I am sitting here this crisp, cool, Fall Friday and reviewing a few of the discussions that took place with clients this week. The following roughed out notes are thoughts and musings centering on concerns and issues heard and answered. They are condensed for obvious reasons, and are in note form in no particular order.
The Term "Low Hanging Fruit" is Perception - Learn to Climb High, Fast !
Many times In a small business, you need to climb high to capture what APPEARS as low hanging fruit - You MUST be willing and able to climb the tree - otherwise your search will continue and in turn, cost you a good deal of time and money - and if low hanging food is not found, you may run out of BOTH, and in turn starve!
Being on the Carousel Too Long Will Get You Dizzy!
If you cannot act FAST with a sound tactical approach being on the business carousel and trying to grab the brass ring will get you dizzy Going round and round gets you dizzy and the dizzier you become your grab becomes harder!
Learn To Throw Things Away and Retool.
Be able and willing to strongly question your theories / beliefs. Next, learn to understand, why / when / how to throw your bad ideas away. If you realize that your customers want something other than what you are offering, you must consider a retool. If you start going down one path you must be able to pivot and pivot fast - the concept of turning on a dime is essential for a small business- unlike large organizations who discover how difficult it is to train an elephant to dance!
You must; "be willing to let go", "be willing to stray from your planned straight lines"- know when to move on to a different path. Your new path will be much more of a squiggly line than a straight one, seeking to avoid obstacle but get to your delivery point." "Tune your product or approach on the fly, with real world feedback." Pilot your product with real customers allowing you to find value points and a solution based approach to your prospective customers.
What is Your Motivation?
Sleeping in class was fun, but sleeping in your business is not! Motivation will that drive you to work really, really hard. Do you care deeply about this idea and this potential business? "The combination of caring deeply about your ideas and business and loving the day to day of it will help you succeed."
Do You?
Do you want to have the BEST- price, BEST- product or BEST- overall solution. Focus on one of these three and then focus, next focus what comes underneath that. But always, always, always focus on the customer and what he needs, not want you want to sell! Make certain it improves his way of life, his way of business, and solves a problem. You want the "where has this been or why didn't I think of this" coming from your customers and peers.
There is Nothing Wrong with Failing!
Consider all the successful people who have failed many times over before they found success. It was not that they failed, it was that they did not stop believing in themselves, their ideas and their goal. One last point if you fail, fail cheaply for fast recovery.
How many of your customers will recommend your product to their network?
People talking to other people about their experience with your product will help your business to grow in a short amount of time. In todays market it is about the "Buzz", the "WOM" and the "WOW" ! You must attract the network using all possible marketing channels.
You MUST Provide GREAT Customer Support Consider:
Make everyone in the company responsible and accountable. Make everyone say thank you. Saying thankful to your customers and users goes a long way of staying engaged and involved in the market. EVERYONE love the words "thank you"! It should even be used when customers find a problem with your company, make certain everyone says "thank you for pointing that out to us,it is much appreciated"
When Things Do Go Wrong, and They Will - DIFFUSE IT ASAP. When something goes wrong, respond and provide GREAT service that will make up for your mistakes or problems. Make your customers think and say, "I like how you handled my problem" -Think the 3 R's when you are responsive, responsible and reliable, customer think of the problem as theirs' not yours'.
These are just a few of the ideas that were conveyed to clients this week...
Now I Must Ask YOU 3 Questions:
- What's Keeping You Up at Night
- Do You Need a Good Nights Sleep
- If Not Today, Then When
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