Opportunities abound – but not for the faint-hearted

Nov 3 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

WITHOUT wishing to appear to be ignoring the gravity of the global economic difficulties and the general doom and gloom, the current climate offers some golden opportunities for businesses that are prepared to rise to the challenge.

It is not going to be possible to just sit tight and hope for the best – in order to survive and prosper you need a battle plan. Ask yourself the following questions:

Where do your customers come from?

How do they find out about you and what you offer?

Do they know the range of additional things that you can offer?

When did you last talk to your customers and listen to their needs?

Are you proactively selling your services or just waiting for the orders to come in?

As a result of this review of your operation is there anything that you can do better?

Now take a long hard look at your competitors…

If you are competing purely on price it’s time to take action. Is there an additional service that you can offer that sets you apart from the competition and gives your customers some real added value? Why not talk to your customers and find out what would make their life easier.

In previous recessions the busi- nesses that are prepared to be flexible and in some cases diversify are the ones that have survived and grown. It has been proved that you can sell your way out of a recession if you are prepared to work at it.

You need to make sure that every person in your army has a clear role and is suitably trained and fit for purpose. You also need to make sure that they are fully briefed in the battle plan.

It may seem a little early for New Year resolutions, but the opportunities are there. What you don’t have is the luxury of time on your side.

Let battle commence!

If you require any further support or advice, please call Tedco on (0191) 428-3535, email starting@tedco.org or visit us at www.tedco.org.

Carole White Building up Business Manager Tedco