GarthBox

As a leader, your actions will speak louder than your words.

But the words you choose to use are determined by the actions you plan to and are taking.

If you say one thing and then say another, you lose trust in your employees. It’s as bad as saying you’re going to do one thing, but then do another.

The smartest thing a leader can do is get as clear as she can about the path the business is going down, even if it’s not the best path.

Clarity, certainty and communication around the vision is essential.

 

Stay Positive & It’s A Lot Harder To Re-Convince Employees Because You Weren’t Sure In The First Place

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There are brands that only listen to the chant of “what do we want and when do we want it.” They wait until their target yells at them to listen. That, or they wait until revenue drops to the point where they have nothing else to do but listen. Businesses like these mail out comment cards.

Then there are brands that create a culture of listening. There’s no reason for the disgruntled customer to fill out a card because the staff member is asking questions, taking note and reporting to the right people.

There’s no need to wait until competitors have a noise-reduced-thingy-ma-bob and the target demands the same from you when you have service-men asking what would make the thingy-ma-bob better when they’re installing or repairing. In this case, you set the trend.

It’s great to come up with creative ideas in marketing and within your business structure, but as a brand grows, it’s often forgotten to add an element of listening to each and every tactic.

If you’ve ever wondered, “how can I make this better?” you don’t often need to ask, just listen.

 

Stay Positive & What Are You Doing To Create A Culture Of Listening?

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First versions of most things are usually disappointing.

Lisa the first commercial computer with a graphical user interface and the predecessor of the Mac did not receive good acceptance.

Don’t get me started on the first version of Windows.

Consider Van Gogh’s first version of art: the Ramsgate.

If any of these artists stopped after their first version, they would have never become artists.

 

Stay Positive & Ship, Make It Better, Repeat

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Decisions are easy when you have the right information. What I’ve found it takes to make the right decision is to retrieve information from three sources.

1. Your own subjective view of the situation. It’s business and it’s personal. Don’t discard the knowledge and experience about a situation that no one else can understand. The bigger the decision, the more knowledge only you have, and you’ve gotta come to terms with the fact other people will not be able to “get it.”
2. The perspective of those doing the grunt work. Those “below” you, if you will, are the ones keeping you alive. The first to know a new plate isn’t working for customers is the wait staff. Ask a few of them what’s working and what’s not, and you’ll have acquired information critical to making the right decision.
3. The objective insight of someone smart, but removed from the business. A fresh, untainted perspective is usually the final nail in the coffin of a poor decision. They’ll be able to tell you if you’re in too deep and are bias about the decision you’re leaning toward. Take their words to heart.

 

Stay Positive & A Right Decision Requires Three Perspectives, Do You Have Them All?

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Time and time again, the best place to find an advantage over your competitors is in your target.

Yesterday we tackled the idea of differentiating yourself not by what you have that your competitor doesn’t, but by giving more to the customer than your competitor can.

Today we look at having an advantage by having better data of your target.

The quickest way to get ahead in your market is to know more about the market (specifically your target) than your competitors. An inch of insight can give you a mile of an advantage.

Consider the first company to realize getting food on the table wasn’t just a decision based on budget, but on the emotional need of mothers to hear their husbands brag to their friends about how well they are fed. Dinner became an ego-booster. “Save 5 cents” was a lot less effective.

What more can you do on the end of target research?

That’s where you’ll find how to gain an advantage.

 

Stay Positive & Know The Most About Your Target

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Through the life of your business you’re sure to be prodded toward differentiating yourself from your competitors if you haven’t already been.

Most commonly this comes from price. Your competitor lowers their prices so you retaliate by lowering yours. You enter a race to the bottom.

If you’re going to differentiate yourself, don’t do so with the sole purpose of being at an advantage over your competitor.

What’s important is what you do to give your customer a substantial advantage.

You must be asking yourself, “What can I give to my customer that my competitors can’t.”

You don’t create a differentiator by being different from your competitor, you create a differentiator that matters by giving more to the customer than any competitor can.

 

Stay Positive & Customer First And Always

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