read inspirational books. Books are all about ideas and concepts. .................................................... You can find most books on tape, and, of course, there are millions of videos online that are wonderfully inspirational. ........................................................................................................ Listen to inspirational songs. Songs and other audio content are a powerful influence on our lives. It is important to find a piece of music that plays to both your intellect and your emotions. ............................................ Watch inspirational movies. Make sure that the movies you watch are those that help you create a can-do and what-is-possible mindset. ..................................................................................................... Who we surround ourselves with affects our mindset positively or negatively. It is critical that you only allow positive people access to you. ........................................................................................ Reading Nelson Mandela's autobiography about his 27 years in prison, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, reminds people that even under awful conditions, a positive mindset makes all the difference. ................ The sky is the limit with the right skill set and a positive mindset. ................................................. Small-to-medium-sized businesses are the future of our economic engine in this country. ............................... Business owners need to remember the basic - the sound, tried-and-true business principles that have served entrepreneurs for generations. ........................................................................................ Business success will be a bit different for each of us. .............................................................. In this shaky economy, moving forward is the key. ..................................................................... Not all businesses will make it; however, those that succeed are those that choose to follow the 5 POWER strategies with energy, focus, and passion. ...................................................................................... The author sent me a free copy of her book for review. I truly thanked her. ........................................... I review books for publishing companies, publicists, authors, businesses and ministries. .............................. The author, Heidi BK Sloss teaches independent sales agents and business owners how to think, breathe, and behave more entrepreneurially. Her specialty is working with Real Estate, Mortgage, Interior Design and General Contractor professionals. ........................................................................................................ She has been an entrepreneur all her life, her 31-year history spans from building a direct sales biz from the ground up, to running an international manufacturing to playing an active role in the success of a global non-profit. ........ She is helping more entrepreneurs and independent sales agents connect with their inner salesperson via of her book.