The fastest way to grow your business: 7 low or not cost steps to take

Some ideas on the Best Way to Grow Your Business 7 low or not cost steps to grow your business fast Did you know that the most effective way of growing your business is NOT to put all your effort into looking for new customers and to NOT try to increase your customer base all the time!! Sounds a bit strange coming from a business strategist doesn’t it? But it is true. Social media and a networked world mean we need to change the way we market our businesses. Evidence shows that we believe and trust each other to refer products and services rather than marketing and advertising. The best way to grow a business is not to concentrate all your effort on looking for new customers but to look after your existing customers and retaining them as customers. You should concentrate on turning these people into loyal customers who enjoy your services so much that they buy more from you and more often. In fact the best way to grow your business is not to just have satisfied customers but to have “RAVING FANS!” These are people who tell all and sundry just how wonderful your service is and say things like” If you need x service then you must see my friend Joe. He is the best provider around!” So how do you turn your existing customers into loyal raving fans? Here are 7 low or not cost steps that will help you: 1. Always underpromise and over deliver. Never commit to something that you know you can’t do. Always make promises that you KNOW you can keep and then KEEP them. 2. Always keep your customers informed on a. the progress of their job (if you provide a service that they need to wait for, or a product needs to be ordered) b. all the benefits of your product or service including the benefits to the environment, employees, growers etc all the way up the value chain 3. Always manage your customer expectations. This means tell them what they can expect. If you do not specific promises about what they can expect then they will feel justified in expecting anything and as you won’t know what it is they expect you will have very little chance to meeting those expectations! 4. When you have to tell your customers bad news tell them as soon as you can. Apologise up front and then explain to them what it means and what you are doing about it! Use words such as” I need to let you know that….I am sorry about this….. I understand that this is not quite what you wanted or expected. What I can do for you though is…..” and offer something that minimises the impact on the customer and shows that you understand the inconvenience you have caused and you are doing you best to help. 5. Always thank your customers sincerely for their business. Let them know you appreciate their business. You can do this in a variety of ways. This may include a simple thank you card, a phone call and letter, or even a gift. 6. Work out the 5 most critical moments of truth in your business when it either lives or dies in the minds of your customers and what you must do in those moments. 7. Try to find one or two things that you can do over and above your normal service and beyond your customers’ expectations. This will be a nice surprise for them and it gives them something to tell their friends when they are raving about you! Build these 7 steps into your daily operations and do them as a matter of course. In a year from now you will be delighted that you did. Over time they will deliver you customers who are only too pleased to spend their money with you and tell their friends and family about the wonderful service or product you provide. If you’d like to talk about how to build an outstanding customer service system in your business to grow it fast give me a call or email me.