I’ve been in business for nearly thirteen years and I have to say, you really don’t need business gimmicks to succeed. While the odd discount here and there can work wonders to garner attention, you don’t want to slip into the DFS type of sale that seemingly never ends, as your outfit will appear *unprofessional and almost joke-worthy. As a new startup especially, you need to consider the sort of image you want to portray and the sort of branding that encapsulates you as a business worth taking note of. Take a look at these simple ways to shun the business gimmicks, and instead become a professional business outfit.
*Not to say that DFS is unprofessional, far from it. That marketing model just doesn’t work for the majority of businesses.
Under Promise And Over Deliver (No Business Gimmicks)
Far from being a gimmick, this little phrase is an important one to live by in the world of business. You need to foster confidence amongst your employees and your customer base. If you know that you can deliver a product to a customer in two days, state that you will get it to them in three. This way, when the item that they are looking forward to receiving arrives on their doorstep a day early, they feel that you have gone the extra mile for them. This emphasis on customer experience shows your maturity as a business. Too many startups look inwards rather than taking their customer base into account. Sure, funding and payroll are important but it is the number of orders that come in that will make or break your startup.
Avoid High Staff Turnover
When job hunters are seeking new roles, and they are forever seeing the same company hiring for the same positions, they will come to the conclusion that there is a high turnover of staff. This rarely happens for a positive reason. Perhaps the boss is overbearing, maybe the workplace is too target driven, or perhaps the camaraderie and morale are woefully low. To make sure that you don’t fall into this high staff turnover trap, ensure that you invest in your team, make them feel valued and listen to them. The art of listening is massively important.
It’s vital that you reward performance to boost productivity in the workplace. You could improve yearly paper appraisals by replacing them with a bespoke performance management system. This way, each individual member of staff will have their own career progression plan; something that every professional outfit should aspire to have to retain the best staff.
Office Environment
If you are stating that you have state of the art facilities, only to have a photocopier that is forever getting jammed, poor WiFi and dodgy hardware, it’s time to give your environment an overhaul. Paint the walls white, invest in some decent laptops, and consider outsourcing IT provision off-site to maintain your professional vibe. There’s nothing worse than a client coming to your office to be greeted with a wonky chair, stained beige floor tiles and mediocre coffee.
Being a small startup is daunting. However, by following this guide and offering true service rather than business gimmicks, you will always ensure that your business is a professional outfit no matter what barriers you have to overcome.
