The 20 things entrepreneurs have to do to succeed in business and taste real success.

What makes a successful entrepreneur compared to those that fail? The 20 things entrepreneurs have to do to succeed in business and taste real success.

When we partner a new Internet entrepreneur, we are investing in and providing all the Internet related services required to maintain and develop the online side of the business. This obviously releases much needed capital back into the business as well as freeing the Principal from the time and worry of looking after this side of the business.

Whilst we want you to concentrate on developing sales, you also need to keep an eye on a multitude of other aspect related to the business. Remember, you have to be able to multi-task in order to make the new business a success.

You are not just an entrepreneur you are also a business person with numerous responsibilities.

• We are not in business to make money. We are in business for profit and there is a huge difference. Cash flow is the lifeblood of any new business. Your new business will survive only as long as it has the money to pay for your financial commitments. Cash flow should control every business decision and it is only way to manage the business in the early days. Most new businesses don not fail as a result of under capitalisation, but because they fail to manage the under capitalised business.
  
• Concentrate on making sales. You should hit the ground running with sales either in your bag from day one or a diary full of appointments and enough prospective clients to last you the first six months. Planning is imperative to succeeding in sales. Making sales is the easiest solution to cash flow problems.
  
• Be prepared to work a 16 hour day, at least in the early months and years. The first eight hours are going to be spent concentrating on survival. The next eight hours are going to be your investment in success. Never let any task, no matter how important or urgent get in the way of making sales.
  
• Never give in. There will be days when you may feel you cannot face making another sales call. Successful entrepreneurs never put off the things they have to do, no matter how distasteful. It is there ability to persist and endure that makes them successful. The day you decide to do your accounts instead of making sales is the day you decided to close your business. Your accounts can be done when your clients are asleep.
  
• Prospecting and networking are the lifeblood of all start up businesses. This is an ongoing process. As you use up your prospects you should be replacing them. If you wake up one day with no one to call, your business has just started on the downward trail. Join business clubs, socialise with the right people and never miss an opportunity to do business.
  
• Keep us informed at all times. We will normally have the solution to a problem, know the answer to a difficult question or be able to point you in the right direction. Problems are easier solved when tackled early, obstacles removed when advance warning is given and advice more useful before an event happens. Remember, we are partners with a vested interest in your success. We are here to help.
  
• Set high but realistic targets, by the day, week, month, quarter etc. Keep records and know how many people you have to contact to make an appointment, how many appointments you need to make a sale and constantly monitor your performance. Analyse where you make mistakes and why you got the sale and constantly look at ways of improving.
  
• People buy people first, so presentation and personalities are paramount. Your first approach is the only time you will have the chance to make a first impression. Practice your presentation until you can do it in your sleep. It is only when your sales pitch is word perfect that you will sound confident and have the confidence to adlib, detract from your script and be able to pick up from where you left off.
  
• People buy benefits not features. 80% of the sales process is about listening not talking. Ask questions, establish your clients' needs and provide the solutions. All the time your prospective client is talking they will feel more relaxed. During the conversation, your client will highlight the problems they face. Listen and remember these problems so that you can sell the benefits and provide solutions to your client's problems.
  
• Recognise when a prospective client is a china egg that is not going to hatch. Learn to recognise the difference between a prospective client and someone who has no intention of buying or just can't say no. A no is far better than a maybe, because it allows you to move on to the next potential client.
  
• Allow us to handle all the Internet processes and concentrate on your strengths and improving your sales skills. With a full blown IT, marketing and PR team working with you, you can expect sales enquiries to steadily increase.
  
• From the moment we are born and take our first breath, it is our natural instinct to survive. Entrepreneurs are natural survivors, they fight for every extra breath of air and focus on the positives. Perhaps we are all overly optimistic but this is far better than being a pessimist and focusing on the negatives. Always avoid negative people, they are always non-achievers.
  
• Think big whilst remaining small in the early days of launching the business. If you don't need to rent offices or premises where a spare bedroom or garage will suffice, then keep your overheads low.

Business is sexy and exciting when it is a success and making money. It can destroy both mentally and physically when it goes wrong. No one is good at everything, don't try and be all things to all people, play to your strengths, accept your weaknesses and areas where you lack the skills.

Our job as your Internet business partners is to fill in the skill and experience gaps to ensure your new business venture has the best possible chance to succeed.