|
|
Your business has to grow all the time. I'm not talking size. I'm talking capability. Unless your business continually improves its service offering and quality of service all the time, you're going backwards.
Don't count on your customers to stay loyal
The only reason that your customers stay with you is that they perceive that your business offers them the best product or service for what they're looking for. Sure, they might stay with you if you develop a close bond with thembut the chances are that you'll lose them forever if you continually offer second best in your marketplace.
Keep an eye on the competition
If you don't know what your competition are doing then you're running the risk of losing customers, and not even knowing why you're losing them. It's a good idea to 'benchmark' three key local and three key national competitors. Benchmarking simply means measuring yourself against someone else. By benchmarking your business against another business you put into place a formal process that ensures the continual comparison over time.
A benefit of benchmarking includes improving your existing internal processes. By analysing your competition over time you can begin to piece together how they operate their total product or service fulfilment from order to contract completion. This information gathered is invaluable when it comes to improving your own existing processes.
An additional benefit of the benchmarking process includes the direct comparison between your products or services and the products and services of your customers. When you conduct a thorough overview of you competitor's offering, only then can you confidently explain to your own sales prospects why you are better.
Continually seek CANI ideas from your customers
By continually seeking Constant And Never-ending Improvement ideas from your customers, you are again putting into place a process that will radically reduce the amount of customers leaving you without a known or given reason. Once you start communicating effectively with your customers about what you could do better, and then recording the data in a systemised manner, you are putting CANI into action.
Effective CANI for your customers can be as simple as asking them for their feedback on the sales process after they choose to purchase your product or service. Then conducting analysis on whether or not it would be worthwhile implementing those suggestions into your current procedures.
Focus on these three different areas to continually grow your business
By focusing on improving internal processes, improving your product or service offering and improving your customer service operations, you radically grow and improve the quality of your business without investing more money or increasing your costs. You can then ensure that your business will keep growing all the time. By focusing on growing internally rather than explicitly externally, this ensures that growth is carried out for sound business reasons rather than vanity. |
| Author: David Bain |
| |
Author Bio:
David Bain is a consultant to www.UteachRecruitment.com - a specialist teacher jobs recruitment agency. U Teach Recruitment is based in Coatbridge, Scotland and brings schools and teachers together from all over the UK. Teaching opportunities include English teaching jobs. Visit www.UteachRecruitment.com to search for teacher jobs today. |
|
 |
|
| |
Related Articles |
| |
Are You The Complete Sales Package
|
| |
The Truth About Public Relations
|
| |
A Message to Garcia
|
| |
The Internet Made Easy
|
| |
Listening - the Powerhouse Management Tool
|
| |
20 Ways to Blow a Sale
|
| |
The Internet and Legitimate Work-From-Home Business
|
| |
Bumper Sticker Printing
|
| |
Grow Your Business Like a Garden
|
| |
Mortgage Sales: Overcoming Objections
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
You've just sold that old bike on Ebay, or perhaps you're gearing up for a big move. Either way, you ... - Shirlasia Patterson |
| |
|
If you're not exactly sure what event marketing is, think of Earth Day, the Renaissance Faire, Woods ... - Dina M. Giolitto |
| |
|
Maintaining a steady cash flow is the primary challenge faced by most small business. The article pr ... - Ray Smith |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Although it seems less common these days, there are still a fair number of us public relations pract ... - Paul Furiga |
| |
|
For someone who manages people, being very aware is a vital component in your toolbox. And heightene ... - Martin Haworth |
| |
|
Many parents express concern when choosing a child care business environment to leave their children ... - K. Perry |
| |
|
Business Intelligence consist of different methods and techniques that help a company to collect, ev ... - Sumit Sehghal |
| |
|
One of the most valuable fields of experience and one that creativity and innovation leaders should ... - Kal Bishop |
| |
|
| |
|
|
