How To Eliminate Your Competition Without Bloodshed
So how do you eliminate your competition without bloodshed? You must create a "niche" for your business. A niche is something that makes your business different than your competitors. To compete with other businesses nowadays (especially online) you need something that
nobody else can copy. One Of A Kind!
First you must know who your competitors are. Is your business the only one of it's type? I doubt it. If so, it won't be for long. Do you know your exact target audience? If not, you will have to find out this information before creating any kind of niche. Below are two ways to come up with a competition eliminating niche.
1. Just Ask?
The first way to come up with a niche is to think like your target audience or customers. Know their exact needs, wants, goals, problems and interests. There's two ways to do this: The first way is to put yourself in their shoes, think like them. The second way is to give them polls and surveys to find out what they're thinking. Pick a niche that none of your competitors are using. If you can't find one that your
competitors aren't using pick one to improve.
2. Just Think!
The second way to come up with a niche is to use your brain power. Ask yourself questions like: How can I set myself apart from my competition? What could I offer that they can't? Imagine or daydream that your business is on top of all your competitors. What "niche" put your business at the top in your head? Now, if you keep asking your brain these questions your mind will eventually start shooting out more
ideas than you can handle. One of those ideas may be the niche you're searching for.
Now that you have your niche that's just half the battle. You must test it. Does your niche appeal to your target audience? Will it attract people away from your competition? If it does, you're done, until your competition comes up with a better "niche". If your niche doesn't, than repeat the process above and test a new niche until it works. If you want to eliminate your competition and be successful you will use this process several times in your business life.
How To Increase Your Online Sales Anytime!
Hold a discount sale on your web site. Use the sale to get rid of excess inventory, gain new or repeat customers, and increase your sales. Most businesses pick a theme for their sale, like a Halloween Sale. Below are six unique sales themes you could use:
1.
Nobody's Visiting Today Sale
Every online business has low visitor and sales day through the week. My days are Tuesdays and Thursdays.You could sell your products or services for cheaper to increase and sales on your slow days. You could have this advertised right on your web site.
2.
Time Of The Day Sale
Periodically , pick out a time of the day like 5 to 7 pm to lower your prices. With online sales you need tell people the time zone. Announce your scheduled times ahead of time in your e-zine. This will give people enough time to plan when they will visit your web site.
3.
Niche Group Sale
Hold a sale for a niche groups of people. Students, senior
citizens, single people etc. This really works if your introducing a new product or service for the first time to a new target audience. Announce your sale in a targeted e-zine, e-mail discussion groups, message boards, etc.
4.
Holiday Or Seasonal Sale
Offer lower prices on holidays and during seasonal changes.
These type of sales let your visitors and customers know your no scrooge. Be creative and go as far as decorating your web site. You could upload holiday and seasonal graphics. Change the color of your text to match. Get in the spirit!
5.
Get More For Your Money Sale
Give customers more products or services for their money.
People relate these kind of sales to getting a bargain or saving money. You could offer a buy one get one for half off sale, a buy two get the third one free, two for the price of one sale, etc.
6.
Product Or Service Of The Day Sale
Each day offer different product or service at a lower price.
This will draw people back to your web site everyday. This is a high traffic generating sale. If you don't have a lot of products and services you may want to run the sale weekly or monthly.
How To Use Bartering To Gain An Advantage Over Your Competition
If you have a business on the Internet you should be bartering goods and services with other businesses. You should always try to trade for something before you buy it. Barter deals usually require no money. Although sometimes you may need money to offset the value of the goods or services being traded.
Bartering will give you many advantages over your competition.It can save your business money. You can spend the extra money on a buying paid Internet advertising. It allows you to offer your products and services at a lower price than your competition. You can afford to get the higher priced goods and services to compete on the internet.
There are numerous ways to find barter deals online. Set up a barter message board or chat room on your web site to get more barter offers. Note on your web site or e-zine you are willing to barter for goods and services. Join newsgroups or e-mail discussion groups that are about bartering. Join an online barter club to meet other businesses that barter. Find web sites that barter by looking up the keywords barter, trade,or swap in your search engine of choice.
There are a few things you should do before bartering. Compile a list of your goods and services you are willing to barter. Make a list of goods and services you need or want for your online business. Know the approximate cash value of the things you are trying to trade and the value of the things you are seeking in return. All of this information can help you negotiate a successful barter deal.
When proposing a barter offer, tell the person the benefits of the barter deal. Explain to them why it would be a win/win situation. Give their business many compliments in your proposal. Prove to them why it would be a fair trade. This type of proposal can increase your chances off them saying "Yes, I will barter.
