In an effort to expand their businesses and reach out to a new segment of potential customers, a growing number of self storage owners have broadened their range of services. By using existing land resources to build up your product offerings, you can reach out to a new and bigger segment of customers.
Finding your new niche
With a healthy level of competition, you must carve out an additional niche to set your self storage business apart from the others. For instance, if you are located in an industrial area, you might consider a shipping or mailing service. In a residential area, shipping services or a retail store may also be popular.
The potential for new business is infinite. Your new services could include anything that the consumer needs, from retail products to technology-based offerings. Considering that the need for self storage remains relatively steady, adding these kinds of services will allow you to increase your revenue at a level not possible with just basic steel and metal buildings.
Depending on the location of your self storage steel buildings, business opportunities abound. As a business owner, you should always be aware of what the local residents and other businesses in the area need and what kinds of services your area is lacking. Talk to people and survey your neighboring businesses. Let this be your guide to determine which direction you will take your business.
Work with what you have
The layout of your property also can help determine what additional services will succeed. If your self storage buildings sit back from the street, consider adding a retail space, perhaps even a strip mall. If your steel buildings are situated toward the front of the property, your land might be more suited to the likes of moving trucks or the installation of a cell tower-anything that doesn't rely so heavily on impulse purchasing.
Reaching a new segment
With about 10 percent of the population using self storage space, your business is a lucrative venture already. However, you have the potential to tap into that other 90 percent of the population that is not currently in the market for self storage.
By narrowing your focus to just the self storage steel buildings, you're missing a huge opportunity to draw in customers with additional needs. And if you can attract them with other services now, perhaps they'll remember you when they do need self storage services.
In addition to drawing new customers, a self storage facility might even entice existing clients to buy into more than just their storage space. Customers looking for convenience often are attracted to a business's ability to help them multi-task. That way, they can complete multiple errands in a single store visit.
Enhancing on your current offerings
Even diversifying existing self storage offerings, such as adding climate-controlled self storage steel or metal buildings or expanding storage to include large recreational vehicles or boats, has the potential to draw new customers and bigger profits.
All businesses must look for new opportunities to grow, or they risk being weeded out by their competitors. Using your existing land and other resources, consider what additional services would be a good fit for your self storage business.
About the Author
Darren Newberry is the general manager of American Steel Buildings. American Steel Buildings has designed and distributed pre-engineered steel buildings since the 1980s. The company's award-winning customer service and spotless reputation through the Better Business Bureau have helped it set steel-moving records in its region. For more information and to sign up for a free self-storage newsletter, visit http://www.gosteelgo.com.
Source: www.articlesphere.com
