7 Steps to Extraordinary Small Business Success
Starting a small business and don't know where to being? Is your family business not performing as you would like? Maybe you don't know what you don't know about running a family business?
The James Family business took Robert James' one man band car cleaning business into a national franchise of 400 franchisee turning over $20 million in annual in homes services Australia wide. These 7 proven steps have been used successfully in over 2000 family businesses since 1993.
Our Family built successful businesses using these steps in a wide range of industries, from home cleaning, lawn and garden care, pet grooming, carpet cleaning, coffee industry, real estate , performance horse breeding and bloodstock agency.
These steps will give you the foundations to build a business at works for your family. They have stood the test of time, they are proven in the marketplace.
If you use all the 7 steps constantly they will work for you.
Step #1 Design Your Business.
Decide on what your business will be when you are done. The look, the feel and the reasons it exists. If you are running a family business decide what it will do for the family. Set your goals.
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| Your brands can become your biggest asset |
Step #2 Market Your Business Daily
Plant the marketing seeds today to harvest your business income in the future. This is the number one priority every day. Invest 15 minutes today to build tomorrows business.What forms of marketing?
Start with digital, business Facebook your own blog about what you do in your business and of course a mobile friendly website.Old school marketing is still cool! Brochures work, we all have actual mailboxes. Business cards are a necessity.
Most small businesses get caught up in the daily grind and ignore the marketing.
Market your business daily, just do it.
Step #3 Get The First Sale
If you don't get the first sale from your client, you never get return clients. Invest the time to match your service or product to meet your clients needs initially and you will stand out from the crowd.
Develop your sales systems so all clients are cared for at a constant professional level. This starts for first contact until the final sale.
"Professional Sales Ability" is not a blessing form the sales gods but a deliberate education process.
Educate yourself and staff in professional sales skills.
Educate yourself and staff in professional sales skills.
Step #4 Always Deliver the Promise
If you promise professional ,friendly services. Always be that. If you promise the cheapest, then that is what you have to be. Prompt service is a better option than "Cheap "as it allows you to charge for the promptness. But then you have to be prompt.
Most small businesses forget their marketing promises and it is the exception that delivers those promises.
Whatever you promise, do it!
Step #5 Organize Your Business
On the cashflow front and tax front, if your business is not large enough to employ a full time book keeper, I strongly recommend that you outsource a professional bookkeeping service. Leave it to the professionals.
Invest time in your client base on the marketing front. A email mailing list is a huge asset to your business. There is still value in the "Old School" follow up thank you letter or card or gift to your valued clients.
Systematically follow up marketing to your clients will generate a huge return client percentage.
Step #6 Follow Up Your Clients
Have you ever been to a restaurant and they don't ask how your meal was?
The food and service was most likely ordinary, wasn't it? The reason they didn't ask is that they didn't want to hear. The staff already know how ordinary it was.
Ask clients how your business performed. This can be by email, text message , phone call or in person. Even if they are not happy, you will get major brownie points for asking and fixing the problem.
Systematically follow up your clients.
Checkout the link for some great ideas.
Step #7 Continue To Deliver The Promise
This is the real challenge and it finds most businesses. It take true discipline and commitment to continue to deliver the promises long term. Over time service standards can drop.
Clients and customers can be taken for granted. 90% of clients are lost due to perceived indifference. This can be the biggest danger your business will face.
Stay focus on the business you decided to build and the goals you set and your business can deliver.
If you buy into the concept of these base principals you can build a successful business very quickly. These are proven rules that have been used successfully for 20 years.
The James Family plan to make available to the larger audience the principals that took a one man trailer to a national family owned business.
The James Family plan to make available to the larger audience the principals that took a one man trailer to a national family owned business.
Chase your dream, have a fair dinkum go and take control of your future .
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| James and co Business Stratigists |
Robert James
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