Starting your own business can be an exciting time, but it can also be intimidating. Once you’ve gotten started you will start to feel more confident and gain some momentum, but until then you may be wondering where your first customers are going to come from. Here are a few tips on how to get your first customers through the door, and how your business plan can play a part in this.
Look closely
You might not have to look too far to find customers – one obvious starting point is your existing network. Think about your business connections, as well as friends, family and people they know who may be interested in your product or service. It’s easier to make connections through these leads than it is to sell through cold calling.
Sell yourself
You may be concerned that the newness of your company will make people hesitant to buy from you. However, there are ways for you to show that you have a good track record even if your business is brand new. Use your previous employment experiences as examples of the great work you’ve done in your sector so far. Take the focus away from the age of your business and focus on your own experience, achievements, and positive attributes.
How can a business plan help you to find your first customers?
The purpose of your business plan is to help you to set your business goals, outline your financial projections and plan the activities that you will complete in order to set up and run your business. Really, your entire business plan should be geared towards helping you to get customers, make sales and grow your business. However, there are some parts of your business plan in particular that will help you to find those first customers or early adopters.
Identify your target market
To find your customers, you first need to know who you are looking for. This means that you need to think about your target market. Who are they, where are they, why will they love your product and how can you approach them? We go into more detail about this in our blog post “How To identify Your Target Market”. This section of your business plan is a good starting point for your business idea as a whole and writing it can help you to get a better picture of your place in the market.
Research your competitors
A competitor analysis in your business plan is a good opportunity for you to look at what other businesses in your sector are doing – and where they are getting their customers from. What are their methods for acquisition, how do they market themselves and is this something you could also tap into?
If you would like any assistance with writing a business plan that will help you to get your first customers (and many more besides), get in touch with cbm. Use the contact form on the right or call 01604 420 420 to speak to one of our friendly, expert consultants.