When we are setting up our first small business, we need suppliers so that we can make our products. We are really looking for trustworthy suppliers. This time, we are the customers. There are two suppliers. The first supplier promotes very well. It seems that his business was very well planned especially his marketing method, it was very impressive. That is why I chose the first supplier. I came to his shop and he gave me a very good product presentation. I left his shop with a lot of supplies that was bought from him and a decision that I will do business with him as long as I am still in the business.
What happened?
After a couple of weeks from the purchase of the products from the first supplier, I began asking questions and found some glitches in the products I bought. Unfortunately, this very well promoted supplier does not know one important term in the business industry: after sales service. His shop is not accessible enough for me to visit everytime I will find glitches on the supplies that I bought from him.
Even if he delivers very good quality products, even if the products are well promoted, and even if he is very good in presenting the products, I ended up not being my lifetime supplier. Yes, I bought a few supplies. But will I go to him again? Of course not!
What's my point?
If your business is not a necessity and you are not the only one catering that business, you should be really dependable to your customers. You should create this magic between you and your customer that your customers will always depend on you and you alone!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38307206@N02/
Who's my supplier?
I found a supplier that assists me everytime I am having trouble with my business. He is always there to answer all of my questions. He gives me discount in everything I buy. I can reach him if I have problems with the products I bought from him and he is very much willing to replace them. He will apologize sincerely and will give you a smile that you will really forgive him easily. He keeps a record of our business so that we can reserve items we wanted to buy so he makes a way to save our time. Our supplier is doing business with us for more than a year now and will continue doing business in years to come.
Lesson learned: BE DEPENDABLE!! MAKE IT A WAY THAT PEOPLE WILL GO TO YOU AND YOU ALONE!!
The article below I found in Ezine is a broad description of why dependability is very important.
Small business owners looking for a way to distinguish their business from their competition have many ways to do so. They can charge less, or advertise more, or fly a huge red weather balloon over their store. None of these choices lead to small business success.
Yes, short-term campaigns can lead to short-term success. The secret to long-term success, however, has two parts and two parts only: retaining customers, and generating customer referrals (also known as word-of-mouth). And the way to do both of those parts is to give the customer what he wants and needs.
If a customer only sometimes gets what he wants and needs, he will look elsewhere. If he gets it late, or it's not quite right, he will look elsewhere. If you miss an appointment, or a deadline, he will look elsewhere. Customers need dependability.
This is a fast-moving world, and people work hard to keep up and get ahead. They come to you because you say you can help them: you can provide a product or service they need. You can fix their car, or paint their wall, or balance their books, or train them to succeed in business. They don't have time to waste waiting for you, or even worse, waiting for your errors to be fixed.
Lack of dependability will destroy your small business success faster than high prices, or mediocre quality, or slow work. Customers will spend more for dependability. They will put up with mediocre (but sufficient) quality if they can count on you. They will allow for the extra day or week if they are confident you will deliver at that time.
Dependability is a rare quality. It is valuable because it is rare. Think of all the times you have been disappointed by lack of dependability, and you will find they are very frequent. Every time you have had to wait in a waiting room; every checkout clerk who has needed to call for a price check; every check that wasn't in the mail; all these and more have made you wish you had a choice. Or when you have had a choice, you have taken it.
Your customers feel the same way about your business when the transaction is not smooth and easy and what they were expecting (or better). You can almost build your whole business on dependability! McDonald's did.
A survey the author did in 1990 of his clients, with over 600 respondents, asked them to place speed, quality, price, and dependability in order of importance. Over fifty percent named dependability as most important. Quality came in second, then speed, then price. There is no reason to think that the responses would be any different today.
Do whatever it takes, is the lesson here. Be on time, meet your deadlines, keep your word, even if it means working all night, paying overtime, losing money on the job, or missing your golf tournament. Be dependable.
If your customers can count on you, they will.
Small business success depends on dependability.
What happened?
After a couple of weeks from the purchase of the products from the first supplier, I began asking questions and found some glitches in the products I bought. Unfortunately, this very well promoted supplier does not know one important term in the business industry: after sales service. His shop is not accessible enough for me to visit everytime I will find glitches on the supplies that I bought from him.
Even if he delivers very good quality products, even if the products are well promoted, and even if he is very good in presenting the products, I ended up not being my lifetime supplier. Yes, I bought a few supplies. But will I go to him again? Of course not!
What's my point?
If your business is not a necessity and you are not the only one catering that business, you should be really dependable to your customers. You should create this magic between you and your customer that your customers will always depend on you and you alone!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38307206@N02/
Who's my supplier?
I found a supplier that assists me everytime I am having trouble with my business. He is always there to answer all of my questions. He gives me discount in everything I buy. I can reach him if I have problems with the products I bought from him and he is very much willing to replace them. He will apologize sincerely and will give you a smile that you will really forgive him easily. He keeps a record of our business so that we can reserve items we wanted to buy so he makes a way to save our time. Our supplier is doing business with us for more than a year now and will continue doing business in years to come.
Lesson learned: BE DEPENDABLE!! MAKE IT A WAY THAT PEOPLE WILL GO TO YOU AND YOU ALONE!!
Small business owners looking for a way to distinguish their business from their competition have many ways to do so. They can charge less, or advertise more, or fly a huge red weather balloon over their store. None of these choices lead to small business success.
Yes, short-term campaigns can lead to short-term success. The secret to long-term success, however, has two parts and two parts only: retaining customers, and generating customer referrals (also known as word-of-mouth). And the way to do both of those parts is to give the customer what he wants and needs.
If a customer only sometimes gets what he wants and needs, he will look elsewhere. If he gets it late, or it's not quite right, he will look elsewhere. If you miss an appointment, or a deadline, he will look elsewhere. Customers need dependability.
This is a fast-moving world, and people work hard to keep up and get ahead. They come to you because you say you can help them: you can provide a product or service they need. You can fix their car, or paint their wall, or balance their books, or train them to succeed in business. They don't have time to waste waiting for you, or even worse, waiting for your errors to be fixed.
Lack of dependability will destroy your small business success faster than high prices, or mediocre quality, or slow work. Customers will spend more for dependability. They will put up with mediocre (but sufficient) quality if they can count on you. They will allow for the extra day or week if they are confident you will deliver at that time.
Dependability is a rare quality. It is valuable because it is rare. Think of all the times you have been disappointed by lack of dependability, and you will find they are very frequent. Every time you have had to wait in a waiting room; every checkout clerk who has needed to call for a price check; every check that wasn't in the mail; all these and more have made you wish you had a choice. Or when you have had a choice, you have taken it.
Your customers feel the same way about your business when the transaction is not smooth and easy and what they were expecting (or better). You can almost build your whole business on dependability! McDonald's did.
A survey the author did in 1990 of his clients, with over 600 respondents, asked them to place speed, quality, price, and dependability in order of importance. Over fifty percent named dependability as most important. Quality came in second, then speed, then price. There is no reason to think that the responses would be any different today.
Do whatever it takes, is the lesson here. Be on time, meet your deadlines, keep your word, even if it means working all night, paying overtime, losing money on the job, or missing your golf tournament. Be dependable.
If your customers can count on you, they will.
Small business success depends on dependability.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Dewsnap
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