My #1 Prediction for 2012: The New Business Model

This is My FINAL prediction for 2012 – and it’s POWERFUL!

Of course I will continue to pump out solid, helpful, actionable content for you throughout the coming year, but this Powerful concept should be central to your entrepreneurial and business endeavors.

The reason this prediction is so powerful is because it encompasses all of the other predictions and then some.

I mentioned that this is the second element I wanted to get across to you from the two companies I’ve mentioned in the last couple of predictions, Nutrisystems and P90X.

If you can MASTER this one, your 2012 and Beyond will be SUPER BRIGHT!!!

Ok, let’s get to my final prediction…

2012 will be the year
“COMMUNITY BECOMES THE NEW BUSINESS MODEL”

Did I hear someone say, “what you talking about Willis…I mean Brother Bedford?”

If you are able to build a ‘COMMUNITY’ around your product, service, or message, you have put yourself and your business in the position to accomplish all of my earlier predictions and much more.

Now I don’t want you to confuse this with having 1000 Twitter followers or 5000 fans on FACEBOOK.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Having those things can help you in building your COMMUNITY!   

Did I just hear someone else say, “What’s the difference?”

Well, the first differences can be found in the descriptions in the 3 words:

1)      FOLLOWERS

2)      FANS

3)      COMMUNITY

FOLLOWERS

FOLLOWERS can follow you and you can keep them updated on what’s happening with you, but it’s very hard to get to know a follower from a distant and it’s hard for a follower to get to know you.

You can lead by example and even point a follower to some resources, but you will have a hard time knowing if your example is having impact or if the resources you recommend are working or not.

It’s difficult to discover what a follower needs at a particular time in their development, because you really don’t get feedback from a follower until they’ve become frustrated that you have not fulfilled their need.

And when you hear it then it’s normally judgment or criticism for not satisfying their wants or needs that you probably knew nothing about.

So having followers is ok, but your engagement is limited.

FANS

FAN is short for fanatic. The best example of getting a handle on having fans is to look at the Sports and Entertainment worlds.

People pay money to show up at arenas or stadiums to be entertained and scream and cheer for their favorite team or player.

For a lot of people this is an escape from realities in their lives. Some dye their hair and paint their faces the color of their favorite team.

Some spend hundreds of dollars on Jerseys and Shoes of their favorite players.

Now there are companies making Millions or Billions of dollars helping people to escape and past time and I’m not saying that this is completely wrong.

I’m simply saying it’s difficult to help a FAN Transform their lives or take their lives to the next level.

You can inspire and even motivate a Fan to some degree from time to time. That is what athletes and entertainers do, but athletes and entertainers don’t provide guidance, advice, and support after the whistle blows or the last bow.

That is what customers want today. They want Tremendous Value; they want instruction, guidance, advice, and support.    

And it is difficult if not impossible to provide these things if you don’t know what they want and how to engage them to deliver.

So having FANS is ok, but you still have the same problem as having FOLLOWERS. You can have people watching you and even rooting for you from a far, but you have limited engagement and interaction, which is critical to success today.

One last point on having FOLLOWERS and FANS, I’ve spoken with dozens of entrepreneurs who have built businesses on this principle and they find themselves not satisfied and unfulfilled.

They don’t know if their business is making a difference or not. It’s hard to measure if they are serving people and transforming lives.

The same is true with athletes and entertainers. After the screaming and shouting is over or their skills have diminished they find themselves not satisfied and unfulfilled.

Many find it hard to keep the wealth they accumulated and some even begin to drift into behaviors of escapism themselves.   

And the main culprit is no real connection or relationships with the people they once served.

So should you have Followers and Fans? Yes, it’s just that they should lead to … 

Community

This is where Community building steps in. In the community you receive the FEEDBACK, INTERACTION, & ENGAGEMENT that we discussed.

From this Feedback, interaction, and engagement you can PROVIDE TREMENDOUS VALUE, GUIDANCE, ADVICE, INSTRUCTION, and SUPPORT.

Here is one of the beautiful aspects of building a Community; you don’t have to be THE ONE to provide the tremendous value, guidance, advice, instruction, and support.

That can come from others in your community. Of course you can provide these things yourself, but it doesn’t take anything away from you to allow and encourage others to share and provide resources in the community.

In fact, it will only enhance your standing as a community builder, willing to uplift others for the benefit of the whole.

Can’t you see the Power in this?

You become the ‘TRUSTED VOICE’! The ‘TRUSTED ADVISOR’!      

ALL My Predictions Combined In One!

No more ‘HARD SELLS’ Part 1. When you have a community, people will anticipate any new products or services because they know that you are going to provide value and your interest is in making their lives better and taking them to another level.

Your community become advocates for you, increasing referrals and having a viral effect. You can’t do that with just trying to sell, sell, and sell.

Your PLATFORM-Part 2. Not too many things can provide you the type of platform that being the leader or catalyst of a vibrant and enthusiastic community can provide in your niche or category.

Think of all the people you see on Television or hear on Radio because they are the head or leader of a community or organization.

PROGRAMS & SYSTEMS- Part 3. Creating “programs” & “systems” becomes so much easier when you are providing solutions to what your community is already telling you they need answers to. That’s why the feedback, interaction, and engagement are important.

CONTINUITY or RECURRING REVENUE-part 4. There are numerous ways to insert continuity or recurring revenue in your business, but few are as powerful as having a vibrant and enthusiastic community that provides value, guidance, advice, instruction, and support.  

If it does what you promise it can last for life. How’s that for a business model?

Ok, I think you see the Power of building a community around your product or service or message.

This trend has been coming for a few years, but this year will be the tipping point for some.

The days of just selling simple products is just about over. And with more and more competition entering the marketplace every day, if you are not positioning yourself as a “Trusted Voice” or “Trusted Advisor” with a Community that people want to be a part of-you will struggle mightily.

Practicing what I Preach

I’ve been closing out my stand alone products in 2011. In 2012 and beyond I will be focusing on my ‘COMMUNITIES’ especially THE ASSOCIATION OF BLACK ENTREPRENEURS!

I want to thank those who are in the ‘Association’ and stayed while we’re getting it together. I promise we are about to deliver More VALUE, More GUIDANCE, More ADVICE, More INSTRUCTION, and More SUPPORT.

And as for those who left come on back!!! We’re about to get Cranking!
CLICK HERE==>ASSOCIATION OF BLACK ENTREPRENEURS

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