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Growing your business advice

Business Advice – Business Habits – Business Owners

The world certainly changed in the past couple of years, and unfortunately many small to mid-size companies have fallen to either a shell of what they once was or have disappeared altogether. One thing that is for certain is as business owners, everyone is tasked with finding a way to not only survive but hopefully build and grow. Business habits have been forced to change, small business retail has fallen prey to not only everything pandemic and economically related, but majorly to the supply chain shortage. Consumer spending awareness is at a very high degree and most average folks are trying to save where they can and even delay spending when possible. Given all that is going on in the world and more importantly, the local areas we live in, work in and try to thrive in, everyone is facing decisions on how to conduct business in the most efficient ways possible.

Small businesses, especially in the home service industry, need to try to answer the questions that circle around the acquisition and retention of new customers. What used to just come now isn’t. The sources that were available to get help with getting customers through promoting your business are either no longer the same, gone or now have a totally different business model than that of the past that worked.

Most companies that provided advertising and marketing solutions had to change due to overhead costs. Cost including printing and mailing weekly pieces has gotten so expensive, cuts had to be made or those companies would have fallen even harder and farther than they already have. As the staple advertising companies in the local market started to crumble, they seemingly all tried diligently to take off their blinders, go against everything the senior folks new, and dove in head first to the digital arena creating programs and emails and websites and whatever else they could think of to try to recapture lost business. This situation is very similar to the master stone mason trying to do high level electrical circuits; it just doesn’t fit. However, all that said, the worst part was the creation of all of those products and programs were done for the purpose of feeding the company’s losses and not strategically built with helping the client grow as a sole focus.

When you understand why it happened, it’s easier to digest, but that still doesn’t answer the question of how you as an operating real live service business can grow your customer base and keep the best return on your investment possible. Natural human behavior will tend to want to follow the path of least resistance, which will guide toward keeping the status quo and hope something will change; not a good plan. You need to educate yourself and choose wisely; now is the time that businesses really need a partner who can advise and consult them on a direction that is backed up with strategy, not a company that is just looking to sell them something. Business owners need to think about what they liked about the companies they did business with to promote themselves; and more importantly they need to think about the things they didn’t like. Those notes need to be the basis for looking for a new partner that can lead their company into future growth while always keeping their best interests in focus at all times. Business owners can absolutely make a phone call and place an ad somewhere, but will it be effective, will it generate leads, will the salesperson you spoke to even be there if you call again in a few weeks; those are all factors to consider.

Business owner must search out and actually think of the process as almost an interview to the company they choose to help them. Knowing in advance most you speak to are going to be guilty of unintentionally over promising and under delivering due to the selling pressure that they are facing daily. The task is to find a company that not only has ultimate focus on your business success, but also has the depth of resources to get things done; a company that can not only provide all elements that can grow your business in this environment, but one that will also listen to ideas and find a way to fulfill needs by creating other solutions if needed; a company that will concentrate their efforts on building your customers to allow you to focus on your day to day business; a company that will consult and advise without charging you for their advice; a company that basis its success on your success. Look at all your options and when you choose, trust them… the future of your business may depend on it.