4 Ways to Get New Customers in Your Small Business

I’ve been seeing several posts from small business owners- telling people in their community to support small business.

Yes, absolutely- support small businesses in your community- 100%. I believe the healing of any economy happens in our own community, because we can’t control things where we don’t reside.

As a small business owner going on 18 years... I get it, owning a small business is hands down one of the hardest things I have ever done, and will ever do. It's spiritual, physical, and emotional- but this is a path you choose- it's not for everyone, but you chose it.

Small business owners have to take responsibility, and do a better job if they want to win more business- that is getting exported online, to the closest metropolitan area, or the next town or state over.

4 Areas Every Small Business Owner can improve on:

1. Providing jobs, and being world class leaders in their communities.

>>>Stop saying nobody wants to work, the fact is, nobody may want to work for you. Plenty of people are tirelessly looking for jobs- and are eager to work for a someone with a vision, a mission, a purpose, a plan, and willing to pay a livable wage.

2. Marketing

>>>You may have a fancy sign on Main Street, that people who drive by may never actually see... so there are still more people in your community who don’t know you exist, let alone that your business provides a service or products they have yet to fall in love with.

>>> If you can market are social media- are you? Do you donate to local charities, support local teams, and events? Hosting special sales and events? Promoting all your products, services, new and old? Are you utilizing at least 3 streams of leads? Growing an email list or text list?

3. Do better business

>>> if you can’t beat pricing - you have to win in service with a smile, face and name recognition, honesty, kindness, and followup. The customer isn’t always right, but neither are you. Relationships, experience and service will always win.

4. Spruce up the joint

>>> Small businesses, need to update and improve their stores, facilities and ways of doing business to keep up with the times, even in small towns. It’s respect to your business, your customers, and your community. People want to do business where there is an experience every time they walk in the door. If your business stinks, is messy, or hasn’t been updated since the 80’s don’t be surprised if it’s hard to demand higher prices, or attract new customers.

I see you busting your tails, spinning your wheels and feeling frustrated, and at times hopeless- the posts that tell people to support your local small business- reek of desperation (which begging people to do business with you is a strategy- but not a good one.)

It’s easier to focus on - what can I improve or update in my business today?

I am offering 3 brick and mortar businesses a 45 min audit of their systems, marketing, and experience of their business- so that this time next year your business more profitable, fun, and fulfilling.

You will leave this audit with a strategic plan, that doesn’t involve guilting people to do business with you, but instead attracts and invites more people to do business with you. Click here to book a time to connect.

4 Steps to Get More Consistent Sales

Everything you want from your business is sitting on the other side of selling. It doesn’t matter what your personal feelings area about sales. The fact of the matter is, if you want to grow your income, create change, and grow your impact- you must sell.

The purpose of a business at the beginning and end of the day is to generate income through selling products or services. If you struggle to get consistent sales, you will also struggle to keep your business afloat, employ people, pay the bills, and to provide for your own livelihood.

Love it or hate it- sales are the life blood of any business.

You can create multiple ways of selling where you have recurring revenue from memberships, return customers, payment plans, or other other types of income be it from interest, rent, or other fairly hands off sales. Creating even the more passive streams of income in your business still requires that you sell- even if it’s just making the sale the first time.

For most new and struggling business owners, the reason they struggle is because they haven’t yet cracked the code of how to bring in consistent and reliable sales.

The way I see it, there are 2 different types of income every business should have:

1. Fast cash - Which comes from front end sales, paid in fulls, flash sales, one time sales, etc.

2. Recurring Cash- Which comes from recurring sales like payment plans, memberships, auto ship programs, return customers, etc.

Fast cash gets a business started and gives you the owner proof of concept. Recurring cash keeps you in business.

If you are struggling with consistent sales, chances are you are struggling with consistent marketing.

If you are struggling with consistent marketing, you either don’t know your product, are afraid of being rejected, or have no clue what your message is.

Knowing this there are 4 tips I can give you to start getting consistent sales

1. Know your message-

   As creators, at our core we have a tendency to want to constantly be creating NEW, NEW, NEW. The problem with having a new message every time you promote your product or service, your audience has no idea what you are selling. You should know your message, your product promise, so well that it almost bores you.

   Because you know your message so well, and you know your niche so well, many also tend take for granted how much they know, that we start assuming other people have the same familiarity with the problem we solve as we do.

   Simplify what it is you do, by distilling it into one short sentence. Talk about what you do, the problem you solve, always using that one short sentence.

2. Grow Your Audience

   Chances are, living in the digital age, you have social media, and as you decide to embark on your journey of starting your business, the only people you have watching you on your social media platforms are people you went to school with and your family. Which happens when you let social media use you as tool, where you consume more than you contribute. (Enter death scroll.)

   As fast as you can though, you need to start growing your own audience, by joining facebook groups, making friends, and inviting them to connect with you, on your social platforms via a friend request or follow. (For the love of sanity for all, DO NOT message people your pitch. Simply say Hi, and leave it.)

3. Talk About It

   Most people will call talking about your product or service marketing, which that is exactly what talking about it is, marketing.

   Oftentimes, people tend to overcomplicate marketing- when at the end of the day all marketing is, is talking about your products or services on a regular, reliable cadence.

4. Make Offers

   Give people opportunities to come deeper into your work, whether it’s through a free download, a strategy call, or inviting them to join your program or purchase your product.(Again do not message people your pitch, or your invite, unless they specifically ask you to via comments.)

   Just like in real life, people want to do business with people they know, when they are ready to do business with them. Making the right sale, to the right person, boils down to their need for what you have to offer, when they need it. NOT when you think they need it.

   Our job as entrepreneurs, and humans who happen to have a product or service to sell, is to keep providing value, and making offers. It’s that simple, and equally that hard.

The key to having consistent sales, is doing these 4 things daily. You can’t control the results, but you can control your efforts. When you show up everyday for your business, your potential customers, and your current customers- things change.

When you work like it freakin matters to you, talk like it matters to you, what you have to offer will matter to others.

If you are interested in knowing how I can help you get your coaching or consulting business, in business- so that your business pays you everyday and replaces your current income from your job click here, schedule a call, and fill out the form so I know a little more about you before we hop on our call.

You can access my 15 Ways to Make 100k Guide, where I walk you through how you can make 100k this year, while building a business that changes lives.