Loyal Customers
How do you differentiate yourself from your peers?
A fairly common question. And an important one. I answered this on an online forum recently, and it is worth sharing those thoughts here. As with much of what I say: start by being deliberate about who you are, what you do, and how you do it. The Answer Start by asking yourself: What do…
Read MoreThe System is the Solution
Another view on last week’s message: that good process is what makes your business unique and successful. You may have heard this expression before, it was the old AT&T business slogan: The System is the Solution Once again: the words used, matter. The solution is the product Regular readers of this blog will have heard…
Read MoreBusiness Orchestration
If you haven’t orchestrated it, you don’t own it. As written in The E-Myth, by Michael E. Gerber. I read this book at the perfect time, when I was struggling to express the importance of systems in my business. As I rolled out a new right way/wrong way to operate, this line helped me explain…
Read MoreBe The Best Option
People have options in life. Whenever you buy a product or service, you choose what to buy, based on the issue you want resolved. Your clients are the same, they have choices. You may know that you are the best and obvious choice for them, but here’s the problem: all of your competitors know that…
Read MoreDon’t Be Perfect: Be Valuable
Analysis Paralysis is a real and insidious. The problem grows because we tend to speak in terms of necessity: I need more information; I need more preparation; it has to be perfect. My suggestion to you today is that you focus not on being perfect, but rather on being valuable. What is Perfect? That is…
Read MoreThe Number One Rule of Product Descriptions
The first thing we know about our business is what we sell. As we develop our strategic plans, we also define the problem that we solve. Once we go to market, we are tasked with describing this in a way to attract the right attention, and in only a few sentences. Follow this rule to…
Read MoreThe Process is the Product – Customer Service
The process is the value, the brand and the outcome driver. The process is, in other words, the product. Effective business is managed with effective process, and it is in those steps and decisions that a business can find ways to stand out and be of value. This is true for all aspects of business,…
Read MoreThere’s No Such Thing as a Vegetable Lasagna
Lasagna – a quintessential dish of the Italian cuisine. Originally from the Emilia Romagna region, which is really the home of pasta. It includes all the best of the regional cuisine: tasty pasta, creamy bechamel sauce, and flavorful ragú bolognese. This last is a meat sauce. With so many elements it is typical to find…
Read MoreThe Problem with Competing On Price
The low price point, the discount, the “save money here”… charging less can be an appealing strategy to win a quick sale or big deal. The problem is that it is a short term fix with no long term tie-in. Below are 4 “Why Not”s and 1 “Okay Maybe” for competing on price. It Allows…
Read MoreWhy Do People Buy From You?
I ask this question of most of my clients when we start working together. Why you, and not the next guy? The answer will tell me what is important to the client. Then, as per my modus operandi, I proceed to ask for proof, in order to test the assumptions made by the business owner.…
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