Build the relationships that build your business
This Week@Work, if relationships build and grow a business, but you’re not the one who holds those relationships – you’ve got to start building your own.
Tag: Scale
Positioning Your Business for Success: A Blueprint for Standing Out in the Marketplace
In the ever-changing landscape of business, where startups can skyrocket or vanish overnight, the journey from small business owner to industry veteran is nothing short of remarkable. What should you do when you’ve built a successful business over two, three, or four decades? Should you retire, or should you continue running the show until the end?
The Power of Positioning
Positioning transcends mere marketing—it’s the cornerstone upon which your business is constructed. It shapes your business’s identity, moulds its culture and values, and, when executed effectively, propels revenue and capital growth. To secure a competitive edge, business owners must understand their fundamental positioning and use them as a strategic guide to success.
Defining Your Purpose
Your business’s purpose is more than merely generating profits; it revolves around problem-solving. To unearth your genuine purpose, think about your skills, aptitudes, and interests Start by identifying the problem you aspire to resolve, its cost to your customers, and the impact it has on their lives. Your purpose should revolve around addressing this problem effectively.
Shaping Your Products or Services
Once you’ve ascertained your purpose, it’s time to craft products or services that harmonise with it. Instead of starting with what you can offer, initiate your journey with the problem you’re resolving. This method ensures that your offerings are relevant and invaluable to your target audience. A profound understanding of the problem’s cost empowers you to set the appropriate pricing strategy and generate added value for your clients.
Crafting a Memorable Customer Experience
Your business’s purpose and offerings should organically lead to an exceptional customer experience. This experience transcends a mere transaction; it revolves around your interactions with customers. When your purpose and offerings resonate with your clients, they will feel understood and valued. This, in turn, paves the way for positive engagement and word-of-mouth marketing, thus creating a potent cycle of growth.
The Art of Saying Yes and No
Discerning when to say yes and when to say no is one of the most intricate aspects of positioning. In the early phases of business, saying yes to every opportunity is a common tactic to maintain positive cash flow. However, as you acquire a deeper understanding of your purpose and problem-solving capabilities, you must learn to decline opportunities that do not align with your positioning strategy. This discernment is pivotal for sustaining your focus and establishing a robust brand.
Positioning your business for success involves grasping your purpose, aligning your products or services with that purpose, and delivering an unforgettable customer experience. By concentrating on these components and mastering the art of saying yes or no, you can differentiate your business from the competition and establish a distinct and compelling position in the marketplace.
To listen to the full discussion from the show:
This Week@Work: What do you need to get right in your business in 2024?
This Week@Work 86 established business owners voiced their big challenges at a scale-grow full day workshop.
What are yours?
Embracing Relentless Uncertainty: A Business Owner’s Guide to Thriving in Chaos
In the fast-paced and ever-changing landscape of today’s world, uncertainty has become an inevitable part of life, especially for businesses. The overwhelming influx of variables and challenges can leave even the most experienced entrepreneurs feeling stuck and unsure of their next move. However, there are tactics that can empower you to navigate through uncertainty, seize opportunities, and drive your business forward with confidence and vigor.
In a recent podcast of The Money Show, Pavlo Phitidis explored some essential strategies that can help you embrace and conquer relentless uncertainty.
1. Drip Feed Your Psychic Energy
To combat the mental exhaustion caused by a barrage of uncertainties, learn to draw inspiration and energy from both your past successes and your vision of the future. Reflect on your past achievements to boost your self-confidence and envision a successful future to fuel your motivation. This balance will help you maintain your focus and determination amidst the chaos.
2. Simplify and Group Variables
Facing a multitude of variables simultaneously can lead to a chaotic and overwhelming experience. Instead, simplify the complexity by grouping related variables together. Categorize challenges into themes such as customer issues, capacity problems, and supplier concerns. This organization allows you to tackle each group with a clearer, more effective approach.
