What do people think of you?

This is a challenging blog as most businesses think they are doing all that is required, some are and many are not.

Yes it does seem an obvious question and many think the answer is obvious, but when did you last actually think about this? It is likely that your customers have a perception about your business; what you do well, what you offer and what you do not. Are these perceptions correct? Do you know these perceptions?

I sometimes find businesses that are quite lost in this area. They are nearly always very well established and profitable and those are quite possibility the reasons why they have gotten a little lost. They feel like all is ok, the bottom line is stable, cash-flow is stable and there are no worries.

It is a very simple perception to tap into. Think of yourself, if you need a tin of paint your mind will instantly take you to one or two sources and you will have perceptions about those sources..expensive? Not a great range? Good advice? Easy to park? Fast delivery? If the sun is shining and you want a beer with a pub lunch, again your mind will take you to a few possible destinations and your mind will have made instant assessments about those options...nice food? nice beer? too busy? nice garden? good service?

It is these perceptions that can define your business. It is these perceptions that others will pass on when asked. It is likely that their perceptions will be the judgements they pass on.

As a consumer it is easy and natural to find things you don't like about any business, you may like the overall business and may be a loyal customer but there will be some things you wish they did differently.

The big problem is that most people don't like to tell you what they don't like about your business, they will find it much easier to tell others! This can be very frustrating for the business owner as most owners I know would change anything in a second if they knew their customers did not like it.

The advice for any individual business is so varied it cannot be condensed into a blog post but certainly there is lots that can be done to both understand these perceptions together with ensuring you benefit from the positive perceptions and manage or change the bad. 

There is some general advice we can offer that applies to most businesses;

• Be open. Let your customers feel they can offer feedback, whether good or bad. Remind them it is the best way for you to serve them and improve what you offer for them.

• If online, offer discount vouchers from the next order for a review of your business.

• If local, offer a suggestion box or a prize draw with a comment card designed as part of the draw entry.

• Have an open day or evening event for clients where clients can pop along and chat informally over a glass of wine while seeing your products or understanding about your services.

• If online, there are great products out there like www.surveymonkey.com who provide a really simple interface for you to ask questions of your customers. This an be a great tool to offer at the end of a checkout process.

It is this fine-tuning of a business that can make a significant difference to the bottom line. Your business is there to serve its customers and it needs to adapt accordingly. If you run your business to suit solely your needs then you are, without doubt, inhibiting its growth.

Talk to SalesFriend, talk to your customers, talk to local people if local, post on forums if online....it's the simplest advice I can offer...talk and ask.

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