It would be great if there was an entrepreneurial book designed to show off everything you need to do to make a business great, but due to the different circumstances everyone faces, a book like that simply can’t exist. However, we have created a list of some things that can help businesses across the board.
Take a look below at our seven best tips for business owners.
Share Don’t Sell
Customers and clients who come to you have already made up their mind about what they want from you. They’ve reached out to you for a consultation, or purchased a product that they know they want or need – don’t try to push more on them. This is vital to keep your customers feeling like they’re in control and that you’re not just trying to milk them for everything they’ve got.
This means sharing your services, sharing your knowledge and not handing over info packets or prospectuses until a customer actually asks to see it.
Be as Unique as Possible
It’s really tempting as a business owner to just find a rival and copy everything they’re doing, because hey if they’re popular then you will be too, right? Wrong. There needs to be something about your business that stands out from everyone else and makes consumers come to you. This is referred to as your USP or Unique Selling Proposition. Even if you have the most thorough services out there or the best products, that simply isn’t good enough.
Consumers look from something that’s unique and that stands out from everyone else. Make sure you have a strategy that will ensure you’re able to do this without a hitch.
Advertise!
This is a big one for small business. A lot of smaller businesses don’t realise the potential of spending a few hundred dollars a month on advertising. Getting your ad on the top of Google or popping up on a Facebook feed might be all it takes for a new customer to come through your doors or buy something from your website, so make sure people know you exist.
On top of that, you’ll be able to utilise marketing data to strengthen your advertising plans down the road. Every business needs to start somewhere, so as soon as you begin advertising keep all of your data and improve your ROI. You’ll get a great deal of help from things like ServiceTitan’s business management software during this stage.
Solve a Real Problem
Solving a problem will either make your business one that consumers like to go to, or have to go to. You’ll want to look for a niche and develop a strategy that makes your services or products something that consumers need to have on a regular basis. That will give your business a solid model to follow and keep you in the green when times get tough. Consumers won’t just stop buying essentials – and if you’re an ‘essential’ then you’re a winner.
If you’re dedicated enough, you can even convince and market your services as a must-have even if they aren’t. Something the smartphone industry has been doing for the past decade.
Promote Word of Mouth
There are some consumers out there who are obsessed with sharing and recommending great products with their friends and family. Use these customers. You can passively do this by doing some research and finding out what these loyal customers love most and dislike most about your products, and adapt them to their needs. This way they’ll fall in love with your services even more and spread them to everyone they know.
Another way to do this is to promote sharing by offering discounts or specials for those who share the product for their friends or family. If done correctly, you can spread awareness of your brand like crazy.
Create an Experience
One of the best things you can do for your customers is to turn your service or product into an experience. This means that you should reverse engineer your marketing and create an experience in your brochures and ads and then develop that experience.
Make sure to deliver on all your promises as well as under promise and over deliver to keep your customers really happy. Creating an internal message about what you want your customers to feel is a good place to start.
Be Passionate
Lastly, keep your business operating out of passion. Every employee and including you should stay visibly passionate about the products and service you offer. Consumers aren’t stupid, they’ll notice if you don’t look like you’re invested in your own products.
Stay enthusiastic, be passionate and determined and make your business look like it really is out there to solve any and all of your customer’s problems. What you believe is visible to customers, so make it something great.