The end of business as usual
In this blog I will explore why I believe that this is a unique time in the history of business and how this is just the beginning. There is a huge change going on right around us and it cannot be ignored.
The title of this blog is not mine, It felt fitting for my take on things but its in fact a book title for the amazing author and speaker Brian Solis. However it sums up exactly what I wanted to blog about today but I cannot take any credit for the title.
So what do I mean by the end of business as usual? Transactional based business is evaporating slowly but surely.
Also average is no longer acceptable its everywhere but today's consumers no longer have to settle for it.
The internet has giving us an amazing market that enables us to buy almost anything and on a self serve basis.
What this self serve model has given us is the ability to dictate our own buying process where and when we want.
We expect to find the answers we want and if you don't provide it somewhere someone else will. We are all in the business of trust now and those that spend the time and money to nurture a community a build relationships and not just concentrate on the buy button are going to be the winners.
I know what I am suggesting is maybe not what you want to hear. But is your phone ringing as much as it used too?
So even if you have the talent and the skills you still have to meet your prospects where they are and expect you to be.
You still have to build relationships and make your prospects and customers choose you. Only by creating remarkable, useful and valuable experiences will people consider you. And if they don't there is something missing, maybe you are not telling your story and making people want to be part of it. We buy stories not skills.
Ask yourself this question "why should they choose you?"
Are your reasons compelling enough? What makes you stand out from the average? We have more choice now than ever before and we are able to do so much more with less.
So what can you do about it? First of all I would suggest starting with your customers. They have chosen you already and its imperative you keep them and understand why they choose you. Find out why and also find out what you could do better.
Then create a marketing plan for your customers! Yes that's right market to your customers. Create resources and helpful content and tools to enable them to get the very best of out of your product or service. By wowing them with an amazing experience they will do 2 things.
1) Stick around, why would they go anywhere else if you provide an amazing experience? Even if your more expensive they will want to work with you.
2) They will tell others, we all want a great service and when we get the chance we love to recommend. We do this because it makes us look good.
We all know this right? I am not telling you anything you didn't know, but do you have a marketing plan in place for your customers?
After this there is lots you can do and too much for 1 blog post. But ultimately you need to understand that the playing field has changed and its those that adapt quickest are going to not only survive but thrive.
As humans this should be natural for us. Are humans still alive and thriving because we were the strongest? No we survived and thrived because we adapted. The environment is always changing and we have to keep adapting. Take the time to look at your environment (industry) and see what is changing or changed and how will you adapt?
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Author- Speaker - Consultant. Passionate about all things digital.