CHYBNU Business Blog

Too many businesses - even fairly large ones — are more like mom and pop entities that take too much time to run, barely make a profit after factoring in the owners’ time, and aren’t worth much on sale. Business owners need to develop sources of leverage so that their business runs without them. That way, work becomes more enjoyable and the business becomes more valuable.

Following are eleven ways that business owners can generate leverage in their business:

First and foremost, the business owner needs the right mindset. He or she must put ego aside and be willing to give control to people and processes to take over the business. Many business owners fear that no one can serve customers like they can. This may be true, but to have a truly successful business, the CEO needs to be willing to cede control. With the right mindset in place and the additional ways to generate leverage (to be discussed below), he or she has a blueprint to succeed.

Second, the business owner needs to spend most of his or her time setting direction for the company, improving performance, and developing processes and systems. Time spent “in” the business instead of “on” it, as Michael Gerber makes clear in E-myth, is time poorly spent. Business owners need a sense of where they spend their time, and how they can focus more on building their business to run without them.

Third, business leaders should be setting high standards for each and every core process, and then measuring results. That way, they can hold people accountable for doing what matters in the business. Metrics are an essential tool for generating leverage. The business owner can watch the metrics and provide tools for others to generate results. Meanwhile, employees do the work of meeting standards and continuing to improve.

Fourth, talent is essential. In the restaurant business, there is an adage that every restaurant chain is guaranteed to fail once it opens one restaurant more than its management team can handle. One of the most important limiting factors in any business is talent. Business owners need a stable pool of full-time talent to grow the business, and in many cases, a pool of part-time talent to flex up capacity when needed. Therefore, one of the most important jobs of every business owner is to find, develop, engage, and retain top talent.

Fifth, the more alliances and strong relationships that the business owner can create, the more powerful their network (or power base), and the more the business owner can get done. Alliances with employees, suppliers, distributors, marketing channels, government, and local leaders assure that in both good and challenging times the business owner has a network of relationships to make things happen. Ideally, these alliances are loyal to the business first, and the business owner second.

Sixth. every business should have operational systems so that the business thrives even when the owner or manager is not present. These systems include detailed product manuals, consistent processes, clear performance standards, and a set of processes to train and motivate people to provide consistent, excellent service to customers. That way, customers associate the business brand with a positive experience every time.

Seventh, you need marketing systems in place. We are blessed to live in a time where much of our marketing can happen while we are doing other things. Thanks to virtual teams, outsourced firms, and the Internet, we can get visible in effective ways 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Also, executives should constantly test and refine their marketing tactics in order to have a honed lead generation and conversion machine.

Eighth, while the promise of technological solutions sometimes falls short of expectations, technology can still bring enormous leverage to every business. Software, mobile communications tools, and web-based technology can all contribute to a more efficient and profitable business.

Ninth: a unique edge separates your business from others and helps you dominate your market. The me-too business that is almost identical to its competitors will not generate as much value as a business that has a measurable, significant, meaningful (to its customers) advantage over the competition. Types of “edge” include: proprietary technology or intellectual capital, scale, operational excellence, customer intimacy, unique marketing strategies, proprietary alliances, relationships with suppliers/sources of product, and product leadership. Every business should strive to have a three to one advantage over its competitors in some meaningful area, or at least to be the dominant leader in a niche market.

Tenth, develop business credit and sources of financing in order to have a ready source of cash to expand when needed. Sometimes the only thing that separates one business from another is the cash to withstand down business cycles - or expand when others can’t.

Eleventh, by having a clear vision of how to exit the business, the business owner can focus on developing a business that will be attractive to a buyer. Buyers want a business that they can take over and run - without depending on the owner for a long transition period. An exit strategy requires a commitment to a set of processes, a respected brand, and a business that runs without heavy involvement by the owner.

By: Andrew Neitlich

Sales representatives are successful today because they gain the majority of their targeted customers business. They manage the relationship and continuously build relationship equity. That doesn’t mean they operate with the old lone wolf mentality doing everything under the sun for the customer. They are successful because they take full advantage of all the resources their company has to offer. Transactions and promos flow through a managed relationship. They also dedicate a specific amount of their time to new account development and penetration of those accounts with high potential rather than over providing service functions to existing accounts. Ten Key identifying factors that will help maximize sales success include;

1. Not being afraid to prospect for new accounts and new business. Have enough confidence to view rejection as simply a step closer to success.

2. Understanding the value of planning and actually documenting the key actions necessary to meet specific objectives at specific accounts.

3. Become professional with your planned presentations whether it is to an individual buyer or a group of customer decision makers. Perfect your 25 word elevator speech that clearly outlines your value proposition. Get it down pat for those opportunistic moments that may occur.

4. Goals are a matter of course and they include more than just revenue and margin growth. Milestones are established for target accounts to highlight progress toward their major goals.

5. No one likes record keeping and paperwork but the really successful sales professional understands the necessity and the value received in return for being methodical with their record keeping.

6. Time management should be forever on your mind and you need to continuously practice efficient time control.

7. You’ve got to be Hunnnnggggrrrry! Hungry for knowledge to improve your skills and demonstrate enough curiosity that you don’t wait for company sponsored seminars for education and training. Read, listen to tapes and finance your own self improvement in addition to company programs.

8. Don’t chase orders, chase customers. Be willing to lose an order but fight aggressively to never lose a customer unless you need to prune your territory garden due to unacceptable profitability.

9. Your objective on every sales call is to identify the customer’s real needs, not to just take an order. Take pride in being a solution provider and demand creator instead of a demand fulfiller.

10. Understand that often a key to your success lies in your ability to educate the customer. This may range in the form of business acumen to helping the customer understand real value. Become an expert at demonstrating the difference between price and cost.

The formula for success is simple:

FIND THE CUSTOMER PAIN ——-TAKE THE PAIN AWAY
SET YOUR PRICE

Customers will pay plenty, if you can reduce their “PAIN” Find out what the customer’s problems are and where they are in pain. Look at it from their point of view, not yours.

Customers no longer spout off about quality products and reliable deliveries. That’s a given. Although all customers are trained to say “Your Price is to High”, if you find the pain, price is not an issue. Remember the emerging role of the sales professional today is not to increase sales. Let me repeat that— your role today is not to increase sales. Your role as a sales professional today is to systematically and consistently increase the number of customers who choose you to be their #1 supplier……..

It’s not about Features and Benefits

Today it’s not about the features and benefits of your product. It’s about value and how your customers are going to make a profit. You no longer just sell yourself and everything falls into place. Today, relationships are still very important but they are the ante to play. Customers are smarter and more educated. You must bring every resource your company has into play and leverage those resources to create competitive advantage. Learn to really listen to your customers. Let them talk and when there seems to be a pause in the conversation resist the temptation to start talking again. Chances are good that the customer has more to say. The quieter you are the more they will tell you. Listen long enough with a few strategically placed questions and the customer might just tell you exactly how to gain his business. (And it won’t just be about price)

By: Rick Johnson