Archive for February, 2010

If you as a business owner worry that now isn’t the time to make changes in your business, think again.  Getting stuck in the ‘doing it the way we have always done it’ rut may feel safe but is safe going to grow your business?  Please don’t confuse getting out of your comfort zone with being reckless.  Getting out of your comfort zone might be putting a sales process in place for you or your sales people to follow so you can track real sales results.  Getting reckless is making calls to anyone just to  ‘make the numbers’.  See the difference?  The author of the following is unknown, but the words seem right on target. If you develop and nurture good habits, they in turn will make you. But like the weeds in a garden, habits that are not resourceful can take over your business. Make a decision today to pull those “weeds” and replace them with activity that supports you in your business:

I am your constant companion.

I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden.

I will push you up to success or down to disappointment.

I am at your command.

Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me,

For I can do them quickly, correctly, and profitably.

I am easily managed, just be firm with me.

Those who are great, I have made great.

Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a

machine and the intelligence of a person.

You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin.

Show me how you want it done. Educate me. Train me.

Lead me. Reward me.

And I will then…do it automatically.

I am your servant.

Who am I?

I am a habit.

I recently watched an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, a popular program on the Food Network where the show’s host travels across the US looking for ‘undiscovered’ eating treasures.  In all instances, the restaurant’s owner offers surprisingly delicious food in an environment that’s friendly, with attentive customer service the norm.  Their customers always rave about the food and the experience, describing it as amazing.

This made me think about how much a business could learn from these small, out of the way businesses.  Think about it — having customers rave about you and your product because you’re happy to do business with them!

Let’s look at what these small business owners offer their customers:  an unexpectedly great product (the meal), in an environment that’s friendly (the restaurant) with the owner and staff treating customers with warmth and appreciation (exceptional customer service).

Take a minute to rate your business in these three categories.  How did you do?

One thing is certain.  With the business changes we’ve seen over the last 18 months it‘s no longer business as usual.  Business as usual for most businesses has meant everything from elaborate marketing campaigns to ‘just doing it the way we’ve always done it.’  Somewhere along the line we lost focus on the basics of doing business in the first place — finding and focusing on our customer.   So is ‘back to basics’ the new ‘business as usual’?  I hope so.

Look at the products and services you sell.  Are they surprisingly great?  Are you delivering value?  Are you delivering what you say you will?  Do you ask your customers what you can do improve? And most importantly, do your customers feel valued and appreciated?

I recently read that one of the main reasons a customer stops buying from a business isn’t because they didn’t like the product or thought it was too expensive. They stopped buying because they felt no one cared about them.  That’s something you can change that costs nothing to fix, but costs plenty if you don’t.

Examine the buying process for your product or service from the customer’s perspective. Really focus on it.  Start with the first contact with you or an employee and walk it through to the point when the product is delivered.  Are you a customer-centered company?  If you are, your customers feel appreciated and cared for.  If you aren’t there yet, you still have work to do in your process.

How do you stay in touch with your clients after the sale?  When was the last time you conducted any kind of training on this topic for your employees? (You do train your employees don’t you?) If you are a solopreneur, are you following a system to keep customers happy and returning to buy your product? Are they continuing to work with you because of how well you treat them?

In the ‘back to basics’ mindset, customer service is exactly that – serving the customer.  It’s creating an experience for the customer, whether they’re buying online, in your building or over the phone.  Your customers today want what customers wanted 10, 20 or 50 years ago – to be valued.

I adopted Brian Tracy’s (sales training guru) philosophy of customer service years ago and it means more than ever today.  Think of delivering customer service in several levels:

• Meeting expectations – here’s the foundation.  Without this, you’re in trouble.
• Exceeding expectations – here’s where customers start to get excited. It’s the ‘oil change that includes a free car wash’ kind of experience.
• Delighting your customers – this is starting to separate you from your competition.  It’s a ‘sending your customers home with an umbrella when it’s raining’ experience.
• Amazing your customers – here’s the WOW factor – where customers wouldn’t dream of doing business with anyone else.  It’s ‘your favorite bottle of wine chilling and waiting for you when you arrive for your dinner reservation’ experience.  You’re in the midst of the world’s greatest when amazing your customers is part of your customer service plan.  You’re one of a kind in your customer’s mind.

Take the time to renew your commitment to your customers.  Find the WOW customer service opportunity in every contact with them.  It’ll be an amazing experience!

It’s that time of the year again for business owners.  We are in month 2 of your 2010 business plan and maybe working on this (you are working on it, right?) feels just a little less exciting than it did even only a couple of weeks ago.  I refer to this with my business coaching clients as the ‘excitement index dip’ and it happens to be best of us.

It doesn’t mean that you’re not able to stay on your path or that you can’t reach your business goals, it just means it requires recognizing what is happening and doing a little adjusting.  This is where you need to pay attention to the feedback you are getting and doing something about it.  Here are some ways to keep moving forward:

• The goal-setting honeymoon will come to end. Own it. It doesn’t mean that the plan isn’t going to work.  Be prepared to keep it moving ahead just like you’re willing to do with any meaningful commitment in your life. Decide now that it’s going to take a firm resolve to weather this Excitement Dip. And keep going.
• Keep your eye on the original inspiration. What made you want to work on these goals and objectives in the first place?  If the idea was right when you started out, if the vision was specific, exciting and motivating, then it’s still right today. Don’t lose sight of your vision and mission because part of the journey includes a few bumpy roads or that it isn’t as fun (or as easy?) as you thought it would be!
• Remember that every great accomplishment comes only after a real price is paid. You already know that, right?  Of course success can come quickly, but it’s not usually overnight. Surely you’ve heard of the ‘overnight success’ that took 10 years.  Along the way, come worries, challenges, unexpected results, and doubts.  You feel like you are being tested.  The Excitement Dip is one of those first tests.  Stay focused.
• Lean on the business experts.  We’ll confirm that this experience is normal, expected, and necessary.  We’ll help you to review your plan, make adjustments and make sure you get to where you want your business to go. This gives you a boost and the motivation you need to push through the “less fun” moments.  Stay accountable for your actions.

Accept that you’ll face the Excitement Dip.  Welcome it!  It means you are moving forward. It means you are paying attention.  Embrace it; keep your head up and in the game. Keep to your original vision, and find trusted business support…the end result is well worth it!