"If you build it, they will come," is a saying that comes from a line in the movie, Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner. The line is actually, "If you build it, he will come." But this saying has taken on a life of its own in entrepreneurial circles. The idea is that building a business in the right location may be all you need to have success. Unfortunately, many business owners find out that this is rarely the case. It takes work to grow a business. Lots of work. Today, we hope to take a little of that work off your shoulders. Here are three tips we've found that can help your Georgia pest control business find more profitability.
Tip 1: Make A Business Plan
Every business can benefit from a business plan. If a ship leaves a harbor with no chartered course, it is a certainty that it will never arrive at its destination. Do you know what your destination is? Do you have a plan for how much you would like your business to grow? Do you have a plan to achieve that growth? If not, you need to consider creating a business plan that includes some of the following:
A plan to add customers through social media campaigns and other marketing strategies.
A goal of turning one-time customers into yearly subscribers.
An outline for how customer service can not only meet the needs of customers, but also be ready to guide current customers in ways they can upgrade their pest control as they have need.
There are a lot of pieces to the profitability puzzle. It is easy to get overwhelmed. A good business plan can help you focus your efforts and establish attainable goals for revenue growth.
Tip 2: Invest In Marketing & Advertising
You have to spend money to make money. While the backbone of any business is happy customers generating word-of-mouth sales, it is hard to get your customers to care as much about your business as you do. Successful business owners know that there is a direct correlation between money spent on marketing & advertising and revenue growth. Recent statistical analysis confirms this. The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends spending 7 to 8 percent of your business's gross revenue on marketing and advertising if you run a small business. Experts say this should be higher if you are in a competitive industry. (If you're not aware, pest control is a highly competitive industry.) You can defer some costs, and many of the challenges, by becoming a franchise.
Tip 3: Monitor Your Online Presence
We live in the information age where information travels at the speed of light. While some would argue that the speed of light is only marginally faster than bad news, no one would disagree that bad news travels faster on the internet. It is essential to consider what people are saying about your business on the internet. Respond to bad reviews and correspondence to let customers know that you actively work to address concerns. This goes a long way toward building trust, and it elevates your rating on review sites. If you don't have time to do this, there are companies that can do this for you. Some companies also handle a range of vital online services such as website design and formatting for mobile devices, search engine optimization, etc.
Consider Franchising
There is no better way to grow your pest control business than to be a part of the Truly Nolen network of franchises. As of this writing, we have franchise opportunities in Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, and Macon. Learn more by reaching out to us today.
