Read Part 1: Are you Running A Communist Business? Part 1Read Original article by Perry Marshall: http://bit.ly/18rssEIn Part 1 of this post, I discussed the issue of presenting your business in a honest light through marketing and advertising, without using propaganda and false hype. Today I want to bring the idea of propaganda into the workplace. In order to really drive the point home, I want to offer a direct quote from the original article:The name of the game in a communist government is information control, yet it is no different in a big corporation.Think about it:At a large company, is it OK to talk about religion?At a large company, is it OK to voice politically incorrect views?At a large company, is it OK to send emails that say what you REALLY think about the company's new product line or CEO?Of course not. There may be……unpleasant consequences for such things.So if you ever wanted to know what it's like to live in a communist country, you may already be working for one - except only 8 hours a day.Does this ring true for your businesses? Perhaps some of the businesses you have escaped from in the past?One thing I know about the pool industry is that there are a lot of smaller, family run businesses. This sort of insider propaganda probably would not apply to a “mom-and-pop” store, right?There are large corporations out there in the pool industry as well: retail chains, distributors, etc. How are they running their business?Obviously, each business will have their own policies, and I am certainly not about to try and correct them or even challenge them in the slightest. I do, however, want to call attention to the incredible opportunities awaiting companies who ask / allow a little bit of controversy into their businesses.Marshall touched down on religion and politics, which I am going to avoid like the plague (that is too much controversy for this girl!). But I want you to think about that last point: Is it OK for you and / or your employees to offer honest feedback on the business?In my opinion, employee feedback is one of the business world's most valuable, untapped, resources. Management doesn't typically spend as much time face-to-face with their customers as the sales staff on the floor does. Paperwork, schedules, ordering and many more important daily tasks will keep you off the floor and out of reach of your clientele to some extent. Your sales staff though...Have you ever done a survey of your sales staff to find out what the top three items people come to them asking about? Do you think that would be valuable information?Have you ever asked your staff what they think of the store layout, and if they have any ideas on how you can make it more accessible to your customers? Remember, the staff you have on the floor are privy to a wealth of information simply by being the person who gets to answer the questions like “where do you keep your filters / chlorine / pool noodles?” If you knew what your customers were asking for, you would know a) what is popular, b) what is hard to find and c) most importantly, what is popular that is hard to find.There are many other ways that you can improve your store, simply by asking your staff to tell you what they think could be done better. If you are willing to allow fresh ideas, your business will always be new and appealing.I'd love to hear your feedback, and learn ways that you have encouraged the sharing of fresh ideas within your business. Please, leave comments!
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I read a very short blog post, written by Michael Wade. The title summed up the post quite nicely: “Let us Thank our Competitors.”I strongly recommend you all visit this post and read it: Let us Thank our Competitors. It is short, don’t worry. I would then recommend reading all the comments below. It is very insightful to find how many other businesses value their competitors for some reason or other. You will even find a comment from yours truly.I decided that this idea of competition merits a bit more of a contemplation.Wade believes that our competitors bring value by showing us our flaws and encouraging us to continuously provide our best because if we don’t our competitors will beat us. I believe that we should continuously be searching for our own flaws in order to fix them and offer our customers our best because that is the mark of a superior company.In a comment that he wrote below this post, he also mentioned that “if we didn’t have competitors, we’d have to invent them, or we’d become slugs.” While this is undoubtedly true for many folks out there in the business world, it is too depressing to contemplate and I would prefer to believe that any of you pro-active enough to be reading blogs about bettering your business do not need such negative motivation to keep you from becoming a drooling, oozing, sloth-paced, worm-like creature.My comment sounds more like this: if you have competition, than that means that the product or service you offer is worth imitating, duplicating, improving or otherwise competing against. Therefore, your customers will see value in your product or service because other companies obviously find your product / service smart enough to want in on your playing field.Another realization that is depressing when you think about it, but undoubtedly true, is the fact that people want what other people want. Just like sheep, we all flock together. If no one is imitating you, why should your customer want what you’ve got?Competition is a value in and of itself. Not to mention we live in a capitalist society built on the foundation of competition. If you live in North America you should fairly idolize competition, so why do so many people cry over the injustice of someone “stealing” their business?If you are losing your business to a competitor than you should figure out why. Once you have discovered that they are beating you on price, proving a superior product, offering better service or whatever the reason may be, MAKE YOURS BETTER.Competition breeds quality which is a wonderful, fabulous, and very important part of our business world. As a customer, you want the best product for your money, right? Well, as a provider you better be willing to offer the best product for the customer’s money.As far as I’m concerned, when I hear people whining about competition it’s usually because they are too lazy to win back their customers. You can’t get something for nothing!I hope you enjoyed this tough love session and I wish you the best of luck—yes, even you, you competitors of mine!
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I have just finished reading a post from Perry Marshall titled “Epiphany in Communist China.” He made a few very interesting comparisons, which I wanted to share with you, adding my two “sense” of course.First of all, he likens Chinese propaganda (“In the newspapers, the only thing you can be sure it true is the date”) to business press releases. Secondly, he draws attention to interesting parallels between communist government policies and business policies.Which encourages me to pose a question for all the movers and shakers in our dear pool industry: are you running a communist business?While Marshall only mentions press releases, propaganda can be found in advertisements, websites, articles and many other sources. Are you telling the truth when you talk about your products and service?When we are dealing with other business people, it is not uncommon to wonder if we are “being had.” Our first instinct is to never trust a salesman, because you just know they are trying to pull something over on you. If this is your first impression of the people who you deal with, it begs to question how other feel when they are dealing with you as a business leader.Working with Flexible Solutions we often come across customers who are worried that we are offering a 'snake oil'. Honestly, if you can't see it, smell it, taste it or feel it, who's to say that there really is a liquid pool cover protecting a pool from heat loss and wasted energy? Trust me, I am not a stranger to skepticism. And I know I am not the only one out there.We have based our company image as the Liquid Pool Cover Experts who actually provide proof. We offer test results, testimonials, safety data and 15 years of accumulated experience. Still, people are not always sold. Why? Because there are others out there making claims that they cannot support.Are you having this problem? When you offer premium support, service and products, do your customers waver because they have had less than satisfactory experiences in the past? How do you combat a reputation that is not yours? How do you present an image of truth, trust and reliability? How do you prove that you are not just spouting propaganda?I'd love your feedback and stories, so please leave comments and / or send me a message.In Part 2 I will talk about the parallels between Communist government policies and some business policies.If you'd like to read the original article, you can find it here: http://bit.ly/18rssERead more…
