If You Want To Be The “Go-To-Guy” In Your Niche Market, Read On…

As Diane and I were heading out of Dodge (also known as driving to New York to visit relatives) I thought it would be smart to make sure all her tires were inflated.

Now in the 14 years we’ve been living in Bristol, Connecticut, I’ve always gone to the same gas station to inflate my tires. Not only is it free, they even have a built in tire gauge on the air hose. You can make sure you’re getting the right amount of PSI, and not have to worry about whether your gauge is in that little pocket on your door.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s also the gas station I most frequently fill up at. You bring me in with free air, not to mention convenience and a couple of cents less than most of the other stations, and I’m yours.

So when I drove in a few weeks ago and the air compressor had a hand-written “Out of Order” sign on it, it was no big deal. I still gassed up there, but drove to another station that I noticed had an air compressor…also free.

Good thing too. The front passenger tire was pretty low.

About three weeks went by and the “Out of Order” sign was still there. Actually it was replaced by a different hand written sign.

This time I went to the other station and filled up the tires.

Then I filled up the tank.

That kinda sorta turned into my station of choice.

Not every time.

But it achieved what the professionals call Market Penetration.

It got a piece of the action.

What it did was inject an emotional connection.

I began to associate this station with convenience, safety and – for lack of a better term – giving a gosh darn about its facilities.

(No, I didn’t say gosh darn.)

Bring it back around, Baby!

Whether you’re marketing, seeking out a lover, looking to run with a different crowd, lose weight…anything….

What you put out to the world, and the people in it, determines the EMOTIONAL CONNECTION they have with you.

And that in turn determines who you attract, what you attract, who you run with.

Looking to suck up every morsel from every sale?

You’re a greedy *^#$!…whether it’s true or not.

(And if you’re charging for something the rest of the world takes for granted, it’s probably true.)

Looking to give and give and give, and not worry about receiving?

You’re a patsy. People will take from you. And it won’t be the people you want to hang with.

It’ll be the people who take without giving as a way of life.

Looking to give to others, with enough self-respect and confidence to expect a fair exchange in return?

You’re in the ZONE!

Now you’re safe. You’re also competent, attractive and open for business.

Give it away…within reason.

If you follow my stuff on a regular basis, you know I’m not above p**sing off my readers every once in a while for the greater good.

This is probably going to be one of those times.

Straight truth, yo…in so many of the Facebook groups, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc…

We see people – good people – talking about the best ways to handle
their organizations. Who to give time and attention to. Who to correct,
who to love, who to remove…etc.

Here’s my unscientific claim…

Most people who tell you how to manage their businesses do so because
they aren’t taking the time to manage their own…

Because they don’t have one.

It’s human nature to want to feel important, and competent and involved.

So a lot of talk about things we really have no business talking about.

We don’t know enough about it, or we haven’t done it yet.

Just about everyone who tells others how to manage their organization
before they’re qualified to give advice is going to get slapped down.

Not by me. By the marketplace.

Here’s why…

If you write good stuff…with a certain flair and you attract a lot of
attention, even if you don’t know what you’re talking about, people will
still notice you.

And at some point you’re going to have to come out with your own credentials.

Or someone will Google you.

You’ll be found out.

No one will yell at you. No one will smack you down.

They’ll just stop taking you seriously.

In this industry, ultimately the only thing people pay attention to
is LEADERSHIP, in the form of paychecks, bonuses and lifestyle.

And all of the big guys – the ones with all of the above – have
climbed the mountain.

They’ve done the deal. They’ve sponsored lots of people.

And they’ve helped others sponsor lots of people.

And they’ve sold lots of whatever product or service they’re selling.

So they speak from first hand experience.

So let’s cut to the chase.  Wanna be one of the people who are qualified
because they’ve DONE THE DEAL?

Here’s how…

1. BE A STUDENT: Every big player in any kind of home based business sat still and learned from people who already did it. They read the books, they watched the videos, they attended the seminars
and webinars. And most of them still do, even after they break through.

2. IMPLEMENT: There’s always a difference between someone who reads something and chats about it at meetings, and someone who learns something and implements it that same day. The main difference
is in the RESULTS they get.

3. SERVE:  Buying the stuff is important. Studying it is just as important. So is learning it. But when you commit to SERVE the people who are mentoring you, it takes on a whole new level. Some of the most successful people in my organization are those who have helped me with technology, introduced me on phone calls, managed the daily tasks (that I really hate) and otherwise made my life easier and more pleasant. I naturally wanted to help them, but more importantly, they got to watch the ways I MOVE and the ways I OPERATE. They copied my success habits and screened out the others.

4. MENTOR: As you get successful, others will want to copy your success. A lot of people will ask for your time and your help. Get selective about who deserves your time. Who are they? See Numbers 1 – 3!

It’s pretty simple!

As my mother in law says, you can be a talker or you can be a doer.

Which one works for you?

If you liked the post, please comment and share.

More good stuff at DIANE HOCHMAN

And while you’re at it, check out my lovely husband’s blog at NO MORE HOLDING BACK!

Shelly Allen shares a very powerful marketing strategy for small businesses to stay on the competitive track in this article published in the May 2011 edition of The Costco Connection publication.

Click on the image of the article below for a larger view or to read it in a larger online magazine format and grab more great tips head over to The Costco Connection HERE.

Join Shelly Allen, in this video, as she demonstrates just how simple it is to set up a free business listing over at Yelp.com

“Yelp allows consumers to share the experiences they’ve had with local businesses and lets business owners share information about their business with their customers.

Simply put, it’s word of mouth– amplified.” – Yelp.com

So if you are a small business owner and would like to take advantage of your FREE business page, visit: http://www.yelp.com/business

Shelly Allen discusses important findings of a scientific study that pinpoints the age of users taking advantage of social networking.

Find out the range and the advantages of knowing how to use the results of this study.

In this video, Shelly Allen shares news about the fact that Verizon Communications is stopping white page distribution in some states. How can this bit of news influence business owners’ marketing practices in the future? Join Shelly as discusses possible trends and marketing avenues.

In this video Kristen Darkenwald shares with you how a mortgage broker used this offline marketing technique and tailored it by adding the New York Football Team Schedule to his local business card.

However, the problem with this strategy is that after the football season is over so will be the need for the magnetic card.

Join Kristen as she discusses a much more cost effective and permanent way for local businesses to use this marketing strategy.

It doesn’t matter if your a Real Estate Agent, Hair Salon Owner, Bumper Repair Shop, General Contractor, Chiropractor, Dentist, etc.

The two suggestions Shelly Allen shares in this video will not only help your small business have a nice, tight web presence…

But they will make your small business look more professional!

And more than likely…

They will set your small business apart from your competition!

Kristen Darkenwald shares why Twitter should be an important aspect of your overall social media marketing strategy.

A recent announcement highlighted a major statistic about this social media platform’s Registered Users when compared with once social media giant MySpace.

Listen to what Kristen has to say about Twitter and this major statistic. Twitter considered the new kid on the social media block is now not just a fad, but a powerful social networking site which could prove to be costly if left out of your social media marketing.

As marketers using Social Media sites in particular, building a following of prospects is very crucial to marketing success.

Creating a “natural” tribe, versus a fabricated one, is possible. How?

Join Kristen Darkenwald as she shares a simple and effective strategy to build an audience on social media.