When you first set up your own business, it is like a dream come true; you are finally in charge of yourself, plus you have the ability to bring your hopes and ideas for your business into fruition. However, running your own company also takes a lot of planning, and it can be a learning curve for any new entrepreneur. One of the hardest parts of the business is the first few months to a year, where you are still finding your feet, attempting to bring in a wide customer base and trying your hardest to get the business off the ground. If this is something you find yourself struggling with, then here are five simple tips which you can utilize to help your small business get on the path towards success.
Put your customer’s first
You might have the perfect product, a detailed marketing plan, and reliable employees, but if you’re not prioritizing your customer service, then you may well start to lose out on business. Your clients are far more likely to remember a particularly poor or an exceptionally great level of customer service, in comparison to just an average encounter with your employees. Therefore, it is important to examine the level of customer service displayed by your staff and look for any changes that might need to be made in the way in which your customers are treated.
For example, a good employee should interact with customers with empathy and patience, practice clear communication, display a high level of knowledge regarding their work and your company, and should consistently treat all customers with the same level of respect and attention. Aside from how your employees treat your clients, you should also look at how your company policies can be changed to meet their requirements better. For example, look at factors such as your returns policy, and how it can be adapted to make customers happier, without having a negative impact on your business.
Learn from experienced competitors
One of the few upsides to having competitors in your field of business is that you can learn from their success and their mistakes. Of course, it is your business, and you need to use the advertising techniques and company practices which you feel work best for you, but there is no harm in adapting some things based off of your competitor’s successes if you feel it may help your business thrive. For example, if you mainly market through television adverts with little success, but find that a lot of rival companies get a lot of client engagement through social media, then you might find yourself better off using that form of advertisement and marketing.
Create a positive reputation
It may seem like an obvious point, but your company needs to maintain a consistently positive reputation if you expect to grow and progress well. Your reputation can be affected by a lot of different factors, from your employee behavior to people and other businesses that you associate with, and company practices. Your online presence will also affect how prospective clients view your business because so many people value what information is available to them online. Therefore, it might be worth utilizing a free reputation audit tool to evaluate how your online presence is viewed by the public.
Once you know how your reputation is fairing, you can then start to take steps to improve it if necessary. For example, some businesses find that having a blog of some kind can be useful for making companies seem more personable, as can regularly posting on social media.
Encourage positive customer reviews
As your online reputation is so important, customer reviews are one of the most invaluable assets you have at your disposal in business, so make sure that you utilize them. The better a service you provide, the more that you can rely on your customers to review you in a positive light of their own accord, without you needing to prompt them to do so. Nonetheless, there is no harm in politely asking customers to recommend you to others if they feel that your services have been satisfactory, and you can even offer incentives to them too.
For example, you could offer a discount to them if they refer a friend to you who then uses your service. You could also offer a reward for leaving a review online (as many prospective clients will search the web for reviews before purchasing anything), such as a discount or small gift. It is also wise to reward loyal clients who regularly use your services, such as through distributing loyalty cards, or just by being particularly attentive when you are in contact with them. The more valued your customers feel, the more likely they are to continue using your business.
Get involved in the local community
For small businesses, a large proportion of your customer base is going to come from your local community, so it is important to become a more active and prominent figurehead around your immediate area. If your customers trust you as a person, they will also trust your business, so it is important to get out of the office every once and a while and interact with people in your local area. You can also be more active as a company by getting involved in local events, and perhaps sponsor a few local causes, such as a sports team or charity.
Attending events can also be useful for marketing purposes. For example, if you were attending a fair, then you might set up your own stall where you can tell people more about your business, or sell products. Alternatively, any event gives you an opportunity to network, so make sure to always carry a few spare business cards with you. It is also important to brush up on your elevator pitch for this reason and make sure that you are ready to answer any questions which might come your way with confidence.
