Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Action Plan for Small Business Owners: Capture Market Share

By Clint Steiner

Recession does not discriminate. Whether you're a small business owner or the CEO of a Fortune-500 company, there's no escaping the effects of a recession. Cost cutting is rampant. People prepare food at home instead of dining out. Companies begin scaling back resources and laying off employees. How can a small business owner survive a difficult recession? What can be done to capture market share and keep a business growing during tough economic times?

First of all, you must keenly understand the mind of the consumer. Customers still have to buy things in a recession. But, they tend to more carefully consider their purchases rather than buying on a whim. They take time to research the best possible deals. So what can you do to keep your customers?

Here are a few small business ideas which can help you to actually grow in recession:

Advertising: one of the major mistakes that happen during recession is that small business owners cut down or completely eliminate advertising. Doing this can make big difference since stopping advertising can make you lose a huge chunk of the market share

Create loyal customers: This is always important, but even more so during a recession. Make sure you're tuned-in to your customers' needs so that you can target your services to provide what they want. When customers feel well taken care of, they'll keep on coming back.

Get customer feedback: Use surveys and feedback forms to get information straight from the horse's mouth. This will provide valuable information so that you can target your products and services to match your customers' needs.

Have a good business plan: Planning is one of the most important ways to manage resources in a recession. You'll need to run a well-oiled machine in order to keep costs low and increase your business during a recession. You can't do this without a clear business plan.

Reach out to neighborhoods: Since gas prices have been increasing, customers are more often staying close to home instead of making the trek to malls and large shopping centers. Reach out to customers in their neighborhoods with flyers and other local advertisements to make your customers aware of your business.

Cut prices: Though you want high profit margins, you won't make any profits if you aren't competitive. Customers look for discounts in a recession, and you'll need to have special offers to stay competitive in a tough market. Make sure to use neighborhood advertising to get the word out about your deals.

Make customer convenience a priority: Many customers just don't want to spend time shopping for every-day needs. This is why home delivery and dial up services can grow your customer base.

Think about great offers: Though every one wants to save on recession, yet every one fancies a treat at some time. Think about offers and discounts which you can offer your customers. This will help you to attract new customers.

By using these ideas to improve your small business, you can stay active in a tough market. You can even go global by creating a small business website to attract customers from far and wide. Take advantage of these small business tips and you'll see your business overcome recession and continue to grow! - 21151

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