Sales and marketing

In this paragraph in the business plan you are supposed to describe how
you will get in contact with the customers you have identified.
Experience shows that the most difficult thing about starting a business is
to find a sufficient amount of customers. Customers who want to buy your
product or service.

It can be difficult to get the right stamps from the authority, raise enough
money to get started, find out how to make proper accounts, make
prototypes, hire staff and calculate the tax. But if the customers were
waiting in line outside your business wanting to buy your product most of
the problems would disappear.
The administrative problems would not disappear, but you would because
of the good sale have earned sufficiently money to hire people to do he
administrative work for you.

If you have no customer you have no income. So make sure to have focus
on sales and marketing when starting a business.

There are a lot of ways you can make yourself visible for your potential
customers. Pick the ones which are most suitable for your company.

Family network
Maybe your father, uncle or cousin can open doors for you. It is very helpful
if a relative forehand have introduced you to potential customer in advance.
The customer will listen more carefully to your offer if he knows someone in
your family. Probably because he thinks that you are not likely to cheat him.
Do not misuse this trust.

Network
Search your mind for all the persons you have met in your life. Have you
been a good friend or colleague to the ones you knew and to the ones you
know today? If you have, they will be good ambassadors for you and your
business.
Search your mind for old school friends, study friends from college and
University, colleagues from former workplaces, buddies from football or
cricket, roommates from your study year abroad and maybe relatives you
only met once to a wedding.

Send them an e-mail or a personal letter saying that you have now opened
your own business. If they can find ways to help your business grow they
will normally do so. Because they like you as a person.


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