Nobody Makes Any Money Until Someone Sells Something
How to make your Business Succeed during the Credit Crunch
If you have a business the only way to make money is to sell. I've found this out through thirty-five years of selling. Sell your product or service and unless you do, you'll never make any money. Your product or service is important of course and it has to be good. That does not necessarily mean better than your competitors but to really succeed you have to outsell your competitors.
Take two similar business competitors such as. Let's say two builders, same town, same size business and with the same tools and ability. One relies solely on word of mouth and does very well because his customers are always happy with his service and recommend him to their friends. The other builder gets the same amount of recommendations and word of mouth business but has recognised that the credit crunch is going to effect his business unless he does something about it.
He can see that a lot of his potential customers will start doing what they can themselves or just put things off. His answer is to start selling his service. By taking steps to promote his business before his competitors, he will out-market and out-promote them.
There are many ways he can start the selling process including advertising in local papers and listing his business in an online directory of local businesses. The advantage of a local directory is that most, if not all of his customers will be local and the most will search the internet for local services. How many homes keep a copy of the Yellow Pages to hand now, I know I don't. It's quicker and easier to go online and find the service you require.
Back to our builder, if customers are getting scarcer he needs to get ahead of his competition and this does not mean having a USP or being better. It will help if he can but first and foremost he must be better at selling and promoting his competitors.
His bricklayers, ground workers or plumbers will have no work unless he gets out there and sells himself. He might feel like cutting back and doing some of the work himself or cutting back on advertising, which is what a lot of business owner might do in a recession but if keeps his employees working and increases his advertising his business will not only survive, but grow.
More to follow but in the meantime make sure you show your customers that you can solve their problems and you have what they want. Give them what they want without risk. A money back guarantee or trial period.
Happy selling.
