Seeking Business for Service Companies
For service companies seeking new business, the first port of call is to truly understand what it is that you do best.
Copy the multinationals by writing a mission statement before you do anything else. You don’t have to put it on your website or make a sign for your shop, it’s just about identifying who you are, what you do and how you do it.
The reason that a mission statement can help service companies seek new business is because you have to know what you your skills and advantages are – what you are getting paid for, effectively. In the current economic climate, service companies have to be the very best they can be - no one is paying for ineffectual service businesses anymore, but good service companies can still do well.
Know Your Core Business
To gain service sector customers, you have to know what you are offering them. Take time to understand your core business – a great way to do this is to ask existing customers what they value about your service. Online tracking programmes are also helpful, as are feedback forms.Identify what areas of your business are already gaining repeat business and areas where you are not seeing that trend. All too often, the information is under our noses but we choose not to see it. Try to be objective about your service business as this is the only way to improve.
Utilise Networking Opportunities
Service businesses thrive on word of mouth because it can be harder to advertise a service rather than a product. You have to be creative with how you utilise networking opportunities and a good way to start is to know who else is going to be at the event and be armed with information on your competitors.Networking opportunities can be found in many guises – they don’t just have to be those formally arranged meetings that can actually just take you away from core business. Of course, you don’t want to be one of those party bores that just talks about their work, but you can find new business in the most random of places.