The 1 to 10 of Creating a Successful Business

The 10 success factors you need to put in place to build a successful business.

No 1 Your USP. The key to effective marketing is identifying your “unique selling proposition” (USP). Unless you can pinpoint what makes your business unique in a world of look-alike competitors, you cannot target your sales efforts successfully. (From Entrepreneur Europe, edited)

No 2 ‘Split testing’ where two marketing versions (A and B) are compared. They are identical except for one variation that might influence a customer’s response. Version A is the currently used version (control), while version B is modified in some respect providing an insight into customer behaviour by testing changes in text, layout, images, colours, etc. (From Wikipedia, edited)

No 3 Apply the Rule of 3 in Marketing.

No 4 A simple rule for task prioritisation – the four ‘D’s.
Do It! Delay It! Delegate It! Dump It!

No 5 The number of days in the working week. How well do you manage your time? Or does time manage you? Are you as productive as you should be? Do you have a disciplined schedule for your activities?

No 6 Marketing – how much effort have you invested in understanding the 6 elements – Price, Place, Promotion, Product, Competition and Customers?

No 7 Understand the 7 things your employees need most. Paying highr salaries is not a motivator!

No 8 The 8 attributes to becoming a successful entrepreneur
Astute market knowledge
Courageous, takes calculated risks
An excellent communicator
Determined and resilient
Expertise in marketing (See No 6!)
Decisive
Have patience
An innovator not a follower

No 9 The milestones to be achieved
Clearly defined objectives
Robust financial results
High quality standards
A positive reputation
A defined market
Growing market share
Excellent customer relations
Satisfied employees
Investment in your team

No 10 Implement a proven strategy to ensure success with Change Management.