Are you a new business that’s struggling getting off the ground? Or perhaps things were going well for a while but profits have suddenly plummeted? It can be worrying and frustrating as a business owner, but there are changes you can make which can have a huge impact on your success. Is your company guilty of these five things?
You’ve not done your market research
It’s easy for you as a business owner to believe that what you’re selling is incredible, but you need to find out if there’s any desire for your product or service from anyone else. If it turns out there is, you need to find out how much people are willing to pay for it as well as who your audience are as this impacts the way you market your company and products. It’s all about solving the problems that your market have, and you need to know who they are to understand this. Make sure you’re promoting based on your market research findings; establish strong optimizations for Google Ads, work with bloggers that suit your niche and tailor your social media content based on what your customers want and need.
Your product or service isn’t good enough
If what you’re selling isn’t good enough then people aren’t going to buy it, it’s as simple as that. You need to make sure that the products, manufacturing process and the idea itself are all solid before investing money into your business. Market research will get you off on the right foot, but from there you need to do research into similar products and companies. You need to make sure you’re using the right materials and the finished product is as good as it can be.
Your website needs updating
A website that’s slow to load, chock full of errors and looks amateur will all put off customers who will always expect professionalism. Don’t try and put together something yourself, invest and find an experienced web designer who can build you something beautiful and custom for your company. You might have a fantastic business idea and sell great products, but if your site looks rubbish then you could be putting people off at the very first hurdle.
Your customer service isn’t up to scratch
One tip when it comes to responding to customers either on the phone, on social media or on reviews is never get emotional. It can be hard when your business means so much to you, but it looks highly unprofessional so keep a level head when responding to problems, no matter how frustrating it can be. When it comes to your staff, employ people who are experienced in dealing with customers, as it’s not a job that suits everyone. You want to find people who have a ‘nothing is too much trouble’ attitude and someone that can remain positive even during challenging situations. Your customer service will keep people coming back, and will show others that you’re professional and trustworthy.
Your bad reviews put people off
Negative reviews can be incredibly damaging, as one of the first things people will do before shopping with a new business is check out the experience others have had. You need to be working really hard to make sure customers are happy, and those that aren’t are dealt with in a polite and professional way. Most companies will receive negative reviews from time to time, but if people can see you’ve responsed and tried to put things right then it needn’t have a negative impact. However, if your reviews are mainly negative, it’s most definitely something you need to put right.
