Creating Customers: Six Ways to Drum Up More Business
Offering a fantastic product or a brilliant service is important, but it can all be for nothing if you aren’t getting enough customers. There can be a huge number of reasons why your company isn’t getting the business it needs, but there are always different approaches you can take to turn things around. Here are six ways to create new customers and get more business.
- Put more time into your current customers
When you aren’t getting enough business it can put you in a mind-set where you begin to panic and start trying a range of strange initiatives to attract new customers. The truth is that this sort of aggressive selling is very rarely valuable and just makes you come across as desperate. It’s actually much better to take a different approach.
If you’re down on clients it stands to reason that you will have more time available. Well, why not focus that time on providing a truly fantastic service to your current clients? If you’ve got the time spare, then go the extra mile and exceed their expectations for what you are able to provide – whether that means literally doing more work or just calling up to check how things are going. You might find that your customers are so impressed that they recommend you to others or even spend more money on your product or service themselves.
- Narrow your focus
Another common misconception is that if you aren’t getting enough business, you need to diversify what you are doing and offer more. The problem is that this can lead you into a position where you are offering something that you simply do not have the expertise or experience to provide. It actually makes a lot more sense to focus on the aspects of your business that are working well. If certain products or services are performing strongly, put your time and effort into marketing these before you waste time on less important activities.
- Invest in mailers
Sometimes there really is nothing as valuable to a business as getting your product in front of the eyes of potential customers. This is where it can be great to send out emails or brochures, but of course, not everyone has a huge list of emails and addresses they can call on. However, the good news is it is now possible to get access to high quality specialised databases.
Whether your focus is B2B or B2C, these data lists open up the option to allow you to send out email campaigns and direct mailers to targeted audiences. Having high quality and accurate data can really make the difference, so make sure that you get your information from a business with a proven track record.
- Head to trade shows
Trade shows can be a brilliant way to show off what your business is all about and potentially get in some new customers. Depending on the industry that you work in it might not be possible or relevant to attend an event with companies in a similar trade, but in that case you can visit local shows for the chance to talk to other businesses in the same area.
If networking isn’t usually your favourite thing to do it can be a great idea to get your own booth or stand and this gives you a natural starting point. Make sure that you have a way of recording the contact details, and also ensure that you follow up on any leads that seemed interested. This can really be the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.
- Offer something for free
Of course it is vital for you to make money from your services, but it’s also sometimes possible to entice people into using your business by offering something for free. This could be something as simple as a product giveaway or a sample of your work. Once people see what you have on offer they can then come back as paying customers.
- Form an alliance
Sometimes it can be a brilliant idea to offer your services in conjunction with another business. Scout around your local community and area for businesses that you feel could benefit from a mutual agreement between the two of you. Two services are better than one, and your combined experience could be enough to get excellent clients that would not be possible for either of your individually. This is where it could come in useful to attend trade shows and other networking events, as it is here that you could meet other business owners who may be very inclined to work with you for your mutual benefit.
Written by Lloyd Wells, a business consultant working with Selectabase, one of the UK’s largest marketing database suppliers.
source http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2016/11/03/creating-customers-six-ways-drum-business/
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