To get to these idyllic future points of continued expansion or more of the ideal customers making your life easier, there are four ways to go.
The first is take it all on yourself or amongst the business owners; dedicating specific time to this task amongst the schedule. The second is to employ a sales person/marketeer, even if only part time. The third is to employ a Manager to fulfil your roles and you or one of the other owner/Directors take on the 'Head of Marketing' role & dedicate yourself to the role to generate & manage more sales leads. The fourth option is to source outside help such as an Agency or a consultant.
All of these options have their merits and downsides, and some can even be used in tandem with one another, as the flexibility of a small organisation can move between options before concentrating on what works best for you; maybe even continuing with one while trying another.
Part 3 of this blog will look at how methods may be combined successfully.
With the four options available, essentially it comes down to cost, control & which route will give the best results. The instinct may be to keep all marketing 'in house'.
Option one is the DIY one, and the least expensive. If the role is taken by an owner/Manager, then it could quickly - after initial enthsiasm of finding fresh enquiries - become a downgraded task as the individual will no doubt still have many other duties to perform within the business. Ironically, this scenario can occur because of the success in bringing in some new business, as it is now all hands on deck to deal with the new influx of business. This approach could then well see a cycle of stop/start marketing; not the smooth consistency that would see the company prosper in the longer term.
The second option of hiring a sales/marketing professional on a full or part time basis. The benefits are that you will have close control on what they do, the downside is that you have to invest in equipment and provide office space. Employing a dedicated person/s should provide the smoother, more consistent solution that an ambitious and expanding business needs.This retains control, but is also an expensive option.There is no guarantee that they would work out even after an exhaustive interview process. There is a risk element that would prevent many businesses from taking this route, as if it did not work out would prove a costly exercise. However, the right person would prove an invaluable asset to the business.
In fact, if the now invaluable individual left the company may find it hard to replace them and thereby a different cycle starts of trying to find the right individual once more. Of course, if your business got to the position of having more than one individual in this 'department' then the 'danger' of relying on one employee is minimised.
However, this Blog is concentrating on the small business, and the best methods to get that business on the front foot in terms of marketing its products/services.
Moving forward with sales lead generation
Part 3 of the Blog will look at hiring a replacement for yourself or a co-director to create dedication to the sales & marketing role, and at the fourth option which is to hire outside help in the form of an Agency or consultant; this final route being the most wildly variable in terms of options available to your business.
