Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header
Share for a Cause









Why Are You In Business

Written by: Rodger Blaker

Article Overview: Think about serving satisfied customers. If you do, innovation, production costs, marketing costs, and profits, will tend to take care of themselves in a very satisfying way.

Free Download - Let Your Light Shine By Rodger Blaker
Name: Email:

Why Are You In Business

Over the past five years I've worked with dozens of small and mid-size businesses, and have talked with the owners of most of them. I've noticed that while every situation is different, there seem to be two basic reasons why these people are in business.

By far the most common - and unfortunately, the less successful - reason is to make a profit. Sure, there are many ways to phrase or look at it, but the majority of these owners have told me they are in business to make money. They market a product or service in the hopes of beating the competition, attracting customers, making sales and creating a profit.

In the process, they create jobs, expand the national economy and achieve a level of satisfaction, personal reward and profits.

There is nothing wrong with that! That is the essence of capitalism and our free-market system!

What I notice, however, is that the focus on profits often leads to a kind of myopia, or short-sightedness. They make sales, but not repeat sales. Their costs of advertising, marketing, and customer-creation are extremely high.

The second reason is fundamentally different and leads to different results.

These people tell me they are in business to SERVE A SATISFIED CUSTOMER and that is a HUGE distinction!

A well-managed business that is focused on serving a satisfied customer generates profits, but they also have the benefit of repeat business and LOYAL customers. They have the advantage of customers who become their (volunteer) R&D team. They have the advantage of lower marketing and sales costs and that advantage typically falls straight to the bottom line and into the owner's pocket.

So, why are you in business? What's the "real" reason? What do you think about first, last and all day long?

My advice: Think about serving satisfied customers. If you do, innovation, production costs, marketing costs, and profits, will tend to take care of themselves in a very satisfying way.

Related Articles

Home > Business-Coach > Rodger Blaker > Why Are You In Business
Article Tags: advertising marketing, bottom line, capitalism, customer creation, d team, distinction, dozens, innovation, loyal customers, mid size businesses, myopia, national economy, personal reward, phrase, profits, real reason, repeat business, satisfaction, short sightedness, volunteer

About the Author: Rodger Blaker
RSS for Rodger's articles - Visit Rodger's website

Rodger Blaker Coaching LLC Phone: 214-485-2238 www.rodgerblaker.com Rodger@rodgerblaker.com Rodger is a Professional Certified Coach who is an expert at creating positive change in business behavior, working with solopreneurs and small business owners. Through a proven coaching process, Rodger helps very busy, successful leaders to slow down, reflect, and map out critical changes they need to make to significantly grow their business and improve personally. Before opening his coaching business, Rodger spent 25 years working for fortune 500 companies where he gained valuable leadership experience by working with senior and executive management as a senior project manager. Rodger is a graduate of the CoachU Certified Graduate Coaching Program and he is a member of the International Coaching Federation where he earned his certificate as a Professional Certified Coach. He is a member of the ICF North Texas chapter where he holds the position of Treasurer. Rodger also holds a certification as a Project Management Professional or PMP.

Click here to visit Rodger's website
Dashed Line

More from Rodger Blaker
Ya Gotta Have a Plan
Excellence vs Perfection
Your Questions Determine Your Success
Where Exactly Are You Going
Knowing When to Say Next


Related Forum Posts
My entry My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Exclusive: Interview with Results Exclusive: Interview with Results - Hi Forum Members, I'm helping start up a Business Coaching and Consulting company here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (a Subsidiary of RSC Business in Los Angeles). As a Research and Development Intern I am required to practice my listening and interview skills by surveying Small and Medium Businesses on thier Business. This Survey is designed by RSC Business to also assist the Business being interviewed more insight into their own business. I am looking to interview about 30 businesses across North America over the span of 3 months. At the end of these interviews I will be publishing a report of the results and they will be made available for free to the Interviewees. The Report data will include responses from a minimum of 100 interviews. I would like to extend this opportunity to members of the Forum. If you would like to have this short 20-30 minute interview conducted on your Business and you reside in North America please send me an email or PM. Please contact me at andy[at]jvprosperity[dot]com to arrange our interview and to get free access to the results when they are published.
Re: HOw to market a B2B consulting company Re: HOw to market a B2B consulting company - [quote="zohahunt77":428owzbi]Hi, I was wondering if anyone can tell me the difference between B2B and B2C. I don’t know about b2b marketing but I have done marketing so know things about it. I will suggest you to take online services which will spread your business all over web network. Online marketing is the best way to market any business.[/quote:428owzbi] B2B = Business to Business - You are marketing to other businesses. B2C = Business to Consumer - You are marketing to consumers.
English teachers learn Japanese as Interns English teachers learn Japanese as Interns - Yasunori, what about the many students that leave N. America to teach English in Japan. They may want to learn Japanese (maybe Business Japanese is a bit different) and the Japanese Business Culture.
New Study - Women prepare better business plans New Study - Women prepare better business plans - I found an article in Business Week and I found this quite interesting. [quote:ka7lg35i]Who Prepares Better Business Plans, Men or Women? A new study based on four years of data from men and women in a training program for microenterprises finds that they come out the same in quality scores. "However, women scored significantly better on the presentation of their plan to judges," conclude the study's authors, Ronald G. Cook, Paul Belliveau, and Christine Lentz of Rider University, in a paper presented at a recent meeting of the Small Business Institute. [/quote:ka7lg35i] What do you guys think?


Recommended Article for You close

Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.



Featured Article


Bottom Footer
Share for a Cause












Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

Work Life Balance: Adding White Space

How To Brand Your Home Business Online

Are You Too Good for Your Job?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.