Trying to improve your business is hard and competitive business. As a small business, you don’t have the money or means to compete with the big brands – or so you thought – but in today’s digital age, there’s a way for every business, big or small, to make their mark and acquire a number of customers. With social media, it’s easy to speak to someone who lives in a different time zone, and through an e-commerce store, someone on another continent can make a purchase. It’s a great time to be alive, and it’s an even greater time for businesses to thrive.
Refresh the mind
It’s all too easy to get bogged down in the day to day running of your SME. The routine tasks that need doing on a daily basis, the convenience of having your staff close to hand and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re available to potential new clients, all make it difficult to make the decision to work on growth. This complacency can become a major issue, as it becomes easier to concentrate on the tasks to hand and give little thought to what else you could be doing. Something as simple as a walking meeting rather than arranging a morning meet-up in the closest boardroom can be of enormous benefits for you and your staff. The fresh air and vibrancy of the outside world, along with the exercise element, gives your brain, energy-levels, and creativity a boost, and your business will reap the rewards.
Integrate a delivery service
Keeping costs down is, of course, one of your main priorities, and although there are many benefits to outsourcing key areas of your SME, you might also be considering taking on more responsibility. If you need to deliver your goods to customers and clients, then starting your own delivery service could be a huge investment. Cut out the middleman and buy your own trailers to transport goods, hire the employees, and keep spare parts such as trailer wheels to hand, so that you’re prepared for the worst, and can keep a reliable service. Having your own delivery service means you don’t have to rely on others; it also means you have a unique selling point, which could make you more desirable than a competitor who outsources to a delivery company people may not trust.
Meeting people
Having a video conference meeting with a new client is a valuable time-saver, and its convenience is not to be understated, as little is more beneficial than speed and convenience. On the other hand, who doesn’t want a face to face chat with the person they hope to do business with. No matter the industry that your startup is focused on, a face to face meeting allows for a more personal touch, and also means that both you and the person you’re talking to is more focused on the details of the meeting. With video conferencing, you have no idea what’s going on around your customer, and being in the same room as they can provide a sale where an email might not have. So get out and about, put some and show your wares to the clients that you know need them. You might be surprised by the effectiveness and how it’s improve your brand.
We all need the occasional boost that being in the natural world provides, and studies have proven the effectiveness of taking a break from the artificial light of an office environment and taking the time to explore the natural world. This needn’t become an annular treat, as your SME is more likely to retain staff if they feel happy, and even popping outside for some fresh air can be of benefit to them and to you.
