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Friday, 31st May 2019 | Sales,Marketing

What to do When Competitors Undercut Your Prices

When competitors undercut your prices, it’s tempting to engage in a price war. Here are some reasons why that strategy might backfire, and a look at some alternate battle methods.

What if a new player enters the market and starts charging a fraction of your price? When competitors undercut industry prices, it’s impossible to know what the impact on your business will be. But if your knee-jerk reaction is to lower your price, keep reading!

Before you engage in a battle with low-ballers, follow the steps below to understand why competitors undercut your prices, and devise a plan for combat.

Understanding The Pros and Cons of Setting Prices Low

Pricing is part of marketing strategy. It is something you establish intentionally. In order to understand why a company would go with a low-price strategy, it’s helpful to understand the alternatives. Here are the four basic pricing strategies:

Economy: Ideal for low price, low-quality products and services where the goal is to profit by selling a high volume.

Premium: In premium pricing, a high-quality product/service is set at a high price point. Sales volume will be lower, but profit margin higher. A good example is a luxury brand where the product or service is sold at a premium thanks in part to perceived value.

Skimming: Skimming refers to selling a low- to mid-quality product/service for a high price. This may seem counterintuitive because over time the brand’s credibility will suffer and sales will decline. The goal of a skimming strategy is to have a burst of initial sales.

Penetration: When a high-quality product/service is priced low, it’s referred to as penetration pricing. The idea is to gain market share by tempting people. Over time, the price would be raised. It’s a good strategy for a new entrant to a saturated market where you want someone to try your brand in the hope that they’ll remain loyal to you after you raise the price.

Hopefully, now it’s more obvious why a company would adopt a low-price strategy and your knee-jerk reaction to compete on price will be lessened. While buyers may flock to a business when prices drop below the competition, this won’t necessarily make them the victor. In some instances, a flurry of sales means quality cannot be maintained, and the reputation will suffer. The perception of the brand could also take a hit (a luxury brand competing on price is an oxymoron).

Before you engage in battle, be sure to revisit your marketing—and specifically your pricing—strategy (or establish if you don’t have one). There are many ways other than discounting to attract and retain customers. Here are four ways to do this:

Highlight the value: Instead of showcasing prices, bring your product or service’s value back into the spotlight to edge out your competitors. Focus on reframing your marketing and communications tactics to divert any attention from costs to value propositions instead. You could even go so far as to publish a comparison chart on your website to explicitly show how your offerings stack up in the marketplace.
Focus on the customer experience: Nothing beats exceptional customer service. Instead of reacting to predatory pricing, evaluate your customer service efforts by taking strides to improve every touch point and ensuring your customers’ journey is optimized end to end. More so than pricing, customers are likely to share stories about brands that go the extra mile.
Offer free resources: To build added trust in your brand, put more effort into content creation when competitors undercut your prices. By offering tip sheets, helpful videos, blogs, infographics, and other resources – for free – on your website and social channels, customers will come to view your brand as an authoritative one.
Modify your offering: If your competitors are all offering identical products and services, you can set yourself apart with a new type of inventory. Even the slightest variation can make you more visible in the marketplace by appealing to consumers who are looking for variety or stand-out products and services. You can even consider bundling your offerings for a slight discount without directly undercutting any competitors, but adding value and convenience for buyers.

If you focus on pricing alone when competitors undercut your prices, it’s likely that you’ll never win the undercutting war. Instead, differentiate using one or more of the tactics above. It is more effective and far less risky to stand above the competition by highlighting your business’s uniqueness and addressing customers’ pain points.

5 important considerations when applying for a business loan

Managing money is one of the key tasks of running a small business. Changes in facilities or staff, acquiring inventory, or just the natural ebb and flow of your industry can all affect your cash flow. This is why business loans are commonplace. They play an important role in financial viability. This said, deciding to take a loan—and selecting the institution to take it from — shouldn’t be done lightly. Before you decide, here are five things you should consider.

1. What do you need the loan for?

This is a question to ask yourself, not to justify that decision to take out a loan, but to clarify the best products and terms for your needs. Once you’ve determined the purpose of your loan you can pinpoint your best option.

