It’s no big secret that people are what keep our businesses ticking along; whether it’s the members of your powerhouse team or the clients that come to you each day, people, and the relationships you make with them, are the driving force behind small businesses. It can be difficult to know how to harness the power of people to drive your business forward, but it’s worth braving the learning curve.
The biggest mistakes you can make?
It’s important to stay professional. Being professional tells your clients they can trust you and that they’re safe in your hands. However, many businesses make the mistake of focusing too much on professionalism, letting that cloud over any hint of a personality that may have been there. Letting the personality of your business shine through will help to create an image that people can relate to. Hiding that personality makes you no different to a faceless corporation.
Another mistake many of us have made in the past? Not investing time into teambuilding. Whether you have two or 22 employees, it is essential to interact, create connections and build strong relationships between each other. Not spending the time on teambuilding can leave your your team with a lack of cohesiveness and unable to focus their efforts effectively on a single goal.
To make the most of people power, you need:
Raving fans
You can try every trick in the book but nothing will ever beat the power of word-of-mouth. The clients who love your business and your products / services, will tell their friends. So, you need to go the extra mile so your clients become the raving fans your business needs.
Great team relationships
Nothing gets done with a team that doesn’t work well together. Your team members need to know each other well so that they know how to work together effectively.
Loyalty
Whether it’s from your clients or your team members, loyalty is what keeps you in business. You need team members committed to your business and you need clients committed to staying with you for the long-term.
What should you be doing?
Get personal with your clients. There’s no need to ask prying questions that make people uncomfortable, but it’s crucial to know your clients and what makes them tick. Know their names and their faces – show you care about them before and after they walk through your doors, not just while you are face-to-face.
Always be tuned in to what is going on around you. It’s easy to get caught up in paperwork and the rules and regulations. These are all important things but it’s important to listen to what the people around you want, need, can offer you and you can offer them; it all plays into the success of your business.
People are the make or break for us in our business and personal lives. I see people burn their bridges – face-to-face, on Facebook, by email – and wonder at their short-sightedness. The number of times people come back into my life, for whatever reason, is incredible. I can only imagine the impact this has on other people, when they choose to end a relationship poorly.
I meet hundreds of people every week, in many different aspects. My number one rule of thumb when dealing with people is: how can I help you? If we focus on helping others, it’s amazing how this flows back into our lives.
When you truly need support and help from other people, the level of investment you have put into them in the past governs the support you will receive. The relationships we have, in business and life, can be directly attributed to our success and failure.
Matt Alderton, www.b-x.com.au, Founder, Alderton Enterprises and author of “Business for Life”
