To grow a small business that already has steady customers, find the one step where you lose people and fix that first. Three numbers from your own business show you where: how many people find you, how many of them buy, and how many of those buy again or send someone else.
The three numbers behind a small business growth plan
- Found: new leads a month. Count calls, forms, messages and walk-ins.
- Won: the share of those leads who pay you.
- Kept: the share of customers who buy again or refer someone within a year.
Example: 40 leads a month, 12 become customers, and 3 of those buy again. Winning is 30 percent and keeping is 1 in 4, so keeping is the weak number. More ads would send more people into the step where you lose them. Your numbers may point somewhere else.
How to get more customers for a small business: when Found is weak
Few leads means people cannot find you. Start with your Google Business Profile: accurate hours, photos of your work, and a review request after every job. Then check that your website names each service and your town, which is what local search reads. In person, a monthly networking event puts you in front of other local owners.
When Won is weak
Plenty of leads and few customers often means slow replies, a vague next step or no follow-up. Answer the same day, state your price range or process on the website, and contact every lead who didn’t book. A CRM that sends the follow-ups for you keeps this from depending on your memory.
When Kept is weak
Ask for the referral and the review while the customer is happy, at the end of the job. Then give them a reason to come back, such as a reminder when service is due or a short email a few times a year. Email marketing covers this for a small list.
When all three look fine
If you are already booked solid, the limit is capacity or margin. Check what each job earns after costs. Clean books make that a five-minute question, and small business accounting is where it comes from. If margins are thin, raise prices before you add work. If they are healthy, hire or write down your process so someone else can run it.
For the next quarter, your small business marketing strategy is one weak number and one fix, measured again in 90 days.
Get a second opinion
Colorado’s Small Business Development Centers offer no-cost advising. If you want to hear where we would start, tell us the biggest problem you’re trying to solve. It’s free.
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