Most companies will get into patterns of growth and are then eager to sustain them for as long as possible. If they’ve been operating for long enough, they know that stagnation or underperformance is something to watch for, so any growth needs to be prolonged to squeeze all the juice out of it. Here are four methods entrepreneurs can use to help growth last for longer.
Examine the Core Reason(s) for the Growth
Why have the sales suddenly taken off? What are the leading causes of it? Do they relate to a new or growing trend and the business just happens to have a service or product that’s in the right place at the right time? In which case, how long might it last and will its ending be known ahead of time? Can the reasons be sufficiently isolated to enhance the rate of growth by leaning into it? Tweaks can be made to the product, process, or promotion when more is known. How can that be best achieved?
Make Technology Lead the Way
When the sales are mostly made online, then don’t let your website be the weak link in the chain. A company like Webheads can verify that your website can handle the increasing traffic demands. They can arrange for improved, scalable web hosting on an infrastructure that won’t fall over if the site’s traffic doubles overnight. Also, they can look at how robust the website is, including what e-commerce and payment systems are used, to verify they’re suitable for the task too. If not, they can make recommendations and perform upgrades to remedy the situation before it gets critical.
Risk-Taking vs. Avoidance of Risks
What has enabled the growth in the first place? Was a major risk taken to go into a new market or to launch a new market-tested product? When risk-taking led to improving sales, bear that in mind. Avoid holding so tightly onto the newfound success that you are no longer willing to take risks in case it all comes tumbling down. Taking sensible, considered risks is one of the ways that companies find new avenues of business to explore. When you fail to do so, the growth will eventually die out, with nothing to replace it.
Develop Adjacent Products or Services
One of the ways to promote increased expansion and avoid the growth’s end is to develop adjacent products or services that complement what’s already doing well. By noting customers’ requests and developing new solutions that fill a gap in the product range or as an added service, the company can show that it’s listening. It also then has a convenient upsell to offer when a customer is purchasing the first product, which can increase the average shopping basket value for completed online sales.
Adjacent products or services mitigate many of the associated risks of new product development. This should help the naysayers who wish to talk down the idea.
Sustaining growth is important to businesses that wish to expand considerably from their current size. It’s all too easy to hit a plateau and get stuck there. Avoid this at all costs because it’s difficult to shake off once its effects become apparent.