Here’s the (somewhat unfortunate and yet still accurate) truth about starting and/or running a small business: it isn’t always going to be easy. Even the most prepared business owners will face conflict, confusion, and worst-case scenarios from time to time. This is normal, but so much of your success is dependent upon how you react during those times, pick yourself up, and keep going.
Whether you’ve been in business for years, or are just starting out, here are the few biggest issues that businesses face and what you can do about them.
Problem #1: Poorly Utilized Marketing Campaigns
Marketing your product or service is one of the key processes of building a company, but just posting on social media won’t mean success in the long run. If you have no clear goal, no action plan to follow, no milestones to hit, and ultimately no idea about what you want to achieve with your marketing, you won’t get anything in return.
And this is a mistake that’s very easy to make! You want to make a profit, obviously, but does that mean building a customer base and converting more leads? Or does it mean padding out a mailing list for repeat custom? You simply need to know what you’re doing!
Problem #2: Any Kind of Property Damage
Property damage is quite possibly the last thing you want to deal with when you’re a business owner. Not only will you have to shut up shop and lose a day’s work (at least), but you’ll have to pull out insurance documents and maybe even get legal involved, thanks to your commercial status.
But there’s always a chance something will happen to your physical premises, so make sure you’ve got the right numbers noted down beforehand. For example, knowing the name of the local Certified and trained Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration service will save you so much crucial time if a fire breaks out in the server room, or your equipment shorts and sets a cubicle on fire.
Problem #3: A Bad Checkout Experience
Maybe your delivery options are limited and non flexible? Maybe you only have one payment option to use, and that alienates at least half of the people who make it to checkout in the first place? Because the more you offer, the more you get in return! And sometimes that just means allowing customers to use Paypal, or to deliver to a home address rather than a pick-up point.
Consider this: What would you want from a checkout? And how fast can you make that happen within your own checkout?
A good experience at the point of sale is the best form of customer service, and never forget to make it easy to ask for a refund either! That builds good will, even if someone wants to return something. They know you’re safe to shop with, and that’ll reflect in their review.
Your small business will make mistakes – it’s only natural. But just be sure to handle them as best as you can (and early!) to avoid more issues in the long run.
Featured Image Credit: LinkedIn Home » Blog »