Yesterday, I attended an Innovation Forum hosted by Gympie Regional Council. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, nor what my role would be exactly, but, was very surprised with the synergy amongst speakers, despite their differing positions within the customer, consultant and provider spectrum. The most common theme was a need to analyse your business, by listening to both internal and external sources. Today, I'll cover the external side of things, and, hopefully encourage you to do the same with your business. There were more personal stories about internal feedback, but we'll cover that later.
External Feedback
We all know that customer is key and we should be placing the relevant weight on their feedback, however, if you are getting customer feedback through measures such as a one-size-fits-all form that you periodically email at the end of a contract or task, you may be missing out on the information you really need. Life can rarely be defined in a 1-to-5 sliding scale.
One of the presentations was by Gil Harkness from the Advanced Manufacturing Advisory Service. From his list of Eight Deadly Wastes in Manufacturing, number one was Over Production and number two was Excess Inventory. Whilst the latter can be a result of the former, both can be circumvented by looking at (generally) trends in the market place, but more importantly (and specifically) by maintaining strong communication with your customer. Whether they be retail or trade customers, their own level of communication with their customers, drives their own purchasing behaviour. Maintaining a strong personal relationship is the key to identifying trends much earlier than you will get from focus groups or box ticking surveys.
Small and Micro Business owners may find yourselves a little short on feedback, since sometimes your engagement period can be a little shorter. That is where networking can serve as another valuable external input. Justin from GreenTreeIT is a local service provider in the IT industry but is also a member of a very strong network group called the "Go Getters". By collaborating with other local businesses [and yes, all you small and micro business owners know that collaboration sometimes just means a trip to the local supplier of caffeine], they can pass leads amongst themselves. This constant communication allows members to become more aware of your capabilities and also ensures that when another member tells you about an opportunity, they know that you will repay the favour when the ball is in your court. Networks are also a great way to get immediate feedback on how you operate your business, obtain ideas about how to improve it, and, it just feels good to help out a friend.
Gina Lofaro from Wordmistress is another great example of how to do it right. I turned up at one of her informal get togethers and many of the attendants were also her customers. By extending her business relationship further into the personal realm, she now has affordable and reliable access to where her customers are heading, allowing her own products and services to remain relevant to those most important to her.
So are YOU a great listener?
There are many sources on the 'net were you can find local networking groups and even get feedback without leaving your home.
For Australian small and micro business owners, I strongly recommend a trip to Flying Solo. Not only do they have great forums, but also, it is a great central location for advice on start ups and plenty of articles that actually answer questions relevant to small business, because most of the articles are written by small business owners.
But please, above all, remember to get out there, have a chat and listen!
......or you could stay at home and stare at an excel spreadsheet with survey figures on it.
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