referrals (3)
It is said that each of us has a circle of influence of at least 200 people. This circle includes friends, family clients and business colleagues. Recently on my blog Women of color in business I posted about referrals being one of the best ways to help your business grow, word of mouth can definitely help or hurt your business.
Let's say you are a gift basket consultant and your attend a family/business picnic where you meet the wife of one of the business men attending the outing, lets call his wife Anne. You talk a little with Anne and you find out that she is an Avon representative. You talk just enough with her to be polite but discount really taking any time to get to know Anne as any type of connection your business would or could associate with.
A few weeks later you find out that one of your competitors who also attended the picnic ended up with a large corporate account from a client of Anne's. You're floored and you can't figure out how this could be possible as Anne is just an Avon representative after all she couldn't possible know anyone your gift consulting business could obtain a large order from.
Wrong! - Your competitor took the time to get to know Anne and Anne was more than happy to share information about your competitor with her circle of influence.
Best practice? Never discount the circle of influence of any of your colleagues, friends, clients or family. You never know who they might know. Someone within their circle could be the perfect client for you.
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Tina D. Fermin is the owner of TD Gift Solutions, LLC. A gift consulting company using the WINS of your clients, friends, family and colleagues to create gifts you will be remembered for. Need a gift unique to your business or a large order for events or hotel amenities, contact us for gifts that make your statement.
Growing your business isn’t just a worthy goal; growing your business is a necessity for your business’s survival and your economic well-being. What can you do to get your business beyond the bare sustenance level? All of these ways of growing your business have been successfully used by other businesses and, with some planning and investment, will work for you.
1. Penetrate your existing market
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of growing your business is getting new customers. But the customers you already have are your best bet for increasing your sales; it’s easier and more cost-effective to get people who are already buying from you to buy more than to find new customers and persuade them to buy from you.
2. Ask for referrals
Getting new customers is another approach to growing your business. One of the easiest way to do this is to ask your current customers for referrals. But notice the verb. Doing a great job and just assuming that your customers are passing the word about your business isn’t going to do much to increase your customer base; you have to actively seek referrals. During or after every job or sale, ask your satisfied customer if he knows anyone else who would be interested in your products or services.
3. Innovate your product or service.
Discovering and promoting new uses for your products or services is a great way to both get existing customers to buy more and attract new customers. Think petroleum jelly and duct tape – and how few of these would actually be sold if they only had one use!
4. Extend your market reach.
There are several ways of growing your business by making your product or service available to a new pool of customers. The most obvious is to open stores in new locations, such as opening a store or kiosk in a new town. New locations can also be virtual, such as a website with an online store. Another approach is to extend your reach through advertising. Once you’ve identified a new market, you might advertise in select media that targets that market.
5. Participate in trade shows.
Trade shows can be a great way of growing your business. Because trade shows draw people who are already interested in the type of product or service you offer, they can powerfully improve your bottom line. The trick is to select the trade shows you participate in carefully, seeking the right match for your product or service.
6. Conquer a niche market
Remember the analogy of the big fish in the small pond? That’s essentially how this strategy for growing your business works. The niche market is the pond; a narrowly defined group of customers. Think of them as a subset whose needs are not being met and concentrate on meeting those unmet needs. A nursery, for instance, might specialize in roses.
7. Contain your costs.
Surprised? Bear in mind that when we’re talking about growing your business, we’re actually talking about growing your business’s bottom line. And the difference between pre-tax and post-tax money can make this a very effective growth strategy. There are two main approaches to cutting costs; liquidating your “loser” products and improving your inventory turnover.
8. Diversify your products or services.
The key to successfully growing your business through diversification is similarity. You want to focus on the related needs of your already established market or on market segments with similar needs and characteristics. An artist might also sell frames and framing services, for instance. Or a mountain bike rental business might switch to renting skidoos in the winter season.
9. Franchising.
The stories of entrepreneurs who have become both well known and well heeled due to franchising their small businesses are legion – and not just stories. If you have a successful business and can develop a system that ensures that others can duplicate your success, franchising may be the fast track for growing your business.
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10. Exporting.
Expanding into international markets can also be a powerful boost to your business’s bottom line. Like franchising, this is a way of growing your business that requires quite a commitment of time and resources, but can be extremely rewarding.
There you have it; ten ways of growing your business. Don’t let this list overwhelm you; pick one or two of these ideas that are suitable to your business and your circumstances and get your plan for growing your business underway.
photos copyright 2008 Clarence Coggins
