Conducting Business in a Small Town

Conducting Business in a Small Town
By James Fowler
www.mywebsource1.com

I grew up in a small town. I live in a different small town. Living and doing business in a small town offers some very good opportunities. However, whether you own a small pizza delivery store or a manufacturing facility that employs hundreds, there are ways for you to expand your business from your community and beyond.

The key to increasing your business can be summed into one word: Visibility. To succeed, you must make yourself visible to the world. In big business, this can be seen every day. Donald Trump, Meg Whitman, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates are all prime examples of successful visibility in business. “But”, you say, “I own a small business in a town of less than 20,000 people.” So what? Use what you have seen as a macrocosm for your own business. You just have to apply it to your local circumstances.

To be visible seems like a simple task. You have a store front. You run weekly specials and you have customers. Occasionally, you run an advertisement in the local newspaper. People in your community come to you to buy what they need. But how can you increase your business? Follow these three examples to help your business:

Sense of Community
One of the benefits of living in a small town is its’ sense of community. People who live in a small town like to patronize local businesses. They disdain large corporations and gravitate towards the smaller shops, even though these may have higher pricing. Because of this inborn loyalty to small business, you become your number one asset to your business. The citizenry wants to close relationship with the local business and your presence makes them want to do business with you. You do not have to have a budget the size of Donald Trump to profit from this opportunity. This real estate magnate is always in the limelight and it pays off for him. Whether he is appearing on his highly popular reality show or signing yet another bestseller, Donald Trump makes sure you know who he is. He does this by doing everything larger than life in the busiest city in the world. You have to follow his example and network your way into being successful in your own town.

Groups and Organizations
No matter how small the community, most places have professional groups and organizations available. Chambers of Commerce, Toastmasters International, and Business Networking International (BNI) abound in every town. These organizations charge a nominal fee, but the benefits are well worth it. This is your chance to network with others in your own community. By meeting with these people professionally, you break through the wall of anonymity and have the chance to befriend these people. Remember, business owners that belong to your group the same people that want to shop local businesses. These are the same people who will recommend others to go to your business.

An important factor remember when networking at these events, it is important to network. You have to actually go to the meetings, participate, and tell people the major aspects of your business. Have a thirty-second introduction ready that will explain your business to those you meet. (See article, Thirty Seconds That Can Change Your World, Oct. 14, 2006). You are going to use this introduction quite a bit. Don’t forget to follow up your introduction with handing out your business card. Hand out two or three to each person. Tell them to pass them on to anyone else who may need your service.

If you get the chance, offer to speak about your business at your organization. This is sometimes a terrifying concept to people. There is only one way to overcome the fear of speaking in front of people. That is to talk in front of people. Everyone is frightened, at first. This will go away once you have done it a few times. Toastmasters is a great organization to help you get over the stigma of public speaking. It is also a great way to network with more people.

The Internet
This is the grand-daddy of all ways of making yourself visible. With the internet, the global village of Marshall McLuhan, is the reality. It doesn’t matter if your business is out of your house or if you have a store front, the internet is your best option for visibility. You may say, “I own a small restaurant, how can I benefit from having a web site?”

The answer is: Exposure to the local populace!

Is everyone in town coming to your restaurant? Do you have to turn people away at the door because you don’t need their business? Do you have enough money in your pocket that you don’t think you need anymore? If you can answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then maybe you don’t need a web site. If that isn’t the case, get a web site. It doesn’t matter if you build it yourself or hire a professional to do it for you, a web site is your key to letting people in your community know more about your business than you could ever tell them face to face. Make the community part of your web site. Show pictures of your wares, of people that come to your store, and of specials that you are running. Offer coupons and new product details. Educate yourself on web marketing and band together with other businesses to trade links and get found on the world wide web. Become visible to those outside your community and encourage them to patronize your store, as well.

When it comes down to it, people are not going to walk into your store just because you have put up a sign. Do not just assume that because you are open for business that business will occur. Get up, get out, and press palms with the people in your community. Let them know you exist and that you are ready to do business with them. Promote yourself as well as your business and become visible!