Pushing Yourself To Grow Your Services Business.

These are hard times, but hard times present opportunities if only we look beyond the difficulties.

Many small business owners are facing some challenges in promoting their training and consulting services in these climes. The situation has been exacerbated by the pandemic, and negative economic winds. Here are some suggestions that might help one rebuild and grow one’s business, if applied contextually.
 
Build trust: In any business, building trust is critical, especially if you are entering a new market or if there is a lack of trust due to stereotypes or past experiences. You could consider offering free or low-cost consultations, webinars or workshops to demonstrate your expertise and build rapport with potential clients. You could also ask past clients who were satisfied with your services to give you referrals, including posting recommendations on your LinkedIn profile and their social handles.
 
Network: Networking is a great way to meet potential clients, get your name out there and build relationships. Consider joining professional organizations, attending industry events or participating in online forums or groups. This will allow you to connect with people who are interested in your services, build relationships and learn more about the local market. One of the best places to network today is social media — as a professional one must fully exploit its networking benefits. However, your time is valuable and not to be wasted, so you should be align networking endeavours to your specific business goals so as to glean maximum value.
 
Collaborate with local businesses in your area: Consider collaborating with local businesses to offer joint services or cross-promote each other’s services. This could help you reach a wider audience and help you build relationships with other professionals in the area. One idea you could test, is a free review service of local businesses on Tiktok that will increase your brand and may lead to retainers.
 
Consider partnering with a local expert: You could also consider partnering with a local expert who understands the market and can help you navigate cultural nuances and biases. You may consider a colleague or friend who is familiar with the local business environment or even a local business consultant. By partnering with someone who has an existing network and reputation in the market, you may be able to build trust more quickly and expand your reach. This demands humility and trust, and sincerely, it is not for everyone, especially those who have been bitten before. I advise that you screen potential partners as you would a new employee, to get someone who is a good fit, and above all, consider integrity.
 
Leverage social media: Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your services and building relationships with potential clients. If you have not set up, and if you are not actively using a professional social media account, such as LinkedIn or Twitter, you are definitely losing out. With social platforms, you can start sharing your expertise, engage a broad audience while gaining a steady followership, and using your social handles as a medium to post testimonials from satisfied clients. You could also consider advertising on social media platforms like Tiktok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram to reach a wider audience. Before anything else, your goal is to win the attention of potential clients/customers, and the fastest way to do that today, is social media.
 
Customize your services: Be sure to customize your services to meet the specific needs of your target market. Your market has its unique culture, beliefs and ways of doing things. Research and adapt your services to fit these specific needs. Primarily, it is not about how we feel about our services; rather, the customer’s point of view and acceptance is what determines whether our business thrives or not. Therefore, we need to be customer-centric in our services development and marketing agendas.
 
Be patient: It may take some time to build up your reputation and establish yourself in a new market; not every business grows overnight. Be patient, consistent and persistent in your efforts. Keep networking, creating valuable content, and providing excellent service to your clients. With time, your reputation will grow and you will start seeing more business coming in. Often, people do not do the required work and years pass by with no growth; wasted years is not patience, it is just wasted years. It is better to change course to another endeavour than to waste one’s years. So choose patience on your current path, or choose another path to be patient about.
 
In summary, building trust, networking, collaborating with local businesses, considering partnering with a local expert, leveraging social media, customizing your services, and being patient, are all strategies that can help you promote your services in your market, and overcome some of the challenges you may be facing. But, you and I must ask ourselves a big question, do we really want it, and are we ready to do what it takes to make our dreams become our reality?
 
All the best!