business-plan, business-model, advertising, serviceSo I know the answer to this is - “both are important” - but hear me out. I am starting-up an online service business offering a range of remote services that would typically be done onsite with the main aim of reducing cost for the customer. The debate I am having is:
Is it better to have more people come through the website (targeted advertising) with an open approach to services where-by the customer can request work and I would then quote/verify if this is possible. Or would a better approach be the have a very specific service offering where-by there would most likely be a more restrictive advertising approach?
The reason this comes up is because the services I want to offer are very flexible and can include a variety of tasks dependent on what the customer needs. To try document every possible service would probably become confusing for the customer and also restricts how flexible I can be with service packages.
I am still constructing my business model and any thoughts on this would be great to focus my Business model.
Paulo Scardine hit the nail on the head with his comment: “The best service in the world will bankrupt without sales. The worst service in the world will make you rich if you sell enough.” I’ve heard this many times. You should focus your efforts and budget on marketing.
Note, though, that you should at least list your most popular services on your site. (Most popular or most valuable to the potential customers. That’s another marketing angle.) If I found a website where I could request anything, I would probably request nothing.
If I want someone to help me choose the best apple tree to plant in my garden, I don’t start out by searching for “fruit consultants.” I search for something like, “best apple tree for gardens,” and try two or three of the highest-ranked search results.
Of course, if you’ve earned my trust by helping choose an apple tree, you’re the first person I’ll reach out to when I start thinking about pears, even if every page of your website screams, “We only know about apples!”
This is the age of niche. So make your proposition as narrow as you can, and you’ll find that makes the marketing easier and cheaper too.
All content is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.