4 Steps to Help Your Small Business Acquire More Customers

If you run a small business, one of the questions that keeps you up at night is how you will acquire more customers. Acquiring new customers is one of the biggest challenges for most small business owners. You need sales to fuel growth, and developing a winning strategy for attracting and retaining customers is vital to having a profitable business. 

Acquiring new customers starts with:

Step 1: Define your goal.

Establishing clear goals is the first step in the process. Defining success will help you determine the steps you need to take to achieve your goal. Start by determining: 

• How many customers do you need?

• How much time can you allocate each week to customer acquisition?

• How much money are you willing to spend?

• How long will you execute your plan before pausing to assess the success? 

Taking the time to define success upfront is essential. This can help manage your energy and anxiety as you achieve your goal. Growing your business is a marathon, not a sprint. It would help if you had a clear goal and milestones to help you understand how well you are keeping pace with achieving your goals. 

Step 2: Review your current customer funnel.

One of the best ways to get new customers is to tap into the lead sources that previously provided you with customers. Review your current customer base. 

• Where did they come from?

• How did you introduce your services to them?

• What lead sources are similar to where you found your prior customers?

• How can you leverage your current customers to acquire new ones?

By assessing where and how you have gained customers in the past, you will identify the actions you need to take to acquire new customers.

Step 3: Identify areas for improvement.

Now that you have a list of actions you have taken in the past to acquire new customers, you can begin to test out new approaches. A few things to consider:

• Can you expand current activities into new locations? For example, if you are having success gaining customers from listing your business on one website, could you look for additional websites to list your business?

• Can you allocate more money against current tactics? For example, if digital advertising is currently working, can you allocate more money to reach a larger audience?

• Are there parts of the prospect-to-customer flow process that can be improved? For example, are you slow to respond to potential clients, which leads them to select another vendor before you talk with them?

Reviewing your current processes and making improvements are essential steps to improving your effectiveness and attracting customers.

Step 4: Identify new marketing and advertising opportunities. 

Marketing and Advertising are complex and ever-changing fields. It is vital to continuously look for new and better ways to get in front of potential customers. Scheduling time once a week to research new ways of getting your services in front of potential customers is a must. You can research new ways to promote your business by:

• Asking peers how they are getting customers. Other business owners are doing similar work to you but are in different geographies or targeting a different customer group. Schedule time to share best practices and brainstorm new ways to reach customers. 

• Asking AI for suggestions on attracting new customers. AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard can give ideas on different lead generation ideas. Check out TikTok and Instagram feeds on AI prompts to get ideas for using AI for lead generation ideas.

• Conducting Market Research. Research services like yours on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Identify how and where competitors are marketing their products or services. You will likely identify tradeshows, networking events, and other in-person opportunities to which you should dedicate energy.

• Hiring an expert. Some professionals specialize in social media marketing, PR, event planning, and other sales, marketing, and advertising activities. Paying experts to help you with planning and execution can help you to accelerate your business growth. 

Summary

Acquiring new customers can give your business the boost it needs to grow. More customers can mean more revenue. More revenue can mean more investments, which can mean your business gains a more significant ability to meet or exceed your customers' needs. It all starts with having a goal, developing a plan, and adjusting that plan to help you achieve your goals. 

---

Thank you for reading this blog

I am a father, husband, executive coach, and former retail executive. My coaching expertise comes from 21 years of leading operation, sales, and marketing teams.

I help small business owners and business professionals clarify their vision, define their strategy, and identify innovative ways to drive value for their organization.

If you are looking for a partner to help you accelerate your business or career growth, we should talk.

Grow your career

Have Feedback Send me a note at

Email: dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

3 Skills You Need for Managing Organizational Change.

Are you facing changes in your workplace that make you feel uncertain about how to navigate your career? You are not alone. Organizational restructuring and management turnover are happening at rates not seen since the last recession, creating heightened uncertainty in the workplace. As companies seek to keep up with AI advancements, rising costs, and tightening capital markets, more pressure is being put on employees to deliver higher results without incurring incremental costs.

Three skills you need to master

If you are in a situation where your role is changing significantly, there are three skills you need to master to position yourself for success.

Clarifying Expectations

Leveraging Your Network

Securing Resources

Clarifying Expectations

Everyone must be on the same page regarding expectations when roles and responsibilities change at work. Sit down with your leader, and ensure you understand what they want you to accomplish. Getting clarity on desired outcomes and operating parameters can help you to understand what is important and the actions you are empowered to take to deliver against expectations.

If you are taking on an expanded role, understand if any tasks will be deprioritized or completely divested. As a rule, if you are currently working at capacity, you can only take on additional work if some of your previous work is removed.

When collaborating with clients, I frequently use a full teacup as a metaphor for capacity. If a teacup is full to the brim, and you add a tea bag, the cup will overflow and make a mess.

To make tea without creating a mess, leave some room for the teabag. By sitting down with your leader, discussing your current duties, and aligning with them on what tasks will be removed, you create the capacity to accomplish your goals without making a mess.

Leverage Your Network

The second skill you want to leverage is accessing your support network. Take a 360-degree look at those around you. Who might have skills, knowledge, or insights to help you navigate your new environment successfully?

Employees frequently struggle with change because they are unwilling to communicate to those around them that they need help. Part of the benefit of working within an organization is collaborating with people with a shared mission. Connect with others within your organization, share your challenges, and request assistance.

By casting a wide net and taking in feedback from multiple sources, you can gain clarity on the actions you need to take to thrive within your organization. You can also establish strategic partnerships that will allow you to exchange value with your co-workers for mutual benefit.

