Busy Isn’t an Excuse: How to Drive Business Growth Without Slowing Down

You are so busy that you don’t know whether you are coming or going! Your common sense tells you that you don’t need to market now because you are so busy, but your gut instinct tells you it could all crash tomorrow.

The fact is that when you are crazy busy, that is the best time to advertise for three reasons:

1. You will keep your sales moving on an upward trajectory.
2. You have the money to promote.
3. When you are busy, you can afford to be pickier about the type of customer you choose to do business with.

The luxury of being crazy busy is that you can afford to cherry-pick customers.

We have all experienced the roller coaster in the business cycle—up one day, flat the next, diving steeply after, only to soar the following week. To achieve sustainable growth and drive your business on an upward trajectory, you first have to get off the roller coaster.

One way to do that is to promote smartly using direct mail. Direct mail offers a way for you to target your best prospects. It allows you to dial in your marketing and reach exactly the people you need and want to do business with.

I know promoting when you are crazy busy goes against what your common sense tells you. I mean, you can’t even handle the business you have now—why, for the love of God, would you want to promote for more business?

You can and should promote more when you are busy, but you have to do so smartly.

By defining your target and narrowing your focus, you can target the most profitable customers for your business. But defining and targeting your advertising is only part of the solution. You should also streamline your operations. Please note: “narrow your focus” does not mean cut back. If you cut back now, you will cause an eventual crash. “Narrowing your focus” means getting smarter in how you do things—being smarter in who you promote to and also in how you produce and deliver your product.

1. Market to Qualified Targets

When you are crazy busy, time and effort become even more valuable. You don’t want to waste time chasing shadows, lost causes, and prospects who are not qualified for what you sell. The best way to achieve this is by qualifying prospects properly. Start by analyzing who your best prospects really are. Then, you can obtain a targeted direct mail list to reach them.

2. Streamline What You Do

Focus on your most profitable products and services and promote these to the people most likely to buy them. Also, analyze how work flows through your business. Invest in your infrastructure so you can deliver more products and services without taking on additional debt. As we all know, debt is an anchor that can pull your business down.

Plan smartly, save money, and then invest. Often, there are improvements you can make to streamline your production without spending a lot of money.

3. Eliminate the Bad Apples

When you are busy, it’s easy to overlook or make excuses for employees with bad attitudes. These people always find excuses for not doing their job. They tell you why something can’t be done and seem to find problems as if they’re being rewarded for it. They don’t take ownership of their role and often create extra work for others. These gossip hounds cause tension and make your life harder, sometimes actively working against your goals.

Even if they’ve been with you for years, you need to let them go—now.

This also applies to bad apple customers. When times are tough, you take whatever business you can get. But when times are good, bad customers can make life miserable for you and your employees. They are impossible to please, demand the cheapest price, expect the highest quality, and want it delivered yesterday.

Bad apple customers waste time and disrupt your business flow. Firing them frees up time to serve better customers, improve production, and reduce stress.

Bad apple employees and customers cause 80% of your stress and overwork. Your business is booming—now it’s time to promote, streamline, and produce.

4. Make Your Plan and Work Your Plan

When business is brisk, it’s even more important to set aside time each week to create a battle plan. Setting clear targets and working toward them allows you to focus on what’s vital, avoid unnecessary tasks, and eliminate wasted time.

Too often, small businesses lack clear targets or fail to work toward them effectively. Knowing whether you’re close to hitting a goal or falling short helps you prioritize the right activities and make better decisions.

5. Always Maintain Momentum

No matter how busy you get, you cannot afford to let activity levels drop to zero. It’s always easier to keep activity going than to restart it later.

Too many business owners only promote when they have little or no business, and by then, it’s too late. Your marketing and promotion must always keep chugging along—no matter how busy you are.

Wilson Print Marketing USA can help you keep the momentum going with a targeted direct mail program. Give us a call today for more information, or click here to reach us. We’re here to help you target the right prospects, streamline your marketing efforts, and grow your business effectively.