Sometimes, it’s easy to feel like your business is being held back. But it’s important for you to identify what and why so that you can move on. One of the limiting factors that can hold your business back from being successful is not having a solid plan. You may know what you want to do, but you never make a plan for it. To grow your business, make sure there’s a clear strategy and implement it with everyone on board. But that’s not always the only reason. A lot of people are afraid to take the first step into the unknown. It is not always easy to take action because there are a lot of obstacles that can hold you back from reaching your goals. 

We all have some sort of “holding us back” whether it be fear, ego, or worry. The following article discusses these common obstacles and how to overcome them so you can grow your business or start one.

A Lack Of Motivation

When you lack motivation, it can be a challenging obstacle for a business. It is imperative that you find out what could be causing this and try to fix it. If you’re feeling unmotivated, there are a few approaches that can help get things going again. The first thing you should do is reevaluate your priorities and the task at hand. If you’re pursuing multiple projects or tasks at once, perhaps it’s time to prioritize one of them over the rest. It could even be that you need to join a community or find support from other entrepreneurs to help you. And if your work isn’t satisfying or challenging enough for you, consider trying new things or taking on something that provides more personal satisfaction than what your current work does.

No Credit

Maybe you’re held back right now due to a lack of funds. This can be hard whether you don’t have access to the credit you need and are dealing with the tmf list or you don’t have any funding at all. When you do not have access to credit, your options are limited. There are many risks associated with using your personal credit to start a business. But what can you do when you need funding and no one is lending you money? If your company has not been in operation for more than 24 months, then the bank may still be willing to give you a loan even if your credit score is low.

Not Engaging Your Customers

It could even be that you’re just not doing your bit with your audience. Engaging your audience is one of the most important things that you can do to build a successful business. It not only helps you with online marketing, but it also helps with offline marketing and sales. This is especially true for businesses who want to build a long-lasting relationship with their customers. In this case, it means that you have to have a plan of action and know how to work with the customer through every step of the buying cycle. It could make all of the difference.

Owning a construction business is a dream for many with the skills and natural talent perfect for the trade. But for those who’ve already begun their business endeavor, expansion is the next logical step.

Ask any business owner in any industry and they’ll tell you, once you get too comfortable, it’s a sign that you need to start expanding. 

It’s easy to get comfortable with a set schedule, or with a certain amount of work to do in a given week. But, comfort in the business world often leads to complacency, and this isn’t the place you want to be. 

Successful businesses grow organically, meaning that once you reach a certain goal, adjustments should be made in order to reach greater goals in order to secure your future. 

Growing your business doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, with a few tips, you’ll be well on your way to expanding your construction business and making even more money.

Where to Begin?

It’s an age-old question. Where do you start? Well, the short answer is, anywhere is better than nowhere. But if you want to get specific, it all starts with marketing and reaching out. 

You have to learn how to find leads within your existing customer base, and explore options on how to gain more exposure. So how do you gain more exposure? In a word: marketing.

Marketing might seem like it doesn’t belong in the construction business, but truly, marketing is a part of any business, and it’s a critical part of any successful business. This is because without a marketing plan, you won’t be able to grow. And zero growth means zero revenue beyond what you’re currently seeing. 

Once you formalize a marketing strategy, then it’s time to take a look at how far you want to take it. Basically, decide how big you want your business to become, then make steps to get there. 

Expand Using Available Resources 

Sometimes before we’re able to truly grow, we have to make a few financial sacrifices. And in the construction business, this will probably mean purchasing large equipment for the bigger jobs that you want to land.

If you’ve ever priced a new backhoe, you probably know that these machines cost anywhere between $70,000 and $90,000 brand new. And some are even more expensive. On the same line, equipment such as flatbed trucks and trailers aren’t cheap either. But the time may come where you need this equipment in order to meet contract demands.

For example, if a job calls for you to have a flatbed truck or trailer, you can rent a flatbed truck for pennies instead of dollars. Not literally, unfortunately. But you get the idea. Renting to get the job done will be far more cost-effective than purchasing a flatbed truck brand new, or even used.

Network with Other Contractors 

Perhaps the best assets that you can call on when it’s time to expand are your previous business relationships. 

Chances are you’ve worked with other contractors in the past. And though you may look at some of these individuals as your competition, they don’t have to be if you can work out an arrangement. 

Money talks when it comes to business, and if you’re talking big dollars and you want to bring in the assistance of others to grab a piece of the pie, they’ll probably stop being your competition and start being your comrade. 

