If you are a typical small business owner – like me – one of your business goals this year is to boost your revenue. Below are 6 ways you can grow your business in 2013 – or any year.
1 – Use a suggestion box
Because you never really know where the next big idea is going to come from, set up a physical or digital suggestion box for employees and customers, and encourage them to use it. Sift through it regularly, and if you find a suggestion you like, set up a meeting with the person whose idea it was to brainstorm some more.
2 – Create new revenue streams
Whether you sell products or services, think about complementary items you can offer, and whether or not it makes sense to bundle offerings or add service packages. If, like me, you are a service provider, think about products you could sell – or products you could create, like a detailed, hands-on guidebook.
3- Differentiate based on value
Your products and services add value to your customers’ lives, so differentiate yourself by stressing those values – location, customer service, innovation, quality cost-savings, responsiveness, etc. If you’re not sure what customers really love about doing business with you, just ask.
4 – Hire a salesperson
While this may not be feasible for you, hiring an ace salesperson who can bring in new business and take good care of customers is one of the best investments you can make. You’ll have more time to focus on what you do best – which is good, because you’ll need to spend that time servicing your new customers.
5 – Set big, hairy, audacious goals
Try setting a goal that scares and challenges you, and then figure out how to meet it. Look at your marketing campaigns first – what has worked best, and how did you land your best customers? Then revisit your sales cycle – are there improvements you can make to turn leads into customers faster?
6 – Embrace analytics
The sooner you get comfortable analyzing your marketing efforts – especially online – the better. Sit down every week and look at your social media activity – what was shared and commented on the most? What days and times of day got you the best results? Look at your website analytics, too. What search terms are you being found for? Where are they coming from (search engines, social media, etc.)? What pages are your visitors spending the most and least time on? What are they downloading?
The better you understand your online marketing successes, the better your online presence will be.
What have you done in the past to grow your business? Share your tips below!
Image courtesy of kice.com
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Tags: analytics, Marketing, sales
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