This is a blog post I have intended to write for a while now. I’ve noticed that many small business owners and entrepreneurs are missing out on a massive amount of high quality business, because they are applying out-dated thinking to the reach of their services.
It’s all to do with a hyper-local mindset.
Some businesses, by their very nature, need to operate within set geographical boundaries. Accountants and lawyers, for example, are only allowed to practice in certain countries or territories. Other businesspeople are geographically locked, because people need to physically visit their premises, such as restaurants etc. However, there are many, many other people, who could provide products or services on a national or international level, who still stick within unnecessary, geographical limitations.
How I do it
As many of you will know, I work very successfully as a marketing coach, to small business owners all over the world. Today alone, I have worked with clients in; Nebraska USA, Norfolk UK, Cassis France and Wicklow Ireland. I use Skype to handle the phone calls and video conferencing, documents are sent via email and we also use desktop sharing; so we can work on things together, in real-time.
This system of working has a number of great benefits. For example, neither my clients nor myself have to waste time travelling anywhere. So, if we are working on something for an hour, that’s all the time it takes us; rather than wasting time in transit, getting parked etc. Equally, it means I can market my services worldwide and embrace opportunities without any of the limitations of yesteryear. It’s also a lot kinder to the environment!
Here’s a suggestion: Take a look ate the kind of service you currently provide, and consider if you can adapt it, so that it can be offered either nationally or internationally. If you can, I strongly advise that you look into it.
It could be one of the most profitable and rewarding commercial decisions you ever make!