All Relationships are an investment.

You should treat every one of your relationships as such. Whether it be business or personal. You need to decide how much you are going to invest, and if the investment is worth it. Do you need to invest your time, money, energy into a business relationship that is one-sided and you are not seeing any return? A romantic relationship that is one-sided and/or toxic?

“Stop investing in something that will NEVER bring you anything in return.”

The answer is NO. The truth is, if you want to be successful AND happy, you need to start investing in those things that create that success and happiness. So stop wasting time, energy, money, on people who bring zero value to your life. STOP. RIGHT NOW. Stop investing in something that will NEVER bring you anything in return. One-sided friendships, where you are constantly being pulled to rescue someone, but they are not there when you need them, or they don’t support your happiness, goals, success. Stop trying to force business relationships that you are only giving (Note: you should always give without expectation. The key is though, to NEVER be taken advantage of!). Don’t waste your time on people that want nothing to do with you. Stop chasing.

Instead, invest in those in your inner circle who ARE supporting you. Those who ARE invested in your friendship, your love, and your business relationship. Why would you chase people who don’t want to invest in you? Don’t want you to succeed. Don’t want to give you love in return. INVEST in people who return your investment and you will receive more in return. Provide VALUE to those who believe in you, want you to succeed, are current customers/clients, those who have given to you, and returned investment. Share with them your knowledge, expertise, wisdom, etc. These are your investors. These are the people that have been with you from the beginning and they will continue to grow with you, even help you continue to grow. PROVIDE THEM WITH VALUE and INVEST IN THEM.

Lastly, those you’ve invested in will return your investment by paying you what you are worth. They won’t expect the “friend or family discount”, the hook-up, or anything free. All they want is what they already expect from you… VALUE. People pay premium for value. If someone is asking you for a discount, “why is it so much?”, or for you to lower your prices for them, then you need to simply just walk away. They are disrespecting you and your value. Do not invest in them. I would never walk into Target and demand a discount, and neither would they… (you can always help people out, but again, never get taken advantage of)

-JR

Remember, as small business owners and entrepreneurs, you are in an uphill battle. You are crapped on. You are belittled. You are frustrated. You are bitter. Your friends and family are the LAST people you will convince to buy your product, to shop at your store, use your services. This is because they see you as “Little Joey”, or just their friend. That is why it is up to you to convince them without even trying. You need to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Once they see this, you will find out who the believers are. THIS is why social media is so key to your success today. More than ever, it allows you to network outside of your inner circle and helps you get out of your comfort zone easier and faster. Once you do this, you will see people coming to you that wouldn’t before. Simply because they now see you as an influencer in your field.

Joe Ruiz, Jr. is a Social Media Manager (www.socialeyemarketing.com) , entrepreneur, and coach. You can follow him on social media as well:

www.facebook.com/joeruizsuccess

www.twitter.com/jcruizjr

www.facebook.com/socialeyemarketing

www.twitter.com/seyemarketing

Instagram: jruizjr

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We have all seen it. People playing this crazy, stupid game… But you are trying to run a business. You are not worried about stupid little games. Right. That’s a trick question!

I always talk about keeping up with trends, changes in social media, and adapting to the current state of business. Well, if you haven’t noticed, for the first time in a long time, people are walking places. People are meeting at places. ALL FOR A STUPID GAME!

I know what you are thinking… That is annoying. That sounds stupid. Another thing I often talk about is that it is NOT about you. Get over yourself. It is about your business and your customers/clients. I get that you would not want anything to do with Pokemon Go. You don’t want to learn or hear anything about Pokemon Go… but your customers do. Your clients do.

So why not take advantage of that. Remember… ADAPTATION. Adapt to the market. Adapt to the trends. Set yourself apart from others. Take advantage of this opportunity. Chances are, people are walking by your shop, business, restaurant tying to hunt some Pokemon!

Here’s what you do:

Find a Pokestop or gym near your business or if Your business is one.

There are ways to do this. Google them. (Sorry)

Set Lures

Lures increase the rate of Pokemon generation in the area around the PokeStop where they’re placed for one half hour. There are a bunch of in-app purchases people take advantage of within the game, and this is one. Essentially they are power-ups for their avatar. These lures continue to bring people, and even keep some there, as they are available for one half hour.

SO HOW DO YOU CAPITALIZE ON THAT?!

This is where you get to have some fun and be creative! Here are some ideas I’ll lay out for you:

Set specials for Pokemon trainers. (It’s not hard to spot them playing the game)
Offer something free. Even if it’s just water. People are walking.
Promote yourself as a charging station for Pokemon Go players.
Promote on Social Media what you are doing. Reward people for finding special Pokemon at your store, shop, restaurant, etc. Utilize the power of SM!
Run a special just for the app itself (pokemon go special)- Doesn’t have to do with them even playing it. Just mentioning it will gain attention.
Have a team member or employee playing the game during the day and purchase lures or incense, or any other object within the game to bring people in. (The cost is minimal).

GET CREATIVE WITH IT!!! This can work for MANY businesses! Think about customers. Not yourself. This is what it comes down to. Even IF this is not long-term, you are creating an emotional connection with a customer. All data shows that this leads to more sales and customer retention. I guarantee ALL of you are consistently scratching your heads trying to figure out just how to get more customers. This is why I tell you just how powerful technology and SOCIAL MEDIA is for your business. It’s right there in your hands, and in your customer’s hands.

People will talk about you. People will share your business place. (See below)

GOOD LUCK!!!

-JR

Joe Ruiz, Jr. is a Social Media Manager (www.socialeyemarketing.com) , entrepreneur, and coach. You can follow him on social media as well:

www.facebook.com/joeruizsuccess

www.twitter.com/seyemarketing

Instagram: jruizjr

SNAPCHAT:

joeruizjr

joeruizjr

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