I have been wondering for some time how I could get more customers effectively until I went to the gym at Good Life.
I really like what these guys do to get new customers; they hand out FREE one day passes that you as a member can pass on to your friends and have them go with you. This is just amazing and benefits everybody: you as a member are happy because you can bring a friend; your friend is happy because they get FREE pass and Good Life is happy because they got you to find and bring a new customer to them at what cost? only $2! where that customer could pay in membership fees over 5 years more than $3,000. THAT’S SMART!!!
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What to look for in a startup?
Succeed in an Incubator
- Focus on the team
- Take advice but set your own goals and meet them
- Be ready (rather agile) to adapt
- Make solid connections and stay in touch with them
Source: http://www.inc.com/guides/201108/making-the-most-of-a-start-up-incubator_pagen_2.html
6 Reasons Beginning Entrepreneurs Fail
6. They focus on fixing their weaknesses
5. They don’t understand and underestimate the power of marketing
4. They immediately seek grants, investors or substantial loans
3. They don’t have enough come-up capital
2. They don’t develop the essential qualities of successful entrepreneurs
1. They start a business for the wrong reasons
Source: http://under30ceo.com/top-6-reasons-beginning-entrepreneurs-fail/
Things Should Buy Used
- Books
- Movie DVDs
- Little Kids’ Toys
- Jewelery
- Vehicles
- Console Games
- Office Furniture
- Hand Tools
More at http://money.msn.com/shopping-deals/10-things-you-should-not-buy-new-weston.aspx?page=2
Prototyping
The best practice in every project is cyclic prototyping; start prototyping very early. Very quickly, all design aspects and provisions to be made will reveal themselves. Repeat this process until necessary.
In prototyping consider the following rules:
- Recognize That Ideas Are Cheap – Given the connected, Internet-savvy world in which we live, ideas have become cheap … A great prototype is often the best way to start a dialogue with potential customers and test your idea’s value.
- Start With a Paper Design – … Writing code without real consideration for several design factors leads to heartache and a lot of rework … You can get peers and, hopefully, customers to give feedback … Paper designs are inexpensive and more valuable than words.
- Put in Just Enough Work – Know your objectives and stick to them … Keep these objectives in mind and be careful not to fall in love with the process … you want to invest just enough time and work to meet the objectives.
- Anticipate for Multiple Options – Design your prototype with modularity in mind … Customers ultimately decide how to use your product, not you. Design in options for expansion, performance, packaging, and lower cost.
- Design for Reuse in the Final Product – … Look for prototyping tools that make it possible for you to scale your prototype from lab to market.
- Avoid Focusing on Cost Too Early – … Initially, focus on proving the value of your innovation, and design with modularity in mind … Focus on securing your first set of customers and then work on cost optimization.
- Fight “Reversion to the Mean” – When prototyping, the tendency is to develop something easy rather than develop something that has a “wow” factor. Stay true to your vision and make sure your prototype captures the original thought of your innovation.
- Ensure You Can Demonstrate Your Prototype – … Do not build up to a crescendo. Most people’s attention spans are limited to less than 60 seconds … If the demonstration is amazing, all else falls into place.
[source] http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/pub/p/id/579
Engaged Selling
Prepare a 3-stage sales cycle:
- Sow: offer a free of charge evaluation or trial to flaunt the benefits
- Hook: sell a service/product that is very affordable yet valuable
- Fish: offer the full service/product to those on the hook
It’s simple and effective.