Being the younger sibling to moms’ favorite child is never fun! You spend your time constantly looking for approval but rarely seem to get it. So, what if you’re the step child? Even worse, what if you’re a local business in a market of big businesses? When you think of it this way, it’s easy to understand. If I was going to compete with one of these entities, the most important thing to me would have to be renovation. You must elevate the product or service that you are offering. Let’s face it, your competition is winning because they sell more services. Of course that’s easy for a million dollar business but how hard could it be for a local shop? Pretend you run a local pest control company in Alabama.
You increase sales by 20% when you use your location in your business name as well. So let’s say my business name is Birmingham Exterminators. Right off the back I expect to get local hits because of the location in my name. People can identify with it very easy. Second, I would increase my business value by renovating my business plan. Bigger and better is always the way to go but what it you improved accessibility? That could mean creating new methods of doing my job and providing my services.
Using the example of a local pest control company, bridging the gap between the business and the customer is key. In this case, improving your marketing strategy is the renovation that would best behoove you. When you have a service that people will always need, its not a matter of how can I improve my product. Assuming you already have a wonderful product, what you need to focus on is how to get in front of the people that will buy you services.
In summary, the single and best way for a local business to compete with big businesses is to get in front of more customers on a daily basis. The best part about renovation is that you can be creative. There is no wrong or right answer when it comes to doing this. In fact, the more creative you are the better chances you have at success. Think outside of the box. The internet is any business owners best friend. Optimizing your business to be found on the internet can be the cream to your crop. If your don’t have an active website for your business, I highly recommend you create one as soon as possible. The only difference between a big business and a local business, is accessibility. Who can show more face? Put your business in a position to be exposed. Exposure is the fine line between big business and small business.