2. How much do you need?

While carrying debt is not, in and of itself, a bad business practice, taking as much as you can get is risky. Your debt load can affect everything from day-to-day operations to your credit score, so after you identify what you need the loan for, put a realistic number on your project.

3. How much time do you have?

If you need funding quickly, you’re going to want to work with a lender that’s equipped to meet your timeline. Traditional bank loan applications are cumbersome to complete, and it can take a long time before you’ll have access to the funds. Private lenders simplify their application process and can get your funding, fast—sometimes as soon as 48 hours, however, the rates tend to be higher than with the big banks.

4. Do you need a lump sum or are incremental amounts better?

Your answer to this question will help you decide the type of loan that’s best for you. Traditional banks offer lines of credit where you can take out payments on an as-needed basis, but if you need your money upfront, you’ll probably want to apply for a term loan. This is a loan that granted in a lump sum with regular repayments until the balance is paid.

5. What is your existing debt load?

Before applying for a loan you’ll need to inventory your current debt load. If you’re already carrying debt, you must first calculate how much more you can afford. Taking on debt is normal—but taking on too much debt will put the company in a precarious financial situation. At iCapital, we’ve helped dozens of small business owners make this calculation. It’s surprising how many people apply for additional funding when it would be the business is an extremely precarious position. Ensure that you are on the path to success rather than bankruptcy by doing the math before submitting your financing application.

In the end, selecting the right institution to borrow from, and amount to ask for, comes down to identifying what you need, what you can get approved for, and what you can realistically pay back. With this approach, you’ll be taking on healthy, planned debt rather than putting your company at risk.

Small business financing Canada ,Accounting

Food Trends in Canada

Is there a secret to success in the restaurant business? We’re not sure, but if you have it, we’d like to chat.

Until then, it helps for you to stay informed about the ongoing changes in the marketplace. The sooner you identify and take advantage of new trends, the more you will benefit and the easier it will be to adapt to future changes.

Below are five trends worth watching:

Fewer Menu Items - With customers valuing the ‘experience’ of dining out, more restaurants will stop trying to cater to every taste. Instead they will look at menu themes or focus on a few dishes that they do exceptionally well.
Now You Need to Satisfy Both Boomers and Millennials - One wants healthier options and the other wants to deal with more connected and responsible businesses. And both of them have money to spend. Boomers will appreciate more gluten-free, low-salt and vegetarian options. Millennials will need to hear about you on Instagram or other social media, and they want to know that you offer socially responsible foods, like free-range chicken.
Beverages Refined - While different, more exotic dishes have been an ongoing trend, in 2015 that trend will shift to your beverage menu. You will see a wider variety of teas and coffees (even Tim Horton’s now has its Dark Roast option), exotic juices and alcoholic options that include ciders (gluten-free), low-alcohol choices and oil-infused cocktails.
More Hybrids - It started when chef Dominique Ansel combined croissant and donut pastry dough to create the Cronut in 2013. In 2015, the hybrid trend will grow to include dishes like ramen burgers, brioche/souffle mix (another mash-up from Ansel) and dessert pizza.
Localization & Personalization - In 2015, local restaurants will continue to battle their big-box cousins for the hearts and tastes of diners. Two powerful weapons in that fight will be menu items made from local foods and offering customers more ‘choose your items/ingredients’ options.

Remember, no matter how hot the trend, what works for one restaurant doesn’t always work for another. Stay informed, talk to your customers and find out what works best for your business.

Source: https://blogs.technomic.com/technomic-spots-five-2015-food-trends-for-canadian-restaurants/

Marketing ,Management

What to do if a bank won't give you a business loan

It’s the nature of business to need funding on occasion. Renovations, new hires, inventory purchases, and slow days can send business owners in search of a loan. But what if the bank won’t approve you, or you don’t have time to go through their cumbersome application process? Suddenly, “business as usual” is a much bigger, more stressful problem. This is why private lenders are a go-to for Canadian small businesses—they present fewer hurdles and get money into your hands faster.