Even other professionals outside of your specialty might be of assistance as well. Professionals such as plumbers, electricians, framers, and the like can all be viable assets when you want to expand your business. So don’t be afraid to reach out. 

Growing a business doesn’t have to be a gut-wrenching process. It can be simplified and acted upon accordingly. And with a sound strategy in place and a knowledge of available resources, you’ll be growing your business and landing big contracts in no time. 

Lead generation is the process of stimulating one’s audience and capturing their attention, with the ultimate goal of converting them all into customers. A company that doesn’t put time and effort into lead generation won’t be able to plug into its key demographic. This will mean that it can neither generate customers nor interest. A business needs leads before it can make sales. Lead generation also helps businesses to build their industry visibility and credibility.

In this article, we’ll present a few effective tactics you can employ to generate more sales leads for your business:

Cold Calling

Cold calling is a good way to generate leads, particularly if you have the contact deals of potentially high-value customers. You can often find these details through websites like LinkedIn. If you’re a contractor or tradesman, then you can cold call by knocking on peoples’ doors and offering them your services. When cold calling, you need to make sure that you don’t come across as being pushy or as harassing people. This can put people off of doing business with you, which will build you a bad reputation. When done correctly, cold calling can be very effective.

Use Social Media

As we mentioned in our previous point, social media (LinkedIn) can be very effective. On social media, you’re able to reach your key demographic directly, without any intermediaries or barriers. If you’re tactical in your approach, you can draw their attention to your social media page or website. Once you have their attention, you can convert them into customers. Social media is a very effective place for lead generation when it’s used correctly. Unfortunately, many people misuse social media. When misused, it’s nearly impossible to generate leads and draw interest to your social media page.

Pay-per-click

Pay-per-click advertising on major search engines is a great way to generate leads. According to one team of PPC specialists, pay-per-click advertising can have explosive results. With pay-per-click advertising, you’re able to target your audience with advertisements whenever they make searches relevant to your business. Because you pay each time one of your advertisements is clicked, it’s much more practical to have them show up when relevant searches are made. One thing that’s important to take into consideration, is that it’s very common for business competitors to click their competitions advertisements multiple times to cost them money. There are ways that you can protect yourself against this, however.

Referrals

Another very effective method of generating sales leads is by asking for referrals from existing customers, who are satisfied with the products or services that you provide. You can incentivize referrals, by offering money or discounts to the referrer and the person who’s referred. A lot of companies send out emails, offering referral incentives to their entire subscription list. If you have high-value clients, then you could benefit from asking them directly if they would consider referring you to other high-value clients. You can also try affiliate marketing.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the most effective methods of generating sales leads. Affiliate marketing is when you offer third-party money to sell your products for you. They take a percentage of the sale price of the item that they sell. Affiliate marketers will sell your products for you through their blogs and vlogs. You will also have to send them free products and give them a discount on the products that they sell, so they can incentivize buying your product to their audience. You can advertise an affiliate scheme directly on your website, and on your social media accounts.

Answer Questions Online

Another great way to generate leads is to answer questions on online forums, like Quora and Reddit. When people post questions relevant to your industry, you can answer them and then take the opportunity to introduce yourself and your business. The point of answering these questions is to show off the depth of your industry knowledge. You can then include links to your portfolio or website underneath, which will give the person asking the question (and other people) the opportunity to learn more about you. You can generate thousands of leads by answering online questions.

Write Guest Blogs

Guest blogs can also be a great way to generate leads. Guest blogging allows you to build new connections in your industry, improve your website’s SEO ranking, and generate referral traffic. You can start guest blogging by approaching blogs relevant to your industry. If you’re not a good writer, you can hire a content writer to write your guest posts for you. In these guest posts, you’re able to showcase your depth of knowledge in your industry. By showcasing your knowledge, you’ll attract potential customers who want to do business with companies that are experts in their fields.

Influencers

Influencers are online personalities, who are experts in specific fields. They use their platforms to advertise, sponsor, and showcase their expertise. You can find influencers on more or less every platform, specializing in every niche imaginable. Influencers are called that because they can ‘influence’ their audiences into buying products that they advertise. You can employ an influencer to advertise your products for you, although it can be expensive. All major companies now use influencers. Some governments even use influencers to promote tourism into their country. You can benefit a lot from using an influencer, as they can generate you a lot of sales leads.

