I Need More Marketing

More marketing. Right? That’s the answer to all business problems. Or is it?

Well, imagine the following: Tomorrow I am sending you 50 phone calls from super-enthusiastic potential clients who all are ready to sign up for you service.

Sounds exciting? Or frightening?

The majority of small businesses have a number of systems they need to put in place before they bring more people in the door. The reality is that they are not equipped to handle the scale that they are dreaming of.

A client of mine asked me for help with her advertisement that was not getting a response. While I was happy to help her optimize the advertisement strategy, I first asked her an important question. “How many clients do you actually want?”

Through our conversation, it quickly became apparent that the numbers she was dreaming of were simply impossible for her to maintain with her current business model. While more always sounds better, her priority had to be on being more organized so she can focus on higher leverage services.

The saying “You only get what you can handle” applies in business too. And be grateful. Countless businesses have folded because they scaled too quickly.

For example, I watched an enthusiastic young company pitch on Shark Tank. The sharks were impressed, as I was at home. The hair product they were selling was a must have, and everyone was desperate for their product. Sounds like a dream, right? But the truth is that they sold out their inventory too fast and were then left to deal with disappointed customers waiting endlessly for their product. The company couldn’t charge credit cards before shipping, and at the same time needed to come up with money for manufacturing. I waited a full three months from the time I placed the order online until it arrived at my doorstep. Would I recommend this company to anyone? Hmm…not so sure.

Before setting out to create a new marketing strategy take a good hard look at your current business.

Are you equipped to handle an influx of new clients?
How many can you properly service?

 

Perhaps you need a bridge plan. A plan that will help you retain your ultimate vision and prepare for the time in between.

For example, servicing more customers may require that you move to a larger location. If you are not ready for this yet, you will have to implement a temporary, more realistic plan that allows you to maximize all the resources that you do currently have at your disposal. At the same time, you will work towards ensuring that your business will be mature enough to move at some point in the future.

Remember that success doesn’t happen overnight. And you really don’t want it to.