How are your target clients’ needs evolving and what does that mean for your business?

Small business owners operate in a climate that is rocked by constant change. New technologies, ideas and regulations regularly disrupt the way we do business and shake up the needs and expectations of clients from one day to the next. As the saying goes, we can’t step into the same river twice.

At Berley, we understand that the customer is king (or queen), and if you keep their changing expectations firmly in focus, this will, in return, result in satisfied clients, increased profit, and positive brand awareness. Change is exciting though it doesn’t always come easy. With the help of professional support from experienced business growth consultants, you can make the process a success. With proven experience working with London’s small businesses, our team can provide well-informed advice, and help with every change you make to create a sustainable growth plan for your company.

 

How to change to fit your clients’ evolving needs

• Listen to your target clients

  The conventional wisdom is to listen, but in reality, it is easier said than done. Your customers may not be able to articulate their needs well while engaging your clients in a one-to-one meeting is an art that takes time to master. One effective way is to focus on a specific task such as “the specific scenario where your product/service is being used” and the “specific results” it produces. Avoid general questions at all cost.

• Use data analysis

  Undeniably, data are powerful. As a business owner, you want to harness customer data and use it wisely to lower the risks of overgeneralisation. The simplest form of generalisation is when you hear someone says, “I go to work every day”. It usually means they go to work from Monday to Friday. The data points (Monday to Friday in this example) help to quantify the statement. Equally, if your colleagues say they have had some strong sales for the last four months, the statement is just an opinion unless it is quantified by data. So use data – sales data, marketing data, online data – to guide you in your decision-making process.

• Look at your competitors

  Can you grow your business by attracting customers from other businesses to you? Absolutely. High street banks offer instant money rewards if you switch your current account to them, telephone companies offer a cheaper plan to entice you taking up their year-long contract. In a B2B environment, companies can remain loyal or switch providers for a myriad of reasons, though the importance of communication is often mentioned.

• Get a professional consultation

  Despite these easy techniques small businesses use to fit clients’ changing expectations, developing a growth plan that will work can be a challenge without the right professional help. Expert advice from experienced consultants makes your growth process easier to understand, more efficient, more likely to work.

Call Berley’s business growth advisors today on 020 7636 9094 to identify your clients’ needs and find ways to adjust to fit them.