business resources
Don't Fade Into The Background: Here's How You Can Personalize Your Business
22 Jun 2017
Don't Fade Into The Background: Here's How You Can Personalize Your Business
In such a diverse, competitive business world, there is often one thing that is lacking: individuality. You may set out creating your startup convinced that the idea you have and the service you provide is totally unique. But when push comes to shove, the corporate status quo can take over, and before you know it, your company has become exactly what you didn't want it to become: generic. This can spell trouble for both your clients and your staff. After all, you don't want your business to get lost in a sea of carbon copies - you need to include a few aspects that make it stand out. One such way to do this is by making efforts to personalize your business, regarding approach, service, and internal communications. Clients these days often struggle to find a service that they feel really cares about them and their needs, and likewise, many employees simply feel like pawns in the game of large companies. These factors can easily leave both parties feeling discouraged, and this is when you may run into issues keeping your business afloat. To claw back the trust of both your customers and your team, here are a few ways in which you can add a more personal touch to your business.
Offering options
A one track business is likely to turn off both clients and employees alike if you are not careful. Companies that operate this way, and offer little room for leverage, immediately show that they are not willing to bend to get the right result for the customer. Every single person who engages with your business is an individual, with individual needs. Offering a mere blanket service - a 'one size fits all' approach - will not hold you in good stead with many people. Perhaps cut down the amount of clients you take on, so you can offer a more quality, bespoke service, with better results.
Going the extra mile
Sometimes, to stand out in business, you need to push for recognition. Having a strong brand that isn't afraid to promote itself is a big part of such personalization, and you can achieve this in some different ways. If your business is product based, why not offer a goods personalization service for your client at the POS point? This is relatively simple to achieve by getting a co2 laser cutter in your office or warehouse. You can do the same for your staff, by getting them personalized office supplies such as pens or mugs - all these are relatively low cost so that it won't be too much skin off your nose, but it still shows that you care about them as an individual.
Always calling back
Although you must always be careful not to overwhelm the client, failing to follow up any business, you have done with them is a rookie error. It makes it appear as though your deal was impersonal, and as if once you have got their money, you don't care anymore. Once a service or transaction is complete, always follow it up with a phone call (never an email) to check that everything went well and that your client is satisfied.
