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Advice for SMEs: Taking your Business to the Next Level
Once you’ve become fully established as another of the country’s many successful SMEs, the last thing you should do is rest on your laurels. Now is the time to act and look to take your business to the next level.
What this can involve can vary; it might be that you want to start working overseas, or trading with wider markets. Or perhaps you want to simply expand your domestic operations to become something bigger and better? Whatever your preferences, you need to put the right steps in place to make this a reality.
Here are a few ways you can go about doing this:
Set yourself Targets
One of the first places to start is with your goals. Think about just how much growth or development you want from your SME and set targets monthly, quarterly and annually to see whether or not you’re on track.
Invest in the Right Areas
When you have a better idea of where you want your business to go, you then should start investing in the right areas to facilitate this. For example, if you want to increase sales or start selling your product/service in other countries, you may want to spend money on:
- Market research into these areas
- New staff to support your teams that have experience in these countries or sectors
- Trips to expos and conferences to network with other companies
- Better delivery services or supply chains
Refine your Product/Service
To build on these last points, you may also need to look at changing your product or service to appeal to a wider audience. Your research should be able to assist you with this though, as what you learn about different markets can help inform the changes you look to make.
Tailor your Branding
Whether you expand overseas or in the UK your branding needs to reflect this, so any potential new customers know who and what your business is about. For example, little changes to your slogan or company colours could be more appealing to different countries, or could demonstrate how important and dependable your business is on the international scene. If you need a little more guidance on this, this advice post can also offer you some tips on creating the right branding.
Remember to Measure Growth
No matter which approach you take, you should always make sure you measure your growth, as this can make it clear which areas of your SME are successfully growing and which areas may need extra support. Again, for a little extra help, this guide from TNT details a number of different ways you can go about assessing your growth and performance.
So, as aforementioned, don’t make do with going through the motions, look to some of the above steps to help your SME grow and expand. When you do, you could soon find yourself running a larger, multi-national firm that boasts big profits and is a respected name in your industry.
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