Increase Your Small Business Visibility – For Free!
No two small businesses are alike, but most want to be like their larger counterparts in some key respects. No matter how large or small the company, all businesses strive to: be visible enough to attract new customers, boost the odds of securing repeat business, and ensure complete customer satisfaction. The key, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), is to have a good website for your business. The SBA’s own website notes that the Internet,“levels the playing field between small business and big...
read moreAre Trade Shows Worth the Investment for Small Businesses?
Many people who are running a one-man show or small business believe that exhibiting at a trade show is out of their league for a number of reasons that are usually financial. Large companies have large marketing departments with large budgets so many small companies feel they can’t compete, or they just can’t afford a trade show booth in the fist place. Some just don’t know how to design, transport, and assemble a booth or how to work a trade show. Renting space on the trade show floor can be expensive, but even if you’re just...
read moreHow to Build a Strong Business through Good Follow Up
Most businesses invest a lot of time and effort into bringing in prospective customers, winning their confidence, and closing the sale. However, many businesses neglect a vital opportunity to establish a long-term, profitable relationship with satisfied customers through after-sales follow up. Keeping existing customers happy is even more crucial than attracting new customers, because it’s more cost effective to nurture an existing relationship that to convert a new prospect. So how do you make your existing customers feel loved and...
read more4 Strategies for Keeping Your Business Flexible
Smart start-ups are able to adapt and change direction quickly. Flexibility is essential to running a successful small business. The smart business owner must be able to adapt to economic fluctuations and shifts in his or her particular industry. Without changing your original business vision, there are a number of ways that you can keep your business flexible and adjust to changes within and outside of your company. Branching Out Starbucks started out as a tiny storefront in Seattle, selling specialty coffee equipment and premium coffee...
read moreSuccess Tip: Taking Strategic Action
Small businesses face constant change due to: New competition in the market Changing tastes and preferences of the customer Technological innovation Rising cost of doing business Successful small businesses stay focused on the following during tough times: S.M.A.R.T long and short term goals Developing new business strategies to stay current & efficient Improved profitability Strategic action means formulating a plan based on the “Big Picture” rather than just looking at the immediate issues. A strategic plan should encompass three...
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