Apples Versus Oranges

We all know other businesses who offer us examples of how to operate successfully. We have our networking partners who provide us advice and support when we need it. We also can attend seminars or webinars on the steps to take to improve our businesses and lead us to greater success. There is a world of books, articles, and other reference material which can teach us what we are doing wrong and what we should do to correct our errors.

With all these sources of information that should enable us to move our businesses to better numbers of sales and success, we must learn to how to utilize that information. If we attend a seminar on business, we must actually attempt to apply the methods learned. The same may be said when we read books or receive advice from our networking partners. All the information is useless until we apply it.

However, there is another pitfall which we must avoid above doing nothing with what we have learned. We must apply the correct information to our business. Does the data that we have actually apply to our business, its employees, or its customers? We must avoid the “apples versus oranges” trap. Is the advice from someone who is a realtor the best plan for us? Is the example of operating a hamburger shop the best model for a direct selling business? We must apply the argument of “apples versus oranges”.

There are some basics of marketing that apply to all businesses. Be professional in operating a business; do not operate a business like a hobby. No one will take us seriously unless we do so ourselves. Be passionate about a business and be a product of our product. If we do not believe in what we offer, how can anyone else? Be personal and treat everyone else, whether they are prospects, customers, clients, employees, or networking partners, as human beings and with courtesy and gratitude for whatever they do for us and others.

An on-line based business may, or may not, need guidance for leasing office space. A floral shop may be able to learn from a hamburger shop, but they might not need guidance on overnight retail operations. The same employees required for a sheet metal manufacturer might not the same as when we need to hire an in-house legal team. However, there may be some general guidelines that we may learn from hearing and seeing them in operation or just hearing about them.

We must be able to discern what information may be able to help us make our businesses better and which will not. It will amaze the onlooker what we can gleam from someone else who isn’t in the same industry as we are, and what we can emulate which may give us greater success. Showing gratitude for our employees should provide us their loyalty and their continued higher work ethic, just as it should affect our customers and networking partners.

Gratitude Marketing has a never ending list of results that can assist us in improving our businesses. It can be applied to everyone whom we reach every day of our lives. It is not something that we “turn on” on special occasions but is a lifestyle that is useful in both our business and personal lives. If we give it a chance, it can make us much better people with whom to associate and do business, and that makes everyone’s life better. If we try some of that Gratitude Marketing, we will discover that we like it. Please leave me your comments, or email me at Jim@JimTeasley.com, or call me at 360-314-8691.