Mark Cuban’s 12 Rules For Start-ups.
1. Do not start a company, unless it’s an obsession and something you love.
2. If you have an exit strategy, it’s not an obsession.
3. Hire people who you think will enjoy working there.
4. Sales cure all. Know how your company will make money and how you will actually make sales.
5. Know your core competencies and focus on being great at them.
6. Lunch is a chance to get out of the office and talk.
7. No offices. There is nothing private in a start-up
8. As far as technology, go with what you know.
9. Keep the organization flat.
10. Never buy swag.
11. Never hire a PR company.
12. Make the job fun for employees.
Tune into the needs of your customers before its too late
Last
week I had the task of joining another South African queue, this time at the Home Affairs office in Wynberg. When I got there, I was issued with a queue number: No 92, and told it would be about 2 hrs until I was attended to. So we stood and waited like many of others around us. Now the number system thing allowed us to not have to stand in the actual queue to claim our position, so many wandered off to get breakfast or to browse the local shops in the centre.
One shop caught my attention and perked my interest: a local coffee chop. They say location is the secret to success in retail, and this coffee shop, although small in size was located right next to the Home Affairs office and had a daily captive audience of over 300 people standing waiting right outside their doors. What an opportunity for any small business. But they have just not seen this as any sort of marketing strategy at all. The 4 hours that we were there in the queue (another story for another time) they only had one customer (in picture) who spent a whopping R15 on a take away cup of coffee.
Take a look for a moment at the photo. See the frustrated people in the queue. No look at the coffee shop, nothing, no customers, no invitation to come in, no pleasant greetings at all. Cafe Ombre needs to open their eyes and see what is right outside their doors. The owner/manager sits behind that small curtain area all day doing who knows what and the floor waitress was often just walking around the centre and not even in the shop.
A few marketing strategies are required, here are my suggestions:
- Understand the needs of those in the queue
- Market directly to them with a take away menu that allows then to eat and drink whist in the queue
- Offer them a small discount if they can show their queue ticket
- Co-brand your products with what is on their minds. Something like ID application coffee or passport cheese toasties
- Invite people in to the coffee shop for easy fast meals that they can eat before their number is called
This is just an example of many other businesses that we come across each week that have failed to engage the opportunities that often sit right outside our doors. A simple SWOT analysis exercise will reveal a whole new world for this coffee shop.
5 ways to make customers eat out of your hand: Part 3
Here is part 3 of the excellent customer service skills you must have to have your clients eat out of your hand.
1. Have time management skills
Managing your time properly as a customer service representative can ultimately mean the difference between falling behind in minimum calls required and excelling in the position you are holding.
2. Know your organization
Interacting with your colleagues and being friendly with them will help you if you ever face complex problems. The more people you get to know in your organization the easier it is to work together to ensure that customers are satisfied.
3. Be friendly and compassionate
Your friendly and caring attitude will surely help in creating the right atmosphere for coming to the best solutions.
4. Be a leader
Showing that you are capable of providing new solutions fir customers proves your leadership skills and increases your professionalism.
5. Learn from mistakes
Taking time to reflect on any mistakes you have made is a way for you to gain insight in to how to properly manage customers and effectively communicate at all times.
Learn from mistakes
As Scott Berkun puts it, “It’s never easy to admit you’ve made a mistake, but it’s a crucial step in learning, growing, and improving yourself.” So, as the year 2015 comes to an end, most people take some time to look back at what happened throughout the year and spot the mistakes that they might have made and so on.
Taking time to reflect on any mistakes you have done can be a way of you gaining insight in to how to best manage customers and effectively communicate at all times. You can only learn from a mistake after you admit you’ve made it. Nobody can claim that they do not make mistakes; after all, to err is human isn’t it?. So, admitting to your mistakes is crucial. As soon as you distance yourself from your mistake, you are missing an opportunity to learn and grow.
How to not suck at presenting
Last night we attended the Heavy Chef session hosted by World Wide Creative. This month’s guest speaker was Richard Mulholland from Missing Link. Richard share with us How to not suck at presenting.
Apart from the wonderful antics and stories he shared, there were some gems of wisdom, in particular his four pillars to a great presentation. Here is a short summary of those points:
- Give your audience a reason to care.
- Give them a reason to believe.
- Give them what they need to know.
- Give them what they need to do.
We will share more on this and how to create a kick-ass pitch for your business in the new year. If you want o view the video and download the slides from Richard’s presentation hen head on over to www.heavychef.com