 Today I would like to issue a challenge.
I would like you to enter your place of business in the same manner a customer would. I would like you to do this once a month! When we arrive at our shop, office, warehouse or where ever it is that our business is located, we often park in the same carpark, arrive via the same roads and enter through the back door. Our experience is often nothing like our customer's experience. Which can be dangerous, it can mean no-one is taking responsibility for ensuring our customer journey is a positive one.  Most business owners I speak with all mention that word of mouth is one of their most impressive sources of business however, most don’t resource customers with anything to make their job easier.
When happy customers want to tell their family, friends and colleagues about you and your business, giving them a helping hand can increase the effectiveness of the recommendation.  In today’s highly competitive world a customer can find anything with just a few keystrokes and a click of a button. In business it only makes sense to make it EASY for your customers to do business with you.
Ask yourself these simple questions:
 If you can imagine each client relationship is like a bank account. The currency is love and the bank account balance will reflect the overall relationship health.
The transactions between you and your client will dictate your love account balance. For example, if you deliver on time, love goes in. This is a deposit, just like when you deposit some money at the real bank. If you deliver late, love goes out - just like an ATM withdrawal. If you give exceptional service, love goes in (another deposit). If you don't call a client back, love goes out (another withdrawal).  A while ago one of my favourite mentors, Andrew Griffiths said to me "Do small really well". At first I wondered if he was just being supportive of small business in general, or if he had a specific thing in mind when sharing this pearl of wisdom with me.
Either way, it has had me thinking about what this really means for me and what the key lessons are in this powerful little comment. After some thought and some real life application, here are my key take outs:  Why are you in business?
Why do you do what you do? What drives you? When I speak with business leaders I am often challenged to assist them grow revenue and profits. Which, in business of course should be a goal. But there are many ways to do this; many ways to set yourself apart from others. Sometimes there is a magic sales trick that can transform a business, but most often, it's actually an alignment of values that drives business success. And this is driven by your why.  Thank you, danke, gracias - however you say it, say it often.
As a marketer I am often asked to assist clients find new customers. Which of course, I just love, but sometimes a client doesn't need any new customers,  I believe there are 3 very important lines in business:
Great marketing will include activity to assist you grow your revenue (your top line), grow your net profit (your bottom line) and your front line. Customer experience is everything and we can easily improve this by investing in frontline staff and activity. Best of luck and happy new financial year!  My 6 yr old daughter has left us all a wonderful message!
I have a roll of paper on the wall in my office that I use quite often for planning, big ideas and inspirational quotes. Charley has decided that she would add something for us today. Although she intends for this to be a message to all the kids in our house during school holidays, it has reminded me of a similar and meaningful message.  We can learn a lot from hairdressers, and I don't just mean how to achieve a great blow dry! Traditionally hairdressers have nailed the concepts of maximising frequency and spend from their clients. By having a look at the processes within a typical hairdressing salon, we can learn a lot.
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AuthorRoxanne Grey 
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