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Think Smart When Growing Your Business

There Is No Such Thing as a Fast-Track to Success It often looks like some super-successful businesses rocket to stardom seemingly overnight, but this is never the case. Every business owner spends months, if not years, digging the trenches before their business can finally be deemed a “success.” Real business growth, the kind that can turn a startup into a household name, happens only by thinking smart, and taking things slowly.
Think Smart About Your Customers

While you may think you want to attract as many customers to your business as you possibly can right out of the gate, that approach is not always a smart way of building your business with its future growth in mind. You may be better off really thinking about what type of customer you want your business’s marketing to attract, because this is who will be your high-value customer, who will continue to use your products or services over the long-term. If you have current customers who fit that description, then profiling them will allow you to better tailor your marketing efforts in order to attract more like them. This will allow you to position your business to better fit the wants and needs of your targeted audience.


Taking a Smarter Approach to Your Business’s Focus

When others ask you about your business’s growth plan, do you tell them what you are planning to do, or do you tell them how you are planning to do it? This is important because there is a difference. When you tell them what you are going to do, you are talking about tactics, but when you tell them how you are going to do it, then you are discussing strategy – and you cannot effectively put a tactic into action unless you have a strategy in place first.

When you develop a growth strategy, you are building a structure that can support the growth of your company as you put your tactics into action. Your strategy should include a number of marketing and operational tactics that should include online and offline marketing and promotions, IT infrastructure, business credit monitoring, customer service and retention, and research and design plans.

Using Time Smartly

For many small business owners, time is their worst enemy – and they don’t use it wisely. Instead of planning for the future today, they only spend their time getting through the current day, and worry about tomorrow… later. Taking this approach, these businesses will more than likely still be in the same position as they are today, two years from now.

Successful business owners ration their time smartly, so they not only handle today’s pressing business matters, but they are also able to plan for the future growth of their companies. They do this through smart delegation, better time management, and running their businesses with a sense of urgency rather than complacency.

Take a smarter approach to growing your business by using proven methods for improving your business’s credit and reputation, while fostering customer loyalty. It does not happen overnight, but by taking your time and thinking things through, you may be able to leverage your business for greater success over the long run.

About Author:

Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. is an advocate of Small Businesses and provides business credit monitoring services to help them grow. You can learn more about business credit on DandB.com.