Grow your business by adding sticking power to your resolutions

by Al Hanzal

If you are like me, a new year brings dreams of a fresh start for your small business. Hopes abound for the new year. But, in the back of your mind, you may remember your past resolutions. Resolutions that were swallowed up in the bus-i-ness of daily life. By February, you have already moved on, with January’s resolutions only a vague memory.

Here’s a quick and easy way to grow your business by making your business resolutions last longer than the end of January! Make your resolutions from a customer perspective. By focusing on your customer’s interest, you give a new purpose to your business resolutions. You give your resolutions more sticking power and more opportunity to grow your business!

Step One--Go with the Customer Winners

“Go with the Winners.” Create a list of ten customer successes you had in 2004. These could be customer sales on a particular product; lead generation successes; selling model successes; customer follow up processes; different product or service offerings. These winners could be a more customer friendly website or an internal process that made it easier for customers to buy or buy more often from you.

If you are having difficulty identifying these customers winners, focus on areas where customers made nice comments about your business; places where they sang your praises; activities or areas where customers where delighted with your business efforts.

Now take three of these winners and do them again in 2005. They were customer winners in 2004; you can make these winners again in 2005. Create a simple plan. The plan should include what you are going to do, how you are going to do it and when are you going to do it. Write it down and post it where you can see it every day.

Step Two--Drop the Customer Losers

Every business has losers. You have losers. What are customer related activities that cost you money, lost time, or lost productive energy in 2004? Make a list of ten customer losers.

You may find your losers in the same areas where you found customer winners. These could be areas of products or services, lead generation, selling models, customers follow up. They could be either internal or external activities that were not customer successes.

Dropping losers is hard. You may have sacred cows you are afraid of dropping. If you need courage to drop a loser, remember your customer perspective. If it wasn’t a winner for them, why do you want to keep it? Besides, if you don’t eliminate the losers from your business, there will be no room for more winners.

If you are unsure about what losers to drop, ask yourself what are your customer’s biggest complaints? Where did they express disappointments?

Where did they say you could do better?

Like the process you used for the winners, pick your top three customer losers and plan to eliminate or reduce these losers in 2005. Create a simple plan. The plan should include what you are going to do, how you are going to do it and when are you going to do it. Write it down and post it where you can see it every day.

Step Three--One Customer Innovation

Small businesses face the danger of doing just what you did last year or doing what all the other businesses in your industry are doing. This is a form of incest. Over time, this weakens your “business stock” and hurts your growth.

Just as you need to stretch your physical muscles, (you know the resolution you made about going to the gym three times a week), you need to stretch your business muscles if you want to grow and develop.

Pick one area that will stretch your business. This could be a financial stretch, a time or energy stretch. You could create a new product, improve a product or service, or provide new operating procedures that make it easier for customers to buy.

If you are having a difficult time deciding what to do, take your clue from your customers. What innovation addresses a customer’s benefit? By using customer benefits as your criteria for an innovation, you will grow your business in the right direction.

Now create a plan. What you are going to innovative, how you are going to get this accomplished, and when will you do it? Write it down and post it where you can see it every day.

Conclusion

Looking at last year’s business winners and losers from a customer’s perspective will give you more sticking power with your 2005 resolutions. You begin to realize these resolutions are not some internal agreement you made in your head--with yourself. The resolutions become a commitment to your customers. Everyday you must respond to your customer commitments. Complete this exercise and find how your business resolutions stick long after January and how they grow your business!

Free Help to Grow Your Business

Interested in getting off of the small business merry-go-round that is leading no where? Call my toll free number 1-877-714-5500 and listen to a pre-recorded message about a free report that will push your business to the next level. It’s a free call, a free report, no sales pitch, so call any time. 1-877-714-5500.

Copyright Al Hanzal, 2004. All Rights Reserved

Hanzal Enterprises, Inc.
4191 Granite Court
Eagan, Minnesota 55123
651-485-3340

About the Author

Small business owners have been using Al;'s materials to quickly grow their small businesses.