Networking

Another way to generate leads is to network at trade shows. At trade shows, you’ll make connections with other people in your industry and you’ll meet customers. You should visit every trade show that you can because they can be a very effective way of generating leads and getting the word out there about your company. Networking with your competition is very handy also. It’s always a good idea to know who you’re competing against. When you know your competition, you’ll be able to predict their next move and outdo them.

Generating sales leads is absolutely fundamental to a business’s success. With the tips in this article, you’ll be able to generate more leads for your business. Make sure you give all of them a go.

The customer support system is one of the most crucial aspects of any business. It is vital to provide the best possible customer service, and to do this you need a thorough system in place that can handle all incoming queries. Sometimes, it’s just not enough for your employees to have good intentions when dealing with customers – they need an actual process that will allow them to be efficient and effective in providing support. Here are some must-have features for your customer support system that will make it easier for both customers and employees alike!

1. What is customer support

Customer support is a set of services provided by a business to help customers make the most of their products and services. It encompasses assistance with installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting. This type of support is usually given over the phone or online through chat sessions or FAQs. In order for your customer service team to provide effective assistance, they have to be able to see what’s going on from the customer’s point of view. When a customer asks for help, find out as much as you can about what they’re currently experiencing so that you can give them advice tailored specifically to them and their situation.

2. How it helps your business

It may feel like you’re giving away information to your competitors when you share your customer’s requests, but it will help you improve your product or service so that you can offer what customers want. Asking for context – what the customer is trying to do, which device they’re using, etc – helps to guide your response and save time. 

You’ll gain a competitive edge by being able to give proactive assistance instead of just reacting to complaints. Plus, addressing issues quickly can help prevent them from escalating into major problems. Since not every customer is going to have a pleasant experience with your customer service system, you should plan for this eventuality. 

Being prepared to deal with instances where customers are unsatisfied with the service they’ve received is just as important as dealing with customers who are satisfied. If a customer is unhappy or has a concern, address it and try to resolve the problem right away. If they’re not happy with your response, consider giving them an incentive such as a refund so that you can maintain their satisfaction and earn their trust.

3. What are the top must-have features any good customer support system needs

• Automatic payment – Nearly 95% of customers prefer automatic payments because it takes away the burden of remembering to pay monthly dues, which is great if you’re struggling with memory issues due to age or disability. Out of all other features, automatic payments systems are maybe the most popular among Millennials, since many of them are living paycheck-to-paycheck and can’t afford any unforeseen expenses that come up without funds at hand. The company benefits by saving time on making phone calls and sending emails, which frees up staff for other tasks.

• Automated responses – This allows employees more time on their hands in order to focus on complex queries or lengthy conversations without having too many other tasks assigned at the same time. It also gives customers a quick response and improves their satisfaction with your company as they can now move through the customer support process more quickly.

• Knowledge base – A knowledge base is a great way to provide information before even having to answer a customer’s question. It has all of the information they need to be saved and ready for them, so if an inquiry comes in that is already covered in the knowledge base, then they can start solving their problem from step one with no need to contact a customer support agent.

• FAQs – This is also known as ‘frequently asked questions’. Customers often have many of these, and some of them may be variations on what another customer has already asked. Having separate FAQ pages for this allows employees to easily navigate their way through these questions, and customers can get their answers more quickly than by contacting the customer support team. 

• Search functionality – This is one of the best ways to track down issues that customers may be having so that they can be resolved with minimal effort on your part. It helps you to find out if they are having similar problems without you asking, and helps employees to figure out what the problem is in order to solve it with the customer.

• Reports – A great way to know how your support system is doing is by seeing statistics of how many customers have been helped in which time-frames. This tells you when inefficiencies are occurring within your support system, and allows you to pinpoint the problem areas that need fixing.

• Multiple support channels – Customers can contact you through email, phone, or live chat, so it’s important for them to know which channel is the best way to get in touch with your company. Having multiple options on how they can reach someone will improve satisfaction levels, and will get them the help they are looking for.

• Time zones – Another important feature to have is one that allows employees in different time zones to be able to do their work easily and without needing someone on-call around the clock. This improvement helps you provide support when your customers need it most and can be a key factor in how customers decide which companies they buy from.

• Self-service options – This feature enables your customers to resolve their own issues without having to wait for an answer by contacting support. These can be found in the form of FAQs, knowledge bases, and search functionality.

• Security – It’s important that any system you have keeps your customers’ information secure. Having a system where credentials are required for new employees will ensure that valuable data is safe from those who might use it maliciously.

