The single most annoying thing you can do
This is the same whether it is a business or on a personal level. The single most annoying thing that you can do is to say you will do something, then not do it. The worst part of all this is that to some degree we all do this with alarming frequency. We can all draw examples from our personal lives where we can see quite clearly the massive disappointment that results from being let down. It may be a small thing, which we deem unimportant, or it may be a massive thing. Either way the key is that we let someone down. One offs can destroy relationships, but it is quite likely you will survive a one off. The repeat offenders however stand little chance.
Looking at it from a business standpoint
Business is all about relationships. Two parties agree on specific terms of trade then the exchange of goods or services can happen. There is a relationship. As is often the case, where money is involved, the parties are more likely to be more uptight and less than impressed when they are let down. Their living and that of their family relies on the well being of their business.
An example could be between you and your Internet service provider. You agree to certain terms then they provide the service in exchange for your money. If they have a technical problem, and you are left without an Internet connection, then they will have let you down. As a once off, you will probably forgive, but not forget. If the problem occurs with any regularity, you will end the relationship. The more heavily you depend upon the service the less forgiving you will be.
No one is perfect
True. Very true. This is however not an excuse that will work out very well for you. Your customers will expect you to be a lot closer to perfect than you are. The problem in this case is that you have promised something that you maybe can not deliver. Have you ever noticed how hosting companies never promise 100% up time? Have you ever noticed disclaimers on products that tell you not to do things that it would appear the product has been designed to do. The best example I have of this occurs on extreme sports equipment. As a kiteboarder into the freestyle aspect of the sport I regularly use my kites to jump high into the air, as the riders in all the commercials for the kites do. On the kite itself however is a disclaimer saying not to use the kite for these purposes.
These examples of companies not promising a certain level of performance can be incredibly complicated as they enter into legal territory.
What can we do as entrepreneurs, small business owners and individuals?
This is simple really yet at the same time very hard. We need to think about this constantly. Your thinking “like I need something else to worry about” but unfortunately yes you do. If you try your up most to not let people down, chances are people will develop great relationships with you and trust will grow leading to both greater profits and a more pleasant working environment. Do not confuse not letting people down with trying to please everyone.
Try to please everyone?
Do this and you will fail. It is impossible to please everyone. Every decision you make will return an outcome that will not be what someone wants so get used to that. The difference between this and letting someone down is that in this case, you never said or agreed or promised you would do anything. You can not let someone down if you have not promised to do anything. This last statement is not entirely correct. Failing to commit to anything is not going to impress anyone. This is the same problem, but just the other end of the spectrum.
How can anyone achieve this?
The answer to this is a pretty personal one. Everyone will have their own way of working but two constants will prevail: planning and communication. Know what your schedule and workload is like. Know if you can realistically take on board more tasks without neglecting something else. If you can not, and you do, you will end up letting someone down. Communicate with your clients and suppliers and employees and whoever else it may concern. It is often possible to move certain projects and renegotiate terms in order to suit everyone. Very little is actually set in stone when it comes to business, so do not be afraid to ask.
Say for example, I had a deadline for project X in two weeks time, but one of my best customers wanted something done immediately, I would have no problem contacting those behind project X and seeing if they were still on track or whether there was room to maneuver. It is not uncommon to find that others are running behind schedule and delaying by a few days may suit both of you.
Once you run an organised business, where everyone knows exactly what needs to be done and by when you put yourself in a strong position whereby you can strive to satisfy your customers. If your own house is not in order you are setting yourself up to fail. A lack of communication can break even the strongest relationships. In the same way great communication can keep relationships together even under the most stressful of times. Even that simple one line email to let people know you received a fax, or another email can be a big thing.
Personally I found organisation to be a week point in my past which over time I have developed. This awareness has led me to make sure I have everything in order. You need to find a system which works for you. I find Google calendar is amazing. It is wherever I need it to be. What is your secret to an organised life?
Take a step back and examine your business
You are a busy person right? Most people are. Few people would stand up and say they have nothing to do. The big question is though, all this work you are doing, is it helping you? Is it developing your business or is it just simple tasks that need to be done?
