Page 30 - 101 Ways to Market Your Business

GETTING STARTED

about this. The first is to buy all of the new equipment,
employ the staff, change the signage, advertise and then sit
back and hope that the crowd breaks the door down. This
is the way that the majority of business ideas tend to evolve;
and for every one that works there are hundreds that fail.

The second way to go about this project is to do a bit
of market research first. Formulate a few simple questions
to ask your customers. For example:

1. Do you buy lunch from a takeaway restaurant?
2. How far do you have to travel?
3. Is the food good or do you shop there because it is

convenient?
4. If we had a takeaway food outlet, would you consider

trying us?
5. What type of food would you like to be able to buy

for lunch?
6. What other items do you need on a regular basis that

you think we should stock (for example, newspapers,
magazines etc.)?
7. Would it be convenient for you if we were open late
in the afternoon so that you could by pre-made meals
to take home for dinner?

The next step is to start talking to everyone who could
be a potential customer. Pay someone to go door-to-door or
jump on the phone and start ringing potential customers.

Most people are quite happy to answer a survey as long
as you quickly clarify who you are and what you want and
emphasise that it will only take a few seconds. For example:

Hi, my name is Bob and I’m calling from Bob’s Bakery.
We are thinking of starting up a takeaway food business
at the bakery and I was wondering if I could ask you a
couple of quick questions?

I have conducted a lot of market research campaigns
like this and the results are quite astonishing. People feel

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