Quick Tips for Business in Recovery Mode
As this year progresses, we are hearing more about our businesses climbing out of the ‘economic downturn’ state. Even though we can start to breathe some small sighs of relief as we slowly head towards the summit, I believe there are still fundamental business basics we as business owners/managers need to consider and action.
Marketing and Promotions
Write a marketing plan and budget so that we can consistently connect and interact with our customers and potential customers.
Have we identified who our target market is, where do they live, are they male, female, what is their average age, ? what special characteristics do they have? Have we recently undertaken a survey of our customers to identify any changes in their wants/needs?
How can we reach these people, what type of media do they relate to eg , newspaper, visual, radio, internet etc. It might be a mixture of these things that will connect our potential customers to us and this is where we are able to develop a consistent effective marketing mix that fits in with our marketing budget.
Is there any Business Awards we might be able to apply for, which in the case of being a finalist/winner will provide us with acknowledgement/credibility. We in the Redlands have just completed voting for our favourite Retailer, and as the year progresses we have the Chamber of Commerce Business Awards to nominate for. My favourite saying is simply that “You cannot sell a secret!” so go for it Redland businesses.
Employees
Do our staff know the true value of our customers? Do they know how important it is to keep our customers satisfied and how costly it is for us when our customers go elsewhere and we find ourselves having to replace and look for new customers? Are their customer skills uptodate? Do they provide your customers with a unique shopping experience? Do they require customer service training?
Financials/Operations
Have we made realistic projections for this financial year? Are we on track with these? Do we need to revisit and revise some of these? Have we minimised our business costs and shopped around for competitive supplier quotes? Are we making the most with the resources we have? Have we systemised our procedures so that our service is effectively implemented.
During the year Redland City Business Grow will be holding a selection of workshops on issues such as Business Planning, Customer Service, Human Resource Management. Please see below our 3 workshops we are holding in April to assist you in growing and developing your business. If you need any further information or would like to book please email me on .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or telephone 1800 282 208. There are limited places available so if you are interested you will need to book asap.
Melanie Lavelle-Maloney - Principal, Contact First Business Solutions. Contact First operates the Redland City Business Grow Program, a free confidential business advisory and mentoring service offered to Redland businesses and residents looking to start up business in the Redlands.
Posted by Melanie Lavelle-Maloney on 20 Jun 2010