Been thinking over the weekend, aided by the bad weather and nothing else to do, what small businesses need to be concentrating on. It seems sensible to be throwing a lot of thought into the following:

1. In a crowded market place, build a sense of exclusivity or differentiation from the surrounding clutter.

2. Our prospects are tired, it’s a matter of turning their opinions and pre conceptions on their head. Period.

3. It strikes me that going against what your competition boasts is a good start.

4. Market your company’s characteristics, values and ideas rather than price.

5. Have conversations with your customers don’t just communicate.

6. Customers don’t compare products with products anymore, they compare the experience with the experience.

Just a couple of questions:

1. What two ideas have you created, developed, influenced, launched so far this year?

2. Are you making waves or simply bobbing along hoping for the best?

Answers on a postcard please…………………..!

In the New Scientist (19th April 2008) they mention in their Evolution feature on page 30 that “You Don’t have to be perfectly adapted to survive, you just have to be as well adapted as your competitors are.” Whilst this may be true in the animal kingdom, evolution over a relatively short time in the business world, has determined those days have long gone. Thank goodness!

Being good enough to be just as bad as your competitors sends an interesting and telling message to customers. Those companies that are doing well in crazy times are breaking the rules, generating creativity, standing out from the crowd and, perhaps in some instances, not giving a damn what their competition is doing.

Differentiating ourselves at every stage in the business process is mandatory. Knowing what makes us distinctive and then communicating that in a compelling message captures customers imaginations.

Sometimes it’s the right thing to do your own thing!

Learn a little more in the free e-book at www.clarityprojects.co.uk

I spent quite a bit of time in the car today which got me thinking (to pass the time.) What are some of the key questions we should be asking ourselves on a regular basis. You know the ones we avoid immediately as soon as they enter our head, or, the ones our staff possibly ask themselves each day. Anyway I came up with five:

1. How would your customers recognise you if you got rid of your company logo?

2. What if your best customer was about to go and do business elsewhere?

3. What if your exceptional reputation for customer service was based on just a couple members of your staff or team?

4. What else would you do at work if you had an extra hour a day?

5. Which customers should you be picking the phone up to tomorrow…. urgently?

I’m not saying what you come up with you might do, but hey it may get you thinking!!! What other questions should we be posing?

I recently had a holiday in the Canary Islands and very nice it was too! Everyday, well almost everyday, we caught the free shuttle bus from the hotel down to the beach and village (a short 1.5km) to do what your average holiday maker does on holiday. What was interesting was that the bus driver (on his own accord) gave out small boiled sweets to all the passengers both going out and coming back! Small gesture but huge feel good feel factor. He didn’t need to do. His motivation, to make people feel welcome to his island and so he could engage in conversation!

This just proves that great customer service can be so very, very simple or should I say we need to keep it simple. It’s those things that make a huge difference and engender loyalty to your product, service and brand.

Intrinsically motivating your customer – making them feel good about the purchase, gaining their trust and respect, understanding their values, over delivering, saying thanks and appealing to them is far more powerful than extrinsically motivating them - giving them materialistic rewards such as money off vouchers and buy one get one free. It’s essentially making your only differentiating factor price which, of course, is not sustainable.

Provide customers with great service, a few simple, low cost great surprises along the way (the sweets) and ensure any customer retention strategy has gaining customer trust and respect at it’s core. That’s what customer service should be about. Perhaps a little more creative thought required but isn’t that the point?