3. Visualize and Shape the Challenge
Visualization is a powerful tool for comprehending intricate challenges. Grab a whiteboard or a piece of paper and visually map out all the moving parts and variables involved. This process will help you identify the significant issues rather than getting lost in a sea of minor problems.
4. Break It Down Into Steps
When confronted with an overwhelming challenge, break it down into actionable steps. Focus on the first step and the desired outcome, leading to the second step and it’s outcome, and so on. This approach allows you to test the waters without risking everything upfront. However, be cautious not to abandon an idea prematurely, as some endeavors may take time to gain traction and show results.
5. Envision Multiple Scenarios
The future is uncertain, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare for it. Envision various scenarios, both favorable and unfavorable, to understand potential outcomes and associated risks. This foresight enables you to be proactive and make informed decisions based on the situation at hand.
6. Rely on Data to Objectify
Data is an invaluable asset in navigating uncertainty. Analyze what can be measured and what is tangible. While it may not be feasible to quantify everything, leveraging data can provide invaluable insights and clarity during critical decision-making processes.
7. Get It Out of Your Head
When grappling with complex challenges, avoid keeping everything confined to your thoughts. Talk it through with a trusted colleague, mentor, or even write it down. Hearing yourself or reading your thoughts aloud can shed new light on the quality of your thinking and uncover new perspectives.
8. Seek the Right Guidance
Consult with experienced individuals who have faced similar challenges. Remember, expertise is not solely measured by time, but also by the depth of learning from mistakes and experiences. Engaging in discussions with the right people can provide you with invaluable advice and insights to make more informed choices.
9. Embrace Decisiveness
In an uncertain world, decisive action is a game-changer. Embrace the unpredictability and recognize that taking a stance is essential. Choose a path, and once decided, act deliberately and boldly. Your courage and conviction will set you apart from competitors, enabling you to shape the market rather than reacting to it.
Embrace the chaos, and by doing so, you will not only survive but thrive, becoming a driving force in reshaping your industry and creating a brighter future for your business.
Building Meaningful Customer Relationships: The Key to Sustainable Success in Business
In today’s fast-paced and competitive business landscape, finding, winning, and holding onto customers is the lifeline of any successful venture. However, traditional approaches like door-to-door selling and social media bombardment have lost their charm, leaving businesses wondering about the next viable strategy. In this blog, we delve into the essence of what you are really selling when you make that initial customer call – is it a product, a solution, or a relationship?
Product Selling: Showing Up and Throwing Up Product selling is often characterized by the one-sided presentation of features and benefits. The focus is on pushing the product onto the customer, hoping that it will somehow meet their needs. However, in today’s market, customers are savvy and skeptical, and such tactics may leave them disinterested or turned off.
Solution Selling: Unveiling Benefits The approach of solution selling involves understanding the customer’s pain points and presenting the product as a solution to their specific problems. It’s about highlighting the benefits that the customer would gain by using the product. While better than product selling, it still lacks a personalized touch that resonates deeply with the customer.
Relationship Selling: The Power of Trust Building a relationship with the customer is the most effective and sustainable approach. It involves taking the time to know your audience, their needs, and the genesis of their challenges. When you build trust and familiarity, customers feel valued and understood, leading to genuine interest in engaging with your business.
The Foundation of Relationship-Selling Engagement
- Know Your Audience: Understand who your target customers are, what drives them, and what problems they face.
- Identify the Problem: Clearly define the issue your product or service solves. This is not just about the surface problem but digging deeper to grasp its roots.
- Empathize with the Customer’s Journey: Recognize how your potential customers search for solutions, learn about them, and set their expectations for the fulfilment process.
- Shift Cognitive Biases: Often, customers don’t know what they don’t know. Earning a relationship allows you to help them understand the value you bring.
Building Strong Customer Relationships: Points to Consider
- Be Fully Present: Avoid multitasking during interactions with customers. Give them your undivided attention.
