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WHO ARE YOU IN MAZE PART 2

Guest post by: Steven Raelly

Article Overview: KEYS TO BUSINESS SUCCESS

WHO ARE YOU IN MAZE PART 2

in the previous article we looked at reasons as to why the cheese moved:

1. The Maze got bigger- more competitors in the market place

2. The cheese did not feel appreciated

3. You did not listen to what the cheese needed

4. You forgot that you are ALIVE because of the cheese.

Let's take a closer look at why the cheese left.

The other day I walked into a fairly new bank, where I had opened a transaction account about four(4) months earlier to withdraw some cash for some bills I had to pay. As you may know, businesses tend to promise heaven on earth when they are attempting to get your business no matter the size. So as fate has it I was promised heaven on earth i.e. efficiency, timely reporting, no long queues but most excitingly a debit card in not more than 2 weeks from account opening. But here I was in the bank four months later in a queue trying to cash a cheque. I enquired on several occasions about my debit card and on one occasion I got the shock of my life with the response from a supposedly qualified customer service representative, "sir, you cannot move your account, we promise to deliver on your card and we will call you before the day ends." As my luck had it, two days passed. To cut the long story short, I did finally get my debit card, but you get my point.

How often as a customer have you been promised heaven on earth, but in actual fact you have received the closest thing to hell you can think of. How often as a customer have you placed your confidence and trust in an organization's capabilities and they have turned round and disappointed. There is a principle that governs life that states that "do unto others as you will have them do unto you." Let me now appeal to your conscience, how many times have you in your business failed to meet "your cheese" at its point of need.

The other day at the office I heard a customer complain "you think you are too big for my small business" and it got me thinking that the Paradox of living is so true, it's a rough world out there. Business is not easy and from whose eyes do we judge the size of the customer potential. It is said every customer counts and that every customer knows at least 5 potential customers. If this theory is held true simple math tells us that for every satisfied customer we gain at least 5 new customers, in the case of a dissatisfied customer the reverse is true. I pause for a moment and ask you this question, how many customers have you lost, because you for some reason forgot they were the reason you existed in the first place?.... The greatest marketing tool in the world is "word of mouth", ask yourself what is being said about your business today and the level of your service. Have you noticed a decline in business? Chances are very high it is because you have lost focus on the real reason you exist, the customer. STOP asking WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? and strategize on how to keep your cheese and grow your cheese. Strategies for keeping your cheese:

1. Regular and consistent customer visits/meetings.

2. Regular customer satisfaction surveys- this helps you know areas you need to improve on from your customers perspective

3. Customer appreciation promotions- freebies, discounts, special rates, etc

4. Regular market surveys- continuously seek to improve in context of the market, gauge your current market share against competitors and forecast your potential market share using business growth strategies.

5. Adapt to changing market demands

6. Listen to what your customers need- offer needs based services.

7. Be honest with the customer- customers hate being lied to.

8. Remember at all times that you are ALIVE because of the cheese.

It's about time as managers and entrepreneurs we took the initiative and stopped asking WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? and worked on keeping and growing our cheese.

In the next article we will look at the effects of the small people (hesitant changers) mentality on business performance.

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Article Tags: keys to business success



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