Private lenders vs banks

When considering lenders, it’s a mistake to think of banks and nobody else. While banks enjoy name recognition and a reputation for longevity, there are other, modern options. Private lenders like iCapital are an excellent alternative for small business owners, in many cases exceeding what’s on offer from the big banks.

Banks tend to be extremely risk-averse, even refusing to loan to businesses in riskier sectors like restaurants and retail. And, even if they will consider your company, their application processes are onerous and slow, causing an additional time burden while you wait for an answer. Private lenders like iCapital operate very differently. Using a simple, less restrictive, online application, we strive to make the process easy and fast. Applicants can expect their approval within 24 hours and funding the day after. And, private lenders’ standards are less strict and more inclusive, so we lend to more businesses—even people with low credit scores.

What are the different types of business financing?

If you’re approaching a private bank for a business loan, the first decision you’ll want to make is what kind of funding product is best for you and your situation. The three most common funding options are:

Merchant cash advance - Companies that do a lot of debit or credit transactions might benefit from this kind of lending option because repayment is on a percentage of the day's sales. If your business has a quiet day (or even season), you won’t be stuck trying to come up with repayment while you have no money coming in.
Term loan - This is a very standard kind of loan where you receive a certain amount of funding and repay a set amount on a set schedule until your loan is discharged. This works well for those who want to know exactly how much they owe and when payments are due.
Secured loan - With the pledge of an asset, you can take out a secured loan. In general, you can get a better rate with a secured loan, but unsecured loans can be the way to go for small amounts as they are uncomplicated to negotiate. Your decision between secured or unsecured funds will depend on your specific situation.

Taking out a loan shouldn’t be a job in and of itself. If a bank turns you down, or if you need money quickly, consider a private lender. Their faster, simpler application process means you can put your energy where it belongs—back into your business.

Small business financing Canada ,Business loans for bad credit

Efficiency sparks joy: How to Marie Kondo your business processes

Though unlikely, it is possible that you’ve somehow missed the surprising success and sustained popularity of Marie Kondo, the woman who built an empire on the concept of tidying up. Even if you’ve failed to read any of the self-styled organizational guru’s books on the subject or to binge on the Netflix series, you’ve almost certainly heard people using the now-ubiquitous phrase, “spark joy”. In the past several years, we’ve learned to question whether objects, relationships, or even life choices spark joy, and to do away with anything that fails to meet this criterion. One thing is for sure: Marie Kondo has led the way in thinking about decluttering and organization—two real-world ways to improve efficiency. And efficiency, in the business world, is about as joy-sparking as you can get. Read on to learn more about how to Marie Kondo your business processes for a leaner, more cost-efficient organization going into the new year.

Step 1: Start with gratitude

Especially important if you’re working with a team but helpful even for solo ventures, start by acknowledging your strengths and successes. Decluttering should not be an indictment but rather an evolution. There is always room for improvement.

Step 2: Tackle one area or process at a time

Every business has numerous processes to meet their organizational goals, each with its own peculiarities. Although they may be linked, it is better to begin with one and see those changes through before tackling another. If your supporting processes like accounting or recruitment are most inefficient, start there. If the biggest difference would be made with a change in operational processes, that’s the best place to begin. These are changes that will spark the most joy in terms of employee satisfaction, customer service, or even your bottom line. Having a success story from the start will encourage your team to continue..

Step 3: Perform an audit

On her show, Kondo always begins by laying out all of the contents of an area or room in one place. Her thinking is that you can visualize everything and take stock. For your business process, this could be done with your team during a brainstorm session. On a whiteboard, map out the process from start to finish. Consider everything from the employee perspective and from the customer perspective. Next, mark which steps are working well (in green marker), which are satisfactory (yellow), and which need improvement (red).

Step 4: Time to tidy up

Make a plan of attack for the improvements. Determine who will take responsibility for each piece of work. Set a deadline to come back together to gather feedback on the process changes. Working in pairs or teams can make the work go faster.

Organizational clutter is the natural result of work. Over time, processes degenerate or fall behind current knowledge or technologies. Plan for regular clean-ups, whether they’re once a quarter or once per year, and let your joy be sparked by your business’ efficiency, as tidy as Marie Kondo’s famous drawers of perfectly folded clothes.

Management