A question was posed to David Croslin, a market trends consultant, about the ability of a small business to make heads turn in their industry. His answer can be found in the December 2011 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, entitled “Going Forward”.
Croslin gives a big yes to that question. His method is for the small business owner to question themselves first with, “What are the pain points in my life, and what can I fix in my customers’ lives?” In other words, know what you need but get to work on what your customer needs.
Citing examples of companies that spend too much energy on their own image, or in constantly trying to beat the competition, he makes his point. Look up the article; it will be well worth your while.
Business is always about serving customers. If we are in the right business for the times, we will make money by keeping their needs met.
I have owned and operated small businesses and worked in retail over the years. Only one of my businesses is retail-based. It’s a coffee/sandwich shop I own with one of my daughters. We did a few things correctly from the beginning, sometimes by default. For instance, we didn’t hire employees we didn’t need until we had a solid customer base because we just did not have the operating capital to do so.
It breaks my heart to see how many start-ups, especially in the food and/or coffee industry, fail in a short time. There are many reasons for this of course: location, timing, insufficient start-up capital. As one looking in, I notice that many hire an entire crew right off the bat because they were so sure they had what everyone wanted and they didn’t want to get overwhelmed with the volume. They thought they were being prepared; the reality is they were focusing on their needs to make their (potential) load easier rather than on what the new customers wanted and needed to become loyal patrons. Another reason that plays a part in the demise of a young business is lack of budgeted advertising and marketing funds. We must look at marketing as a major part of the business investment. We can’t think first of our own budget and look at advertising as extra expense. We must consider what potential customers need to know to decide to patronize our establishment in the first place.
Once a start up is building a good customer base, how do they keep their business in the upper ranks of success? They upset the apple cart by constantly re-discovering what customers need and want. One way is by asking them to take customer appreciation surveys. Give them a gift in kind for their time to answer a few targeted questions. And, by all means, follow through with the ideas and suggestions from the majority. Their answers are our secret weapons, if we use them.
“Going back to the basics can fix a lot of things,” says Croslin. It’s true. Business has always been about service. Apply this simple rule and watch the heads turn when your business stands out in the crowd.
submitted by Cheryl Ann Wills, Co-Owner The Hard Bean Cafe in Grandview, MO
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