10 Things That Pull You Down From Getting More Business

There are businesses that do well. There are ones that hold the edge. There are businesses that lead the competition. And, there are the ones which struggle with getting more business.

The number of start-ups, small & medium enterprises & heavy investment enterprises has grown exponentially over the years. However, with all the problem-solving ideas, innovative concepts, well-researched products, and customized service projects businesses these days are finding roadblocks. Their stuff remains unsold due to lack of penetrating marketing strategies.

For small business owners or self-employed individuals, the business revolves around their passion with scanty knowledge about marketing their stuff. On many occasions, it has to with the lack of intent to engage in a planned promotion or having an effective marketing plan.

Peek into few factors that kill sales and obstruct organizations and businesses from acquiring new customers and getting more business.

1. Undefined goals

Setting the goal is the first step to turning the invisible into the visible. Businesses need to clearly define the reason for their existence. A big chunk of start-Ups & small businesses does not document a clear vision statement and goals.

  • Write the vision statement that will help you ascertain the goals, the mission, and act as a guide to the core activities of the business, and help in the formulation of policies and taking an ethical stand.

2. Insufficient research & awareness about the markets

The obstacle to discovery is not ignorance. It is the illusion of knowledge. Businesses think that they know swimming and get into the ocean.  And then they get drowned. The strategy that may have worked for you formerly may not work today. The markets are changing- If I correct this phrase, the customers are changing. Nowadays customers have access to information and pricing strategies.

  • A customer has grown smarter and is well informed about purchase decisions. In such scenario, businesses have to constantly be engaged in market and customers and be smart in terms of pricing, features, services and over experience selling.

3. Not working out on products

Clinging to a product or a service that may look attractive, may be economic to manufacture and easy to distribute but has no practical value is practically unsalable. Start-Ups & businesses need to understand what the customer needs.

  • Check out the relevance of the concept for the target audience. Also, verify if the target audience is well defined and correct. If required, conduct a pilot run & take feedback. Iron out the deficiencies into usability, features, pricing, competitiveness & offers.

4. Lack of proper sales process

The Company that doesn’t have a proper sales process is surely going to get stuck sooner or later. Lack of documented sales process & written sales presentation, Non-existence of staff training procedures, Inability to generate quality leads, Inadequacy in sales follow-up processes or Using inappropriate promotional channels is enough to screw down your business.

  • Define the products/services.
  • Create a sales presentation citing features & advantages, competitive edge & stress on how the customer will advantage out of your offer.
  • Identify the Sales resistances and develop answers and explanations so that customer is forced to purchase the offering.
  • Develop a well-trained sales staff and create options to generate quality leads.
  • Install a mechanism to monitor sales pitches & follow up procedures. When a deal is done, make sure you retain the existing customers.
  • While planning a promotional strategy, use those that maximize the outreach in the budgeted costs.

5. Inability to generate funds

The chief job of a business owner is to generate funds for keeping the business alive, whether via sales or through funding, loans or from capital markets. The biggest reason why start-ups fail is because of inability to generate the necessary resources that help the business tide through the tough phases and become strong to acquire new customers.

  • Consider friends, family or bootstrapping. Develop options to raise capital from Angel investors. Crowd-funding from social circle comes handy in such circumstances. If you are looking at a little larger picture then you can get fund from the micro-loan organizations. It may take time, but losing heart is definitely not one of the ways. Keep calm and move ahead.

6. Inappropriate management of Customer Data

Not managing the customer’s data properly can get even the biggest of the companies in trouble. Keep your customers happy and other things will become easier.

  • So, it is highly necessary to record analyze and manage customer data. Customers’ preferences, likes & dislikes provide an insight into current & future trends. This will help a correction in strategy & improvise the purchasing experience. Good quality crm software can help manage customer interactions, recording feedback and improvising relationships.

7. Overlooking the need of your own people

It’s not you alone who has set up the business. There are people you need to take care of so that they take care of your valuable business. The way customers are important to you, the employees are as much your priority.

  • Understand your employees for better. Communicate with them often and value their opinions & suggestions. Create a dedicated team that strives to achieve the set goals.
  • Train them, provide them with necessary tools, motivate them and they will do their best, always.

8. Weak online promotion strategy

Being absent on the internet impacts heavily on the scalability of the business. Being present without any promotional activity adds no good.

  • Businesses & Start-Ups should promote their business online through the website, portals, blogs, & Social media sites. Keeping the customers engaged by developing mobile games, & mobile applications are some of the good ways to being visible to customers.

9. Improper inventory & logistics management

The inability to deliver when the customer demands is one of the easiest ways to kill the business. The marketing team may have made promises, but the delivery & logistics has got the responsibility to deliver in a timely manner.

