small businesses

Small businesses already have cards against them the day they launch. But you do not have to bow to the internal and external challenges – face them and come out on top of the competition. As a businessperson, you need to stick to business principles that will help you come out on top. Below are five tips on how to do that:

1. Offer Parking for Customers

Providing your customers with stellar services is central to your business growth. One way you can ensure your customers are not frustrated whenever they visit your business is by offering good quality parking services. While most of the services are offered inside the business, if a customer is frustrated at the parking lot, they will likely drive off to the next business with a good parking lot.

Parking lot availability is crucial. Ensure you have enough space based on the number of customers you receive every day. Ensure the parking lot is well designed with no potholes so that your customers can reverse into the spaces with ease.

A research study done by CBRE found that a customer’s perception of a business starts at the parking lot. Your parking lot is, therefore, among the determinants of whether a customer comes back.

2. Maintain Cleanliness

No one loves clutter and dirt, especially when they visit a business. How your business looks tells a lot about your brand and what you stand for. As such, you need to start by cleaning outside the business and then move in, ensuring that every part is sparkling clean. You do not need to have employees for tasks such as street sweeping as you can hire a company that does it once in a while to save money. You can search for companies in your area, for instance, if you live in Texas, you can search for street sweeping in Dallas, TX. However, cleaning inside the business should be done every day.

When you operate in a clean premise, your customers will have a positive perception of your business and that goes a long way in marketing you more to your existing customers.

3. Comfortable Customer Accommodation

Have you ever visited an office or business and you stood all the time they served you? It is tiring when you have to stand or sit on an uncomfortable bench for a long time waiting for service. Your business can retain customers by offering comfortable accommodation. Your customers need a place to comfortably sit as they wait for your services.

Some businesses even add extra amenities like a TV so that the customers can have fun as they wait for services, or as they enjoy the services in cases of restaurants.

4. Offer Personalized Services

This applies whether your business is physical or online. No matter how physically attractive your business is, your customers will always want the best services. Personalized services means serving every customer based on their needs. You can start by remembering the names and orders of your loyal customers.

For instance, how would you feel if you walked into a restaurant and the waitress remembers your name and your favorite meal? It feels great as you know the business appreciates you as a customer. You can do that in an online business to make the customers feel appreciated.

In a physical business, your employees will have to make an effort to remember the customers, while in an online business, there are apps and services one can use to remember customers’ names and orders.

5. Focus on Product or Service Quality

Again, this applies to both online and physical businesses. A good product will attract customers more than bold colors on your office walls. Make your product unique and good quality so that your customers know they cannot find what you offer anywhere else. The benefit of having a quality product is that your loyal customers will market you to their friends, colleagues, and families.

If you sell coffee, make the best coffee in your area and accompany it with great table service. If you make and sell soaps, make your soaps special, either in the way they work, the scent, or any other, to attract more customers to your product.

Conclusion

Whatever you do, always put your customers first. Think of what you would want to see in another business and implement that in your business. If you have ever received bad service or entered a business office you didn’t like, make an effort to avoid that in your business.

By Anurag Rathod

Anurag Rathod is an Editor of Appclonescript.com, who is passionate for app-based startup solutions and on-demand business ideas. He believes in spreading tech trends. He is an avid reader and loves thinking out of the box to promote new technologies.