It would be nice, in a way, to think that time stands still. That what worked in the past will work now and just doing what we always did will suffice. Unfortunately whether we like it or not some things change.
Just ask the people who made their business in manufacturing button hooks for lace-up boots. Remember audio cassettes and video tapes?
Some things, of course, don’t change. Being well organised in your business will never go out of fashion. Which doesn’t mean being inflexible, but does mean approaching your business with the respect that it deserves. It means taking the right actions for the right reasons. Nourishing the business as necessary, in the form of scheduled marketing and repeatable quality standards in delivery of services and product. Which means good procedures and policies – written down and followed.
Whether you’ve noticed it or not, your market is changing. Your customers are changing and the way they do business, the way they want to do business, has changed. Time is precious for your customers and many of them do their shopping research online.
Provide as Much Information as Possible
Consumers want answers when they want them, even if it’s 2am. If they’re looking for something in your field, you want to be there online for them to find – easily and with all the information they need to satisfy their interest/enquiry.
You should think of your business website as an employee. You would train an
employee to be able to answer, ideally, 95% of questions a customer might ask.
If there are a few questions that need be be passed onto the boss, because your employee can’t provide definite answers, you (the boss) are notified with a message about the enquiry, and respond promptly.
Think about how you can set up your website to function this way.
Word of Mouth Marketing
Your customers are looking online to find you via search engines but, guess what? That’s not the only place they’re looking. They’re seeking advice from the people around them and – more and more – that’s people “around them” online. The people in their social networks.
Need a good mechanic? Ask your network. Need a new accountant or accounting software to do it yourself? Get a quick handful of suggestions online. And just as easily as a business/service/product can be given the thumbs-up online, it’s not difficult for consumers to find out who has been rubbished for their lack of service.
But you probably know this already. As a business owner, you probably do the same thing yourself. The question now is how are you responding to this change in your market, within your business? What are you doing to meet your customers in the new marketplace? How do you let them find you online and what steps have you actively taken to meet their enquiries and respond to their needs?
The Future is Here
New tools are available to help you monitor the word that is out there about your business, and to help you spread the good word yourself. It isn’t something to take lightly and it isn’t something to ignore if you want your business to be flexible and able to prosper in the new economy.
Databases for marketing, social media, SMS text messages, VOIP, inventory management and advanced point of sale technology, online identity and reputation management, social media recruiting methods – these are just some of the new business tools.
If you have not taken steps yet to address this side of your business and how it fits with the overall management of your business, then now is a great time to review your direction and plan for the future, that is now.
If you have taken steps to move with the times, please do add your comments and share your thoughts so others can learn from your experiences!
