Several years ago a client of mine, who is small business owner, was complaining about the state of his business. He had grown his business but now it had stagnated for several years. Sales were starting to decline. His customers didn’t seem as happy with his product and his customer service.
As I listened, I couldn’t pick up on any one particular thing that was causing this backward slide. As I kept listening I started to hear something. Hearing is one step deeper than listening. What I was hearing was that he didn’t care.
I wasn’t sure but as the conversation continued I asked questions. Yes, he did care about his business, but only in terms of the bottom line. He had stopped caring passionately, as he had in the beginning ,about all the other things that add to the bottom line.
It is essential for small business success to have a numbers focus. But, where many business owners miss a great opportunity is that as success comes they lose interest in all the aspects that make for great numbers.
Think of each customer as a gift. You can choose to do what you want with that gift. What can you do to make that customer feel like a first class passenger on your airline? Be passionate about their wants and needs. Also, be passionate about your employees.
It turned out that my client had become less passionate in caring about people. It was reflected in his numbers and in the morale in his business. When he understood and accepted this, he made care of his customers and employees a renewed focus. The result was increased sales and more profit.
Always remember that you may know a lot about your business. But, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Once they see and feel your caring attitude you are much more likely to increase your bottom line.
