| Substituting
Imagination for Excuses By Craig A. Steffen
There are a million excuses. Between
you and me, we’ve probably heard (or used) most of them. “The economy’s down, so we’ll miss
our forecast.” “The competition has
that new product, that’s why we’re not selling ours.” “The sun was in my eyes and I had a rock in
my shoe.”
An excuse is blaming our circumstances on something beyond our
control rather than changing our circumstances using things that we do control. The good news is that if we acknowledge that
we’re making excuses, we create an opportunity to change. Since you’re reading this article,
you’re going to become one of the enlightened – that’s a competitive
advantage.
The problem with excuses is that they reveal only the limitations of
our imagination. We’re tempted to use an
excuse when we run out of ideas for change. We
often forget how to change when we lose focus on what our businesses are all about –
Customers.
It is quite common for companies to get so caught up in
products, org charts, budgets and competitors that they slowly lose focus on customers. Because it doesn’t happen overnight,
it’s rare for companies to notice or admit that it has happened to them. But it happens to all of us.
There are many legitimate market forces that one can use to fabricate
an excuse. But if your business is down, or
your growth is slower than anticipated, it’s really just an opportunity to re-focus
on your customers. What do they need? How can we work with our customer to weather these
difficult times? What else can we make or do
to serve our customers better or more fully?
Here are a few insights to help you take advantage of your newfound
customer opportunity:
- Use your
imagination – don’t define your company or your product too narrowly
- Don’t think
of yourself as offering product X, Y or Z – think of yourself as a servant to your
customers
- It’s
important to know your corporate identity – but it’s more important to know your
customer
- Consider ALL of
your customer’s needs – don’t fixate on one product or service
- If your product
needs to be improved or replaced, do it with the future needs of your customers in mind
Remember, every company was once a “growth company.”
When they started making excuses instead of taking control of meeting their
customer’s needs, they became obsolete. It’s
one of the immutable laws of business.
Take control of your situation. Getting help from an outside
expert is almost always a good idea. Call Paraclete Consulting today for a free
initial consultation.
I
still recall the slogan printed on every paycheck I got from my first job after high
school; “Customers are King, they make payday possible.” Then and now, we all benefit from a little
reminder.
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