It's always time for customer acquisition, right? But sometimes the data hits you hard, and you realize that you must act fast to acquire more customers if your business is to succeed.

1. See the big picture

Recognizing the problem of needing more customers is the first step. Then you need to sit back, and, as much as possible, look at your business objectively. What customer trends have emerged over the past five, ten years? Have you been losing customers at a regular pace? Can you pinpoint what turned customers off?

2. Market research

 Hopefully, your company has regularly kept up with market research, allowing you to access detailed data about customer trends. If so, immediately analyze the data, inviting your top executives to provide their opinions as well. If market research is limited, or proves unhelpful, consider what market research you might still implement. Asking your customers what they like and dislike is the first step.

3. Don't panic

 Businesses go up and down, like an ocean wave. Losing some customers is natural, and could be a positive thing. You might be losing the deadweight customers that rarely buy, and complain often, or you might be focusing into a niche market with ultimately more potential. Whatever is going on, you are going to figure it out. Have confidence that your business is going to adjust and come out of this down period with blazing colors.

4. Look at the competition

 This could have everything or nothing to do with your problem. You probably know if a customer is grabbing up your customers in an obvious fashion. But subtle changeovers are harder to detect. Where are your customers going? Are they taking their business somewhere else, or is the very need you supply drying up? Is there a way you can ask them, through market testing? What is the competition offering that you cannot or have not?

5. Bite the bullet  

--And change. Changing can be one of the hardest things for a company. Even if you know that you've got to make changes happen, you may feel an internal resistance that seems impossible to overcome. But consider the old adage that your circumstances will not change until you do. The real question is-- what change is necessary?

6. Look at marketing

Most companies undervalue what marketing can do. With many technological advances, outdated marketing is a common problem. What is your marketing manager doing to keep current? Is she integrating the latest technology, including blogs, sms, search engine optimization and more? Or is she stuck in print advertising, a largely outdated form of communication. What is she doing to stay current with marketing? Is she attending trade shows and reading trade journals and websites? Too many business owners assume that marketing is some complicated skill, and hesitate to question their marketing department.

7. Stay consistent

Whatever new methods you try for improving customer acquisition, stay consistent. You will confuse customers if you market inconsistently. If you are a ritzy hotel, be a ritzy hotel. If you are giving your business an entire makeover, do it all around, in every department, in every communication. You want the message to be consistent because that communicates strength and professionalism. Customers are more likely to trust a company that gives a consistent message.