????大多數(shù)發(fā)展中的公司都會花許多時間來考慮擴張問題——而當縮減規(guī)模成為更明智的選擇時，管理層往往會措手不及,。如果新的店面在六個月到一年的時間內(nèi)仍然沒什么起色,，你就需要采取行動止損了,。與其硬著頭皮繼續(xù)燒錢,，不如適時收手,，重新部署，搞清楚如何根據(jù)現(xiàn)有的顧客,，找到真正能賺錢的市場,。

????收手的感覺就像是承認失敗，尤其是考慮到已經(jīng)投入了時間和金錢的雙重成本時,。然而,，為失敗的擴張行動投入更多金錢，只會讓情況進一步惡化,?？纯茨切┝ν炜駷懙倪_人們是怎么做的吧。讓公司重回正軌的第一步通常都是關(guān)掉那些無法取得利潤的分店,。

????從現(xiàn)狀中脫出身來后,，你就該重新考慮發(fā)展戰(zhàn)略了。據(jù)我了解,，大多數(shù)創(chuàng)業(yè)公司在做出擴張決定時,，并沒有收集到足夠多的客戶數(shù)據(jù)作為支撐。你也許認為他們會在打入一個新的市場前做好大量功課,，但通常情況下只是高層管理中有人提起：“印度看上去很有潛力,，”或者“中國有龐大的顧客群，”然后他們就會進入市場看看自己能夠獲得些什么,。同樣的事情也會發(fā)生在本土市場,。他們注意到另一個城市沒有同類公司，于是便會在進行充分的市場調(diào)研之前就趕忙沖進去,。通常情況下這招是不管用的,，他們最終會失敗，還會導致財務報表上出現(xiàn)一筆大損失,。

????下面就是我的簡單擴張法則：追隨現(xiàn)有的顧客進入一個新的市場,，尋找在那里為他們服務的辦法。你會吃驚地發(fā)現(xiàn),，原來有這么多公司在別的地方運營,，而且還歡迎你加入。他們不會主動告訴你那邊有機會,。你得去問,。如果不能在打入新市場的第一天賺到錢，就不要去了,。

????我把這個辦法應用于我自己的公司,，它如今在六大洲開展業(yè)務。我們在美國以外的第一次海外擴張選擇了馬來西亞,。我本來沒有把業(yè)務擴張到那里的打算,，不過我們的一個顧客已經(jīng)在那里了,，而且需要我們繼續(xù)提供咨詢和培訓服務。

????如果你想要擴張到美國本土之外,，就從現(xiàn)在開始收集信息,，搞清楚你現(xiàn)有的業(yè)務區(qū)域的顧客來自哪里。當他們從你這里買東西,，或者加入你的郵寄名單時,，要學習那些大型連鎖店的做法，問問他們的郵政編碼,。如果你注意到你有一大批顧客都來自一個離你20到30分鐘路程的郵政編碼地區(qū),，那就去探索一下那個市場。跟顧客聊聊,，搞清楚他們?yōu)槭裁匆獊磉@邊,。弄明白他們在來店里之前還去過哪里，之后又要去哪里,，這些是十分重要的信息,。如果他們只是去你那邊的電影院，路上順道光顧你的餐館,，那你在他們的鎮(zhèn)上開一家分店就沒什么用,。

????不要害怕對擴張機會說“不”。確定擴張成功需要滿足的關(guān)鍵要素——無論原因是因為那里走路就能到達,，還是因為正好順路,，還是因為周圍有許多類似的店面——如果你無法滿足這些標準，就不要去那里擴張,。想想美國西南航空公司（Southwest Airlines）的例子,。他們之所以能夠取得今天成功，原因之一在于,，如果特定線路沒有足夠的需求,，不值得擴張，他們就會對否決這個計劃,。

????當然,，即便是最好的市場調(diào)研也不能保證某個市場一定適合你。投入所有資源之前,，想辦法探探風聲,。與其簽一份五年的租約，不如簽一份短期租約,，就算因此多花一點錢也無妨,。如果那個市場不景氣，就盡快撤資。如此一來,，你就有更多的錢來開展真正有意義的市場擴張計劃,。（財富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：嚴匡正??

????Most growing companies spend a lot of time thinking about scaling up -- but their leaders get caught off guard by situations where scaling back makes sense. If a new location isn't picking up traction after six months to a year, it's time to cut your losses. Instead of trying to salvage your investment, you need to pull back, regroup, and figure out how to follow your existing customers to a market where you really can make money.

????Pulling out can feel like you're admitting defeat, especially when you consider the sunk costs, in both time and cash -- but throwing more money into a failing expansion is only going to make matters worse. Look at the situation like turnaround pros do. Their first step in bringing a company back to health is often to close nonperforming locations.

????Once you extract yourself from your current situation, it's time to rethink your growth strategy. Most of the time, when I see entrepreneurial companies expand, they haven't gathered enough customer data to justify it. You'd think they would do a lot of homework before plunging into a new market, but usually what happens is that someone in top management says, "India looks promising," or "China has plenty of consumers," and they plunge into that market to see what they can stir up. The same thing happens locally. They notice that another city doesn't have a company like theirs and rush in before doing enough market research. Often, it doesn't work, and they end up slinking out with a big loss on their books.

????Here's my simple rule for expansion: Follow your existing customers into a new market and look for ways to serve them there. You'll be surprised how many are operating in other places and would love for you to join them. They won't tell you there's an opportunity. You have to ask. If you can't make money from day one in a new market, don't go there.

????I've taken this approach at my own company, which now does business on six continents. Our first expansion outside the U.S. was into Malaysia. It's not a country I would have imagined moving into, but one of our existing customers was already there and wanted our help with consulting and training.

????If you're looking to branch out in the U.S., start gathering information on where customers at your existing location are coming from now. Ask for their zip code when they buy something from you or join your mailing list, just like big chains do. If you notice that you have a large cluster of customers coming to you from a zip code that's 20 or 30 minutes away, it's time to explore that market. Talk with them to find out why they're making the trip. It's important to find out where your customers went before they stopped by and where they're heading afterward. If they're coming to your restaurant en route to your local movie theater, then opening a new outpost in their town won't help you.

????Don't be afraid to say no to expansion opportunities. Decide what key success factor a new location must meet -- whether that's foot traffic or drive-by traffic or the presence of a cluster of similar stores --and if you're not going to be able to satisfy those criteria, don't go there. Consider Southwest Airlines as an example. One reason they're so successful is that they've said no to expansion opportunities if there wasn't enough demand on a particular route to make it worthwhile.

????Of course, even the best market research isn't a guarantee that a market will work out for you. Figure out a way to test the waters before you commit all of your resources. Instead of signing a five-year lease, sign for a shorter term, even if you have to pay a little more. And if it doesn't work out, pull the plug sooner, not later. That way, you'll have more money to fund your expansion plans when they really make sense.