Boss Lady

Punch above your weight: startups can beat bigger businesses

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If you have launched a startup or your business is relatively new, you can still punch above your weight to not only go toe-to-toe with bigger established businesses in your market, but beat them.

It’s true to say that there’s a certain amount of audacity that you need to have in order to run a business and grow. After all, it takes confidence and courage to say ‘yes, I have something to offer, and I will work to compete against those in the industry.’ Most other businesses in your field would only be happier to have less competition and to prevent you from trying to achieve market share to yourself.

This can kindle your motivation, because the intent to prove your competition wrong can be a strong conviction. But is it possible to punch above your weight with some larger, more established firms? How would you even begin that process? In this post, we hope to discuss a few principles and practices you can use to punch above your weight, stand out in your field and be seen as just as useful and worthwhile as a bigger name brand, and in some cases, more flexible and interesting than them.

For instance, the terms you may be able to find with small business funding could put you in an advantageous position compared to bigger public firms that rely on the satisfaction of many shareholders. The good rules of competition will help you move forward thanks to that entrepreneurial audacity.

How to punch above your weight as a new business

Without further ado, let’s get started:

Virtual Helpdesks & Receptions

Virtual helpdesks allow your brand to punch above your weight and become a stronger force in terms of your customer service. For a fixed monthly fee, you can dictate a competent script for an agency to follow, helping you cultivate immediate aid to those in search of customer support. This can help you if you find that your business is struggling to spend time in customer support efforts thanks to your lower number of employees compared to a similarly popular firm.

This, of course, can be aided by the use of live chat agents on your website giving pre-scripted answers, an FAQ page, and even directly answered questions in the form of videos on your website. Keeping this information free and open will lessen the likelihood of someone having to utilize your firm, which can keep how many people call you low.

Social Media Instant Messaging

One of the most popular forms of correspondence that most small businesses are starting to adopt is that of social media instant messaging. For instance, many companies will allow for direct messaging of their business page, which the administrator of the account can access through direct support via a Twitter dashboard, to use an example.

This way, they can directly respond to questions, problems, and reports that may have otherwise taken up a lengthy phone call. As many people are on social media today, these kinds of norms are changing, and they work for the customers too as the willingness to sit on a support call for even ten minutes is largely diminishing thanks to our on-demand culture.

The Power Of Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is incredible way to punch above your weight in that a small business can look just as imposing as another firm, despite the follower counts differing in scope. If you have a competent scheduled posting strategy and are smart about what language you use and how you interact with public news about your industry, all of a sudden you can be seen as a player, and cultivate an audience without even selling anything just yet.

Furthermore, the use of competent branding (such as with correctly sizing social media banner images), curated by a graphic designer, can work wonders in helping you seem just as professional and detailed in your marketing scope compared to a firm that has operated for decades within your industry.

It’s quite amazing to see smaller firms take this transition in their stride, but it can happen and it does happen quite regularly. After all, an audience can’t really gauge the scope of your business compared to another on these platforms, but they can certainly tell by good reviews and how interactive and affable you are online if they should trust you with a first purchase or not.

Managed IT Services

With the advent of online managed IT services, you can easily curate your digital infrastructure and organizational workflow with care to punch above your weight technologically. You have access to the same cybersecurity patch updates, the same apps that allow for communications within your team, and the same storage capacities relative to your needs that larger firms have.

This is great, because while larger firms can make use of economies of scale, computers have made the workflow and productivity comparison almost exactly equal. With the willingness to standardize how your employees communicate (using apps like Slack, instant messaging and email), as well as welcoming remote work through the use of video conferencing and personal devices given to each employee, you grant your limited number of enrolled workers the same effective management ability they would have at another firm.

This might not give you an advantage over larger firms of course, but it can certainly help you remove obstacles that you may have otherwise encountered. This is especially true now that managed IT services can be applied to almost any firm and not just the most expensive or those willing to rent out the higher tier subscription plans.

Client Care

Startups have the benefit of being able to be more direct with how they treat clients, what they deliver them, and how they cultivate the serviced interaction. For this reason, you can punch above your weight in dealing with clients, and become so much more personable than firms that are larger, more faceless, and less flexible in their approach.

This might not seem like much at first, but it can make all the difference. Something as simple as writing Christmas cards to your most loyal clients can help you become ingratiated in their willingness to use your services again. Speciality care, to this degree, can make a massive difference for those who wish for a more direct, intimate approach. Furthermore, involving your clients and customers in the life of your firm can help them feel part of the journey, and willing to support you when necessary.

Conclusion

With this advice, we hope you can see how as a new business or startup, you may be able to go toe-to-toe and punch above your weight with larger firms. After all, how are you ever going to fill larger shoes if you’re not too big for your boots in the first place?

About Business Woman Media

Our women don’t want to settle for anything but the best. They understand that success is a journey involving personal growth, savvy optimism and the tenacity to be the best. We believe in pragmatism, having fun, hard-work and sharing inspiration. LinkedIn

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