We’re nearly at the end of the Alphabet for Web Business series. I hope you’ve enjoyed the snippets of wisdom and sparks of thought. Here are four more to encourage you further…
S is for Systems
I’m not talking operating systems when I say system. I’m talking workflow and processes. How often do you take a look at your existing workflow and try to find new ways to improve your processes?
I’m taking it for granted you have these systems all documented – you would be crazy if you didn’t. So, do you and your team just keep repeating the same tasks over and over without a fresh look? I found one of the best ways for me to look at workflow improvements was to ask each team member to identify the one process they would really like to change. You ask ten employees, and you start to see patterns emerging.
Take it upon yourself to listen and act – you’ll be pleased at the improvements, and your team will appreciate the opportunity.
T is for Time
No matter what we do, we still only have 24 hours in each day. Nature takes care of that, and although we try to always push the envelope, time really is very finite.
Now that we know this, how should we spend it? We all spend much of our lives on low value or low return activities – why do we keep doing this? Take a moment to consider what is actually important for you and for the business, and take a fresh look at how you spend your week – I’m sure a few small changes will give you big returns.
U is for Upselling
We’ve all been through that worldwide burger chain, where they ask if you would like fries or drinks with that. For them, the 15% of customers quoted who take them up on the offer equals millions in revenue each day.
Now, I’m not suggesting selling steak knives with a website, however if you can fulfill your customers’ needs with an add-on, offer it! The worst that can happen is they don’t take you up on it. Be sincere, don’t sell a related product or service for the sake of it – ensure your client can benefit from it first.
V is for Value
Something I learnt early on in business is that you should talk value not price. See, I know really cheap products that will only last three months, and I know products asking four times the price that will last five years – which of those has the greater value?
Work on educating your clients: value and price don’t have the same meaning. Talk less about costs and more about your benefits: using value to sell is far more effective than beating your competitors on price.
Miles BurkeAs Director of Bam Creative, and Chairperson of the Australian Web Industry Association, Miles spends his time managing his business or speaking about managing businesses. Recently awarded as one of the top Western Australian entrepreneurs under 40 years old, Miles can also be found writing at his blog.
