Part of what we, entrepreneurs, are thinking every single day is how to make our startup business stand out from competition. You might feel disappointed and skeptical after months or years of trying, but the game continues.

An article from the Wall Street Journal mentions that the younger entrepreneurs are facing bigger challenges ahead. Standing out from the crowd is cited as one of the 5 important strategies to increase the odds of success when pitching to investors. Here are some practical tips to help you shine above the rest:

Patience

Before you learn any strategies and tactics connected with this area, you should try patience. There are no shortcuts in building your company identity and it will definitely take some time before you can earn the respect of your customers

Establish Contacts with Your Community

You should get in touch with different organizations related to your business to promote your business to your prospects. Business consultants, for instance, should network with the members of local chambers of commerce, business clubs, and professional groups. Be active in looking for speaking opportunities to promote your company.

Pre-Sell Your Business

You should ask your customers to sign up to your newsletters. Then, start offering free articles that do not promote your products or services. (Or at least not a hard-sell.) The objective here is to create an impression that you are an expert in your field and they should trust you. With the right content, you will have higher chances of closing a deal. Don’t imitate other businesses that use newsletters as their advertising billboard.

Via YoungEntrepreneur

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 1:00 pm and is filed under branding, marketing, promotion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.