- Listen Actively: Focus on hearing what the customer is saying rather than formulating your reply.
- Be Curious: Show genuine interest in learning more about your customers’ needs and challenges.
- Ask Open-Ended Questions: Encourage meaningful discussions by asking questions that require more than a simple “yes” or “no.”
- Let Conversations Flow Naturally: Avoid forced sales pitches and let ideas and stories unfold naturally.
- Inject Humor and Authenticity: Build rapport by using humor appropriately and being genuine.
- Admit When You Don’t Know: It’s okay not to have all the answers. Customers appreciate honesty.
- Follow Through on Commitments: Deliver on promises made to build trust and reliability.
- Organize Your Engagement: Provide structure to the conversation while allowing flexibility.
- Respect and Empathize: Treat every customer with respect and be sensitive to their unique circumstances.
- Avoid Judgments: Stay open-minded and refrain from making assumptions about your customers.
In the evolving world of business, the key to success lies in building meaningful relationships with customers. Understanding their needs, communicating authentically, and earning trust can make all the difference. So, as you make that initial call to a potential customer, remember that what you are selling is not just a product or a solution – it’s the beginning of a long-lasting relationship.
To listen to to the radio discussion
Building an International Brand: Uniting Big and Small Businesses
In the dynamic landscape of business, building an international brand is a dream for many companies. The potential to see their products showcased on global shelves is within reach, but achieving this goal requires a collaborative effort between big and small businesses. In this blog, we explore the key elements that pave the path towards international success
Unforgiving Consistency – The Cornerstone of Quality:
To establish a brand that transcends borders, unwavering quality is paramount. Customers worldwide seek products they can rely on, and that reliability stems from unforgiving consistency. This means ensuring that every unit leaving your premises meets the highest standards, with no compromise.
Proof – Demonstrating Reliability and Viability:
The global market demands more than mere claims. To conquer international shelves, your products must offer tangible proof of their worth. From functionality to serviceability, from production to supply, your offerings must showcase their capabilities. Providing solid evidence of your product’s performance is what sets you apart from the competition.
Story – Captivating the World’s Imagination:
Amidst the clamour of countless products, stories have the power to captivate and connect. Most brands have a rich tapestry of narratives to tell, stories that resonate with diverse audiences. These stories breathe life into products, forging an emotional bond with consumers worldwide. Embrace the power of storytelling to rise above the noise and create a lasting impact.
Scale – Delivering Beyond Expectations:
Global retailers demand products they can count on – products that can be delivered at scale. Meeting this criterion is essential for gaining their trust and loyalty. Furthermore, financial stability is vital to fund operations and navigate potential stock outs. By demonstrating your capability to scale, you position yourself as a reliable partner for international retailers.
Investment – Dedication that Drives Success:
Building an international brand demands significant investment – not just financially, but also in terms of time, commitment, and passion. Business owners must be willing to invest their heart and soul into this endeavor. Only then can they weather the challenges and complexities that come with expanding on a global stage.
A Challenge for Big Retailers and Dedicated SMEs:
For both established retailers and ambitious SMEs, building an international brand is a collective challenge that can be overcome through collaboration. Here’s a five-step approach to help embark on this journey together:
- Identify Potential Categories:
Identify product categories where your local offerings have the potential to replace imported products. Focusing on these niches will increase your chances of success.
- Set Clear Objectives:
Define the quality, volume, promotion, and pricing specifications necessary to compete with existing imported products. Clarity in your objectives will guide your path forward.
- Seek Dedicated SMEs:
Reach out to ten passionate and dedicated SMEs that have the desire to step onto the international stage. Collaborate with these businesses to create a robust support system.
- Progressive Contracts:
Formulate five-year progressive contracts with these SMEs. These agreements will enable both parties to evolve and adapt to changing market demands.
