Teaching in Your Small Business

Are You Teaching in Your Small Business?

Teaching in your small business is an excellent strategy for exponential business growth. This model has been used successfully by brick and mortar businesses such as Home Depot, Nike, and Apple for many years now, and online businesses such as Aweber and Google have done the same thing.

The concept is a simple one; teach your prospects and clients how to use your products and they will be much more likely to purchase them and become repeat customers and raving fans.Home Depot teaches us how to paint and install tile. Apple teaches us how to use their phones, tablets, and computers. Aweber teaches us how to become masters at email marketing.

How can you do this in your own business to increase sales and build greater rapport and trust? Let’s explore some ideas here.

If your business is exclusively offline, choose a time once a month to allow prospects and customers to learn from you. Perhaps you are an attorney and can help people to form their own trust or to understand the probate process. As a plumber, you could teach how to keeps drains unclogged or how to choose a low flush toilet. The idea is to start the conversation and help people to better understand the work you do for them.

Even though most of us do not want to think about walking the probate route without the help of a qualified attorney, we do want to know what is involved and how the process works. You would help alleviate our fears and concerns and to explain the truth about any preconceived notions we have. And most of us will not be installing our own toilets, but we would like to know what our choices are and also how to keep hair and other debris from clogging our drains needlessly.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs are natural teachers in that we help others to navigate the waters we have already mastered. It’s simple a matter of choosing which topics to teach and to invite your community to participate.

How to Start Teaching in Your Small Business

Make a list of the services you provide for your current clients. What part of that process is confusing? What do you wish someone already knew before their first meeting or consultation with you? How could you teach them some basic skills, empowering them to have the confidence to move forward with the process you are helping them to learn? Once you can answer these questions you are ready to set a time to start teaching in your small business and to schedule your first class.

I highly recommend that your classes be free, at least at first. Once you have done them for a few months you may want to charge a nominal fee to attend, and then allow them credit in that amount if they fire you for your services within the next couple of months. This creates a relationship that is based on mutual respect for your time and knowledge.

Teaching in your small business is not a new concept, but it may be new to your business model. Embrace this idea and share your time and knowledge in a way that will open the door to even more clients and customers, now and in the future.

You may also want to read my article on the role of non-profits and fundraising in small business.

The Course I Co-Teach on How to Market for Small Business Teaches You Everything You Need To Get Started Right Away.

I’m author and online marketing strategist Connie Ragen Green. I work with entrepreneurs to create multiple streams of online income and would love to connect with you. Pick up my Online Entrepreneur’s Blueprint and get started right away.