How to set up strategic goals which are actionable and measurable?.

If you starting out a business then you have to create plans for the short-term and the long-term. You have to take action and keep a record of how your business is growing. If you have the proper view you can set up goals to achieve. These strategic plans need to be measurable and need to adjust to the future trends and predictions from time to time.

How can we describe the meaning of strategic planning?

This can described as positioning and planning goals for the future and getting there when you have a plan to grow and writing down what attributes and material you need to achieve that goal. This means you need to write down the mission, vision, values, long-term goals and action plans. Having a accountable strategic plan will give the opportunity to face challenges and the vision to take action in competitive environment of doing business.

What are the main characteristics of strategic plans?

First of all it is purpose-driven and you have to set the target and you goal is to hit it. First of all you need to write down what the purpose of your business is and what the values are. You need to know what you are striving for. Why do you think why you set these goals?. If you found the questions to these answers then you can use this as the main issue to develop your business. Knowing the values of your business can give you that boost from the workfloor to the office. To get ahead of the competition then you have to inspire your workers with the purpose of your business and attract customers with letting them know that you are offering mutual benefits. These are some of the characteristics of successful strategic plans.

What are the benefits of strategic planning?

If you have a clear plan and you know how to execute it. It will give you that extra profits that you have planned to grow your business. The planning process is not enough you need to take action and this will take time. Get a clear view of the objectives and plan how you are going to overcome those. Check out some of the benefits of strategic planning. These strategic plans can improve your productivity and grow your business in due time. Also you can identify your weaknesses and strengths. You will have a total overview of your business and how you will grow for the period of time you have set up plans for. You will get to know what the risks are how you can minimize it.

What will make the strategic planning successful?

You need to involve all the departments of your company to know the purpose and value of your business. More you involve your employees in the strategic planning more success you will gain. The flexibility is imperitive and you need to adjust the plans with the coming trends and constantly changing technology. The workers need to know the directions and the goals of your business. These are some of the keyfactors of successful strategic planning. The planning will give your team an extra boost if the employees know you as the company owner is going to open a new branch in major cities like Paris, New York or Amsterdam. You can not do all the tasks by your self because you are not Almighty. Make your employees feel like they are part of the plan.

When can you set up a strategic plan?

In the first weeks when you are in business then you have not recorded what products or services are generating the most income. Once you are in business for couple of months then you will know what products have the most demands and what products are not. When can you design a strategic planning system. Even you have started a business for couple of years then it is never too late to set up strategic plan and analyze where you are now and where you need to be in the coming 5 years or 10 years. The whole team of employees need to be comitted to achieve goals. 

 

How to make your customers happy?.

Your main goal that you have set up a business is to generate profits. But to generate profits mostly you need customers. If you want to know how to generate more profits through making customers happy and even attract more customers to buy from you then read on. 

Make your customers feel important.

Build a bond with the customers. If they come to your store or you contact a prospect through the phone do not be too formal. Give the salespitch a personal touch. If you are selling fishing poles then you can find out by asking questions if the customer have won some local trophies or attend local fishing contests. Also you can find out what the name is of the customer for further sales and visits to store. Find out if the customer is going on vacations and what the destinations are?. Ask about their families and martial status. 

Keep a friendly smile for the cause.

Smile and make the customers feel comfortable talking to you. Impress them with a warm welcome or even a cup of coffee. Build a warm ambiance and if you smile then customers will know that they are welcome in your store and you can charm the customer with your willingness to explore what the customers want. If you let the customers know that you are have got enough rest and you are ready to offer any type of help if customers need it. People will continue to buy from you. 

Pay close attention to the customers.

Avoid multi-tasking and give customers undivided attention. If the customers come to your store for Nike sneakers do not let them leave with a Puma. Listen to the need of the customers. If you have a recorded the sales in the past month then you will also can find out what type of products are sold the most in what type of catagory. If you can explore what the customers exactly want. If you have that product in your stock then you have already succeeded. If the customers are in front of you even with a video call then make eye contact and smile give the salespitch a personal touch and do not try to wipe out the customers.

Have a proper knowledge of the products or services.

