It is amazing how making a little difference in what you do can go a long way in boosting your enterprise. It ranges from simple but powerful gestures such as a warm and cheerful salutation of your customers to being impeccable at what you do.
If you think about it, you will discover that you go to the same restaurant or salon over and over again because they offer you better service than their competitors to keep you hooked. It can be the way they prepare their food or serve you or the enthusiasm with which you are received when you arrive.
Now, you can use the same approach to make your start-up different and draw customers.
Here are simple ways to do this and savour your good fortunes:
Believe in your product: Recently I challenged a mango seller about taste and ripeness of the fruit he was selling. He assured me that he sells succulent quality. He went ahead to cut one for me to prove his point. Once I tasted the sweet mango, I bought double what I had set out to buy. His confidence and belief in his product earned him a healthy sale. You should adopt the same. If you are selling African dresses, for example, wear your designs and customers will be impressed about your belief in your work. It will attract more buyers and with more money, you will be set up for financial take-off.
Target future customers: On Valentine’s Day last Sunday, I went to a supermarket with my children. We were given a rose flower, chocolate, sweets and a beautiful card. My children were so impressed that I knew then, they had just been hooked to the supermarket for life. In your small enterprise, you too can entice new customers. Come up with small gift ideas. The cost of the gift, of course, will be catered for in the price of the items on sale. These gifts will capture new customers as well as lock the old ones.
Stick out your neck until you make it: Starting a business and succeeding in it is not an overnight venture. You grow it, nurture it, live through losses and other disappointments but if you are patient, you will finally make it. When on the verge of giving up, think of the matatu operators. The competition in this industry is stiff yet new contraptions come to the market every other week and squeeze into the little space left. The secret to shining in such a competitive world is to offer superior service. Customers will troop to you to the envy of your competitors.
Get to your customers: You see banks and supermarkets which were in the town centres not so long ago are now in neighbourhoods, literally going to their customers. These days, if you don’t have clever ways to enable you reach your consumers, you might have good products that are rarely sampled.
Everybody is becoming aware of this new approach to business. Just think of the fresh vegetables and fruits sellers who deliver to your doorstep. The produce is fresh and reduces the hassle of spending hours on traffic to get the same from the market.
Keep up with the times: Search the Internet for the latest trends and follow suit. Keep improving your products and service as you keep abreast with modernity. Research will also expose you to innovative ways of running a company or doing business.
You are in business for profit: You are not running a charitable organisation. You are in business because you want to make profits and secure yourself financially. Thus do not view it as a by the way; that you are doing it just for the sake. Without enthusiasm, you can as well close shop and go home.
Grow it: You must aspire to grow the business to the highest level possible. If you start with two employees, you should strive to increase this number and even expand the business by opening branches around the country.
It is important to have a dream and all dreams are valid.