You don’t add value to a customer if you’re offering them something that’s inflexible, you don’t add value to a customer by not being in touch with them and you can’t add value if you don’t know what’s happening to them! If you are providing a service to a client that ‘locks’ them into you for a sustained period, you have to work harder at keeping them. You have to be more innovative and deliberate in delivering your service.

If customers are paying you on a regular basis ie: every month for a maintenance contract, you need to be supporting them on a regular basis. You are committing a basic customer experience crime if you let the standing order come into your account and then REACT when they need you.

No regular contact will result in customers feeling under valued, taken advantage of and in worst case scenarios…abused! Work harder during the contract phase and you won’t have to work so hard at the end to keep them!

Saying as little as possible often has the greatest impact:

http://bonafidemarketinggenius.com/2008/12/15/how-to-ruin-a-great-concept-in-3-easy-steps/

I don’t normally talk numbers, I find them a little boring if not intimidating (flashback to my school days I’m sure.) I talk a lot about marketing, leadership, strategy, small business, team building and customers. All exciting, challenging and interesting but worth not one jot on their own. On their own, they can lead right down a blind alley with nowhere to go!

There are certain things you need to know about your business, because if you don’t measure it, how the on earth do you know whether any ideas or improvements you implemented are working? Chance is a precarious position to be in and small business owners can be fairly reluctant to measure what really matters. Ask any small business owner how many sales opportunities they had last week, few would be able to give any specific answer. It’s strange, because by asking that precise question and understanding how to channel those opportunities might well increase sales. How would you like to grow sales by 10% next month?

Whilst it’s a little more work, the investment in time is worth the result! And the outcomes can be staggering. Start with something easy such as existing customers…well you know the most about them don’t you? Brainstorm what questions you need to ask, but start with these four:

1. How many existing customers repeat purchase?

2. How many existing customers asked for quotes and how may sales were made from that?

3. How many existing customers did you speak to yesterday/last week/last month/last year?

4. How many existing customers are referring other customers to you on a regular basis?

I’ve just pulled these ‘out of the hat’ but there will be some more fundamental ones. Seek the answers to the questions and then set targets for improvement. Do it right across the business, with your marketing, your people, your customer aquisition strategy, your ideas generation and anything else you feel would benefit.

It’s simple, without numbers your don’t know where you are, never mind where the hell you are going!

Here’s a little bit of ingenious, clever fun (with a serious aspect) regarding brands. Click on the URL below:

http://www.brandtags.net/

Well actually, perhaps its an interesting way of looking at your own brand identity and seeing what word/phrase comes to mind! Even better, try it on your customers and people. Bet you get some interesting thoughts……

…with a bit of true grit and determination. Great video. If you haven’t bought his new book, “Tribes” and you are into developing your leadership skills look no further!!!

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/12/the-seed-the-pi.html

The market place out there has raised it’s voice, there are more people talking to you, providing feedback, on social networks and on forums as well as SEO, PPC and the more traditional marketing stuff. But, instead of listening, we more often than not start shouting as loud as we can to be heard above the ‘noise.’ And, it doesn’t seem to matter what market you are in, we are all up to it!

Consequently, the customer/prospect/client can’t hear us. They find it difficult to distinguish us from anyone else, we are just part of that ‘noise.’ It turns people off, they start to ignore us and even worse they become indifferent! They become bombarded with information and as a result close their eyes and cover their ears.

Now is a good time to STOP. A significant dose of looking is required. Look at what you are doing. Look at what the competition is doing. Look at what other businesses are doing in other sectors. Look at where the return on investment in marketing is working or where it isn’t. Then, I bet a good deal of change is required.

If you are not different then you need to be cheaper. The change must be around how you are different, measurable, demonstrable and tangible difference. It may not be your product but it may be your customer experience. It may not be delivery times but it may be that you have the most talented people in the business. It may not be location but it may be that your marketing message is so compelling that people buy into it.

Ultimately, the question and answer is not so much about how your product stands out from the crowd nowadays but how you stand out from the ‘noise.’

Or is it opportunity? No matter. The challenge is to rise above the crisis most of your competitors are talking themselves into, to take advantage of the chaos that is ensuing and be better and greater than your competition, which, lets be frank, is a lot easier nowadays. The challenge is not to be comfortable, not to stand ‘gassing’ in the corridors about the doom and gloom, not to reinforce the misery that many would believe will happen in the New Year but to stand up and be counted. 

Today is about responding not reacting to the problems. Having the courage to look at your business hard, identify where you have been going wrong. Where you haven’t been as effective as you should have been. Not being comfortable with what you’ve got. Rationalise it a little if you have to. Then looking at better ways forward. Has anybody ever got into trouble for embracing the status quo?

Economic crisis makes it difficult for people to hide. If your competitors are even as good as you, at some point they will squash your grapes so to speak! Being good enough ain’t good enough anymore.

The safer your plans for the future, the risker your business strategy is.

Simple, consolidate first then expand. That way you don’t take any excess weight with you as you grow again. But don’t cut the wrong costs. There’s nothing wrong with being more efficient but make sure you don’t suck the life out of your business either.

As you expand put relationships ahead of profits, make it trustworthy so anxiety and doubt are removed from the buying process. Your challenge is to get your business products/services/ideas to spread. That way you create a more sustainable business and eventually a more profitable one too. 

Make hay whilst the sun shines. When the sun is shining brighter or for longer periods at a time, then pick and choose your customers more carefully!

It’s interesting to see how various small businesses are marketing at the moment. I have a long standing client who’s work has just about dried up (luckily he has some other irons in his fire.) He has decided to stop marketing as his clients and prospects are just not interested in commissioning work at the moment He has a point. Others are finding that their business is still growing and will do for the next year. Marketing spend has, in fact, increased.

But what do you do if you’re clients are just not in the mood to spend money with you? Do you keep marketing or save some money whilst you can? Depends, but I guess you can potentially do more harm to your brand profile if you stop than if you continue!!! Oh and someone else might be creeping in the back door whilst you’re not looking……!!