Customers want to know about the products they are buying. If you are have the proper knowledge about the products you are selling then this will have a positive impact on your business and the customers. If you work at a fishnet store then you can offer help to customers who want to know what type of fish can be caught with what types of nets. Where the fishnets are made and what type of material. If more improved products are available soon. Try to upsell and offer more products that help the customers out. If a tennis player who come to your store for Nike Air sneakers. In case you have bought the Nike socks then call the customer into action by offering your honest opinion about the socks.

Understand the value of the customers.

You are not the only fish in the sea or the elephant in the jungle. Offering customer added value such a customer service and reliable products for the relevant prices will get you more profits and customer loyalty. They will be commited to buy from you because you have given the best products for the best prices and best customer support and value for the money. The competive environment of doing business online or offline is to stand out to earn that mighty dollar. 

Do not treat the customers as another number.

Just you are human of flesh and blood. Those are the customers too. Make the salespitch more of an attachment with your self. Keep in mind that being positive towards customers means they are more willing to buy from you. Adjust the attitude and reach out to customers with an greeting and do some background information about the products your selling before contact the prospects through the phone. Each customer is different and they have various backgrounds, religious believes, the customers are from all the social backgrounds. Be a helper.

How to find wholesale suppliers for your retail store?.

There are many ways to find the right products for the right prices to supply the demand of your customers. It is a matter of fact that you need to search and build good relationships with the wholesale suppliers. If you run a regular store where customers come to your physical store to buy goods then you can connect with the wholesaler through the phone and order your goods online and they will deliver to stock your inventory.

How to find the right wholesale supplier for your small business.

To find the right wholesaler you can compare the directory of wholesalers either online or ask quotes for the products you need. The tricky part is how reliable your wholesale partners are. It is not always the low prices but relevant quality they supply for the relevant prices. Also the delivery cost can add up if you are not located in the region of supply of the manufacture of the wholesaler. It is already an advantage if you know what products you are going to sell and you can do specific searches either online or through the phone directory such as Yellowpages.

Get an clear idea of your distribution channel.

There are several ways to get products from the wholesaler to the retailer. Not all the distributors serve the same type of markets. If you know the detailed information about the supply chain then you can easily score the right products for for the right price. There are 4 types of distribution channels. First one is the manufacturers. The second one is the exclusive distributors. The third one is the regional distributors and the last one is the jobber. These are all different type of suppliers serve various types of markets. If you just starting out a regular store in the begining you will pay higher prices because you do not buy large amounts and once you scale your business to a larger size then you will get relevant cheapers prices.

Get quotes from manufactures first.

To get more profits you can remove the middleman such as the local wholesaler and contact the manufacturers Once you have proven to the wholesaler about your company's assests you will get to work with those large companies. You might want to ask to become the local agent. If you are starting a clothing store then it is not easy to get an agentship but if your have several branches and you can easily get sell brandname products for large companies like Nike, Adidas or Puma. If you are a small business the manufactures will refuse to supply to you or offer an agentship but if you are a company like Footlocker or America Today then you can buy directly from the manufactures.

Make a first good impression when you contact the wholesaler.

Make contacts with the wholesalers and this you can do through the phone or e-mail and get further information about minimum order requirements, the unit prices and delivery costs. You might want to get more details through the phone to make the contact more personal and give a human touch. Give the wholesaler a true size of your business. Do not make a make a big time hustler impression. Be honest to let the supplier know that you are doing research to obtain products for your business and you are going to reach other wholesalers who supply the same need. This will stimulate the distributor offer you lower prices even you have just started out.

Attend a tradeshow.

On these occasions you can network with the supplies and get quotes and further information on the product's features and new trends. On these tradeshow you can find out what the new products are on the markets and what the upcoming demands are. Tradeshow in China and Hong-Kong will give you an idea of the most popular products that sell very well online and offline in the regular stores. Do not restrict your reach to the local suppliers and if you stating a supermarket if you live in Germany do not be shy to not to sell soda's as Dr.Pepper Creamsoda's, Rootbeer or Canda Dry ale. This will give you an advantage of separating you from the everyday competition.