- Uphold Service Level Agreements (SLAs):
Throughout this partnership, never compromise on Service Level Agreements (SLAs). High standards and consistent delivery are the pillars of success.
Building an international brand is a journey that begins at home. The partnership between big retailers and committed SMEs is the driving force behind achieving this vision. By embracing quality, providing undeniable proof, telling captivating stories, demonstrating scalability, and investing wholeheartedly, domestic businesses can rise above borders and shine on the global stage.
To listen to to the radio discussion click here
Fuelling Vibrancy in an Economy: Unleashing the Power of Competition, Innovation, Funding, and Talent
Discover the key drivers behind a vibrant economy as discussed on a recent Money Show insert with Pavlo Phitidis and Bruce Whitfield. This highlighted the crucial factors of competition, innovation, funding, and talent and their role in shaping economic landscapes. Here we delve into the main takeaways from the show, exploring how individuals and businesses can contribute to building a thriving economy.
Competition Drives Progress: Competition is the driving force behind growth and progress in any economy. When businesses compete, they are motivated to constantly improve their products and services. This healthy competition fosters innovation and encourages companies to develop groundbreaking ideas and solutions that address market needs.
Innovation and Funding for Success: Innovation is the lifeblood of success in today’s fast-paced business world. It requires adequate funding to thrive. Access to capital is essential for businesses of all sizes as it enables them to invest in research and development, upgrade infrastructure, and expand their operations. Adequate funding also plays a vital role in attracting and retaining top talent.
Talent as the Engine of Success: Talent is a critical driver of success for any enterprise. Skilled individuals with expertise and creativity propel businesses forward. Whether large corporations or small startups, attracting and retaining top talent is crucial for driving innovation and achieving sustainable growth. Nurturing talent within an economy is vital for long-term prosperity.
Roles of Different-Sized Businesses:
Understanding the roles played by businesses of different sizes is key to fostering economic vibrancy.
- Large Corporations: Large corporations focus on distribution, leveraging their extensive networks to efficiently bring products and services to consumers. Their ability to reach a wide customer base and operate on a large scale drives economic growth and stability.
- Medium-Sized Businesses: Medium-sized businesses play a crucial role in new market development. Their agility and flexibility allow them to explore emerging markets, identify untapped opportunities, and pioneer innovative solutions. These businesses drive economic expansion by adapting to evolving market trends.
- Small Businesses: Small businesses contribute to the economy through innovation at the edges. They bring fresh ideas, niche products, and specialized services to the market. Their ability to swiftly adapt and experiment fosters diversity and resilience within the business ecosystem. Small businesses often serve as incubators for innovative concepts that can eventually scale up and benefit the broader economy. Building an Economy: Key Insights: The radio show provided valuable insights on building a robust economy. Here are some key takeaways:
- Take initiative and don’t wait for external forces to improve your circumstances. Start pursuing your entrepreneurial ambitions now
- Medium-sized businesses are the bridge from the large to small enterprises. They can maintain their agility by embracing smart strategies and leveraging contracting and consulting opportunities.
- Set a single destination and adopt a focused approach to navigate challenges and seize opportunities. Learn from past experiences, take ownership of decisions, and leverage acquired knowledge.
- Uphold ethical practices, avoid theft, late payments, and animosity towards competitors. Foster collaboration and continuous learning as part of a healthy business environment.
To listen to the full discussion from the show:
Unleashing Scalability: Driving Sustainable Business Growth
Scalability is not the same as growth. Scalability proceeds growth as it is the process of preparing the business to handle increased workload and customer demands without compromising performance or incurring excessive costs.
One of the best indicators of a scalable business is to see if they grow not only revenue, but profitability too, as their costs don’t rise in tandem with their revenue increase.
To listen to the full discussion from the show:
This Week@Work: What does it mean to scale up a business?
This Week@Work Pavlo had the honour of learning about some of the UK’s best Scale Up businesses as he is a judge for the Business Leader Scale UP awards.
