Targeting Small
Do you know how Wal-Mart was able to achieve astounding growth when other businesses were struggling?
Good or bad, Wal-Mart grew because they targeted markets where what they had to offer was not easily available. They offered products, services, and prices that could not be found in the communities that they set up shop. They started in small town America.
What other businesses have been successful with this model?
Mary Kay, Tupperware, and Longaberger are for-profit companies that I can think of that have shown sustainability in smaller cities. The Elks, Masons, Kiwanis, and Rotary are non-profit organizations that have also continued to thrive in smaller communities. Why is that and what is your organization doing to grow in those markets?
Too often businesses and organizations target the mega-markets to establish themselves. With a desire to grow, they think that canvassing New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago will get them the members they need to be sustainable.
WRONG!
If organizations want to grow, then they need to first target markets where they can be the only provider of a product, service, or membership offering. Why try to enter a market where the cost of entry is high? You will only be putting too much effort into to little of a return.
For membership based organizations, small cities offer a sense of community that larger cities do not enjoy. In the large urban markets, there is less a sense of community and more of a focus on self. In smaller cities, you have a much tighter social network where everyone knows what everyone else is doing and if someone is part of an interesting organization, then everyone else wants to be a part of that organization. That gives you the word of mouth growth you are looking for with minimal initial investment.
So I ask you, is your organization targeting small?