Numbers game: the use or manipulation of statistics or figures, especially in support of an argument.
Whether it is financing, sales or clients, your business is based on numbers. Some are more important than others. But when you start to spend most of your time juggling those numbers, you’re in trouble.
A small business that grows exponentially, in other words in proportion, is the best way to keep your business on track without having to worry too much about any of the numbers. Those of us who have been in business for some time, made sure that once our financing was in place, we started with a small number of clients. We made sure to satisfy those client’s needs and wishes in order to bring in the sales we needed. From there we slowly grew our business.
But what happens when you don’t handle your business in an organized way and your numbers begin to skew too much one way or the other?
This is when you look at your business and ask yourself if you are still concentrating on your customers or if you have started to think too much about making money. Focusing on your customers always leads to the best results in your business, which means success financially. Running your business as a numbers game translates to a business without values or ethics.
A good example of a business running more for profit than to satisfy their customers, is currently JCPenny. At the moment, under the reform of their current CEO Ron Johnson, JCPenny no longer offers discounts, among other detrimental changes. Because of this, their stock has dropped over 40% and sales have dropped almost as much. The numbers game is not working for them.
At the other end of the scale is the Ritz-Carlton, where customers mean everything. They plan ahead for everything, including long wait times, where a waiter will show up with an entree, appetizer or drink to keep you satisfied while you wait to order. While this is just one example of the Ritz’s exemplary customer service, this is also how a customer focused business works. Make your customers happy and you won’t have to worry about the financial end of things.
Remind yourself, if you see your business losing its balance, that it’s your customers who count. Regain your focus on them and you will start to see your business moving in the right direction again.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2015
image courtesy of juleskalpauli
