By Virginia Mburu
A huge following.....
Of raving fans....That is what
every passionate entrepreneur yearns and prays for. The very same thing Mwakazi, the
Passionate Entrepreneur and owner; Makao Interior Designers is praying for-
earnestly. But the prayers do not seem to be working.....
In his locality, a few
businesses have been growing huge numbers of raving fans and Funguo Property Developers
came into mind. The owner happened to be
one of his college mates- Kizito Stua. Mwakazi sets up a meeting with Mr. Kizito
the following week believing that he could find some practical tips that could
set him gaining a huge following......
In the meantime, he attends the Interior Designers Association monthly
meeting and is pleasantly surprised that one of the topics in discussion was spot
on- The keys to a maximizing following. This speaker based his teaching on a
case study from Matthew 4 and he touched on 8 keys as under;
Key 1.....The wilderness is your friend
Matthew chapter 4 verse 1.....”Then
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”
You already know what solution
your prospects want. Now it is time settle in and test the concepts – Is it the
right solution for your market, what doubts exists about its efficacy and how
do you counter them? How do you ensure that your solution develops a long term
relationship with the customer? While going through this process, don’t be surprised
if it feels like taking a walk in the wilderness!
Key
2....Launch Timing is key
Verse 12....”When
Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee”.
Before you launch your product/service, scan the environment to
determine the best time to release your solution. Have you ever noted how quickly street
vendors suddenly appear on the streets selling umbrellas when it rains or with
ice cream/cold water when it’s hot? When John was put in prison, it was time for Jesus
to launch in Galilee......
Key 3.....Start in Nazareth
Verse 13.... “Leaving Nazareth,....”
Now
that you have a ready solution for your prospects, start promoting your
solution to your family, friends, neighborhood etc. Jesus first went preaching
in his hometown, Nazareth before spreading his wings to other areas.
Key
4..... Identify your Capernaum
Verse 13
continued....”....he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake
in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—“
Your
hometown may not be
profitable enough or you may simply want to expand reach. Now it is
time to identify a home for your
business-an easy to reach, high customer and revenue potential market
location. Jesus moved from Nazareth to set base in Capernaum
which was a larger town conveniently located by the sea.
Key
5....Define your message
Verse
17.... “From
that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is
near."
What message do you want to
pass to your prospects? Is it clear? Dose it rhyme with the current needs of
the respective prospects?
What is your customer's need? The need for an umbrella to a lady who has just
emerged from a salon is distinctly different from the one carrying an
infant! The message Jesus preached was
very clear "Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is near."
Key
6....Set your system
Verse 18-22..... “As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two
brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the
sea (for they were fishermen). 19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn
you into fishers of people.” 20 They left their nets immediately and followed
him. 21 Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee
and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.
Then he called them. 22 They immediately left the boat and their father and
followed him.”
As your market expands, so will
your need to have an efficient and effective support system. You will need to
acquire the right skills, develop the right processes and requisition the relevant
technology. When hiring, what professional and academic skills are key? Most
importantly what personal traits do you desire given the nature of your
business?
Like Jesus, would you need
some passionate, hardworking career fishermen who would endure being wet and
cold while watching, waiting, toiling in stormy waters to catch slippery fish?
They would be working in similar conditions while fishing humans! He also knew that he would later have to preach his
message across the Sea of Galilee sooner than later and these fishermen were
experienced boat handlers.
key 7....Prove that your solution works
key 7....Prove that your solution works
Verse 23..... “Jesus went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and
sickness among the people.”
How can you demonstrate the
efficacy of your solution to the relevant prospects? How do they get to Know-
Like-Trust you? Jesus went teaching,
preaching and healing throughout all Galilee.
Take a good look at the solution you are
offering. What can you teach your prospects that relates to your solution? What
relevant cause can you adopt and then passionately preach about it? What problems
can you alleviate (heal)?
Key 8....Go viral
Verse 24..... “So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him
all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, epileptics,
paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them. 25 And large
crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond
the Jordan River.”
Develop a huge word of mouth (WOM) offline
and online system to spread the word throughout your defined market area. And the testimonials were truly effective! We
are told that “a report about him spread throughout Syria”.
Jesus had started his ministry in the
nondescript town of Nazareth but now his fame had spread to the whole region. Whereas
Jesus first went out teaching, preaching and healing, now it is the people who
were seeking him out! He was now a celebrity with a
huge following to boot!
Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur
- What are you doing to get the customers following you?
- Which other tips do you think Mwakazi added on to the above list after meeting Mr. Kizito the following week?
Share your experiences,
suggestions or questions in the comments section below. Who knows- You could
probably be the next ‘celeb’ in this forum!
Whatever you do, make sure it results
in less work, more money and positive impact.
Update
Virginia Mburu
Passionate Entrepreneurs
Coach
Virginia empowers and
motivates Passionate Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She
then assists the entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management and
marketing strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make
more money and positively impact within one year. Access some of her gifts- absolutely free lessons here
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