Employees First!

Why Great Customer Service Starts with the Employee

By Rob Oglesby

The life blood of any business is dependent on the relationship it has with its customers and suppliers. Most mission statements include something about how customer service is either the highest priority, or certainly high on the list. Clearly, this is an admirable ideal. As a business owner or leader, there is no doubt you recognize the critical nature of both acquiring new customers and maintaining solid relationships with those you already have. Presenting a “customer first” mentality to the external world is absolutely the right thing to do.  The question is…how do you KNOW it’s real?  How do you KNOW you are delivering a consistent, quality experience with your customers?  Do ALL of your employees see the urgent need for this in the same way?

As a business leader, great customer service starts with the behaviors and actions taken by those closest to the customer.  The best way to impact these behaviors is to work on improving the attitude of that same group.  You may have seen an inverted pyramid in business books where the top of that pyramid is the customer, and right below them is the front line employee who deals with customers each and every day as the primary function of their job.  The key is to serve the employee and they will in turn serve the customer.  Truly a win/win situation will evolve.

How do you put the employee first?  This is YOUR business, after all, right?  While it is true, small businesses, and especially family owned ones function differently and for different reasons, a common thread is the need for the sustained financial success of the business.  Here are a few ways to engage your employees into deeper feelings of pride and ownership in what they do for your company:

1)      Communicate – make sure they understand the company vision and how you plan to achieve that vision.  Make sure they see value in that vision for themselves as well

2)      Involve – give your employees a chance to participate in your planning.  That breeds a sense of ownership and a desire to see the plans succeed

3)      Opportunity – give your employees opportunity to grow.  Yes, you are the owner and as a result the ultimate decision maker; however, great people are attracted to situations where ceilings don’t exist

4)      Performance – make sure each employee understands their expectations.  This is done with clear job descriptions and performance goals.  When they meet those goals, reward them, when they fail, find out why—making sure to enforce consequences if necessary

5)      Empower – once you’ve established the trust and ownership, you’re able to empower your employees to help your customers and suppliers.  They’ll do the right thing, and your business will flourish as a result

6)      Monitor – customer service surveys are commonplace.  Employee surveys less so.  BOTH are critical to understand and make course corrections

A company with strong employees who understand the direction of the organization and feel not just a connection to that, but a sense of ownership in it will have stronger ties to its customers.  The stronger your relationship is with your employees, the greater the company’s relationship will be to both your customers AND your suppliers.  By addressing their attitude towards the business, the actions they take will be positive and will create a winning environment.  Use these techniques to adopt an employee first and watch the external relations improve the success of your business!

Understanding the Value of Peer Boards

An Indispensible Resource for Business Owners

You may feel your business has reached a growth plateau. Where do you turn to help improve and better manage the business? Perhaps you consult family members, an accountant or lawyer—or worse—make important business decisions alone.

A recent article by USA Today’s Ask an Expert, Steve Strauss, details the history and importance of “Mastermind groups” for business success. Mastermind groups channel the power of peer advice, a tool that has been growing in popularity with business owners. The business owner meets with peers who have been in similar situations, allowing them to tap into each other’s past experiences, mistakes and expertise. Peers act as a group of advisors who help the owner work on their business, preventing mistakes and learning new techniques to help their business become more successful and profitable.

The result is objective and candid advice created by a “think tank” atmosphere owners cannot create by themselves.  The board provides a safe, confidential place for owners to air problems. Advice received during meetings saves time because the business doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Another major benefit of peer advice is that the business owner finds practical solutions to problems and learns how to approach new opportunities. Their peers hold them accountable for following through on ideas and goals for their business and become an extension of the business’s management team who cares about the success of the business.

Monthly meetings allow board members to bond, develop relationships with similar-sized companies and get to know one another’s business. Essentially, the board members motivate each other to accomplish goals and solve issues discussed at meetings.

Business owners face human resources, sales productivity, marketing strategies and making payroll issues, all of which are typical topics at a peer advice meeting. Boards are made up of non-competing members so no member is locked into industry thinking, which helps open members’ eyes to new ideas and possibilities because the areas of expertise include those in which a member normally wouldn’t have access. Peer advisory groups are not comprised of individuals that all think the same way. Rather, they provide insights to areas where the owner may not have experience, training or expertise. These boards are generally large enough to be effective, yet small enough to work on each member’s specific needs.

The support received from becoming a part of a regular peer meeting also allows the owner to set goals for long term planning.  The long term planning takes the owner out of managing day-to-day tasks so they can focus on more important strategic goals for the company. On their own, owners may find themselves involved in fixing individual problems or planning using the “idea of the week.” Peer advisory boards can help the owner organize and lead the business to improved growth and efficiency.

Members of groups must be willing to make the time investment, put his/her business issues on the table and share his/her knowledge with other members. The valuable advice given in peer advisory meetings is real-life—not theory—and shows the power that is created when business owners work together.

Can You Find Your Future in a Failing Business?

By Allen E. Fishman

Most entrepreneurs, unless they possess the special skills to turn around a troubled business, do much better starting a new business. However, for that special breed of aggressive entrepreneur who has some expertise in "finding" assets in troubled businesses and turning them around, buying a flagging business can bring both profit and excitement.

What motivates these individuals to take the wheel of someone else’s sinking ship?  Certainly, one can enter the market for turnaround opportunities with fewer assets and far less competition, though in these situations the risk at stake is often far less than the risk taken. Motivation often comes from the risk itself—the love of the challenge.  These risk takers see possibility where others only see problems.  They have a vision few can see, yet they walk with their feet on the ground.  Often, these gutsy individuals leave safe, high-paying jobs to pursue their ideas for bringing a failing business up to speed in the current marketplace.

It takes some degree of understanding a business to be able to determine whether your ideas for its potential are valid.  Possessing the ego power and confidence to make a winning play in what has been, up to now, a losing game is essential. Many highly successful entrepreneurs are renowned for their “rescues,”—not all are brilliant entrepreneurs.  Instead, they surround themselves with people who possess the needed skills, and then get out of their way.

When considering taking on a failing business, take into account the following.  Does your particular experience, ability or drive give you an advantage over most others?  Can you attain something greater from that unprofitable company than you could by using a safer route?  Can you afford to make an investment in something that might fail?

If the idea of courting the uncertainty of risky business brings out the thrill seeker in you, always exercise good judgment, accept risk and seize upon the quest for adventure and the thrill of high-throttle stakes.  Above all, believe in yourself and the potential of your ideas, and you have taken your first steps towards success.

Allen E. Fishman founded The Alternative Board® (TAB), the world’s largest franchise system providing advisory board and executive coaching services to business owners, Presidents and CEOs. TAB’s worldwide business advisory network operates in over 1,000 cities in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Venezuela.

Fishman is also the author of several books in which he shares his business insights to help business owners, including two best-sellers: 7 Secrets of Great Entrepreneurial Master: The GEM Power Formula for Lifelong Success (McGraw-Hill, 2006) and 9 Elements of Family Business Success: A Proven Formula for Improving Leadership & Relationships in Family Business (McGraw-Hill 2008).