Grow your business – in a week

This article doesn’t have much in the way of reading material, but hopefully it provides plenty of food for thought.

By taking each of the questions below and spending some time thinking about your response and where this leaves your business, I believe you could generate ideas and plans to grow any business.

Day One – Monday

After a busy weekend many of us may have our thoughts on other things first thing on Monday morning. I’d suggest a topic for those thoughts – your customers, or clients, audience or publics. And answer for yourself the following questions:

Are you asking your customers for feedback about every aspect of your business, as it affects them? More importantly, do you act on that feedback to change your products or the way you service your clients, or the way you promote your business?

Day Two – Tuesday

I tend to find I knuckle down to work much more easily by Tuesday and my brain’s ticking along in business mode. So now might be a good time to think beyond your existing customer base and ask a few questions about how you can attract more customers.

Today’s questions…

Do you understand, in detail, what your prospects need and what triggers you could press to make them buy from you? What one factor influences their buying decision above all others?

Day Three – Wednesday

Middle of the week and maybe a good time to tackle the thorny issue of money.

Are all of your products or services making you money? If not what do you plan to do about it?

And are you charging too much, or too little, and what do your prices tell your customers about you?

Day Four – Thursday

On the homeward stretch now but there are still a few things to sort out before the weekend. What about your image – or should I say your company’s image?

What sort of impression is created by your company building or office space, company letterhead, brochures, website, business correspondence and of course the way your people behave? And how might this influence potential clients and existing customers?

Day Five – Friday

Ok – it’s almost the weekend – so there’s really only one very simple question for you today:

What was your most effective marketing activity ever – and when are you planning to do it again?

I hope these questions inspire you to think about the way you approach customers, markets and communications and that as a result you make changes that add value to your business. Good luck.

Article written by Teresa Harris, Second Opinion Marketing. Teresa is an independent marketing consultant specialising in communication solutions and the customer experience. To contact Second Opinion Marketing call 01789 740396 or email tah@secondopinionmarketing.co.uk.

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