8 Tips for Getting More Business ...

1. Advertise

Out of all my tips for getting more business, the most important one is to advertise! You must be faithful about advertising to receive new business. You can do this by word of mouth, online ads, Facebook and Twitter, or even posting in community forums. Whatever works for you is fine, just be sure you are constantly and faithfully advertising your services.

2. Use Referrals

One way I have gotten some extra business over time was by using referrals! As I began to build up my clientele, I would tell new customers the names of others whom I had worked with in the past. You can even ask for written referrals if the client agrees! These will help further your business quite a bit, since people like to know they can trust you.

3. Loyal Customer Policy

I have a loyal customer policy for my returning customers. I try to cut them slightly better rates, and be a little more flexible with scheduling. This has helped my business so much! Of course, I still extend courtesy and politeness to new customers, but until I’ve worked with you a while, you don’t get the same benefits that other loyal customers get.

4. Reasonable Prices

This is kind of a no-brainer tip, but it’s worth mentioning. Remember to keep your rates reasonable, or people won’t be able to afford your prices. Especially if you have any type of competition in the area, you want to remember to keep reasonable rates. Do online research to figure out what the going rate for the particular service you offer would be in your area. Figure in your own time and losses to come up with a good price.

5. Promotions and Sales

By offering occasional promotions and sales, you can draw in more business easily! Say you have a little hobby of making and selling crafts. Run a promotion for a day where, if you buy something, you receive the next item 50% off! And of course the occasional sale is always a plus, so offering 20% off every now and then may get you a few extra sales.

6. Consultations

Here’s a great way to draw in more business. Offer consultations or meet and greets. If you offer something like babysitting, dog walking, house sitting, or some other similar service, people want to see whom they will be dealing with face to face. Be polite and professional, but be yourself. Let your personality shine through and you will do great!

7. Be Flexible and Understanding

It’s important to try and be flexible and understanding when things don’t pan out the way you expect. You may have a last minute cancellation for an appointment, or someone may back out of a deal you had counted as already sealed. You can set up guidelines in contracts to protect you from too much damage, but in order to protect your rep and keep receiving the client's business, you need to be flexible to a certain degree!

8. Fix Mistakes

When running your own business, you are bound to make mistakes here and there. Whether it was your fault or just an accident, the best thing to do is try and make it up! When a client isn’t happy, that’s not good for your business. Offer to make it up any way that you can, and make sure you offer your sincerest apologies.

I’ve been doing small jobs on the side for years, and these are the secrets that have worked for me! I wanted to share them in case anyone else out there is looking for ways to increase their own business. I hope these tips were helpful to you! Do you have any of your own suggestions to add? Please, comment below, and have a fabulous day!