Is this how you think of your business?

From the desk of Roy Furr, Monday, 3:54 pm

Here are my core business values. Do you agree?

On products:

Get the product right. A better mousetrap alone WILL NOT cause the world to beat a path to your door. But selling a bad product will cause an angry mob to pave a superhighway to your door. So get it right in the first place. What a fantastic product will do is sustain momentum, lead to repeat business, and create killer word of mouth. And that sure helps your marketing and sales efforts!

On customer needs and profits:

Finding new and unique ways to identify and better serve customer needs is priority #1. Businesses and business owners do have bosses — they’re just called clients and customers. Satisfy them, you get a raise. Don’t satisfy them, your pay goes down. You agree that this short term focus on customer needs over profits will lead to better long-term growth and profits.

On marketing:

Marketing is salesmanship multiplied. You recognize that direct response marketing is usually a better investment than branding. You’re willing to spend money to test new marketing, and increase spending as results warrant. Classic direct response marketing and advertising books like “Scientific Advertising” by Claude Hopkins and “Ogilvy on Advertising” by David Ogilvy hold a place of esteem on your book shelf.

On sales:

Salesmanship requires identifying customer needs, and identifying how your product or service meets these needs. You and your team use systematic methods to open the sales conversation, qualify prospects, build desire, and finally close the sale. But you’re not running a boiler room operation — you care for your customers and work with them as individuals with individual needs, and it shows in every interaction.

On business optimization:

Test, test, test. You realize that secretaries can sometimes have better ideas than CEOs, and you’re willing to test an idea in the marketplace because that’s the only place you’ll get votes that count. You value your team — you listen to them, weigh their input, and work with them to get buy-in on your big ideas. And you’re always working to improve all aspects of your business.

On employees:

A big part of the success of any business is in its employees. Employees are encouraged to do more, and to stretch their abilities in new an unique ways to benefit the business. Contribution to the company is valued above all measures — your employment packages give superstar employees near unlimited earning potential based on the results they bring.

What do you think?

- R

Tags: products, better mousetrap, repeat business, word of mouth, customer needs, profits, marketing, direct response marketing, advertising, Scientific Advertising, Claude Hopkins, Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy, sales, Salesmanship, business optimization, employees, superstar employees

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