It’s clear which businesses are getting it right and what they are doing right. Watch to see what makes a business genuinely scalable.
Building While You Fly: Achieving Sustainable Growth for Your Business
Introduction: Building a successful business is akin to our personal development journey. Just as we evolve from infancy to adulthood, our businesses must also adapt and grow to support their expanding needs. Relying on the same foundation that launched your business may hinder its potential for growth. To avoid adverse outcomes such as being trapped in the day-to-day operations, losing customers, team members, and suppliers, and stagnant growth, it is crucial to embrace the concept of building while you fly. In other words, as your business takes off, you must continuously improve and upgrade your infrastructure to soar higher and achieve sustainable growth.
- Evolving with the Right Chassis: Similar to our musculoskeletal system adapting to support our growth, your business needs a strong foundation that can accommodate its expanding size and ambitions. The chassis that served you well during the initial stages may not be suitable for long-term growth. By recognizing the need for a more robust infrastructure, you can build it out to operate independently of you and thrive beyond your individual efforts.
- Escaping the Life of Firefighting: Failing to build while you fly often leaves you in a never-ending cycle of firefighting. You find yourself constantly addressing urgent issues, unable to focus on strategic growth initiatives. By investing time and resources into building a solid foundation, you can release yourself from the daily operational challenges and gain the freedom to concentrate on driving your business forward.
- Safeguarding Customers, Teams, and Suppliers: If you don’t evolve your business, it can have detrimental effects on your relationships with customers, team members, and suppliers. As your competitors adapt to changing market demands, you risk losing customers who seek innovative solutions elsewhere. Additionally, without a scalable infrastructure, your team may become overwhelmed, leading to disengagement or turnover. Suppliers, too, may be hesitant to collaborate if they perceive your business as stagnant. Building while you fly ensures that you retain these crucial stakeholders and foster long-term relationships based on growth and mutual success.
- Embracing a Virtuous Cycle of Growth: Stagnant growth can create a negative feedback loop, draining your business of vitality and potential. On the other hand, building while you fly establishes a virtuous cycle of growth and confidence. By consistently investing in your business and upgrading its capabilities, you attract the right opportunities and talent, further fuelling your growth trajectory. This cycle fosters an environment of continuous improvement and optimism, empowering your business to reach new heights.
- The 9-5 Operation and 5-9 Investment: To successfully build while you fly, it is essential to strike a balance between day-to-day operations and investing in future growth. The traditional 9-5 work schedule may fulfil immediate responsibilities, but dedicating the 5-9 time slot to strategic planning, skill development, and innovation is equally crucial. By allocating time outside regular working hours to invest in your business, you can unlock numerous benefits.
Benefits of Building While You Fly:
Sustained Passion: By embracing the mindset of building while you fly, you remain enthusiastic about your business, constantly discovering new facets of yourself, your industry, and its potential.
Increased Efficiency: Investing time in growth-oriented activities allows you to optimize processes, improve productivity, and streamline operations, resulting in time saved that can be redirected toward expansion.
Competitive Advantage: Remaining proactive and forward-thinking positions your business on the front foot, ready to seize opportunities and adapt to industry shifts, enabling you to attract the right collaborators and stay ahead of the competition.
Sustainable Growth: Building while you fly propels your business toward sustained growth and success, as you continuously upgrade your infrastructure, attract new customers, nurture your team, and forge stronger partnerships. Building while you fly is a critical concept for achieving sustainable growth in your business. By acknowledging the need for ongoing evolution, you can avoid stagnation and unlock your business’s full potential. Escaping the life of firefighting, safeguarding valuable relationships, and fostering a cycle of growth and confidence are the rewards of investing time and resources into upgrading your infrastructure. Embrace the 9-5 operation and 5-9 investment approach, and you will witness your business soar to new heights, driven by continuous improvement and a passion for progress.
To listen to the full discussion from the show: