"I proceed with a courageous and honest analysis of the situation. Then I determine what the worst consequences of my failure could be. After imagining the most disastrous consequences that could result, I resign myself to accept them in case it becomes necessary. From that moment on, I concentrate all my time and energy to looking for ways that could alleviate the consequences which, mentally, I have already accepted". Dale Carnegie, American orator
Problems: You either love 'em or hate 'em. For some they represent a challenge, something from which to learn. For others problems are the beginning of the end, a reason to 'down tools' for the day. This is what distinguishes winners from losers, business successes from failures.
Positive thinkers act in a similar way to Carnegie, namely recognising that a problem exists, understanding the possible consequences, anticipating the worst possible scenario, and formulating their objectives on this.
Recognising That a Problem Exists
All problems share one characteristic. All are deviations from the norm. For example, where your average/anticipated sales during a given period are ?200, you have a potential problem where actual sales are significantly less.
All successful businesses set standards. The first step towards solving problems presupposes that you have determined measurable standards against which to measure progress and performance. From this, you periodically compare actual against projected performance. This is best achieved as a team exercise, including management and staff, as appropriate.
Analysing the Problem: Defining its Scope
Here you are locating and determining the extent of your problem, deciding whether it has short-term or long-term consequences. A well-defined problem is almost solved and frequently the solution is obvious. A useful tip is to draw up a 'Problem Analysis Worksheet', including vertical columns where aspects of the problem can be recorded: what the problem is, who was responsible for it, when it occurred, what its consequences might be, what the ideal situation would be (your objectives), how serious the problem is, and so on. Having considered all aspects of the problem, as a team, the group then lists possible solutions.
Focus on Objectives: Classify these as 'Essential' or 'Desirable'
Your objectives are results you want to achieve, your ideal situation. These should be listed as 'essential' or 'desirable'.
Compare Suggested Solutions against Objectives
Again, preferably as a team, all solutions are considered in terms of how successful they might be at achieving your objectives, primarily 'essentials'.
Choose a Tentative Solution from Your List
One potential solution will usually reveal itself as most suitable for achieving your objectives. This is the one you should initiate in the first instance.
Put the Solution into Practice and Monitor the Consequences
Once initiated, the consequences must be monitored and adverse occurrences identified and controlled. Some changes might be necessary, especially for unexpected events. Alternatively, and only as a last resort, you may find you have to choose another from your list of possible solutions. Whatever happens, you will almost certainly have your problem under control, maybe not solved, but manageable.
Alternative Problem-Solving
An extremely useful tip from the late Joe Karbo, American motivational writer and entrepreneur, is to delegate the problem. To your computer! Not the Amstrad, Apple or Atari; this computer is far more complex, infinitely more powerful. The computer Karbo and others like him refer to is your unconscious computer - your mind!
According to many psychologists and motivational gurus, we use only a tiny proportion of our U/Cs. Programming the U/C to solve your problem is easy, all you have to do is ask. This is what you do:
Write the problem down at the top of a clean sheet of paper. Section the remainder of the page into two vertical columns.
Try to solve the problem yourself. On the left-hand side, write down all possible ways to solve your problem. Include reasons. On the other side, list the potential drawbacks of each considered solution.
Ask your U/C to choose the best solution from those listed or to come up with another. This might sound silly, but believe me it isn't. Karbo tells readers to think of your U/C as 'another person, an employee or assistant'. We must tell that other person 'I want the answer to this problem by tomorrow morning ... or four o'clock this afternoon'. Then you just forget it, go to sleep or turn to doing something else.
Surely enough, just as that name you've struggled to remember will suddenly come to you long after you've given up trying, your U/C will provide the answer you need. Try it, it works.
A very good way to find out what people consider a problem is to visit the online forums. People talk about anything and everything online. They discuss subjects that they wouldn't talk about with their best friends for the simple reason that they can remain anonymous. They look for solutions online for the very same reason. By visiting forums and taking note of what people are most concerned about you can search the Internet for products and services that will help them solve those problems. Gather the information about the topic. Write or have written for you articles about the topic. In this way you can find a topic and build a content-rich website for niche marketing that helps with the problem you have identified and that will serve the needs of people.
