The start of a business... Why is it always slow progress?

OK, now you have a business. You have it started and everything seems to be going well but... WAIT!, there is a pitstop here because you seem to think things are going well but where are all the customers?

People spend a lot of money on advertising their business and still only get minimal results. A majority of the time, things do "Take their time."

But the real question is

"Why are things always so slow during the first few months/years of a new business?"

What are your views?

Tags: advertising, business, customers, minimal, months, net, people, question, results, slow

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Permalink Reply by Michael Taplin on September 12, 2008 at 11:18pm: Hi Michael,
A good question but universally true. To me the answer is simple, and very much a matter of perspective. Until you have customers you don't have a business; you have an idea, a product, a system, a talent, but you will not have a business until you have customers.
Then the question is how to grow your customer base.
An old marketing concept applies here. Growth in any business follows an S curve; what you are doing is trying to make the flat part of the S steeper. What is your time to double the number of customers, say from 10 to 20? If you have it right, you can double the number again to 40 in the next period. Growth accelerates when you get the formula right.
So if you follow this philosophy you will find that every business transaction starts with a customer contact and finishes with a customer payment.
Your business is a machine for creating customers. Don't worry about the money; look after the customers and the money will look after itself.
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Permalink Reply by cherine on December 1, 2008 at 6:30pm: I feel you need to build a good clientele and base most of your business on referrals, so treat people good and it will come back to you!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Nicole Thomas on December 3, 2008 at 8:43pm: Regardless of the planning you made ahead of time, the business will always start out small, slow and in the hole at least a few grand. It takes time for customers to recognize you as well as to take an interest in your products/services. Right now one thing I have learned that is very important is branding. We all know the colors and logo of the eagles football team right?

That is their branding. Whatever logo and colors you settle on, it is wise to keep them consistent as the months and years pass. This is one of the most important things I have learned. I use twitter, so when I tweet, my followers not only recognize my avatar, but they also recognize the way I type and know right off the bat what services/products I offer.

It all has to do with building trust, interest and relationships.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bruce_Carol on July 1, 2009 at 8:39pm: Get Yours now!http://www.adult-business.us/516450

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Permalink Reply by Clerical Business Solutions on July 27, 2009 at 1:22pm: I agree with some of the statements here about credibility & trust which builds business relationships and leads to business growth. For many people, they don't invest enough time in developing their product/ services the right way, then they have to go back to the drawing board and brainstorm more. Then that leads to working harder not smarter. Many times some people don’t invest enough time in strategic planning/ management of their marketing plan, which includes putting it into action at the right times or in front of the right people.

That’s where having a sound business strategy comes into play. A well thought out & sound business growth strategy is needed for many aspects of a business. Also, many people don’t give their idea time to develop, grow into a business. Like, wanting things to move too fast or right now. When a business is just starting out or has been out for several months, it's important to have a concept that you're passionate about.

For a start-up, you'll need knowledge of how to develop your product or how to find someone who can develop it for you. Many start-ups don’t know their market well enough & what will make others buy from them. Many start-ups need enough foresight to know, understand & accept that business can be a roller coaster ride; ups & downs, good days n’ bad days. Many start-ups aren’t willing to accept the fact that the challenges of setbacks & hurdles are things to overcome, not a reason to throw in the towel. Also sometimes setbacks & hurdles might mean that you need a new business idea/ concept, a different business all together or you might not need to be in business at all. The business world isn’t for everyone.

Growing businesses start with the seed of an idea. But they're grown with dedication, strategy and smart work.

Clerical Business Solutions~
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