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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Managing Change and Measuring Value

In the spirit of seeing yourself as your own franchise, as the owner of your own business, or perhaps you do own your own business, here are a few thoughts on managing change.

A brief read of the business headlines can leave you feeling overwhelmed with the challenges of managing an organization, team, or running a business. It can seem that sometimes all there is to be found is a bleak and dire view. Take the personal challenge to look at the things that you can control, and one by one, make those changes.

For example, a big “item of control” is Customer Service whether it is your customer service or the customer service of your employees. Challenge yourself to take great customer service to heart, lead by example, and coach those around you to raise their level of expectation of what great customer service should look like.

But do you know what great customer service looks like? Here are a few steps to ponder to get you on your way.

Step One is to develop what you define as great customer service. Develop your own specific vision of what great looks like working with the customer’s perspective in mind. Creating a vision of customer service taps into your heart and spirit of excellence, and will allow you to uncover embedded concerns and needs that you may have overlooked. For example, what would happen if you really take the time to make your customer feel like he or she is your most important priority of the day?

Step Two is to appreciate the difference between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Satisfied customers are not necessarily loyal customers. According to a Gallup Survey (2002) of 36 companies in 21 industries, the difference between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty lies in creating an emotional bond with your customer. How do you do this? Pay attention to your customer contact people. Train them as to how you want them to interact with your customers. According to this same Gallup Survey, customer contact people are 4 times more important in generating customer loyalty than the product or service itself.

How do you measure customer loyalty? Ask your customers. Were you satisfied? Will you come again? Will you RECOMMEND me to someone else? Simple, direct questions will reveal much about how you conduct your business. Which leads us to Step Three, be prepared to Change how you connect with your customers. Learn what your customers want, and don’t expect that what you did last year will still hold up. Develop a deep understanding of the customer’s needs and expectations. This close connection with your customers will foster an environment where your customer will come to depend on you. And for goodness sake, learn what your competition is offering!

Lastly is Step Four: Be thoughtful and systematic about any change the you create. Decide if your change will hold up to your Vision, your environment, and your strategy.

In today’s competitive environment, you often don’t get a second chance. Make the first one count, and give it your best customer service first.

Remember, take care of your customers or someone else will.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Business AdVISE December 2009

Dear Small Business Owner:

Whether you work for yourself or someone else, you indeed are a small business owner. I believe that your success will see a win or a failure based on the degree to which your see your self as your own "employer" or the owner of your own personal franchise. We live in truly transformative times, where not only the strong, but the CREATIVE will survive. The ability to take a skill set and continually create and re-create value is more important than ever.

I want to welcome you to consider some of my own thoughts and insights with regard to small business management. While, I work for a company, I also engage myself with creative writing, and volunteer endeavors. Mine is truly the "blended life" when it comes to work and family, and I believe that both are stronger for the shared efforts.

Take some time this week to check back for some Business AdVISE. And remember, take care of your customers or someone else will.