  • An impeccable way to make a place in your customer’s heart is to deliver the product on the date you promised. It is always an emergency on the customer’s side and inventory management, shipping process needs to be one of the selling points.

10. Restricting to a Comfortable geography

The home territory has a capped potential for any business. Beyond this, the businesses must look for newer geographies and probably think about exploring a newer market. Lack of such a planning can be enough to keep the business as a small player and deny the chances to acquire customers.

  • Slowly and steady, a business need to penetrate in the other geographical areas but before doing that, they need to study the market carefully, plan the strategy and do a SWOT. It is good to move ahead with a proper planning.

It is not the failure of one or other strategy that would eventually decrease the number of customers and lead to the business failure but yes, not willing to invest resources and hard work would.

A good business will keep customers at the top and would define every strategy around them. This is the easiest way to reach the goal you set for the business.

 

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Integrated Data Management is a Productivity Goldmine

Everyone’s talking about Big Data these days, but all the data in the world is useless unless it’s structured in a way that increases productivity and profitability.Fortunately, integrated data solutions can blend and unify data sources and business processes to save time and money.A professionally designed integrated data solution has the potential to integrate thousands of data sources.The ability to connect and track business data, including sales, advertising, marketing, finance and SEO, empowers decision makers and customer service representatives with the information they need to improve business performance.

Data Integration

The idea of collecting and tracking disparate streams of data to improve business performance can be difficult to grasp.The amount of data collected by an average business has literally exploded in recent years.Many businesses have attempted to employ data management solutions such as cloud-based applications , limited legacy systems and other out-of-the-box digital products to stay ahead of the data avalanche.For example, genomic testing companies having to house trillions of strands of DNA data for personalized medicine are finding their process does not run smoothly with access to complex data storage and analysis. Designing and implementing an effective data management interface is now a crucial component of business success.

Remaining competitive in the global economy requires business leaders to adapt to emerging trends.The integration of business data collection systems is no longer optional for large and even medium size businesses.Data integration reduces labor costs and improves profit margins.The cutting edge of effective data management varies from business to business.A comprehensive approach to data integration is essential.Relying on one-size-fits-all data management products is likely to yield minimal results and increase long-term costs.

Organizational Goals

When business leaders establish clear goals related to business performance, they have a much better chance of arriving at a desired destination.Data integration is an essential aspect of attaining organizational goals.It’s rare that a company IT specialist possesses the skills and experience necessary to merge data collection sources into a unified decision making tool.Establishing a long-term relationship with a professional data integration solutions company is a more reliable way to develop a customized data integration system and achieve organizational goals.

Data integration is a proven means of eliminating data handling and enhancing organizational productivity.Well designed eCommerce solutions allow company leaders and representatives to focus on product and customer development rather than data mining and archiving.The industrial age was characterized by important developments in automation.Some things never change.A revolution in digital automation promises to change the business world forever.

Business Solutions

Increasing business efficiency makes it possible to get more done without adding more employees.Investing in productivity solutions is the key to continued business success.Data flow efficiency is a fundamental aspect of business success.This requires a willingness to listen to data integration experts and adopting a long-term approach to data management.When it becomes obvious that existing data management systems are hindering productivity and business performance, it’s time to consider the available options.

Data management systems don’t last forever.That’s why it makes sense to design a flexibleintegrated data management system that meets current needs while preparing for the future. There’s nothing more frustrating than a do-it-your-self system, plug & play integration application or add-onproduct solution that is incapable of keeping up with the volume of a growing business.It doesn’t take long for an aging legacy system to break down just in time for someone to hit the panic button.It’s time consuming and expensive to catch up with the digital age after falling behind.That’s why it’s best to stay ahead of the digital game by investing in a comprehensive data integration system.

Data Touch Points

The number of data collection touch points in an average business is astounding.Designing an efficient map that allows data to flow efficiently and be made available to key organizational stakeholders is a productivity goldmine.Always remember that the purpose of a data integration system is to accomplish important business goals.Data flow is never a finished product.A data integration system must be capable of adapting to market trends and revised business goals.Developing an ongoing relationship with an experienced data integration company allows the flow of business data to evolve naturally.

The flow of data encompasses so many digital languages.Connecting the flow of transaction data in a standardized way has the potential to invigorate any business.Whether a data management system integrates applications within a business or connects with external partners, converting and standardizing file types will ensure the viability of business data.Converted files, including PDFs, XML, EDI, hadoop and excel, makes it possible for businesses to import and export data in a standardized file format.

Improving business productivity and eliminating human error are only two of the enormous benefits associated with a properly designed integrated data management system.Under-investing in integrated data management is a costly mistake.The number of data touch points necessary to operate a profitable business in the digital age will undoubtedly continue to escalate.Deciding to learn about the available strategies for integrating data streams is a sound business decision.

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