• Language translation – This feature allows you to provide support in multiple languages, thus allowing you to increase the number of potential clients that your business can help out. This can be particularly helpful for foreign companies that want to expand overseas.

Customer support is one of the most crucial aspects of any business, and providing great customer service can make or break your company. The above features are just some of the must-have options available to you when setting up for this purpose.

Misconduct in the workplace can be detrimental to an organization and everyone involved. It is important that we know how to spot it and react appropriately-whether we’re the perpetrator or the victim of such conduct. This article will explore what constitutes misconduct, common types of misconduct like discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, and more.

What Is Misconduct?

Misconduct can be classified in many different ways. Misconduct can often be unlawful and being a whistleblower in that situation can impact the organization in many ways. For our purposes, it is more beneficial to identify the types of misconduct that can occur in the workplace rather than trying to group them into categories. Here are examples of misconduct:

Theft  – taking or using something that belongs to someone else without permission, often with an intent to deprive the owner permanently of its value or use (examples include stealing office supplies, company property)

Fraud  – intentional misrepresentation or concealment of truth used for personal gain or to damage another individual (example includes charging personal expenses on a company credit card)

Sabotage  – deliberate action aimed at harming an organization, its members, or its property (example includes purposely damaging company equipment)

Dishonesty  – deliberately misleading or lying to an employer or coworker about a material fact that may influence issues related to job performance and/or decision making in the workplace. Lying is a form of misconduct that can have dire consequences if not handled properly. If you caught someone in a lie, keep your cool and don’t jump the gun. You need to collect evidence first for it to be strong enough so they can’t just create another story on the spot. 

Discrimination –  discriminating based on race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability (including HIV & AIDS), veteran status (including recently discharged veterans), or genetic information. 

Harassment – any unwelcome conduct that is based on one or more of these characteristics and that is so severe or pervasive that it creates a hostile work environment. 

Retaliation – negative action against an individual for filing a discrimination complaint.

What To Do If You Witness Misconduct In The Workplace

Misconduct can be difficult to prove, especially if you’re not sure whether it is intentional or not. This is why it’s important that, as a witness to misconduct, you stay as calm as possible and gather evidence first before reporting the incident.

If you feel comfortable doing so, ask the person involved to stop. If they ignore your request or threaten you in any way, escalate the matter to a higher-level manager who has authority over them. It may help to make a note of exactly what happened and how it made you feel during and after the event. If all else fails,  report the incident to your company’s HR department.

What To Do If You Are The Victim Of Misconduct In The Workplace

First things first: don’t go postal. Keep your cool and document everything that has happened. Seek help from a manager or HR if the misconduct becomes severe enough, but don’t jump to conclusions too quickly.

It is important to know that all employment relationships are considered ‘at will.’ This means either of you, the employer, or the employee can terminate the relationship at any time for any reason with or without cause (proper notice). If you choose to take this route, make sure you have a paper trail documenting how it was handled first internally before filing a claim with a government agency like the EEOC.

How To Respond To Misconduct In The Workplace

In some cases, an individual’s behavior may meet both legal and company standards for misconduct. In those situations, HR will look to your company’s disciplinary policy for guidance on the appropriate action.

As a witness or victim of misconduct, you can help HR take the most effective step by providing a clear and thorough account of what happened at the moment (if possible) and after (how you’ve been affected). The more information HR has, the better equipped they are at making an accurate determination about what happened. You may also be asked how you would like to see the situation resolved. This is where it helps to have documentation on your side; after all, revenge is best served cold.

Why Misconduct Is Harmful To Organizations

All this talk about misconduct in the workplace may sound like an HR issue, but it’s much more than that. Misconduct can have serious consequences not just for employees and managers involved, but also for the organization as a whole. When misconduct isn’t dealt with properly, it gives off the impression that you don’t care about your people (or customers), which could negatively impact employee satisfaction and even retention rates. It can also lead to expensive litigation expenses if victims pursue legal action against you or your company.

How To Prevent Misconduct In The Workplace

The best way to avoid issues of misconduct is by making sure everyone who works for or does business with you knows what constitutes professional behavior in the workplace. This includes providing examples of misconduct and how to report it and conducting training programs that clarify the boundaries of acceptable behavior. It is also important to investigate claims as they arise so you can respond accordingly. Make sure those who file complaints are protected from retaliation and take their allegations seriously, regardless of the accused’s position or influence level in your organization. One complaint does not have to mean it will happen again. But, the second you get another complaint, you need to react.

