Is your business already as big and profitable as you want? Then read no further. For those who realize that growing your business is a never-ending necessity for its survival, as well as for your own economic well-being, this list is intended to help you focus on that task. What can you do to get your business beyond the sustenance level? All of the ways of growing a business outlined below have been successfully used by others and, with some planning and investment, they’ll work for you too.
1. Sell more to your existing market The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of growing your business is getting new customers. But the customers you already have are your best bet for increasing your sales; it’s easier and more cost-effective to get people who are already buying from you to buy more than it is to find new customers and persuade them to buy from you.
2. Know how to ask for referrals Getting new customers is the obvious approach to growing your business. One of the easiest ways to do this is to ask your current customers for referrals. But notice the verb. Doing a great job and just assuming that your customers are passing the word about your business isn’t going to do much to increase your customer base; you have to actively seek referrals. During, or after, every job or sale, ask your satisfied customer who they know who has a use for your products or services. Notice I didn’t say, “who they know who would be interesting in buying your products or services”. Don’t make your customer have to decide who wants to do business with you, just who could use what you’re selling.
3. Reduce your costs Keep in mind that the point to growing your business, is to grow your bottom line. And the difference between pre-tax and post-tax money can make this a very effective growth strategy. There are two main approaches to cost cutting; liquidating your “loser” products, and improving your inventory turnover.
4. Innovate your product or service Discovering and promoting new uses for your products or services is a great way to both get existing customers to buy more and attract new customers. Think duct tape, and how little would actually be sold if people thought it was only for ducts.
5. Extend your market reach There are several ways of growing your business by making your product or service available to a new pool of customers. The most obvious is to open stores in new locations, such as opening a store or kiosk in a new town. A new location can also be a website with an online store. Another approach is to extend your reach through advertising. Once you’ve identified a new market, you might advertise in select media that targets that market.
6. Capture a niche market Remember the analogy of the big fish in the small pond? That’s essentially how this strategy for growing your business works. The niche market is the pond; a narrowly defined group of customers. Think of them as a subset whose needs are not being met and concentrate on meeting those unmet needs. A nursery, for instance, might specialize in roses.
7. Diversify your products or services The key to successfully growing your business through diversification is similarity. You want to focus on the related needs of your already established market or on market segments with similar needs and characteristics. An artist might also sell frames and framing services, for instance. Or a mountain bike rental business might switch to renting skidoos in the winter season.
8. Participate in trade shows Trade shows can be a great way of growing your business. Because trade shows draw people who are already interested in the type of product or service you offer, they can powerfully improve your bottom line. The trick is to select the trade shows you participate in carefully, seeking the right match for your product or service.
9. Franchising The stories of entrepreneurs who have become both well-known and well-heeled due to franchising their small businesses are countless. If you have a successful business and can develop a system that ensures that others can duplicate your success, franchising may be the fast track for growing your business.
10. Exporting Expanding into international markets can also be a powerful boost to your business’s bottom line. Like franchising, this is a way of growing your business that requires quite a commitment of time and resources, but can be extremely rewarding.
Don’t let this list overwhelm you; pick one or two of these ideas that are suitable to your business and your circumstances and get your plan for growing your business underway. While you probably won’t experience growth right away, whichever way of growing your business you choose, you will see progress if you keep at it, and will successfully transform your business into all you want it to be.
