Squashing the competition can be a harsh term to use in business, but it’s a form of reality for some. Sometimes the only way to beat your closest rival in business is to buy them out. It happens all the times, from large corporations engulfing one another to small and medium-sized businesses purchasing failing companies. Taking over an existing business is incredibly complex, but once all the paperwork is done, the new challenge begins. Making the business you’ve just taken over, truly, look and sound like your business with no loss of profits and a smooth transition is just as daunting. You may require staff to move over to the new store and train the staff whose contracts you purchased, into the new way of doing things. You have the opportunity to drive a stagnant business, back into the forefront and an exciting new direction.
Merge and change the website
To stop any confusion from occurring to those online, who may be looking for the business you’ve just purchased, you should merge the domain into an ‘other stores’ list. Contact the domain provider and see if you can either slightly change the existing domain, or change the link to redirect customers who click on it, back over to your original business page. However, it’s most likely you won’t be able to change the domain name and may have to purchase a new one.
Redesign the entire website, so it falls into the same mood and follows the exact same design and style of your website. The business should look totally natural as being one of your stores and online businesses. Everything from the font type and size, down to the colour scheme; everything must be replicated, so it looks natural.
Looking the part
The employees at the business your purchased should all be given the company uniform so; customers aren’t confused when they walk in your store. Take the employees you have inherited through a productivity-focused training program all new employees go through, so they’re up to speed with what you’re about, regarding techniques and customer service. No more will you stand out than, repainting the outside of the storefront, so hire professional commercial painters whose painters are highly experienced. A well-established company will have painters who have gone through an internal requirement training to differentiate from residential painters. They’ll have their own boom lifts, sturdy scaffolding, power and council requirements as well as up-to-date health and safety standards for both the general public and your staff.
Delivery service
If you happen to inherit a fleet of delivery trucks or cars, they need to be completely redesigned too. They must be adhering to the logo, address, phone number, email and website details advertised on the side or back of the vehicles. The colour scheme should be the exact same as your current fleet, so the customers you’re delivering to, don’t feel as if they may have been cheated. The electronic devices and forms that are taken to the front door of customers should be in line with the forms and systems you use. Therefore the data sent by the delivery team can be logged straight into your inventory and sales systems.