Legal Implications Of Misconduct In The Workplace

The company will get sued. That’s a given. It might even help the claimant if you have a history of constant misconduct in the workplace or instances where management did not follow through with appropriate disciplinary action. If you do find yourself involved in a lawsuit, it will be up to your legal team to investigate further and build a strong defense against the plaintiff’s claims while providing evidence that supports your side of the story following guidance from HR and/or upper management. 

As a business owner or manager, you must ensure that your company’s conduct policy prohibits all forms of discrimination and harassment. To protect yourself legally, take every complaint seriously and don’t ignore them under any circumstances. Your company will thank you for it later. 

Are you on the hunt for new ways to generate exposure for your startup and hit your growth targets? Do you want to try out low-cost alternatives to traditional advertising? Have you read about sticker marketing but are not quite sure how it could work for your business?

Then you have come to the right place. In this article, we will talk you through the best and easiest ways to use stickers for your marketing. With these tips, you can create a buzz around your newly founded business, while reaching new customers. Sounds good? Then let us get started. 

1. Add free stickers to every order

One of the best things about stickers is that they are very cost-effective. The price for popular vinyl stickers drops dramatically when you buy them in bulk. This makes them the perfect add-on to every order or purchase without exceeding your advertising budget. 

Through this, you can tap into the secret marketing power of stickers. Despite being rather low cost, they have a very natural appeal. When given under the right circumstances, stickers are not considered to be an advertising tool. Much rather, they are perceived as a gift. 

The giving of gifts is a long-established marketing strategy because it ignites positive emotions. These emotions will be associated with your business, increasing the likelihood of a repurchase. 

Moreover, gift-giving also evokes a psychological reaction, the so-called rule of reciprocity. The receiver of the gift feels the subconscious need to return the favor. In this particular case, this can take the form of a purchase, a recommendation or even a post on social media. 

2. Brand your packaging 

Your customers’ journey extends beyond the point of purchase, so your marketing efforts should not stop after a completed sale. Instead, you need to keep the promise of high quality and customer appreciation way beyond that. 

A quick Google search shows that the term “unboxing” results in 123,000,000 hits. This proves how important the post-purchase experience is for your customers. For you, this is a great opportunity to turn every single step of the experience into an interaction with your brand. 

Use logo stickers, labels and thank you stickers to communicate with your customers post-sale and show them that they have made the right decision. 

You can even use different sticker materials to represent your brand values. Are you selling a high-end luxury product? Use a premium holographic label to highlight the quality of your product. Is your business all about sustainability? Then give biodegradable stickers a try. These are great alternatives to traditional sticker and are available as white and transparent stickers right here: https://stickerit.co/us/eco-friendly-clear-stickers/.

3. Generate brand awareness

Your marketing efforts should also focus on potential customers. The best ways to reach these are at events and through social media. 

Stickers make the perfect stand-out business cards, ideal to hand out during events. You do not want all the people you have met in person and had conversations with to forget you as soon as they leave the location. 

Using stickers as business cards makes sure your startup will stick. Whereas traditional business cards get lost in wallets or end up in the trash, your sticky card can be applied to their laptop, ready to go whenever your services are needed. 

You are, of course, not restricted to offline channels. Reach out to influencers within your niche and send them a range of your logo and marketing stickers using the many effect materials on offer. 

Not only are you likely to see your stickers on their stories and feeds, you also have the chance to turn these influencers into brand ambassadors. Just imagine your logo as a phone or laptop sticker for everyone to see! 

4. Try guerrilla marketing

You have probably come across this term before, but maybe it had little to do with marketing. The term guerrilla traditionally refers to a type of warfare fought by civilian groups against the orthodox military. Their tactics made use of their small size and centered on speed, agility and the elements of surprise.

Marketing can replicate these features by creating unconventional advertising strategies which aim to catch potential customers off guard and generate an interaction with a brand. 

This is perfect for startups and small businesses, as such campaigns do not rely on massive budgets. Instead, they need creativity, time and energy. 

Guerrilla marketing is very versatile. If you want to give them a try, a Google search will do wonders. However, stickers are the easiest and fastest way to action such a campaign and reap the rewards of guerrilla strategies. Using stickers, you can cover much ground and get your brand message seen by as many people as possible. 

And remember: the more original your design and placement, the more likely people are to share your campaign all over social media as well!

We hope that these four tips inspired you to give sticker marketing a try and take your startup to the next level. If you have any questions or more tips you would like to share, we would love to hear from you in the comments below.