At the beginning of the 2020 New Year and the end of the Year of the Pig, enterprises are busy making annual work summaries and laying out the development direction of the new year.
Faced with the increasingly complex and changing market environment and growing business needs, the survival pressure of small and medium-sized enterprises in the development period is increasing day by day.
1. Operating costs are getting higher and higher
Raw material costs, labor costs and advertising costs have been growing, accounting for more than 80% of the enterprise's operating costs.
2. Serious homogenization of products
In today's market competition, once you have a hot product, it won't be long before your competitors start selling similar products. By fighting price war to gain market share, most enterprises have no profit to look for and are not conducive to shaping brand image.
3. Stress and challenges highlighted by transformation pains
The Internet is both an opportunity and a challenge. The Internet business model has gradually affected people's living habits, making it more difficult for traditional industries with low profits. Many small and medium-sized enterprises want to actively embrace the Internet, but they are confused facing the crisscross road of transformation, and do not know how to choose.
The future is not terrible. What is terrible is that in the future, enterprises will continue to operate and develop with traditional business models and management methods. Being conservative without thinking about change is the biggest obstacle to the sustainable development of enterprises, which will put them at a disadvantage in the market competition. In the new year, how should SMEs survive under the pressure of transformation?
1. Change your mind and don't be afraid of the "Internet"
Many bosses of small and medium-sized traditional enterprises do not know much about the Internet. They will panic because they are not familiar with the concepts of big data, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. They are afraid of falling into the "pit" of the Internet due to lack of professional knowledge and talent.
Under the trend of "Internet+", the digital upgrading and transformation of enterprises is the only way for small and medium-sized traditional enterprises. The thought and pattern of business owners are related to the development direction of enterprises. As a top-down project, Internet+is basically equal to the transformation of traditional business owners. Therefore, business owners should not panic excessively, nor cling to the past empiricism, and review the Internet with a calm mind.
Small and medium-sized enterprises have limited operating costs. In the case of insufficient funds to hire professional Internet talents, business owners can try to use external forces to try to "reach the Internet" by cooperating with Internet service companies. Start with projects or fields with urgent needs, and start with simple and easy solutions, such as PC end, mobile end websites, applets, WeChat official accounts, etc., gradually build an Internet operation system, and carry out small but steady transformation and upgrading in the inherent business model.
2. It's not terrible to start late. Steady development is the key
Don't confuse yourself by comparing yourself with other enterprises in terms of the degree of Internet. When planning the layout, the enterprise must combine its own development situation and gradually expand and improve on the basis of existing products, channels, resources, etc. It is not advisable for the latecomers to take advantage of the method of eating fat at one mouthful. Especially in the early stage of enterprise transformation, like a car turning a corner, slowing down can go a long way.
3. Don't be frightened by negative information
With the rapid development of the Internet, we often hear the message of "where will digital marketing go when the flow dividend disappears", and many small and medium-sized enterprise owners are frightened before they have gone far on the road of Internet transformation. Although the slowdown of macroeconomic growth will have an impact on the enterprise economy, it is easier to lose market competitiveness if you are tied down.
Although the market economy is gradually entering the stock stage from the incremental stage, the changes are gradual, and SMEs have enough time to respond, such as improving product quality, expanding marketing channels, establishing talent reserves, and improving the management system. At the same time, learn "empowering thinking" and take advantage of development to achieve mutual benefit.
4. Don't invest blindly
Some business owners are eager for transformation, and they are very willing to make impulse investment in the face of exaggerated projects. Many people will have the mentality of "food in others' bowl". For a while, they feel that as long as they invest and spend money, they can get high returns.
In fact, the rapid development of the Internet has spawned a number of unreliable Internet companies that want to make a fortune and run away. They often exaggerate the effect of projects, advocate various new Internet technologies and models, and promote Internet products that are not suitable for enterprises regardless of the real needs of SMEs.
It is the business owner who really knows the enterprise. The business owner must have the courage to pierce the beautiful blueprint described in his imagination, see through the bubbles of various false concepts put forward by other people, and do not invest blindly.
5. Combination of quality and effect to get rid of homogenization
For small and medium-sized enterprises, due to the lack of adequate means of production and production costs, they often face serious problems of homogenization. The products you sell are also sold by others, so it is difficult to establish loyalty with a wide range of choices.
The problem of homogenization lies not only in products, but also in channels. The sales channels of small and medium-sized enterprises are mostly traditional offline visits. There are few accurate customers, and the order rate is not high or stable enough.
The Internet era provides new ideas for SMEs to expand their channels. The establishment of online platforms such as official website, WeChat official account and applet not only broadens the sales channels to achieve precision marketing, but also is a good way for brand publicity. The enterprise establishes a unique brand image by improving the online platform information, transforms the brand advantage into purchase advantage, and thus stands out in the market competition.
6. Gradually cultivate Internet talents
Most small and medium-sized enterprises are short of Internet talents due to the traditional operation mode. At the initial stage of transformation, they can cooperate with Internet service companies to make up for their own shortcomings. However, in the long run, although SMEs cannot build a complete team system in a short time, they also need to gradually cultivate Internet talents. The person in charge of enterprise management and marketing must have Internet thinking, which is the most basic.
