Friday, October 31, 2014

The Foundation of your Business: Creating Customer Satisfaction

A very critical factor in today’s world is to understand how a successful business looks like. You might be selling pizza, tiles, be a dentist or having a much larger company. But regardless of the size, we all - and specially the business owners and the entrepreneurs who created the companies - need to be very clear as to which key and critical factors are necessary to make a business successful in today's economy.

When you build a building, you always start with the foundation. And what is the foundation? It is the basis on which you create your company. The purpose of a business is not to make a profit; the purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer. Brian Tracy, whom I have the privilege to work with at FocalPoint Coaching, mentioned that “of all the focus of everyone in the business, 80% has to be on customer creation, and the other 20% has to be on customer keeping.” And customer keeping is taking such good care of your customers after the sale that he or she will either be back for more business or better yet, refer your company to their associates.

When you understand that the purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer, you design the methods and ideas that will make your company grow. And then you get in front of another important question: what is the measure of a successful business? The answer is customer satisfaction. The customer uses the product or the service you sell, and is so happy that they decide to buy your product or service over and over again.

And how do we measure customer satisfaction? The answer is repeat business. The customer buys it and is so happy they buy it again and tell their friends, and then buy some more. Here's the final, ultimate- and this is breakthrough stuff- the ultimate of successful business is that customers recommend you enthusiastically to others and say, "You've got to buy this product or service like I did."

In our comany we believe that you can transform your customers into your best salespeople, your advocates. The key to all of this - the foundation- is creating a great product or service that makes people happy, that causes them to buy again and causes them to enthusiastically tell their friends, and that has to be the central focal purpose of everything you do in business.

If you would like to get more information on how we can help you improve your sales team and improve your customer satisfaction, you can contact us at info@luisvicentegarcia.com .

Keep on being successful!

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Start Early on Entrepreneurship!

Entrepreneurship is about daring, taking chances, not knowing where you are going and yet, taking action. Entrepreneurship is about movement, using action verbs, about implementing strategies to fulfill your dreams. I say fulfill as you will reach them along the way and then you, the entrepreneur, will be looking for new ways to improve your company, your team, your performance; in the simplest way, to improve yourself.

As a business performance consultant I meet regularly with business owners and entrepreneurs alike. And yes, there is a big difference in their definition. While business owners most times manage their companies, entrepreneurs look for ways to innovate, create and constantly improve. You may agree or disagree with me on this definition, but put some thought into it. Most successful entrepreneurs I have interviewed have mainly one regret, not having started earlier. However, the good thing I tell them is that they have started already. And the only way you will succeed in life and in business is if you put your heart and soul into making your company, your enterprise, successful.

This is what entrepreneurs do every single day. They start with a dream and then go working out of their way to see it become a reality.

As the title of this short article suggests, you need to start early.  And then start again and again until you get it right and do it right. Taking the first step gets you going and moves you in a direction. It may not be the right one; you might have to change courses from time to time; so you have to set your mind on your goals. Developing your goals and creating the strategies to implement them is of crucial importance.

So start early. Your idea does not have to be perfect; nor does your plan (and of course you do need a plan). But until you start you will never know what you will need to change, to adapt, to modify. Simply put, start and start early so that you can become the entrepreneur you have in you.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Q4 Starts Today!


Dear Friends,

This has been a very fast paced year, or at least it seems so. Have you set aside a time to review your plan and focus on what matters most? Have you celebrated the many accomplishments you have had during the year? Are you still working on those goals you set out to achieve?

If the answers to all of these questions were ‘YES’, well, congratulations. If you had a ‘no’ among these answers, the good news is that you still have time:

·         Time to redefine and adjust your goals: Always do something that gets you closer to your goal. Remember that your strategy remains the same, but you need to be flexible on your goals (if your goal is too big, then create sub-goals);

·         Time to focus on your plan: what have you achieved so far in 2014? Are you working on your clients the way you should be nurturing and monitoring them? Remember that usually Q4 is the best quarter of the year;

·         Time to celebrate: regardless of the importance of your achievements, celebrate them. If you have had many achievements, celebrate even more. And if you have not done so, plan a big end-year celebration where you can recognize your achievements and those of your team members who helped in achieving them. Remember: Teams are comprised of people that work and perform better when working together.

New research has indicated that it is very important to share your stories, to work in your brand, to focus on your marketing, and to make your team more productive while working together. In working with companies develop their strategic plan we have realized that to tap into the full potential of all of your employees, you need to share your Q4 Plan with more than just a few people at the top. Whether you schedule a company meeting and explain it or post the plan around your company, do whatever is most effective to make sure everyone clearly understands their role in making Q4 a success.’

Work on your company, on your team, on your goals and create your plan to a really great Q4. To learn how we can help you and your company achieve your goals while working on your strategies and improving your performance, please contact us at info@luisvicentegarcia.com or visit our web page www.coachluisgarcia.com  

“You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.” - Les Brown

To your Success,
Luis Vicente