Your friend has decided to take the big plunge and start their own business. They are excited and keen and you are willing to support them but how? Here are some good ways to support and help your friend grow their business to the next level.
Be encouraging
There will be a lot of naysayers who will try to stop your friend from succeeding. By encouraging your friend and assisting them to make business decisions, should they ask, you will help them to remain motivated in their venture.
Do not ask for a discount or friend’s prices
Your friend is running a business and like any other business to be successful they need to make a profit. It is important for you to be willing to pay the full price for a service or product. Let them offer the discount, but do not go into the transaction expecting one.
Network
Find out who your friend’s ideal customer would be. Then look within your circle of influence and if you have someone who matches the criteria you could introduce them to each other. Word-of-mouth is one of the best marketing tools a business can have. By sharing and commenting on your friend’s business posts, you will be able to help them access potential customers they would otherwise not be able to access. Furthermore, you can offer to hand out business cards to prospective customers should you come across them.
Keep recommendations and comparisons to a minimum
Be careful when you share your advice with your friend who is in business. They may not always appreciate. It is good to show them what is out there but it can also come across as though you are undermine what they are doing. Therefore, it is important to make sure when you show your friend what others in their market are doing you do it with tact.
On the other hand, you have decided to go into business and some of your friends are not as enthusiastic as you about the adventure. That is ok. You should not expect that all your friends will want to become automatic customers of your brand. Here are some things to keep in mind if your friends don’t support your brand.
- Do not take it personally. It is important to remember that this is not a personal attack on your character or being. Some friends may just not be interested in your offering and therefore not want to promote it. They may also be busy with their life and not be able to promote your business.
- They do not like your product and are afraid to tell you. Some friends may value your friendship and do not want to upset you by telling you that they do not like your product or service. It is important to speak to your friends who are not interested in your product and find out why they do not want to promote your service. They may have the same issues that your potential clients have.
- If your friend is really not supportive of you then it is time to move on. Make new friends who understand what you going through with your new business. Attend monthly start-up meetings and build new friendships. By having friends who share your values you will be able to grow your business to the next level.
It is important to remember that when you become a customer of your friend, you are supporting their business which supports their family, their lifestyle and their dream. And to support their business you need to treat them like any other business which you interact with.
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