I have discovered what it is that makes the best companies successful!

After many years of watching successful small businesses become more successful, while watching other businesses fall by the way side, wondering what it is that makes them different, I have found the secret. Yes, some of the good ones have really good marketing. Some of them have only average marketing and yet have a charismatic business owner who carries them through thick and thin. Others have great marketing, a great leader and many other ‘great’ things and yet they still fail. So what is it that the successful ones have, that makes them successful, despite everything else?

It is FOCUS. They have it in bucket loads. They are focused on their business goals and on their marketing. They focus on their clients and on how best to look after them. They have focused businesses that do not stray from the path. That is what makes them successful.

Let me give you a couple of examples.

At the start of 2014, we created a new Business Plan for Appletree. We hadn’t been as focused as we could have been for a while – getting distracted by a few new business ideas. The Business Plan changed all this. It showed that the best way to grow a profitable business at the time was by focusing on looking after our existing clients. The numbers proved that if we spent more time meeting with, talking to and listening to our current clients, we could generate more income than if we spent that time on marketing activities such as networking. (It meant we would also save a lot of money by not having to pay for networking meetings!) So for most of 2014, that’s what we did. Our marketing activity and spend was minimal; our interaction with clients took priority. We focused on doing the work they really wanted us to do, instead of chasing new ideas and services that might or might not have worked. By the end of our financial year, the numbers showed record profits and a record profit margin. Focus works.

On the other hand, I’m working with a client called Louisa, whose business isn’t doing so well. She’s tried lots of different ways of making money – offering her clients many different products and services. The marketing she’s done in the last couple of years has highlighted many different messages and ways in which Louisa’s consultancy business is different to her competitors. She’s even tried changing the name of her business, to better reflect what she does. None of it has worked. Why not? Lack of focus!

If your business isn’t doing as well as you’d like it to, take some time out to look at what you’re focusing on. Do you have a vision for your business – what’s driving you and is it compelling enough to attract clients to you? Is your message clear – what do you actually do and what makes you truly different from the other businesses in your market? Does your marketing have a clear focus – do you know exactly who your ideal clients are and what help they need from you?

Pick one path and stick to it. Put all your energy and focus into one direction for your business and you’ll find it much easier to find the clients you need and earn the revenue you deserve.

Not sure how to pick the right path? Get in touch and we’ll help you find it with our clever, energising and focused Marketing Strategy workshop!