Go with what you know

Owning and running a small business is not for the faint hearted. It takes all kinds of moxie.

And in today’s economic climate, it seems to be getting harder, not easier, with the challenges of workforce, the state of the economy, supply chains, and the mood of consumers. It ain’t easy. Today’s businesspeople are pioneers.

Free advice — well, there is plenty of it. But one thought may seem encouraging: go with what you know.

One may think it is just a matter of finding new customers, but the Experts say something a little bit different.

They say you should work with what you have, not what you have not. In other words: start with your existing customers.

This is typical of this kind of advice, this one from Forbes Magazine:

“Invest in your client relationships. Focus on your best current customers instead of investing a large amount of money to attract new clients. When you create the best results and experience for your existing customer base, they will want to do more business with you and become an important source of new clients as well.”

Forbes explains further: “Don’t underestimate your relationship currency with clients who already know, like, and trust you and your business. It’s much easier to get a repeat client, through good service and delivering on your promises.

“… Happy clients act as ambassadors for your business and share their experience with other potential customers, in turn helping you to draw in new sales for a much lower cost.”

Are these just empty words? What do you think?

Shop Wharton first. “Players win games, but teams win championships.”