It’s Not About You…

If there was a drill-tipped-business-concept I could clip into a power drill, I’d clamp my clients head in a vice and drill this mantra into their head:

“It’s not about you!”

Say it with me now, “It’s not about me. It’s not about me. It’s not about me.”

Corporations spend millions of dollars every year to find out what makes the consumer tick. It’s rumored that FaceBooks key value is not advertising ability, but the consumer information it holds for would be marketers. Corp’s know it’s all about what is in the consumers head, that’s the promise land.

So where is the disconnect for Small Business Owners?

1. They started the business because THEY loved a product. This passion is a good thing, nay a great thing… but often our strengths over exemplified become our weakness. To the end user, the client, your opinion is always second to theirs… always! Even in professional industries where the expert is there to advise, at the end of the day, the client’s ideas are the important ones. In sales, this is called “preference” and it is a hallmark reason why a deal doesn’t get done.
2. The small business owner is a talker. You know the type, extroverted guy who has a story for every situation. While it can be part of a persons “charm” to be outgoing and willing to network, it can lead to a one sided game of table tennis. My partner taught a great class on the subject that has stuck with me for years, The Economy of Words. The concept is simple, the less you talk, the higher value of your words. Kind of like supply and demand. And so because the business owner only hears his own voice, he sells to the only person he hears talking.
3. I am going to preface this next one with a disclaimer. I’m not trying to be sarcastic or mean, I’m trying to help. It benefits me NOTHING to offend the very people who pay for my… well everything. That said, my job is to tell the truth best I can. So, number three would be naivety. The business owner doesn’t get that understanding the customer is the ball game. We see our clients (the small business owner) focus on themselves over the customer in the following areas:

• Sales process (Funnel) focused on internal sales processes, not the buyers actual buying process.
• Branding focused on the owners personal preferences, from color schemes to company names.
• Websites that are “cool” over functional business tools. This means flash websites cause they make noises and move vs. SEO compliant sites that actually show up in Google. Don’t get me wrong, if you NEED Flash, do your thing. If you like flash, check your motives. (Mine usually have dollar signs around them.)
• Lack of dedication to sales and marketing in both good times and bad. When money is good, why spend more on the customer and the experience. When money is bad, well money is bad!

So what can the small business owner do right now to change:

A) Read blogs, articles and any other information they can get their hands on to better themselves as owners.

B) When you hire professional help, let them be the expert and you be the client.

C) Realize your industry is NOT “different.” Nearly every client wants to tell us why they have to do things according to their preference and it almost always ends up sounding like, “Our industry is different than xyz industry, this is what is done.” Are there nuances that are unique, sure! That said, business models, marketing and healthy sales mechanics are pretty across the board.

D) Listen to the customer. Spend time, without presuppositions, hearing what they have to say.

E) Be honest. If you’re in a place of struggle, it’s time for a change. So be open to other ideas, concepts and philosophies that may be new to you.

Spread this post...