Skip to main content

can you stomach differentiation?


First and foremost when I think about differentiation in the service business I immediately think about ways to create additional value for our clients. The trick is to create this value in such a way that it is easy for your organizations culture to adopt, affordable to implement, and very difficult to replicate by your competitors. One of the challenges within service businesses is not only finding the time but finding the right opportunity to create differentiated ideas. The fact of the matter is that service is a blocking and tackling business. We often get so mired down in the details, that at the end of the day there is little room left for conceptualizing and visualizing out-of-the-box approaches. Make no mistake though, if you can figure out a way within your organization to carve out the time required to allow those creative minds in your employ to express themselves, you will come up with tools and processes which create value and differentiation.



The size of a service business has its' pros and cons. Larger organizations are often afforded the luxury to be able to leverage individuals focused purely on looking in to the business from the outside and creatively coming up with solutions which can differentiate you in the marketplace. However, not all is lost if you are not one of these large service organizations.  Some will start with the time-tested suggestion box. Unfortunately these mechanisms often fall short on capturing the essence of the request and more importantly fail to put these requests into some actionable format. Instead consideration should be made to establish a formal ideation process.  Tools put in place designed to capture new ideas and alter existing ideas is a great first step.  Take the time to identify, within your organization what you are trying to achieve, either in the form of strategic or operational objectives, goals, etc.  Align the ideation process directly with these over-arching objectives and you will not only produce an openness to share ideas but also insure that efforts are properly threaded with the business. 



-----

Next post:  client buy their own parts?

-----
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

expert at everything...not a problem

Well... I would say sometimes there certainly is a perceived notion that one person is an expert at everything. For the worker "everything" may be defined as the specific area in which you were hired or are constantly scheduled. Our opinions are frequently influenced off of past experience, or information we've received from their coworkers. Unfortunately this only gives us partial insight to that workers expertise and often is limited to their most recent history. Narrowly focused accounting is made of the skills that this individual possess. Come on, can't we figure out a way to leverage all of the skills of a particular worker? One of the challenges has always been that relationship between the activities which need to be accomplished and the myriad skills of individuals within your workforce. In addition, even if you could inventory and get a pretty good handle on the skill sets, they are constantly changing (with any luck) and thus the ineffective process of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

In$pired

As the steam from Avid Andy's coffee fogged his glasses on this crisp January morning, he reflected on last year and thought enthusiastically about the year ahead.   Sometimes the noise of business is deafening, we rarely take the time to contemplate our moves, instead are often thrown one direction or another.   Hey, face it, if you are reading posts to gain perspective you fall in the group of folks who pride themselves as obsequious hoop-jumpers.   We live to help others and expect that all of those around us feel the same way.   I just love Influential Irene.   Okay, it is out in the open, she is an inspiration for me and so many others.   Irene reminds folks every year, without fail, these three statements which she fondly refers to as "the punchline" (although this is no joke).   Businesses, of any size, will be successful if they remember that it is people that make a company.   Put this advice into practice, today: Sincerity |...
Post a Comment
Read more

suggesting is NOT selling

People and companies want to buy from people that they trust.   The individual which possesses the broadest set of knowledge will gain the most credibility and as a result yield high levels of trust.   When I was in the field I definitely had the ear of the customer and for the most part discussed areas that needed improvement or replacement. At no moment was I ever, at least in my mind, selling. Instead, as I think back on those days, I believe I was simply "suggesting". Take an immediate need, add in a trusted advisor and a credible suggestion, you will most likely get a sale. However, this is not selling. From my non-salesman perspective I would sum up the following related to the sales process; sales is not a single event but instead a sequence of connection points which create a positive experience that leads to a purchase . Over the years I've been fortunate to have known many different types of salespeople in different industries and I believe that they a...
Post a Comment
Read more