Are you spending all day replying to emails, processing orders, ordering office supplies, packing boxes? If you are, then it sounds like your business is doing quite well. You are obviously getting a decent amount of business. Enough to keep you busy at least.
So the business is busy – what is the problem?
Well whilst things are going well, your business can not grow like this. You are focusing on the short term. As an entrepreneur you need to be able to take yourself out of the business and look at the bigger picture. You need to focus on the long term growth of the business.
A good way of realizing this is to write down a detailed account of your daily activities for a week, or maybe even a month. Then work out just how much time you are dedicating to growing the business. This type of activity can include streamlining processes, new business development and company strategy. I think you will find you are actually neglecting this type of activity and getting swamped by the day to day. If you step back and think about this, you could employ someone to do this allowing you to focus on growing the picture.
This is a very common problem whereby entrepreneurs struggle to give up control in their business. It is normal to fear giving up control, and to start with no one will be able to do the job as well as you. You need to train people to do these tasks and in time, if you hire the right person they will grow into the role and before you know it, will become indispensable. Once you do not have to worry about the day to day you will free up time to focus on the business as a whole.
The first thing you should look for are inefficient processes. What are you doing which could be done much more easily and save time and money? Almost every business has processes which need to be streamlined but no one has had the time to look into it. We tend to fall into routines, and many people like routine in their life. Wheninefficient processes become routine, they can go unnoticed. Break free of routines. It will be hard to start with, but you will be glad you did later.
The next step is to revise your strategy and tactics. You need a clear growth plan outlining what your goals are and how you will achieve them. What is currently limiting your growth? Knowing this will allow you to adjust accordingly.
This information is really little more than common sense to those who understand it. The truth is that most entrepreneurs fail, and the reason is that they get too caught up on the day to day working in their business, as opposed to working on their business. There is a big difference.
How long do you spend working on your business a week? Do you struggle to give up control?
Do you know what people are saying about your brand?
Between blogs, forums and review sites the public have plenty of options when it comes to expressing their opinion about a companies brand. Freedom of speech allows them to do this. This in itself is no massive problem right? The problem occurs when a straight Google search for your companies or brands name reveals pages of negative comments – a terrible first impression I think you will agree.
How can you see what is being said about your brand?
Well the simplest thing to do is just search for your brand name. If you are doing your job right you should get your company website up first then a bunch of great reviews and comments after that. Unfortunately for many this is not the case. If your results do look good you should not just be satisfied with that. As mentioned on CK’s blog try typing in your brand name followed by the word “sucks” or something less American if your a British company and then see what happens. This is a way to find out what negative feedback you are getting.
Google provide a free service called Google Alerts. Here you can set up custom alerts which will send you regular emails showing the latest results based on your chosen query. It is important to know what people are saying about you. You can set up many alerts to keep you informed not only about your brand, but also key members or staff, competitors and industry news.
There are paid services such as Trackur which are similar to Google Alerts but search through many search engines, not just Google.
What next?
The first thing you should do once you have set up your alerts is monitor them. You need to understand the problem and how widespread it is. Have you recently had a product call back? This could be backlash from a problem that has already been sorted. Once you understand the nature of the negative feedback you can think about dealing with it.
People generally respond well when companies join in blog or forum discussions. This shows humanity and breaks down the image of a faceless corporation. You are also able to address individual needs more easily. Those who complain like to feel they have received personal attention from those with the power to do something about it. By satisfying the one noisy complainer, you could convert it into a great review. This is of course the best possible outcome and a win win for both parties. A new breed of business consultants are also popping up for online reputation management services.
A blogger who has complained about you, and had their problem dealt with in person is likely to blog again about you. A few of these and you will soon dominate the search results for your company with positive reviews. This feedback from customers is something you can really use to help develop and grow your business. You have to remember though, prevention is much more effective than curing. Negative publicity tends to go viral much more so than positive publicity. It is the nature of the beast.
Does your business has a system for monitoring public opinion? What tools do you use to help monitor? Do you join in the discussion?