Top 10 tips for service businesses

Having a service business can be very demanding, but knowing that you have something significant to offer your clients is very rewarding. The work you do for your customers has a major impact on their lives.  Below are tips that can help your business be successful and provide great service, whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been established a long time.

1. Be unique and specialize. For your business to succeed and stand out, don’t be afraid to be unique. How can you be different than the competition? Are you more affordable? Are you faster? Are you environmentally friendly? Is your quality better? You should be doing at least one of these things better than your competitors.

You may want to consider specializing in one thing. Being exceptional in one thing will be far more captivating to customers than being able to do many things not particularly well. Offering a mediocre service can be fatal when it comes to running a business.

2. Get to know your customers. The key to having many repeat customers is relationship building. You don’t need to have a personal relationship with your customers, but you do need to know their wants, needs, and know what will influence them to use your service. Hopefully, your business is designed to meet the customer’s specific needs.

3. Treat your customers well. Work on every project as if you were providing these services for yourself or a dear family member. Make your customer feel as though their project is important. Customers are the reason you have a business, so treating their project with respect and making it a priority can ensure positive reviews, return customers, and new customers.

4. Take advantage of Marketing. Marketing your service business is very important. There are other businesses that offer the same services you offer. Standing out from the crowd is easier said than done, but a marketing plan can help your business break through the competition. If you are already visible to the public, marketing can also help your business grow. Take advantage of social media and connect with the community around you. Use professional service websites for networking and try to get as many referrals as you can.

Build a nice website with a user-friendly website builder. These website building tools can also help your business develop a unique logo for your company. If you are a plumber or a handyman, you have a lot of competition out there. A unique logo and a great website can go a long way.

5. Measure your costs. When starting a service business, make sure you understand all the costs that go into running it. Calculating every business expense is crucial and can be the difference between staying afloat and flourishing. There are many expenses including rent, parts, employees (if needed). Once you have come up with an estimate of how much you will spend, understand that your business will most likely need more than that. It is always a good idea to have a  rainy day fund for your business.

Keep in mind that you will also need to take into account personal expenses like gas, food, and health care. These essentials should be accounted for because they could potentially take money from your business budget.

6. Insurance is necessary. It is crucial that you protect your business from any disasters that could potentially take place. Liability insurance is important just in case one of your employees or clients gets hurt on the premises. Whether you work from home or in an office, it is important you get insurance for your business.

Also keep in mind that in a disaster, recovering files can be the difference maker between having your business make a comeback or closing down for good. Have a disaster recovery plan in place as a safety precaution.

7. Know your boundaries. Many times service vendors make the mistake of taking on tasks and jobs that they shouldn’t. If it is a job that you can’t do well—don’t do it. You may have money coming from this job, but if it is done poorly, you may lose out on future clients from a bad review. Don’t be afraid to say no to jobs that you don’t feel comfortable with or jobs you know you can’t do well. If you feel like you can learn on-the-go and figure it out in the process, only you can decide that.

8. Think about the future. When you’re making business decisions, ask yourself if you are thinking about the future of your business. Are there strategic customers that you can work with? How can your customer help with your reputation? Can this client help with exposure?  Once you have established yourself, thinking about these things can be very advantageous to the future of your business.

9. Know your worth. There are companies out there that use a low price point for their services as the ultimate selling factor. Instead of selling yourself short, outsell the competition with value and expertise instead of lowering your price. If your skill set is unique, specialized, and you’re good at what you do you will find customers that will pay a premium of having better service provided.

10. Get help. Your service business may be a small team, or it may even be just you doing all the work. Many applications can help you with day-to-day tasks. Scheduling software can help keep track of your team member’s schedules and update them as it changes. Breezeworks can help you manage your day, help you get to your appointments on time, record work details, and get you paid. A growing business will need all the help it can get.

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This article was written by Michael Isberto. Isberto is the Blog Director and a Content Writer for Colocation America. He received his B.A. in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Public Relations at CSUSB. Isberto is a Communication professional with additional experience in Public Relations, Marketing, and Social Media.