2015 Is Here – You Need To Change Your Entrepreneurial StrategyKuza Blog

Have you ever listened to a boring conversation? Once I (the writer) listened to a gathering of (probably) great minds from “Great Universities” of the world talking about a very popular topic in History. This was a public lecture and as you know the target audience was the general public…me included.

I tried – more than once – to get through the whole conversation, but I couldn’t do it.

I refuse to admit that the “great thinkers” were smarter than I am, but frankly speaking I had difficulty following their debate.

Each of the speakers seemed to support his arguments with obscure references from his historical studies
All of them spoke in an apologetic tone trying to shield themselves from any other historian who would probably dispute or disagree with what they were saying

They droned and used jargon, and their words were targeted at their colleagues and not at us (the audience). I walked out of the lecture room before the end of the session and to-date I still don’t have an idea of the names of the speakers.I did not gain much from that meeting and I don’t think I’ll be eager to attend a similar one soon.

In contrast, some time back I listened to a podcast by Robin Sharma, a popular motivational speaker. He talked about The Game Changer’s Protocol. He talked simply as if talking to an ordinary Mwananchi like you and me. I could almost hear him bouncing with enthusiasm as he clearly put his points across.

That talk left me energized, inspired and ready to sign up for more of his trainings. I even sent the link to the podcast to a few of my friends via email.

So, what can SME owner learn from these two scenarios? When it comes to engaging with our audience (read customers), we tend to take the “Great Thinkers” approach and we end up losing it. We spend too much time working defensively and materialistically that we forget about the most important person to our businesses – the customer.

My question for you today is “Are you engaging your customers like Robin Sharma or are you like the ‘Great Thinkers’?”

Consider changing the way you do things in 2015, as follows:

(1)Listen to your customers

Don’t be like great thinkers who only care about using BIG WORDS and obscure references to defend their thoughts. This year, make a point of listening to what your customers think about your business.

Talk to them on Social media, ask them to give you some feedback on your services and invite them over to your office for up-close interactions.

Use this feedback to make improvements in customer experience this year.

(2)Talk to the ordinary mwananchi

The ordinary mwananchi does not understand jargon and neither does he care about niche specific theories. So this year try to tweak your communication.

Use your blog to teach your customers some simple and ingenious ways to derive more value from your products. Use social media to help those who are still in the dark to see the light. In other words; simplicity is key.

By understanding your customers and talking in their language you’ll have an easier time making sales. Remember more sales = more $$$.

(3)Don’t fear confrontation

Don’t bury your head in the sand.

The “great thinkers” in my story above used an apologetic tone. They were simply trying to prevent anyone else from disagreeing with the “schools of thought”. This is however a big no-no when it comes to business.

Don’t take a defensive approach when someone criticizes your product or service. Don’t try to ignore negative feedback…face it and change for the better. Most importantly, don’t try to gag your customers from disagreeing with you.

Need I say more?

(4)Make things super-easy for your customers

The reason why most of us aren’t great scholars is because we don’t like to learn complicated stuff. We hate math, we hate rocket science, we hate calculus and we can’t even stand the look of a physics equation. The same goes for your customers.

They really hate complicated stuff. They want you to make things super-easy for them this year. So, make it super-easy for them to place an order. Make it super easy for them to send payments. Most importantly, make it super-easy for them to receive their deliveries on time.

Look for at least two things you can make super-easy for your customers…start working on them right now and you’ll see a big change by the end of 2015.

(5)Add some more energy

If you’ve been using a hands-off approach to everything, it’s high time you change tact. Your customers expect to see more effort from you. They want you to respond to their queries on social media.

They want you to give them MORE DISCOUNTS. They want you inspire them and motivate them. In other words, make 2015 the year of effort, effort and more effort.

Finally;

Let 2015 be the year for you to graduate from an underdog to the industry leader. Let this be your year of revising your strategy and improving on your weaknesses. We wish you success and excellence in everything you do.

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