Posts Tagged ‘Customer service’
As we have previously seen small businesses have advantages to big business, such as better access to market information, greater flexibility to adapt to changes, greater innovation capacity, etc.
So if we want to compete well with large companies, only a matter of reaping the benefits as small businesses has. Then look at some strategies or tips that will allow us to leverage our advantages, and be able to compete with big business:
Partnering with other companies
An effective way to compete with large companies is to partner or create alliances with other small businesses.
For example, we may partner with other small producers and ensure that each company deals with a part of the production, and thus be more efficient, or we can from all open a new plant without having to leave our businesses.
We also join with other companies and buy in quantity from suppliers, and obtain volume discounts, or can share marketing costs, for example, by throwing together some advertising campaign or organize an event or exhibition together.
Providing excellent customer service
Another effective way to compete with the big company is emphasizing customer service.
For example, we strive to offer a personalized service where a worker meets the same customer during the checkout process or we can try to advise customers on their purchase, first try to understand their needs and preferences, and according to them, provide the product or service referred to him, the one that best suits them.
Another way to get customer service is maintaining contact with the customer after the sale, for example, to call to see if satisfied with the product, or to send cards or greeting cards, or a small gift for being a frequent customer.
Here we present the 5 main reasons why companies often fail, and some tips on how we can meet each of these reasons:
1. Lack of experience
Creating and managing a business is not easy, is not something you learn from the overnight, but it is something you learn over time. Learn how to create and manage a business requires theory, but above all, a lot of practice.
The lack of experience often results in overly optimistic, unrealistic projections in hasty decisions in inefficient management, etc.
The experience acquired over time, simply by creating and managing businesses. If you do not have much experience, it is advisable to start small, beginning with a small business, taking some risk, and making decisions without fear of making mistakes or fail, knowing that mistakes and failure is where one learns more.
2. Lack of capital
Another reason why businesses fail is lack of capital. Problem that arises when one has not produced good budget expenses, do not get the expected sales or the company grows too quickly and there is not enough money to take supply.
To address this problem, before starting a company, the first thing to do is develop a good business plan that allows us to make a good projection of both the expenditure and revenue, which, in turn, allows us to calculate what the capital requirements necessary to implement the business and to operate during the first months of life.
Another way to address this problem of lack of capital, is to seek to minimize investment (for example, by comparing either the prices of inputs and equipment, choosing rather to suppliers, etc.), But without sacrificing quality.
3. Low sales
An obvious and common reason why businesses often fail is the low level of sales that come to get.
The reasons for low sales obtained may be several, perhaps picked a bad location, not properly segmented the market, it offers a quality product; it provides a good customer service.
The main ways to combat the problem of low sales are to provide a quality product, provide good customer service, perform sales promotion, and increase advertising.
There are many things we can do If you need a little more than some extra money or are looking for full time employment, your solution may be on the Web. If you have a computer at home, now is the best time to look for unique opportunities that fit your needs. The key is knowing which ones are legitimate and safe, here is the best.
1. Sell your crafts and creations
Do you love to sew, knit, make jewelry? There are many opportunities to sell your creations online. Several websites offer the opportunity to create your own space online sales with minimal cost or low that can display photos of your products, pricing and promotion you want. Etsy.com, for example, allows you to create your own online store and only have to pay 20 cents for each product you want to sell up to 5 photos per product. And when you sell the product, you have to pay a fee of 3.5% to Etsy but the advantage is that there is no limit to what you paid for the product.
If you like making jewelry, there jewelrywonder.com that, unlike Etsy has no additional charge to the seller. The only restriction is that you need 30 items to open your free online store. Artfire.com is also a good option for people who do crafts. Sellers can choose from a basic free account includes unlimited list with 4 photos per product and a Pro account for $ 15.00 that lets you take 10 photos of products plus the ability to create a ‘store’ that you can adapt.