One Idea Can Change Everything

Do you have a great idea?

Go for it.

The idea will accomplish nothing if it stays only in your head.

The graveyards are filled with ideas that never came to life.  They never got a chance to change the world.  Or even change the lives of the people that they died with.

Fear will inevitably come up with new ideas.  Ideas represent change, an attack on the status quo.  Naturally we will be afraid of what can rise up against us if we try to implement the idea.  All the "What if something goes wrong?" questions start popping up, and the weight of possible failure pushes many ideas back into non-existence.  But ask yourself, "What if it works?"  Picture the success that your idea can bring.

Don't let your idea die.  Develop it, refine it.  If it can help people, then it's worth going for.

Businesses are built on solving people's problems.  If you have an idea that can help others, look at it as your duty as a human being to share it.  This will quench some of that fear, and help propel you forward.

Check out this nice video from General Electric about ideas.

Do you need a fresh idea to help grow your business?  Instant Buzz might be what you're looking for.  Click on the link for more information.

The Right Stuff

What if you were trying to bake a chocolate cake and the only ingredients you had in your kitchen were vanilla frosting and baking soda?

Would you be able to make that chocolate cake?

No, of course not.

You simply can't get the desired results without the correct ingredients.

The same can be said of trying to build a successful business.  You need the right ingredients.  In this post we will feature one of the most important parts of your business: Your Front Line.

This is applicable to all businesses, but we'll use restaurants as an example.  If you own a restaurant, the people who greet and serve your customers will make or break your business, so it is imperative that you hire the most high quality persons you can find.  DO NOT SETTLE for just a friendly face. Your people should display outstanding qualities that will attract customers back into your restaurant.  The persons you hire should already know how to pay close attention to the customer, know how to make the customer feel good about themselves, and understand that they represent your business and that your goal is to give the customers the best experience possible.

People who are of this quality are hard to find, they are usually already working.  I recommend you go to other restaurants and find someone who is already great at winning customers and make them an offer to come work for you.  Be prepared to offer more than they are already making, and don't be afraid to.  The value that a great service person brings far exceeds the cost of having them on your team.  Imagine if you had a staff that just "did their job" of bringing food to the table, and didn't have the skills to engage and emotionally uplift their customers, that type of staff would not be able to motivate the customer to come back to your restaurant, and you lose out on an untold amount of potential profits.  That type of staff will likely have no investment in the success of your business, as their primary concern is just to collect a paycheck.  You want all of your staff, especially the ones meeting and greeting your customers to be aligned with your vision of success for your business.

If you have staff that's already pretty good at keeping customers happy, take some time to invest in their development as a service person.  Tell them that it will help them increase their income, and will serve them well in their future careers.  This will benefit all parties involved, the staff, the customer, and your business.  Remember that the only way you can really create raving customers is to make an emotional connection with them.  If your dishes are delicious, but your service is terrible, it won't be long before you have to close your doors.  If your food is good, but not really better than most, you can still have people raving about you based on the experience that you are able to give them.  A staff that is loved by your customers can buy you time to fix inefficiencies in your business as the customers are more likely to tolerate inconvenient situations for the simple fact that they like the staff.

The staff that serves your customer is the most important ingredient in making sure that your customers are having a great time, and the customer's experience is the main ingredient in your success.  Take the time and resources to invest in your staff.