Every week I’m presented with a new scenario that absolutely stuns me. Businesses that seem to go out of their way to make their marketing strategies as convoluted as possible; entrepreneurs who have taken a brilliant idea and made it needlessly complex; sales people who take an age to get to the benefits of whatever it is they’re selling.
The list is endless.
For me, the phrase “Keep It Simple, Stupid” (or “KISS”, for short) has been a guiding principle my entire working life. Whenever I’m presented with a business which is struggling to be heard within its sector, I look for the road blocks and usually find they’re self-imposed.
Nine times out of ten, they won’t have defined their goals and therefore have no idea what needs to be done to make them happen. This results in them taking an unnecessary path that never ends; a bit like getting lost in the woods.
In the interests of KISS, I’m going to do exactly that with this blog post and show you just how simple business should be. The following strategy will work for any company, no matter its size, market positioning or industry within which it operates.
Here’s how you become successful in business.
It all starts here. Finding that first customer - be it the genuine first or one after a lean period - is never easy, but with a solid marketing plan and can-do attitude, you’ll find them.
If you haven’t got time to find them yourself, that’s fine - outsource your marketing and find someone who can. The investment will be worth it.
Customers don’t want to be miserable, fed up with you and forever wondering why they handed over their hard-earned cash in the first place.
Customers want to be delighted, and you can do just that - in spades. Do everything you can (without busting your budget or dignity) to make them happy. Surprise them with good deeds they didn’t ask for and check in regularly to see how things are going.
Those small things you did to delight that first customer will pay dividends. They’ll talk about you with their friends and recommend your products and services at networking events.
Consider this the first topple of the domino at the front of the pack. Before you know it, the next one will come knocking and asking to be delighted as much as the person who referred you.
You’re a seasoned pro at this now; you broke the back of the job by getting that first customer in. Now all you need to do is convert the next one that has arrived at your doorstep.
Easy, right?
Sure, they were pointed in your direction as a referral, but as time goes on, and your marketing strategy continues to develop, those referrals will be joined by leads from many different sources. This is a domino trail that is as dynamic as they come, after all.
Rinse and repeat! It’s no harder or more complex than that. But that’s my point; this doesn’t have to be hard.
Read the four steps to success above in isolation and they seem stupidly simple - too simple, if anything. And they are, because they work.
When did business get so complicated? Complication is never fun, so navigate your way out of the woods of despair, and take the KISS approach with your business, today.
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