When you get into business there will be all kinds of people who have something to sell trying to teach you how to market your business. Make sure that you are dealing with credible sources rather than people who are trying to sell you tools, dealerships and memberships to special clubs so that you can be successful. There are all kinds of schemes and snake-oil salesmen out there that will sell you a strategy for selling while at the same time selling you right down the river! Despite what they tell you are likely to be successful without them.
Sales people can be charming, magnetic and persuasive but the sordid truth is that despite how interested they seem in you and helping you build your business you will most likely be discarded once they have collected money from you and decided to move on to the next sale. Avoid paying money upfront for something that you believe your business must absolutely have to thrive. Half the time these services or goods don’t show up.
Choose your advisors and mentors wisely when you go into business. The best teachers, when it comes to marketing your business, are the ones that are in the same business as you and that have been successful at it. You can also learn a lot by refusing to copy what was ultimately a failed strategy. You can learn as much from the failures as you do from successes.
You should also avoid the kind of mob mentality that is advocated by ads salespeople. Often they will advise you of a trend and tell you to jump on the bandwagon before it is too late. This can sometimes bring you a temporary avalanche of customers and then absolutely none at all.
Another pitfall is being sold a turnkey website that is unsearchable. This is why it can be a business mistake to have a website that looks a little too clever. To prevent this type of mistake find a web designer that specializes in building search engine optimized websites
However in the end nobody should be doing the analysis for what really works for your business in terms of bringing you a consistent, steady flow of customers that helps you pay the bills and make a profit BUT you. It is very important not to give your power over to any kind of salesman or strategist by letting them do the thinking for you.
