You meet a potential client at the store or at a networking event and they ask you: “What do you do for a living?” What’s your response? Are you ready to fire up your best “elevator speech”? Can you remember your elevator speech? There is a lot of marketing material that needs to be developed when you are an entrepreneur. An elevator speech is one of them, a tag line is another but how do you develop this material? You start by developing your very first marketing piece: your mission statement. And no, a mission statement is not obsolete in today’s social media world.
Your mission statement allows you to clarify your purpose as a business to your employees, your potential clients and even to yourself – since we sometimes lose track of why we started it all. It is a perfect piece to insert in your profile on facebook or linked in. A mission is a short and concise declaration of what your business offers, it is your “raison d’être”. Although it no longer requires being just one sentence, still, it should not be too lengthy. The best mission statement will be to the point and inspiring to you, your employees and your clients.
Your mission statement is the second most important step in developing your business. The first is your vision. You need to know where you are going with your business to be able to get there. Why have a mission if you have a vision? Think of your business as a trip, without a mission you are navigating to a beautiful destination where you may know the location of your destination but you’re not quite clear on where you presently are in the middle of the ocean – which makes it difficult for you to navigate and tell your coordinates to those who need it. You need two points of reference to succeed – a beginning and an end - where you presently are and where you are aiming to be.
Your potential clients can only know what you tell them, so if you are not clear on who you are and what your purpose is then neither are your potential clients.
A great mission statement will convey the essence of who you really are. Start by asking yourself the following questions and then develop a sentence that will best embody your answers.
• What do you do?
• Who are your clients? Who are not your target clients?
• Why are you in this business? Why is it important to you? This question will keep you motivated when the going gets tough and if the reason is honourable, share it with your client – it may just be the marketing hook that you need.
• How are you helping your clients? How do you provide your services?
• Where are you offering these services?
Make sure to review these questions periodically. Your answers may change along your journey therefore, your marketing material will need to change too – make sure to update it when needed.
Here is what I do: I help you maximize the success of your business and your personal life. I am a professional coach who offers public speaking, one-on-one coaching and seminars. Feel free to contact me – I’ll help you, that’s what I do.
Gaby Da Silva Coaching
www.gabydasilvacoaching.com
450-458-4341
I can tell you from personal experience that having a vision and mission is critical to the success of an organization... and on an individual basis as well. Without a solid mission/vision, all you can do is be reactive - put out the "fire of the day" or handle the "crisis of the week". I'm a strong believer in a structured approach at attaining a goal. Doesn't mean it's easy though - up-to-date knowledge, support and direction go a long way.
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