Today, I had an interesting conversation with a colleague in another city in NZ. I have known this guy for a few years; he owns a successful window tinting business and had done so for many years. Although he's not using our films, I get him to do jobs in his area, when we have a nationwide contract to fulfill. I have always respected his desire to look after his clients properly. To me, the customer takes top priority and only the best operators will do for me. So I like using this guy's business whenever I can.
We got onto the topic of business consultants, or mentors. For you guys out there, running your own small business, here is something for you!
We have been in business for a number of years now, growing from nothing to where we are today, and still looking at getting better at it. A couple of years ago, we used a consultant to help us map out our future. One of the first things we needed to do, was to find out what we are doing well and what we need to do better.
We all have our own perception of our business. And of course, we're always the best, right?
Here is the key: Have you ever asked your customers? And how about the ones you didn't get as customers, where you did a quote and missed out on the job.
The key of the exercise is not criticism, but perception and reality. Once you know where your perception does not meet "reality", you can address it and change it. In other words, if you see a fish, but your customer sees a cat, you have a problem.
When we did our surveys, we found that our perception met reality pretty much all the time. The lesson we learned was not to change anything, but keep going in the same direction with more focus and professionalism.
If you are serious about your business, find your "reality" for your customer's sake as well as yours. The result is a win-win situation.
Rolf Stucki
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