Frequent negative customer feedback is one sure sign your small business is in trouble.

By Henry Brown

Running a small business is full of potential problems. The whole process is a learning curve, and you need to learn quickly. Now, there could be a lot of reasons why your business may not be working. You have to look out for the signs, and then take steps to fix the problems and get back on the right track. These are four common indicators that your business isn’t working, and what you can do to fix the problem.

You’re spending too much.

Everything costs in business these days, but, if you find you’re spending too much, you’re probably doing something wrong. Financial missteps can really harm the future of the company. You need to stop overspending and reassess your company finances. Look at the areas where you are spending too much and try to figure out why. There will almost always be a way you can cut costs in certain areas and trim your spending. This will make you more financially comfortable and could lead to greater success in the future.

You’re receiving negative feedback.

A clear indicator that you’re doing something wrong is negative feedback. Of course, you’re always going to have to deal with a bit of this, no matter how good your company is. But, consistent negative feedback from customers should be a red flag. It can also be quite damaging these days because people like to put negative feedback on social media. The best way to deal with this is to respond promptly to all negative feedback and try to work towards a solution with the customer.

Sales are low.

One of the biggest indicators that your business isn’t working is that sales are low. Now, there could be a lot of things to blame for this. But, it’s most likely that your marketing is wrong, and you need to look at you this. So, if you find that your sales are low, you need to take another look at your marketing strategy and marketing messages. Bring in a team of experts if you haven’t already, and try to advertise across an array of different platforms.

Your staff is unhappy.

An unhappy staff is generally a demotivated staff, and they can cause all kinds of problems. Unhappy employees will not be as productive or inspired to work for you. Now, this can happen a lot, so you need to think about how to improve their morale. You could introduce a reward scheme, or start to praise them for the work they do. It might also be an idea to bring in a company like One Stop office design to completely revamp the office. This is sure to make the workplace more exciting and provide staff with the environment they’ve been craving for so long.

Many people find their small business aren’t working but have no idea as to why. There could be any number of reasons, but the most common will generally be down to mistakes with marketing or demotivated staff. You need to identify why your business isn’t working, and then you can take steps to deal with the problem.

_____

Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop he’s roaming the streets of London; uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.