Too often, we compromise good ethics and integrity for dollar signs, getting that big sale to hit our bonus, trying to impress the boss or outperforming a fellow employee. This not only ruins relationships and your reputation, but also sends your business to a crashing halt.
Now, don’t get me wrong – numbers matter. At Sound Business Services, we find the meaning behind your numbers to help you grow and succeed. However, our desire should never be to put traits such as greed and selfishness ahead of what matters the most: pleasing our customers to positively impact their lives and the lives of their businesses, and building strong relationships of high character and trust (two of our biggest core values).
Finding your greater purpose while trying to run a successful business is a challenge. Each individual’s journey may be different, but our greater purpose should be similar. Here are some of the values we use to find our greater purpose, along with some tips to carry out that purpose and run a successful business.
Trust and Honesty
When it comes to building and cultivating relationships with customers, trust is one of the most important factors. You must do the right thing every time, no matter what. It’s easy to be tempted by money and dishonesty, but you simply can’t succumb. The immediate impact is not worth the repercussions.
By establishing trust and showing your customer that you are genuinely interested in their well-being, you’ve opened up a world of opportunities that not only bring you more business, but also more referrals.
Another core value is honesty. If you make a mistake, it might be tempting to cover it up or lie about it. DO NOT! This leads you down a very dangerous path that could expose your reputation, damage your integrity, and ultimately lose a customer and maybe your business. If you make a mistake, own up to it. The customer will appreciate your honesty and your effort to fix the issue. Now, you must not make the same mistake twice, or show a string of mistakes, because that will change things. But, honesty is always best.
Great Customer Service
There is absolutely no substitute for great customer service. Keeping clients happy and delivering them powerful results is important; not doing so will drive them to the next competitor.
Great customer service will also drive a lot more business your way. Whether you serve a niche, cater to a small town or even do business across the nation, word spreads like wildfire. What customers and prospects are saying and feeling has a direct impact on the success or failure of your business, so keep them happy and deliver them what they need when they need it! After all, we are nothing without our customers.
Hire, and Retain, the Best
When it comes to balancing your greater purpose with running a successful business, you must find the best staff available and keep them for the long haul.
This doesn’t necessarily mean finding the people with the best credentials and experience on the planet. It’s more about finding those people that are all in on your greater purpose, excited to be part of your meaningful journey, and ready to acquire the skills and talent necessary to carry out your vision and help you run a successful business. They also must be able to adapt to the ever-changing nature of business, the responsibilities that come with it, and the demands from you and your customers.
As a small business owner, you must also instill in them the information and training they need to be successful, and specifically lay out your greater purpose and vision. This process should be done at the very beginning with a potential hire, and then you can gauge how interested they are in your goals, values and mission.
Remember, just because you hold the power to hire and pay them doesn’t mean that it’s a one-way street. Staff wants to know why they should come work for you, and they want to be part of something meaningful, especially the younger generation. That means establishing open lines of communication before hiring them and throughout the time they work for you. Disengaged workers can be the destruction of your business, so listen to their needs and input, work through issues collectively, and build relationships based on trust, honesty and respect. Doing so will help you retain staff, which is just as important as finding them and getting them on board.
We Can Help
I hope these words and tips help you find your greater purpose, or give you the boost you need to motivate your staff and please your customers.
As you work on your greater purpose, we will, of course, work on ours. That means serving you the best way possible. It’s tempting to let greed and selfishness get in the way, but we absolutely say NO to that. Instead, we take your data and turn it into something meaningful that will generate you profit, and ultimately, a successful business now and into the future.
Don’t hesitate to contact us today to discuss how we can better serve you. We’d also love to hear about your greater purpose and your personal experience.