Six ways to grow your business in 2020
4 min read
As 2019 draws to a close, many people’s thoughts are turning towards how to make 2020 the best year ever for their business. Whether you run a small or medium-sized company, or head up a huge corporation, you will be facing the same kind of issues in the twelve months ahead, from working out how to increase sales to developing products or services; recruiting the best people you can to finding the best ways to support those already in your team.
Here are six ideas for some business-based New Year’s resolutions to mull over during the festive break to help you return to work inspired to grow your business further in January.
See the bigger picture
Make 2020 the year that you took the plunge and stepped things up a gear. Don’t get bogged down in the nitty gritty of running your business. Take a look at what your competitors are doing, what your audiences are looking for and what the industry gurus are predicting will be the next big trend, product, service or strategy. The businesses that are most likely to thrive and grow as we head into the third decade of the 21st century are the agile ones; those willing to move with the times and embrace innovations in technology, business thinking and bold, strategic ideas.
Support your people
Your people are your business’s greatest asset, which is why HR Compliance has always been a crucial element of any business, and that won’t change just because we are heading into a brand-new year. Take time to support and encourage your staff in 2020, making sure that they are being paid properly and on time, that you have the right processes in place to provide feedback, training, HR support and more. Your business can only thrive if its people feel truly supported. One area to get right is expenses, taxes and financial obligations. Scanning and storing software such as Receipt Bank is a great way to help employees organise receipts from purchases made on behalf of the business. All you have to do is take a picture of a receipt and the software will add it to your accounting system, distilling and filing away the relevant financial data for future processing.
Recruit top salespeople
A business intending to grow and increase its bottom-line needs to have access to top performing salespeople, marketing experts and communications professionals who can get the word out about its products and services and increase its customer base. January is often a time of year when people are looking to move jobs, so take advantage of this post-Christmas motivation and get your sales recruitment strategy in order. Start talking to sales recruitment agencies now to see how they can help your sales team develop in 2020 and beyond.
Go digital
It won’t have escaped your notice that we are relying more and more on the digital world in all areas of life, particularly business. The immediate nature of the internet, together with its global scope allows organisations to reach wider audiences than ever before, almost instantaneously. News is moving faster and faster and it is crucial for a business wanting to evolve to keep pace. It’s no longer enough to simply have a website, you must make it work harder in 2020 than ever before. Your social media platforms are becoming more and more important as places to engage customers and contribute to wider industry debates.
Up your marketing
Just as the internet is increasing in importance, so too must your marketing activity take centre stage this coming year. A growing business is one that is seen to be involved, engaged and innovative, taking advantage of market trends, linking to the news agenda and hooking customers in via imaginative communications, advertising and branding initiatives. Combine online marketing with traditional print, including brochures, banners, flyers and exhibition materials, to cover all bases and really make your mark as a growing business in 2020. If you’re finding a lot of your time is being spent on your print marketing, look into different solutions that can make it easier. For example, investing in a paper folder will save time and allow your flyers to be speedily and properly folded. The cost of the equipment will be worth it because it saves your employees wasting their time with that part of the print campaign.
Be organised
Finally, if you want to grow your business in 2020 and boost your customer numbers, you must make sure that the unseen, backstage processes are all working as they should be. It’s no good seeing a huge uplift in sales if your stock management is not in alignment, or a hiatus in completing vital paperwork is causing concern. People tend to trust businesses that can demonstrate high levels of organisation and efficiency that will deliver on their promises and not waste customers’ time with unnecessary delays. Take time over the holidays to do a full audit of your administrative procedures and make sure that you are on top of things and aware of any weak spots that need addressing alongside your plans for world domination.
