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...take a firm stance on customer credit from day 1. A customer who doesn't pay
is worse than no customer. And once you let him get away with late payment, he'll
always do it. |
...take advice. They use experts to help them find the best solution to a problem,
and to plan the best strategy to get to where they want to be. They don't believe
they have to do this themselves. |
...use their financial figures as an indicator of the business' health and progress,
and as an early warning system. Not just as an afterthought to sort out their
taxes. |
...don't make promises they can't keep. Better to promise delivery in 4 weeks,
and do it in 3, than trying to impress the customer by quoting 2 weeks, and then
letting them down. Follow the example of the airlines, who quote an ETA they expect
to beat. |
...know it's the little things that matter. And are obsessive about them. The
SAS Airlines chairman said "coffee stains on the flip trays tell our customers
we don't service our engines properly". |
...motivate their staff. They share their vision of the business' future. They
show appreciation for a job well done. A simple thank you. And they make the job
more fun to do. |
...empower their staff. Nothing impresses a customer like a problem solved quickly,
efficiently and politely. To achieve this, they give their staff the authority
to see to it themselves. And back them up on their decisions afterwards.
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...have a way of doing things that differentiates them from the others. Michael
Gerber's excellent book "The E-Myth Revisited" is the definitive work
on this. |
...delegate. First, they set out exactly how they want it to be done, and what
they have to achieve. Then they train them in how to do it. Finally, they pass
over the responsibility for it. And set reporting criteria. |
...don't abdicate the responsibility. Like most small business owners do. For
example, by taking on an experienced salesman, and just telling him to get on
with it in his own way. |
...structure the business properly, setting out who's responsible for what, and
who's answerable to whom. Even if there are only 2 people in the business so far.
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...question everything. They are constantly looking for a better way. Never automatically
doing things the way everyone else does them. |
...are prepared to take a new direction, when a new opportunity arises.
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...know the difference between working for their business, and making the business
work for them. They don't take people on to help them with their work. They take
people on so they can escape from doing the work. |
...aren't scared to let their staff deal with their customers. They train their
staff to do it superbly, and then stand back. If you insist on seeing every customer
yourself, you've got a job, not a business. |
...plan before they act. They don't get carried away on a wave of their on enthusiasm.
They make sure the sums make sense, too. |
...know that profit alone isn't enough. You can run out of money, and go bust,
even when you're trading at a good profit. They don't assume their bank will keep
on meeting an ever increasing cash gap. |
...never solves just the current problem. They also make sure it doesn't happen
again. Or they devise a system to handle it in the future, so they don't have
to. |
...think in terms of value, not just price. They don't use cheap equipment that
lets them down. No skimping on staff training. No home-made signs and stationery
that give the message "we're second-rate; we're amateurs". |
...believe in themselves. And are passionate about what they're doing. It rubs
off on everyone around them. Their colleagues, their staff, their suppliers, their
customers. |
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Other business tips.......
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