how do you make it a success?

又該如何成功？

Welcome to The Knowledge -- a series of helpful videos offering free advice from business

歡迎收看 The Knowledge -- 一系列實用的影片

people who've been there...and done it.

免費提供成功商業人士的建議

Marketing your business is one of the hardest mysteries to untangle -- here to shed some

經營事業是最難解的謎題之一 -- 我們請到三個人來分享經驗

light is small business operator Bonnie Tuttle; Master Painters Association CEO, Mark Amos;

分別是小型企業經營者 Bonnie Tuttle ；Master Painters Association 的執行長 Mark Amos

and entrepreneur Troy Trewin.

以及企業家 Troy Trewin

Your business is ready to go...but how important is it to know your customers?

你的事業已經準備起飛 … 但了解你的客戶到底有多重要？

Bonnie: It's imperative to know your customers. Without your customers you don't have a business.

Bonnie： 了解你的客戶是首要條件，沒有客戶就沒有事業

Mark: Try and spend a little bit of time finding out a little bit out about who your potential

Mark：在你實際報價之前，試著花一點時間去了解你的

customer is going to be before you actually do the quote.

潛在客戶的狀況

Troy: If you don't know your customers and what they like, and even them personally,

Troy：如果你不了解你的客戶的喜好與需求

their experience won't be the best that it can be.

他們不會得到最好的使用體驗

So how do you find out what your customers want?

你們是如何發現客戶的需求？

Bonnie: You need to ask. Always ask. Ask. Ask. Ask.

Bonnie： 你必須問，總是不斷地問

Troy: You can ask them in several forms. Informally, in conversation or you can send out, for example,

Troy： 你可以用不同形式詢問他們，像在非正式的交談中詢問，或是送出

online surveys.

線上問卷詢問

Why would a customer choose your business over a competitor?

為什麼客戶會選擇你，而不是競爭對象

Bonnie: We're a local business and we promote that as one of our differentiators. People

Bonnie： 我們是當地企業，主打與眾不同的特點

like that and they've told us that they prefer to hire someone who's local and not part of

我們受到客戶的喜愛，客戶也表示他們更偏好當地企業而非

a franchise.

連鎖集團

Mark: Providing quality work and quality service.

Mark： 提供高品質的產品與服務

Troy: ...and having a really strong customer service ethic and policy, responding quickly,

Troy： 以及擁有完善的客服準則與規範，回應快速

builds up that momentum with that, with your customers.

與你的客戶一起建立這些要素

And how well do you understand the journey a customer takes?

你對客戶的發展歷程有多了解？

Bonnie: As we do talk to our customers along the way

Bonnie： 我們在過程中與客戶交流

Troy: Going in to a new business or a new market, what we will do is study the competitors,

Troy： 投入新事業或新市場，我們做的第一件事當然就是觀察競爭對象

of course, and look at the products and what's out there. So we actually step through the

看看他們的產品有什麼特色，我們實際上就是在經歷

process of being one of their customers and understanding that first.

當他們客戶的過程，並且先了解

There are so many media options available...so how do you choose what best suits your marketing needs?

現在有許多可用的行銷媒體…你們如何選擇最適合自己需求的方案

Bonnie: We're quite informal so we can do a lot of face-to-face networking, hanging

Bonnie：我們的做法很隨意，我們可以做很多面對面交際、在燒烤聚會

out at barbeques, going and meeting people at school events.

閒逛、參與學校活動並認識大家

Mark: Actually identify what your market is and then advertise to that market.

Mark：事實上是確認你的市場性質，並對你的市場打廣告

Troy: Swot up on marketing, read some great marketing books, talk to other entrepreneurs,

Troy 在行銷上做足功課，閱讀一些很棒的行銷書籍，與其他企業家交談

talk to your mentor, maybe get a marketing mentor because marketing is such an important

與你的顧問交談，或是找一個行銷顧問，因為行銷是對企業相當重要

part of your business. Get a marketing mentor and ask them what sort of mediums you can

的一部分。問行銷顧問可以使用哪種

be using to get your customers to come in.

媒體來吸引你的顧客上門