... continued from Cover Which kind of customer wants specifically what you’re offering? If you’re in the process of starting a business, chances are you already have an idea of what your unique skills and talents are. After all, they’re unique enough that you thought to put yourself out there and try to make a living with them!
How can I create a brand that my customers will want to tell others about? At this point, you have to be unafraid of changing things up. Have it in mind to constantly evolve your business, and keep your customers’ potentially shifting goals and values in mind. When you can show your customers that you’re learning and growing alongside them, you’ll earn a loyalty that keeps them coming back for more. And the more they keep coming back to your business, the more opportunities they’ll have to talk about it with their friends and family, encouraging them to check out what you have to offer too! So, while there are plenty of businesses and entrepreneurs out there trying to get a slice of the market, know that you can set yourself apart, not from shouting louder than your competitors to get their customers, but by harnessing your unique skill set to get the right customers for you.
However, you should keep in mind: Where there is a specific skill set, there is someone who needs that skill set — a specific customer that you should keep in mind. When you focus on that customer, you optimize what you’re good at for them, rather than trying to suit the needs of multiple hypothetical customers. How can I translate my customers’ unique values into tangible touchpoints at my business? Knowing your customers’ values is the first step toward creating a space where they’re happy and comfortable. So, you should find out what those values are. Then, as you continually create and update your systems and processes, keep those values in mind and let them guide your decisions on business culture. Whether your business is all online, or in a brick-and-mortar location, showing your customers that you abide by their values will keep them coming back.
HOW READING FICTION CAN BENEFIT YOU Self-Help Books Can’t Do It All
Many CEOs and other successful individuals continually espouse the benefits of regular reading. Many times, leaders read self-help books to improve their leadership skills and become more successful. This is all well and good, but even the most successful people in the world could be missing out on the unique benefits that come specifically from reading fiction. But what are those benefits exactly? Greater Empathy When a psychologist analyzed 86 functioning MRI (fMRI) studies, he found that the same parts of the brain that fire up when reading fictional stories also fire up when we’re seeking to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. That’s because when the characters in the book we’re reading are thinking or feeling a certain way, we tend to think or feel that way with them.
ourselves out and negatively affect other areas of our lives. Stress tends to keep us from sound sleep, but reading fiction before bed engages the imagination, taking us away from the stresses of everyday life before we drift off. More Comfort With Uncertainty Even though many stories (particularly those portrayed in popular movies) have nice happy endings, most people would agree that life sometimes leaves things a little more open-ended. While this fact might stress out some people, researchers have discovered that fiction readers don’t need “cognitive closure” as much as nonfiction readers.
Greater Happiness
Even if none of the benefits of fiction interest you, everyone wants to find ways to make themselves happy — and for many, that
Less Stress and Better Sleep When we read fiction specifically, we tend to disengage from the world — and that’s a good thing! Our brains can’t always be functioning at their peak capacity. We need breaks, or else we’ll stress
is reading fiction. According to one survey, 76% of participants said that reading makes them feel good and improves their lives. So, what are
you waiting for? Dust off that novel you’ve been meaning to read and crack it open!
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