Your Business Through Your Customer's Eyes

It's a funny thing, that in so much discussion that goes on in businesses, how much of it is focused from the business point-of-view -- and how little attention is given to "what it looks like to a customer". As though that is of no consequence to a business!

We can market and develop our business just as we see fit. But if it doesn't resonate with our customers, and connect with those we would like to bring in to our business, in a way that satisfies what *they* want... then we are missing the point - and the opportunity.

I've seen accountants and life insurance agents and mortgage brokers and lawyers and real estate agents and more...all discussing "my client" as though they understood them - when they have no clue. That these different business people are all referring to the *same person* in identifying "their client" - and potentially NOT ONE of them has a clue as to what the customer really needs overall and in a complete context, is a sad state of affairs. When the customer relies on their advisors in the decisions they make to purchase whatever it is they need, then we let them down by not providing the understanding of the role that we could (opportunity to us) and probably should (responsibility to them and to our larger business interest) be playing.

Here's a link to a great blog The Social Customer Manifesto

Who Does What. Roles In Your Business

Many small businesses start with the owner doing all the tasks that need to be undertaken to get the business growing. Having a plan to develop the business can start with a map of what the current territory looks like, and that can be as simple as commencing with good descriptions of each position that is important within the business – even when every position is currently filled by you!

Whether you look in the future to add employees or outsource parts of the operations to an outside service provider, it is helpful to have a good description of the position, both for the execution of the role in the best possible way, but when well crafted, can form the basis of your recruiting criteria for the position, as well as the baseline for assessing performance during future reviews.

Michael Gerber famously described the difference between “working in your business” from “working on your business.” With a good outline for all those positions within your business – both currently being undertaken, but also those duties that *should* be happening – even if they are not yet – then you have a great starting point to grow a healthy business.

Armed with comprehensive position descriptions, some well written procedures for each task and a visual organization chart, you are well on your way to developing your own ‘franchise prototype’. That’s smart. Smart for your business, and smart for your sanity as a business owner. And of course, all that smart translates as profitability. A well-run business will earn you more money, save you unnecessary stress and be worth more to a prospective buyer. You’d prefer that, right?

Focus On Great Presentations

Here's a great site if you're interested in finding out what to do to make your presentations POP! - And what NOT to do!

Squidoo is Seth Godin's brainchild on focusing a topic on the internet, and this Lens shows all the information you might find useful in preparing a great presentation, and some historical presentations that have been successful.

Check it out and bookmark the sites you like, or just bookmark the whole lens.

Are They Talking English?

Loved the recent news item on the lack of understanding of internet jargon with the people who actually are using the internet. Geeks aside, who is this meant for? Phishing, RSS, and on and on it goes. And don't think the Management Geeks are out of the clear either. ERP, SAP, CRM what is it with the letters? Or is that it? If you need to ask, you don't get to use the thing that the letters stand for...even if your business does depend on it to run as effectively as possible. Daft.
See link above for article

Blogging? Then Get To Technorati

Want to know who is posting what that you want to know about? Technorati is the place to find out what is happening in real time all the time. Check it out.




Technorati Profile

My Story - How I Found My Passion

REWIND: This is one of my first blog posts. Thought I'd share it here again. Speaks pretty much to everything that motivates me to work with business owners.

I guess my story started quite a few years ago when I was working in marketing for the life insurance and disability market. We marketed only to business owners and professionals, a special product range developed for the different professional Associations. Naturally, in the process I got to hear the stories of many of our clients, and it always seemed odd to me that nobody else seemed to be at all interested in their business challenges. Certainly not the advisors they were paying for help in different areas!

This puzzled me a bit, even though I really did understand that Nobody cares about our business!

When I asked these owners if they got help with their business planning and managing and growing and developing their business, the answer was invariably, No.

So I thought then I'd start asking accountants whether they were actually helping their business clients with these things. Then the answer came back time and time again

"Oh yes, we can do that."

But do they actually do it?

"Er... No."

Why not? I asked

"...You know "(look of incredulity on their face) "Nobody has ever asked me!"

Well I dont know how someone is going to ask for something they dont know they dont know... or quite reasonably expect their accountant would tell them about if they didn't know something they needed to know.

So began my interest in finding accountants and other advisors to business who actually wanted to help their clients grow their business (which of course, can only grow the business of the advisor too!). That's about my story in the nutshell.

What did I discover then? I guess you can imagine that the accountants by and large aren't doing much of it because;

1) they dont really know how and

2) they dont know how to get paid for it. Add to that

3) they are not working on their business either.

That is pretty much where I am at. You could say this became my Mission in some ways. Smarter thinking for business. Something you can't do that you want to? Okay, I can help.

I think of every business owner who has put so much on the line to start their business (including accountants!) and the statistics on how many fail, and many of them fail only for the sake of-imagine it- one inch difference in strategy. It's miniscule! All it takes.

Of course I hold the belief very closely to me, that the time and the way we spend that time in our life, is our life, and so it is far too precious to fail for want of that extra inch of difference.

Hope that makes sense.

Lindy

www.designbusinessengineering.com

New Thinking - X10 - Ten Times (More)

Great video of Michael Hewitt-Gleeson, former student of Edward DeBono and fascinating guy speaks at a seminar. Check out what he has to say about selling and new ways of thinking of the sales process.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1914750376913106627