Six Strategies to Jump Start Your Small Business

November 6, 2007

All small business owners, whether you’ve been established for awhile or are just hanging out your “open for business” sign today, can benefit from some effective strategies and tips for jump starting your business.  You could have the number one business in the world, but if none of your potential clients know about the business, it’s not going to do you any good!

Here are six strategies, or tips, that you can begin implementing and start seeing results immediately.

1. Improve or get a Web site.  Businesses without a website these days just send off the wrong message.  Customers expect to be able to find out information about your company online, and if you don’t have one they’re not going to sit back and wait for you to get your act together and make one!  Instead, they’re going to click the mouse and type a few words to surf over to your competition.
2. Brand yourself!  Are you still handwriting your contact information on the back of someone else’s business cards to give out to people you  meet and network with?  Have a professional logo created, and then use it on professionally printed business cards, stationery and your website.  Create a cohesive look to all of your printed and online materials.
3. Show off what people think about you.  Yes, your mother probably told you not to care what anybody else thinks of you, but in the business world, referrals and testimonials are everything.  Build credibility b y showing up the nice things your customers are saying about you and/or your products.
4. Get your first sale!  If you haven’t made sales yet, discount something and sell it to a friend!  Every sale counts and it helps you build some momentum to get things going.
5. Generate news.  Don’t sit back and blend into the environment.  If you want people to talk about you (and you do want people to talk about your business, because that’s how word gets around and how new customers are found!) you need to do something out of the ordinary to get noticed.  Hold a special sale.  Run an effective email campaign. Donate proceeds to charity on a certain day.
6. Get a toll free number.  This is one of the easiest things you can do to effectively market your business on a larger scale.  When you have your professional logo and stationary designed, you can include your toll free business number, and instantly achieve a more professional appearance than having your cell phone number printed!

Posted in Starting a Small Business