Many small businesses moving beyond the initial stages of startup find themselves facing an entire new set of challenges. These can become either problems for your business or opportunities, depending on whether you put them off or face them now.
Here are seven ways you can help make 2007 a success for your business:
• Perform a systems self-diagnostic. “Don’t assume anything,” says entrepreneurial expert Ty Freyvogel of EntrepreneursLab.com. So you won’t try to fix the wrong things, examine each component of your
operations: sales, marketing, Internet, employees, etc. Make a list of what is working, and another of things that aren’t. Web-based applications such as NetSuite Small Business that consolidate different aspects of running a business can help.
• Hold brainstorming sessions. This is one of the most powerful ways to find solutions to tough problems. The key is to enlist many viewpoints: employees, vendors, tech people and outside advisors. Test as many promising ideas as you can, and keep the best.
• Eyeball your sales copy. Are your headlines “grabbers”? Does your copy flow? Make sure your message is still effective, is supported with current facts, figures and third-party references, and describes the benefits to customers. One place for help is MarketingSherpa.com.
• Line up testimonials. These are a terrific tool for small businesses. Make a practice of encouraging, gathering and using customer testimonials on a regular basis. TheSiteWizard.com offers a free feedback form to let customers send you messages or make comments from your Web site.
• Take care of your best customers. First, figure out who they are – and aren’t. “Just because you’re always doing something for certain customers doesn’t mean they’re the most profitable,” Freyvogel notes.
Tell the VIPs you really appreciate their business; ask about their needs.
• Engage employees. Has the energy has gone flat? Look for ways to stoke your employees’ passion. Share information about the business’
performance and its goals for the year. Ask for and implement their suggestions. Hold formal annual performance reviews, so you have a forum to establish goals and hear what employees have to say.
• Overhaul your Web site. Stagnant, outdated or ugly Web sites are a quick way to turn off an increasingly Web-savvy customer universe. One service that can help is WebsitePros.com – but you’ll find many others with a simple search.
Daniel Kehrer can be reached by e-mail at editor@business.com.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
Learn More
