Every small business owner usually has one goal, and that is business expansion. Business expansion means that you have managed to maintain your incomes to the point where further investments are possible. It also implies that you have a solid basis of regular customers, and that you intend to either improve the quality, the range and the cost of your services, or to simply increase the number of your customers.
When it comes to any improvement, a change is implied. It’s important to determine which part of your business needs to be upgraded and focus on it. In order to make a significant improvement, I wouldn’t suggest you multitask at this point. Therefore, you can devote your time and effort to one problem at a time so you can come up with an appropriate solution. So, get ready for some brainstorming and hard thorough work! Here are a few suggestions, or a few necessities, that you may need for the purpose of realizing your agenda.
Online Influence
There is no doubt about it, online influence is one of the key elements responsible for success nowadays, but it is a bit tricky to understand its value. Without quality services, you can’t have a good online influence, but at the same time, without the online influence, there is a good chance you won’t ever succeed in your attempt to expand.
Online influence means that you will need to be noticed on social networks, implement the services of inbound marketing, and, of course, have your own website. The website needs to have a quality design, thus it would be for the best that you find other successful websites which are in the same line of work. Learn from them, see if they lack something, and try to use that to your advantage. Most importantly, never create a website just for the sake of having a website, since with poor design, it will only harm your business and act as a customer replant.
Furthermore, always add a blog as a part of your website. You can blog about your services, offer useful advice, and ultimately make linkable content which is used for the purpose of inbound marketing. With more links on other blogs leading to your website, you increase your influence, your domain and page authority. #
Lastly, never forget to be active on social networks, even though it may not be the most lucrative approach, it can still attract customers, and if you are willing to spend some extra cash, your posts can be boosted and appear in the newsfeed section. With good social network activity, you won’t appear as a complete stranger to your potential customers.
Customer Service
Another important aspect of success is having good customer service. This is easier said than done, but if you manage to do it right, you can look forward to some positive reputation. Not only that, but with various recommendations, your group of consumers will grow bigger, and all you need to do is treat them right for the purpose of keeping them. Here are some techniques that you can implement in order to improve your customer service.
- Be available: Check your emails, your blog comments, your social network profiles, etc. Customers may try to contact you in numerous ways, and with good availability, you will inspire trust. Additionally, if something goes south and you rectify the mistake swiftly, your customers will appreciate you even further. It can be quite frustrating when the customer is not pleased with what he or she orders, and no one responds to their angry complaint.
- Home delivery: If you are in the line of work that sells products or food, your whole organization will be far more profitable if you are doing home deliveries. People love when they don’t have to move a finger to get what they want.
- Care about their opinion: First of all, everyone likes when they feel appreciated and noticed. In other words, take down the name of the customers who call you, add them to your contacts, and address them by their name when they call again. Moreover, ask them how they like your services and ask them to provide a valuable input on how your services can be improved.
- VIP treatment: If you have a couple of regulars, show them that you are aware of their devotion, give them a discount or a freebie every now and then. This is the best formula for keeping them on your side, and once other people notice how you treat them, they will opt for you more often for the purpose of receiving the same treatment one day.
If you haven’t done anything similar to this before in order to improve your services and bring your business to a whole new level in general, this may seem like a lot to take. But, before you make anything happen, I’d recommend you make a detailed plan which will include all steps you want to take and their precise timing. That way, you’ll avoid any kind of unnecessary mistakes which would only slow you down.
It really isn’t that difficult, just ask yourself how would you like to be treated as a customer, and try to reflect those ideas on your own service. If you have a good quality product, or something really innovative, then you should have no trouble selling that product. All you have to do is make your customers like you, and the rest will work out fine.
Images: “Hands holding colorful rope forming arrow pointing upwards/Shutterstock.com“
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