Secure Resources

The third skill you want to use is securing resources. You can do this by starting with the end in mind. Define the ideal end state, and craft a plan to take you from where you are today to where you want to be. Then devise a strategy for gaining what you need to accomplish your goals.

When change occurs, it is vital to determine resource needs. For example, if you were planning a road trip to the beach, you would take the time to decide how you would get there, along with what items you

would need to bring to have a safe trip. You would take time to plan the trip to ensure you have enough gas, drink, food, sunblock, and other niceties necessary to make it to your destination and enjoy yourself once you get there.

Similarly, pausing to determine what resources you will need to navigate organizational change will help you reduce stress and find success. A few resources you may need are

• more frequent meetings with your leader to align on priorities

• additional training so you can effectively take on new tasks

• extra budget so that you can deliver against raised expectations

• more autonomy to make decisions without having to talk with leadership

The better you can articulate what you need to succeed and advocate for those resources, the better positioned you will be for success.

Summary

One constant thing in business is change—your ability to flow like water when your organization changes will position you for success. One of the things that makes water so unique is its ability to take on the shape of whatever it is in. Employees who can metaphorize themselves to fit into whatever environment their organization puts them in position themselves for long and successful careers.

Peter Drunker once said, "One can not manage change. One can only be ahead of it." The best way to stay ahead of the changes in your organization is to clarify what your leadership expects from you, leverage your network, and get the resources you need to succeed. This will allow you to stay ahead of the curve and be prepared for what is coming next.

---

Thank you for reading this blog

Dorian Cunion is an Executive Coach and Business Consultant with Your Path Coaching and Consulting. He is a former retail executive with over 20 years of experience in the retail industry. He is a Co-Active coach who focuses on helping professionals and small business owners overcome insecurities, knowledge gaps, and lack of direction. He does this by assisting clients to tap into their values, recognize their strengths, and develop actionable strategies for growth.

Have you been trying to improve your career or business on your own but are not seeing success as fast as you desire?

Book a free discovery call to discuss your goals and how I can help you accelerate.

Talk with Dorian

Have Feedback Send me a note at

Email: dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

For daily tips on leadership and professional development, follow me:

LinkedIn

Facebook

How to Take a Stress-Free Vacation.

What would happen if you had to be away from your business for a month? This is a question that every business leader should ask themselves. As a business consultant, I use this question to help business owners understand the quality of processes, procedures, and infrastructure that they have in place. When there are gaps in their infrastructure, I work with them on

Establish redundancy in key tasks.

Ensure processes and procedures are written.

Delegate before your need to.

Reinforce a culture of accountability.

The importance of infrastructure

When an organization relies heavily on its leader to drive day-to-day activity, any interruption in the leader’s ability to work and provide direction has the potential to derail execution. I remember working with a business owner that resisted developing employees until he was in a car accident that left him unable to walk for 3 months.

Fortunately for the business owner, he was part of a franchise system. The Franchisor provided him with additional support to keep his business running until employees in the store could be trained sufficiently to run the store. I always remember thinking that this business owner would have likely lost everything had he not been part of a system that was able to support him in his time of need.

Most independent business owners do not have the luxury of having external business partners that can help them during times of need. For this reason, it is immensely important for small business owners to build enough infrastructure within their businesses to continue running, with or without them.

Establish redundancy in key tasks.

The first step to improving the infrastructure of your business is to ensure that each task within your organization has more than one person that can complete the task. By training more than one person to do tasks like payroll, ordering items, making deposits, and other mission-critical tasks, the business can continue to prosper if the manager or owner is on vacation.

Ensure processes and procedures are written.

The second step is to define the processes and procedures essential for your business's effective operation.

When employees are trained properly and understand why and when tasks need to be completed, they are more likely to complete tasks unprompted. The time you take to define how and when tasks are to be completed will help to establish habits and routines that will keep your organization moving like clockwork even when you are not present.

Delegate before your need to.

Step three is to develop the competency of your team through delegation and feedback. In anticipation of the need for your to have time off, it is imperative that you give your employees the opportunity to develop new skills. People learn best by doing, and you can build the competency of your team by allowing them to take on increasingly complex tasks and providing them with feedback to help them grow.

Reinforce a culture of accountability.

Step four requires you to invest time in ensuring you have the right people on the team and that they are bought into your mission. When your employees work inside your business as if they owned it, they are more likely to step up when needed. This starts with hiring people based on character and potential, investing in their development, making them feel valued, and holding them to high standards. When you can influence your employees to hold themselves accountable, it reduces the need for supervision and management.

Summary

You work hard so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. Prioritizing infrastructure development opens up the opportunity for your to take time off of work without having to worry if the important tasks are being completed. Investing time in

• Establishing task redundancy

• Ensuring processes are written

• Delegating before your need to

• Reinforcing a culture of accountability

allows you to take time off without having to stress about your business. It also provides an extra layer of protection against the uncertainty that life brings us all.

---

Thank you for reading this blog

Dorian Cunion is an Executive Coach and Business Consultant with Your Path Coaching and Consulting. He is a former retail executive with over 20 years of experience in the retail industry. He is a Co-Active coach who focuses on helping professionals, and small business owners overcome insecurities, knowledge gaps, and lack of direction. He does this by assisting clients to tap into their values, recognize their strengths, and develop actionable strategies for growth.

Have you been trying to improve your career or business on your own but are not seeing success as fast as you desire?

Book a free discovery call to discuss your goals and how I can help you accelerate.

Talk with Dorian

Have Feedback Send me a note at

Email: dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com

For daily tips on leadership and professional development, follow me:

LinkedIn

Facebook