5 Rules to Boost Business Growth
Owning your own small business should be financially rewarding as well as provide the personal satisfaction derived from wearing the captain’s hat and steering your own ship. And in an ideal world, boosting business growth should be as easy as choosing which photocopier to purchase. The reality, however, is usually the opposite for many small business owners.
If you are a small business owner searching for ways to boost your business growth, here are five simple, yet effective, rules that will help put you on the starting line, facing in the right direction:
1. Be “in business” Unsuccessful small businesses, especially SOHO’s and network marketers, often don’t think of themselves as business owners. Some don’t even have the business basics like a dedicated phone line, fax machine, business name, domain name, letterhead, business cards, brochures, merchant status to accept credit cards, contact management software, etc. How can you expect people to do business with you if you aren’t really in business? You must commit 100%. You are either in business or you are not. There is no grey area. Well, there is… that’s where you find people who are dabbling at being in business and failing. There is a huge difference between a hobby and a legitimate business. Once you make that commitment you must have a business growth plan. These are not inflexible and will change as your business needs change.
2. Know your products and services Have you ever tried to buy something from someone who couldn’t answer your questions about their product or service? Hardly confidence inspiring, is it? Your customers expect you to be an expert about whatever it is you are selling. If you don’t know everything there is to know about it, who would? How can you compare what you offer to your competitors, to stay ahead and remain competitive? Customers want to know facts and figures and they want all the features and benefits explained to them in terms they can understand. That’s where you come in. If you don’t deliver, they will take their business somewhere else where they have more confidence, and this applies whether you are selling widgets or services.
3. Fear of Marketing You won’t experience business growth if you sit back waiting for customers to materialize and come to you. You have to not only let your potential customers know you exist and how to contact you, you also have to tell them how they can benefit and how your product/service will solve their problems. It doesn’t matter how brilliant your product or service is, it just won’t sell itself.
4. Fear of Selling Many small business owners have stories of used car salespeople swimming around in their heads and they equate sales with being deceitful or pushy. Well, unfortunately, there are people in the world like that, but you don’t have to be one. In fact, you will taste success more quickly and easily if you are NOT like that.
You need to communicate the features and benefits of your product or service without exaggeration or dishonesty. You must develop strong inner beliefs that support serving others, sharing your products/services, secure in the knowledge that you are doing them a favor, being in business and bringing them great products and services. Coming from a place of trying to push people into buying will only push people away. People hate to be manipulated and they can spot a phony a mile away. Wanting to sincerely serve others will attract people. Think “serve”, not “sell”.
5. You Don’t Fully Believe in Yourself When you doubt yourself and your ability to be successful, you set in motion circumstances that will hold you back and stop you from achieving business growth. You will hold back from investing in your business and spending money on areas vital to your business success. And if you don’t truly believe in your products or services, this will reflect in your sales and marketing (or rather, lack of) and rather than attract customers, you will make them doubtful and go elsewhere. Surely, you have been to a business where even the atmosphere screams the owner isn’t really all that interested? You must be interested and believe you will be successful… because it influences how others see you.
Challenge your beliefs. What is really behind your fears and doubts? Are these truly your stories or have you allowed other people’s doubts to infiltrate your better judgment? Yes some businesses are facing challenging times right now, but there are also businesses who are thriving, and yet others who are coasting along comfortably.
Ever heard of Dream, Believe, Achieve? When you believe the dream can be real, nothing will stop you.
Terri Levine, The Business Growth Strategist, specializes in helping entrepreneur-owned businesses achieve record-breaking growth. Based in Philadelphia, Terri is founder and CEO of Comprehensive Coaching U, Inc., The Professional’s Coach Training Program. She has been featured on ABC, NBC, CNBC and MSNBC, and in more than 1,500 publications. She is the best-selling author of Sell Without Selling, business coaching is for Everyone and Stop Managing Start Coaching. Learn more at http://www.TerriLevine.com
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