Checklist for success

With the right attitude, a little common sense and a whole lot of hard work, you can do anything—including achieving extraordinary success with your business.
Here is the Adams Jette Marketing + Communications 10-point Checklist for Success.

1. Be ethical and well meaning. Anything else may provide short-term success but will be guaranteed to deliver long-term disaster.
2. Know your business. You have to be educating yourself constantly. Strive to become an unparalleled resource in your line of work.
3. Know what you’re selling. Remember, the client is not necessarily buying what you are selling. You may be selling a beautiful car with leather seats, 350 horsepower and every gadget currently technically possible. But those are just features. What the buyer wants is something that will make him look good and feel great.
4. Offer value. In his book The New Client: How Customers Shape Business in the Information Age, author Paul Hoffert states that “making a profit is frequently a matter of differentiating a product from those of a competitor so that clients cannot compare them based on price alone.” Offer more than just good products and services. Offer value. And then charge for it.
5. Sell constantly. Always be on the lookout for opportunities. Tell people—everyone you meet—what you do. Work it into the conversation tactfully. You are an interesting person with interesting ideas. People will want to know more. But be careful—don’t be a boor.
6. Show confidence. Just having confidence isn’t enough. Show it. Not in some show-off kind of way. But in a purposeful, focused, non-alienating kind of way. That will inspire confidence in others.
7. Understand that image is reality. Like it or not, what people see is what they believe to be the truth. This is not just about dressing for success. This is about presenting the best possible you. Invest in professional design for your business cards, letterhead and website. Hire a professional to design your offices. Get a pro to record your voice-mail greeting.
8. Learn to manage your workload. There are four categories of work. Things you like and are good at. Things you don’t like but are good at. Things you like but aren’t good at and things you neither like nor are good at. Do everything that falls into the first category. Avoid—or at least delegate—everything else.
9. Show your appreciation. Don’t forget to say thank you.
10. CAUTION! When you start to taste real success, don’t allow yourself to chase the money. Continue to provide real value. And don’t ease up on the selling. Remember to do it constantly.