February 11, 2019
Often achieving better results is accomplished, not by relying new ideas, systems, customers or products, but getting rid of old ones. Here are a few ideas of thinks you might get rid of for better results in 2019.
1. Trying to be all things to all people
It is simply not possible or even smart business to attempt to be all things to all current or potential customers. Yes, the 1st temptation is to pursue any lead that comes along, but can you afford to do this? Are you set to serve all types of customers? If you serve residential customers as an HVAC contractor and can you handle a lead from a Ford factory? You will be wasting your time and theirs. Are you equipped to handle 90 day + payment terms and an endless chain or meetings and approvals?
A successful business only should work with the ideal customer profile – where your demonstrable skill set can match their needs. Walk away from leads that do not fit
This year focus on the customer who is not profitable to serve for a variety of reasons:
- Slow pay
- Constant complaints about service
- Frequent returns for credit
Remember before you do get rid of a customer – make certain the faults are not your poor services and do it with a gracious and polite manner
2. Copying your competitor
Often, I hear I want to look like so and so – his website is great! Remember, a vast majority of your competitors are struggling, and do you really want to copy them. And here is another problem with copying: all companies look and sound the same. All of them say the same things, they offer the same equipment and rave about their services. That makes it hard for the prospect to distinguish one company from another
So, why should they spend their hard-earned money with you instead of the other guy. Focus on this in your marketing to grow sales. Stop simply copying the competitor- It is time to lead – not follow.
3. Price discounting
Why would you set a price for your goods or services and then discount it? The only reason I can think of is that you do not have a steady supply of prospects will to pay for the true value of your work. Instead of discounting, you might ant to bundle the equipment with the service. Once the equipment is in place the customer will need to have it serviced- continual revenue stream. Bundling has been used ion the TV/Internet industry for years.
When you discount a price, it is gone forever. However, if your strategically give away the right thing, you help the customer and can earn more in the long term.
4. Meaningless calls to action
Watch what your call to action statements might be interpreted by a potential consumer. Is your message – Like us on Facebook, or Facebook Fans Only Specials. Are you easy to contact? When I call you 1-800 number, do I get a live person, or start the endless task of punch buttons. If I send you an e-mail, when might I get a reply (when you get time to respond) How about using a person name, even though it might be fictional. In this way, I am at least thinking I am dealing with a human and not a machine.
If you are a service company, how long does a customer have to wait for a response to a phone call. Are you someone who starts the conversation of with – “We are experiencing increased call volume”? Simply put in my mind is that your services sucks and you need to hire more people. Yes banks, telephone companies, Airline points groups, and the government can do this type of customer service – if you want to grow any business the customer has to be handled in a timely fashion
5. Distractions
We know from research that small and large business entities spend less than 10% of their time on marketing. If we all agree that marketing and sales are the lifeblood of our business, then why are we not spending more time. For 2109, quit confusing the urgent with vital. Quit confusing activity with results. Spend your marketing time and money to grow leads. Lots of schemes and software supposedly designed to accomplish this – be careful in what you select and attempt to use. The results may not be what you lead to believe. Life is a camera – focus on what is important and you’ll capture it perfectly.
6. Get out into the real world
When did you last have a face to face visit with a customer? Not just taking them to a dinner, a sporting event, but having an in-depth look at what was going on. As a leader, when did you last travel with a field salesperson for a couple of days? When did you last go to an event that was not part of your industry – talked to others who were outside the box – listened to their problems and issues?
2019 will be what you make it.
Call us direct 416 9109 1804 for assistance in achieving you dreams. We have helped many achieve them.
