|
|
"We
sell shoes" |
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"We
are a shoe store" |
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"Well
isn't it obvious?" |
Do all your people say
the same thing?
Do all your people work
for the same business?
If someone asked you to
tell them what your business does would you start with one line, then
start to clarify?
Would you start to
expand?
Would you start to
explain why your business is different?
Why your business is
better?
Why your business is
already great but is going to be greater?
Why your business is
THE
business that everyone should be dealing with?
Would you and your
business eventually become more interesting?
There are very few
uninteresting businesses, but there are a considerable number of owners
who make theirs that way.
Tell your customers what
you really do and what you could do for Them!
So now, what do you want
your people, your suppliers, your financiers, and your customers to say
about your business?
Do you think they say at
the moment?
The difference between
what they say and what you want them to say is your marketing plan -
Write it down
3. Consistency
What is the difference
between any great business you can think of and all the others?
Let us consider
McDonalds.
Now we know that your
business is more sophisticated than McDonalds.
We know your business has
better products
More discerning customers
How could you possibly
learn anything from McDonalds?
Well, go and sit in
McDonalds right now, there will be one near by!
The customers know what
to expect.
The staff, who all
probably started there in the last month, know what to do
The products are
consistent.
The ambience is the same.
The parking lots
look the same.
The stores look the same
They are consistent
-- Relentlessly so.
Now, do you have
customers who are consistent?
Do you have suppliers who
are consistent?
Do you have
staff
that are consistent?
Or can you not get the
staff, the customers, the suppliers that you want?
Why?
McDonalds has a simple
product. They have customers who will eat anything and they can get
anyone to work for them.
They may well succeed in
thousands of locations in hundreds of different countries and cultures;
but they are not you.
You, surely, could not be
that consistent.
You, surely, could not
sell your products in a clear, well-defined manner.
You, surely, could not
get your suppliers to supply you consistently.
You, surely, will always
have poor staff, poor morale, shaky leadership; that is what happens in
96% of businesses.
What is the difference
between where you are now and where you would be if, magically, you
could become the McDonalds of your industry?
That will be your
organizational plan - Write it down
4. Money
How much is your time
worth?
If you really got paid
what you were truly worth, how much more money would you have?
Are you the only person
in the world who gets less than they deserve?
Do you know someone who
is grossly overpaid for what they do?
How can this be?
The facts are simple,
none of us truly get the amount of money our talents deserve. You get
less and I get more.
True?
The only way to get the
return you deserve is therefore simple, get other people to earn it for
you.
Nearly every failing
business has a common theme, the owner is indispensable.
The business cannot do
without them, they are irreplaceable, nothing can happen without them
and everything happens because of them. And the owner is convinced that
they are not getting the returns they deserve.
Every penny that your
business earns that you were not involved in is free money.
The only way to get that
free money is to make sure your business and your people are earning it
and you are getting it.
Are you earning enough?
Could your business earn
more for you?
The difference between
working for your business and your business working for you is your financial plan, and your business plan and it
is the difference your business should be making to your life - Write it
down