Go to the bookshops in your local area and take note of the kinds of non-fiction books that are stocked. You should pay attention to those products concerened with self-help or how-to books. Make it your business to find out which products are selling the most. Ask the stock keeper. He's the one who knows what is being restocked most often. That failing, ask a floor salesperson the same question. Asking the bookstore owner or manager is the last option. They are more likely to be pushing the books that aren't selling well in order to make a sale. Learn by whatever means you can which self-help or how-to books are the hottest sellers.
Once you have chosen a product or service to market, researching to find the right niche for your product or service is the next most important part of beginning a niche marketing program. Find out what makes people tick from a personal point of view, and the best way to do that is to find out which forums they visit online. There is lots of help out there to help you with your potential niche market. It is easy to find niche marketing software.
Why Niche Marketing is the Way to Go in Succeeding Online
Niche marketing must be designed to meet the unique needs of the targeted audience. Niche marketers must tailor their product to meet those unique needs. If, for example, you have designed a product to make poodle grooming easy enough for the untrained professional to do it, those who own poodles will be most interested in your product. Those who own Blood Hounds or cats couldn't care less. If you have written an e-book that will explain how to start and succeed at an online business, those who are looking for that information are your niche market. Those who are happy doing what they are doing are not interested at all.
When you have an idea and have done the research that has proven that there is a market for your informational product, the rest is just a matter of creating the product, building a great website and advertising it.
Niche marketing is not about trying to compete. Competition is taken out of the equation when you do niche marketing. You aren't out there in the world lined up beside or behind a million other people who are selling the same thing you are selling. You are selling to a specific audience that you have created for yourself with your website or through your opt-in email list.
The trick to making money from a content rich niche marketing website is to have a topic that helps people solve their problems, makes them feel better or look better, or supplies them with information that they need. You will need to have related products and services advertised on your site since that is where the income actually comes from. The website content is what makes people visit your site again and again. The more content rich it is will determine how often they visit and how long they stay. The longer they stay the more opportunities you have to sell to them.
Some things you will need to sell hot niche products?
The Overture Search Tool is a wonder to behold. There are so many tools and so much help available at the site that when you visit you will be asking why nobody has told you about this before now. The costs are small and the services are large and extremely helpful to Internet entrepreneurs. It is free to join the site and there are so many ways for you to help yourself. You can locate the best keywords for your business and you can find out what the top bid is on the best key words, then you have the opportunity to place a higher bid.
There are a couple of differences to take note of, however. The free service gives you access to the STST. The way that overture will make a profit here, since the service is free, is by selling you the best key words. There's nothing wrong with that...everybody has to make a profit to stay in business. The Keyword tool on Google gives a complete different set of Keywords. The keywords are free, so you must do some research to find which free list is more accurate.
Here are some other keyword search tools which are also very helpful: www.nichebot.com - www.dapper.net - www.buzz.yahoo.com - www.shopping.com/top_searches
What Niche Marketing aims to do.
Niche marketing at its best helps to solve real problems that real people live with everyday. If you can come up with a product or service to promote in a niche market that will help people solve their problems, then you will have a money making niche market website and can quickly build a long list of potential customers.
Basically, find a specific problem that people have....any kind of problem.....then find a "unique way" to help those people solve that problem. If you can do that, then you have a winner and a long term internet business which should make you money for a long time to come.
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Both Adrian Kennelly & Tony Cordingley are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Adrian Kennelly has sinced written about articles on various topics from Tourist Attractions, Debts Loans and Poetry. (c)2005 eGDC LtdAdrian Kennelly is the webmaster of DirectoryGold Web Directory & Por. Adrian Kennelly's top article generates over 4400 views. Bookmark Adrian Kennelly to your Favourites.
Tony Cordingley has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Politics and Internet Marketing. The freedom of expression and marketing opportunities which the internet provides has yet to be fully appreciated. The power that the internet gives to ordinary people for social and business opportunities is awe-inspiring. Tony Cordingley.. Tony Cordingley's top article generates over 4400 views. Bookmark Tony Cordingley to your Favourites.