{"id":1286,"date":"2019-08-27T12:03:13","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T11:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/blog\/?p=1286"},"modified":"2019-08-27T12:03:13","modified_gmt":"2019-08-27T11:03:13","slug":"survival-business-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/survival-business-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Survival Business Skills in Challenging Times"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We live in a period of unprecedented uncertainty. Whatever the nature or size of your business, the months ahead look set to be daunting.<\/p>\n<p>By adopting a clear strategy now \u2013 such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/blog\/small-business-barcodes\/\">introducing barcodes into your small business<\/a> \u2013 you\u2019ll be in a better position to deal with difficulties and even move your business forward.<\/p>\n<p>Our common-sense guide will help steer you through the turbulence.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Business-Strategy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1289\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Business-Strategy.jpg\" alt=\"Business Strategy - a common-sense guide\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Business-Strategy.jpg 800w, https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Business-Strategy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Business-Strategy-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Keep Existing Customers Happy<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Repeat business is the bedrock of a thriving business, so maintaining a good relationship with your customers is essential. Follow up after a purchase to make sure they\u2019re happy, and discuss ways you can add value for them in the future.<\/p>\n<p>Emails, text, newsletters, social media \u2013 there\u2019s plenty of ways to reach people, and if you\u2019re not sure what\u2019s best, ask them.<\/p>\n<p>Also, don\u2019t overlook the benefits of picking up the phone and having an actual conversation, like in the olden days. A little human contact goes a long way, and you\u2019ll be surprised how many people appreciate it.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Hunt for New Customers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Don\u2019t assume this is impossible just because times are hard. Pay close attention to which part of your marketing strategy is most effective \u2013 newsletters, DMs on social media, special offers, adding value. All have their place.<\/p>\n<p>Consider joining relevant trade associations and attend networking events and trade shows. You could also write articles for industry publications or speak at local events. Get involved in local business networking groups \u2013 an ideal way of getting known within the local community.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Look After Your Staff<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Your people are fundamental to your continued success. Indeed, they\u2019re your main asset. Happy staff are loyal, trustworthy, motivated and willing to put in the extra effort, and that gives you the edge over the competition.<\/p>\n<p>Review your interview process, training programmes and appraisal techniques, to ensure you\u2019re attracting, and retaining the right people. Perhaps consider ways of offering financial and non-financial incentives, always <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/blog\/paying-on-time\/\">pay on time<\/a>, and don\u2019t forget to thank people for a job well done. It might be their job, but we all respond well to appreciation.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Manage Your Cash Flow<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Failing to keep an eye on this is one of the main reasons <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsb.org.uk\/first-voice\/how-a-small-business-can-get-on-top-of-cash-flow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">why businesses fail<\/a>. Happily, some common-sense steps will help keep you from going astray.<\/p>\n<p>Review your finances for the next quarter. Things like utility bills, salaries and rent tend to be fairly consistent. Be realistic about expected revenue and make sure you invoice promptly. Unexpected circumstances should always be factored in. Are there any staff bonuses coming up? Does new equipment need to be purchased? Will the sudden cold weather increase your heating bill?<\/p>\n<p>Doing this at the start of each quarter will give you a roadmap for the coming 90 days. It\u2019s all too easy to ignore forward planning when you\u2019re tied up with the daily hustle, but this is how problems go unnoticed until it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Delegate and Make Time to Plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The temptation to jump in yourself at times can be difficult to ignore, but it does you no favours in the long run. Your staff must be able to do it themselves, and they\u2019ll appreciate the trust that this implies.<\/p>\n<p>Train them well and delegate the day-to-day tasks. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiscox.co.uk\/business-blog\/top-9-reasons-small-businesses-fail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Then you can focus on strategies to manage and grow.<\/a> Your competitors won\u2019t stand still but you will if you\u2019re bogged down in the daily nitty-gritty, and that can only end in tears.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Your Secret Weapon\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Talk to the fine folk at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/contacts\">Tanto Labels today,<\/a> and learn how our barcode and label products will keep your business ahead of the pack.<\/p>\n<div data-counters='1' data-style='square' data-size='regular' data-url='https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/survival-business-skills\/' data-title='Survival Business Skills in Challenging Times' class='linksalpha_container linksalpha_app_3'><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='facebook' class='linksalpha_icon_facebook'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='twitter' class='linksalpha_icon_twitter'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='googleplus' class='linksalpha_icon_googleplus'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='mail' class='linksalpha_icon_mail'><\/a><\/div><div data-position='' data-url='https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/survival-business-skills\/' data-title='Survival Business Skills in Challenging Times' class='linksalpha_container linksalpha_app_7'><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='facebook' class='linksalpha_icon_facebook'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='twitter' class='linksalpha_icon_twitter'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='googleplus' class='linksalpha_icon_googleplus'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='mail' class='linksalpha_icon_mail'><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We live in a period of unprecedented uncertainty. Whatever the nature or size of your business, the months ahead look set to be daunting. By adopting a clear strategy now \u2013 such as introducing barcodes into your small business \u2013 you\u2019ll be in a better position to deal with difficulties and even move your business forward. Our common-sense guide will help steer you through the turbulence. Keep Existing Customers Happy Repeat business is the bedrock of a thriving business, so maintaining a good relationship with your customers is essential. Follow up after a purchase to make sure they\u2019re happy, and discuss ways you can add value for them in the future. Emails, text, newsletters, social media \u2013 there\u2019s plenty of ways to reach people, and if you\u2019re not sure what\u2019s best, ask them. Also, don\u2019t overlook the benefits of picking up the phone and having an actual conversation, like in the olden days. A little human contact goes a long way, and you\u2019ll be surprised how many people appreciate it. Hunt for New Customers Don\u2019t assume this is impossible just because times are hard. Pay close attention to which part of your marketing strategy is most effective \u2013 newsletters, DMs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1286"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1290,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286\/revisions\/1290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}