Have you ever met a person who is always ready for the best opportunities in life? They seem to always find good deals for everything and seem to have the golden touch. Well, the truth is, finding and recognizing new opportunities for your business is a skill that you can develop over time.
- Let the World Know About Your Business – First, you must let the universe and the people you know realize that you are open to new opportunities in the expertise you have. Tell people what you want and what you would like, and people will start sending you information before you know it. Consider adding the information to your email signature and change your Facebook personal or business page to reflect the new information.
- Get Comfortable with Discomfort – Think about the things you’ve learned to do in your life that at first were hard. They felt odd. Your body did not feel right making that move to hit that golf ball or to stand in front of people and give a talk. Everything you do that’s worthwhile will make you uncomfortable until you learn how to do it or get through it. That’s normal. So it might feel uncomfortable to launch a new product. But doing the research and knowing your audience makes it much easier. When you find new opportunities for your business, it's important to give them a chance to see if they will lead to more value for your customers.
- Promote Your Knowledge and Expertise – When you want opportunities, it’s a good idea to promote your knowledge and expertise so that you get the attention of others. This will help boost your brand authority and help people trust you more. Letting people know what you can do or the value of your product happens over time as you build your brand equity. You can do this through email marketing or social media connections.
- Keep Records of Your Brand Awards – Keeping a record of your brand’s awards and accomplishments ensures that you can not only help other people notice your strengths, but you can also help your customers become stronger in their confidence with your brand. When you win an award, it says a lot about your brand, and customers see your value. Even when you get a testimonial – which is like an award for your business – prominently display it on your website or in a newsletter. Don’t be shy!
- Give Other People Recognition – If you want other people to think about you, then you need to think about them too. Give them recognition for a good job done or anything that you noticed. They may do the same for you someday. If you have a customer story about how your brand has served them or made their life better, it’s a great way to talk about your brand without being too salesy. When you hear the recognition and testimonials for your brand, it helps you to see more ways that you can find new opportunities for your business.
- Identify Ways You Can Improve – Perform a SWOT analysis on your brand. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is a great way to find out where you can improve in some areas of your business and also see the bigger picture of the competition. This will very likely spark some ideas about what you can do that is new and innovative. Other ways to find new opportunities for your business, try to think outside of your normal competitors, and see related products as an opportunity to connect or work together and make a great connection.
- Find a Mentor – When you know what your goals are and how you see yourself in the future, it can help you get there if you can find someone who has achieved success and can act as a mentor for you. Mentors can be great for different parts of your business at different times, it’s not a one size fits all. You might have a financial mentor and a sales mentor and more. Each area of your business can benefit from some outside help every now and then. Mentors can often see opportunities that you might miss because you don’t have the same frame of reference.
- Do Your Research – Whenever you want to take advantage of anything, it’s best that you do your due diligence and learn everything you can about the issue. That way, you can make choices based on knowledge and not just assumptions. Always remember that you don’t know what you don’t know. Talk to customers and potential buyers about things they might be interested in from your brand. How do they see your brand? Consider joining relevant Facebook groups with your customers to learn their issues and the language they use to talk about their struggles.
- Make and Keep Contacts – Throughout your life, you’re going to encounter a variety of people. Ensure that you value those contacts by staying in their memory. And that way, when the right thing comes along, you’ll know who to call. Put them into a CRM with notes about what they do and what they are knowledgeable about. When you find something that might interest them in their area, send it to them – either by email or snail mail. It keeps you top of mind and fosters that connection.
New opportunities are going to come your way every single day if you know what you want and understand how to study the ramifications of your choices. Be ready to take a chance even when it’s uncomfortable and seems risky. The only way to succeed is to let yourself feel a little uncomfortable as you grow with each new opportunity.
One thing that might feel like a risk as a brand is launching your business and brand on Amazon. It also sounds like a lot of work. But it doesn’t have to be. You can find excellent partners to help you every step of the way and make your business even more profitable by making wise choices. Try a few of these ideas out and let me know what you think.