Future-proof Your Business
Ever thought about future-proofing your business? More now than ever, our customers, associates, and staff can keep us accountable for the quality of the service offered.
One example to clarify my point, a consumer package goods company was brought to its knees by consumers that uncovered inconsistencies in its offering. The product positioned in the marketplace as a vitamin product, yet the product had very little vitamin content. Consumers started to blog and use social media to comment negatively on the product, and in short order, the story made the national news. How costly and embarrassing for this company. The ultimate in accountability.
The company did not do the “right thing” or deliver on its brand promise, and the consumer used the power of social media to hold them accountable.
What is your promise?
We all have three sources of accountability:
Top-down – the customer, the boss, and our professional associations.
Bottom-up – social media, our sphere of influence and consumers.
Lateral – competition.
Social media, blogs, and instant communication provide a platform and more power to these groups to hold us accountable.
How are you adapting to this heightened level of accountability? Consider this exercise:
Identify one area in your business where, if you were honest with yourself, you’re not up to par. It could be an internal issue like not having a consistent process in place, winging it or a more severe external problems like the way you interact with competitors. The test for whether you’re up to par is the answer to this simple question:
“If my customers knew everything I know about how we do things, would they still do business with us?”
If the answer is no, you’ve got something to work on and improve. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of as everyone has growth opportunities.
So knowing that you will be increasingly kept accountable, write down at least 1 or 2 things you could start doing immediately that would create measurable improvements in your performance. Commit to at least one and share that with a partner today.
What a great reminder to get our focus on the significant issues now.