by Debbie Ruston, Columnist & Featured Contributor
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]I[/su_dropcap] HAVE WRITTEN MANY TIMES about the principle “everyone is our teacher”. One of the fastest ways to accelerate your own success as an entrepreneur is to study and learn from other successful entrepreneurs. It feeds your own creativity and allows you to take the knowledge and apply it to your own situation, in your own way.
This week I observed some very forward thinking entrepreneurs. It’s important to note that every profession must think of themselves as an entrepreneur, not just the obvious retail establishments. I have been going to my chiropractor this week and noticed some very forward thinking things happening in his office.
In each of the patient rooms there is a sign to “like” their business on FB. I haven’t noticed many in the medical field doing this. He also has items for sale (back rests, heating pads, etc.). What a smart idea….when people come to him and are in pain, it saves them going to the drug store to pick these things up. This isn’t going to make him a fortune, however, it’s important to note how these small actions can add up. It provides a valuable service, and creates a side revenue.
How many new clients can he obtain by simply asking people to follow him on FB? How many more repeat visits for maintenance can he obtain by having a presence on FB and providing value add education? Of course I joined the page and can see he is providing some great articles etc on do’s and don’ts and common issues that can cause injuries.
With social media, the more you add value to your followers, the more you will build loyalty, trust, engagement and referrals. Keep them up to date on what is happening in your location, and in your business in general. New people coming, valued employees moving on to something else. Keeping your clients in the loop like this is important for keeping trust at a peak. Every business can provide ongoing education for their clients. You can either post other valuable articles you come across, or, write your own article every week. This builds a following.
If you are a business owner, over the next week, notice all of these types of clues for success that you see as you are interacting with other businesses. You may see something when you are grocery shopping, picking up the kids from school, going to the gym, etc. that you can remold to suit your own business growth. The key is to be aware, and creatively think of ways you can raise your game to accelerate your own business growth.
