Nowadays, to convey the reliability of your own products, then you have to show you are using it yourself.

If there is someone who should be able to tell the strength and weaknesses of your products, it should be you. You should be the first one to tell if your product is either good or bad. You must be your first customer, if not the best.

Kapersky Lab, in case you have not heard of it, is a hip business in internet security, but just recently, they have been a victim of hacking. This is an unfortunate example of irony, and what could be a greater irony than this? It is apparent that they may not have used their extensive resources fighting off hackers with their own website. It is understandable if clients who used to approach Kapersky’s for their website’s security will no longer return for another year of service. What would you expect from a company who supposedly could diffuse hackers but had been hacked themselves? Businesses are based on reputation, and once it gets damaged by something that could have been long prevented, it might be on its way down hill.

The importance of being a client of your own business

The common loophole of patronising your own product is you could get overly critical. You could almost see every shortcoming without recognizing its advantages. This perfectionist attitude may be a bit detrimental but it is necessary as far as business is concern, especially if you are using the very product you sell. Among its many benefits are:

1. You will be able to pre-empt your clients. You could easily rectify whatever mistake there is before it contributes irreparable damage all because you already saw it long before the clients do.

2. You gain first hand idea of your product’s features.

3. The fact that you use your own product only shows the level of trust you have of its performance and reliability. And it will be such an effective marketing tool.

How exactly to patronize your own products

Basically, you simply use whatever it is you are selling. You should also be able to show what it really does by setting yourself as an example. If you are selling a slimming tea, you should be able to establish the fact that you are using it and you managed to lose 5 kilos in a month. Would not that be a wonderful testimonial for your business?

Below are simple steps to follow if you wish to use your own products:

1. Place yourself in your client’s shoe.

2. Never forget of documenting your goals and aspirations. Crystallize your ideas by putting them into writing. If you write your thoughts, it gains momentum which you might need in the long run.

3. Plan everything you think you need to accomplish. Leave nothing out. Be specific with what you want to achieve

4. The next best thing of course is to put all things into action. Gradually slash out the items in your checklist as you progress along.

5. One you should never forget is to place an independent minded person to evaluate the whole process for you. He must be someone, a friend, who knows how to think objectively and could really tell you honestly his most honest evaluation. This definitely works, who could resist such a marketing tool. If you are using your own product, and you say it is good, who would even dare contest what you said?