For years I struggled to grow my business. Convincing myself that I didn’t have what it took, I hadn’t yet discovered some yet unknown business secrets, some unfound luck had not yet come my way.
After spending time watching other businesses rocket to success, talking with plenty of people smarter than me and reading the best business and marketing gurus out there I’ve come to some conclusions. Anyone can grow their business, even me. There are no business secrets the winners won’t share and it doesn’t take just luck.
There are four ingredients that are necessary for a business to grow in today’s crowded field: over-deliver on value, think out-of -the-box, maximize satisfaction and be uniquely different.
Don’t get hung up on thinking value only relates to price. The customer’s visit to your brick-and-motor operation or website has experiential value. The customer service voice on the other end of the phone has personal and relationship value. What happens after the sale has retention value. How the product or service has satisfaction value. Make sure “value” is added to every phase, every step, every touch point of the operation.
Many people believe they are not able to think out-of-the-box. It may be as easy as watching the competition and doing something they are not doing. Does the competition offer free shipping, are they open evenings and weekends, do they offer online chat, do they email their lunch menus to people’s workplaces to same time? Lowering the cost of things is not always what people are looking for when making a purchase. They may want the level of service Apple stores deliver. You can walk in the store, pick out your purchase, the fellow swipes your credit card, emails the receipt to your cell phone and you’re out the door in minutes.
When I think of maximizing satisfaction Zappos comes to mind. The company is fanatical about customer satisfaction. How they care for your product during shipping, how they answer your questions on the phone or handle your issues after the purchase arrives at your door, the company is with you all the way. They listen, empathize and bend over backwards to make sure your shopping experience was everything you hoped it would be and much, much more.
How you differentiate your business from the competition can be big or little, however, the differences must be obvious to the buyer. You can’t tell them your different and then act the same, treat them the same, and offer the same deals the same ways at the same times of the year. The differences need to be quantifiable, measurable. Perhaps you’ve decided your niche will be responsiveness, high quality, reliability, less problematic, promptness, or a deep understanding of customer’s needs. Whatever the differences are, trumpet them from the rooftops.
Hope these ideas help as you grow your business this year. If you’ve learned a growing method that you’ve learned over the years, why not share it?
