Face to Face is Best

I have just been working on developing a new case study for one of my clients.  Despite my best endeavours a face to face meeting with the customer failed to happen and I was left with the only option of a phone call to gather the information for the case study.
The contact was very helpful and was happy to respond  to all the questions I had planned and I happily put the phone down at the end of the call.  It was only when I came to write up the case study that I realised that, despite the copious notes I had taken there was something missing in the depth and quality of information I had gathered.  In fact writing the case study would be quite a challenge.
What I believe was missing was the the important information that we gather, without perhaps realising it, from facial expressions, posture etc. and the ability to respond to this with further probing questions where necessary.  Some of this can be detected over the phone in terms of tone of voice but it is much harder.
Clearly it is not always possible to arrange face to face meetings and emails and phone calls are the norm today.  We therefore have to develop our skills in using these means of communication.  However, when you really need to get to the bottom of a situation there is no substitute for a face to face meeting.

No Nasty Surprises!

I recently changed supplier for an important service and was initially extremely happy with the information provided, the price and the service offered by my new supplier.  Just as the changeover was about to happen I discovered that one important piece of information had not been passed on and that in fact, the transition was more complicated than I had anticipated.  This has left me with negative feelings about my new supplier, not a good way to begin a relationship.

Clearly my new supplier wanted to impress me with the benefits of switching to their service but, by not informing me of potential downsides at the right time they now have left themselves with an uphill battle in building a positive relationship.  If I had known all the information up-front I would still have switched and would be feeling much more positive about my decision.

There is nothing to be gained and a lot to lose by not giving your customers all the information they need to take an informed decision.  It is never worth trying to pull the wool over your potential customers’ eyes - when they do find out, and they will, the repercussions will always be negative for your business.

Exporting from a position of strength

In over 15 years of consulting I have come across many businesses which have decided that they need to grow faster and that clearly the best opportunity is to ‘go international’.

Perhaps the most extreme example was an in-house IT department which had developed a ‘product’ which they felt had potential in other organisations.  Their requirement of me was a plan to take the business international.  I soon discovered that no one outside the organisation was using the ‘product’ and that it had been developed specifically as an internal tool for the business, which itself had a number of unique characteristics.

The challenge therefore, without dampening the enthusiasm of the team, was to explain that there were a number of key steps to address before even considering whether there was an international opportunity.

Whilst this is the extreme, many management teams can be seduced and distracted by the attractions of overseas opportunities - the huge market, travel, etc and are blind to the downsides which exist.  Often they can be encouraged by the travel grants available for overseas trade missions from organisations keen to promote their region.

Of course for some businesses moving into overseas markets is exactly the right strategy and for others it may be essential.  In my experience however, for many businesses there is a much stronger case for building a more robust platform in the home market before launching into new export markets.

Businesses need to consider a number of questions which should help point them in the right direction including:

• What is limiting the growth of the business?  Is it the size of the opportunity in the home market?
• What share do they have of the home market?
• What is the reputation of the business in the home market?  Are there good customer references, testimonials?
• Are there further opportunities within existing customer accounts?
• Are there other factors limiting growth in the home market? -  e.g. economy, legislation
• Who are the competitors  -  are they multi-national businesses
• Are customers international businesses - and if so do they require support on an international basis?
• Is timing of market entry important? -  being there before competitors can establish a position. 

Most may then decide that there is still more to be done in the home market.  

For those  that decide to address overseas markets this is just the starting point.   Work must then begin in order to determine, which countries, products, distribution channels, partners  etc.

The market does not change annually - why should your business?

For many people in business New Year is a time for reviewing progress and setting new objectives. My business year end is March so the time for setting new targets is still three months away.  But do we need to be driven by diary dates or time periods?  There is never a wrong time for reviewing what we are doing, considering new opportunities, changing our plans and setting new targets.
Of course we need to give time  for any plans to have an impact but this is something we can take on board in the review process. 
The time for a re-think can be driven by a number of factors -  how well the business is performing, competitor activity, changes in the customer base, internal changes in your business, new technology... to name just a few.
The market does not change on an annual basis and there is no reason why your business should.

Balancing Personal Experience with Data

Some fascinating insights from a survey recently published by Accenture.

'When making decisions about what customers want, many organizations are just as likely to rely on personal experience as analysis of data and facts.

Even amongst organizations actively using analytics in marketing, sales and service, most are not applying it broadly across the full spectrum of marketing and customer activities such as pricing, product/service delivery, and product development.'

Of course personal experience is important and how that experience is applied can be the difference between the successful and unsuccessful business. However, there is also the need to balance personal experience with data and to explore carefully any significant discrepancies between the two before taking that final decision.   

Customer surveys are therefore an important tool in ensuring that both data and personal experience are available to support the decision-making process.

Where are the best opportunities?

Where are the best opportunities for your business- under your nose?
Whilst techniques such as telemarketing, emailers, cold calling can be effective for some businesses.  For many, including my own, the best opportunities are much nearer to home.
It is very easy to forget about customers who have bought from you in the past and yet they have the perfect profile -  So look through your database of customers, identify those which have you not spoken to in the last few months, give them a call.  You never know what opportunities you may uncover.

Saying no to new business!

With the UK economy showing no real signs of recovery, for many businesses it is a question of grabbing any new business opportunity in sight, just to keep one's head above water.   However this can be a very dangerous strategy and one that can potentially lead to unhappy customers and the downfall of the business.  


In my early years in business (fifteen years ago) I made the mistake of taking on a project where there was clearly a mismatch between mine and the client's expectations of what we could deliver.  I was so keen for the business that I still took the project on, despite some misgivings.  The project took far longer than anticipated and required significant additional resource, the cost of which I had to bear.  However the client was never fully satisfied with the deliverable and we both walked away from the deal feeling hard done by.


This was however a salutary lesson for me and after a few more years experience in business I began to get a better feel for any potential new project and in particular of the people relationships,  client expectations and our business's ability to meet these and add value.


If you have concerns about any of these factors then it is vital that you explore them in more detail and only proceed with the project if you have satisfied your mind against each.  Often it may just be 'gut feel' that there is something not quite right -  my recommendation would be - go with your gut!