BEST
BUSINESS PRACTICES-
20 ideas from some America's fastest growing businesses. |
Constantly seek customer feedback- Send out surveys, conduct
interviews or focus groups. Identify problems and opportunities while
there's time to act on them.
Promote
teamwork- Sales soar and turnover plummets once companies
stress teamwork over competition.
Seek
expert help- Use consultants or temporary professionals
in areas where your team has little expertise.
Make
employee suggestions worthwhile- Share
the gain! Offering 10% of the savings from a cost reduction can be
a big incentive!
Cultivate loyalty- Do everything
you can to make your company the best place to work.
Get creative with employee benefits-
Look for little ways to help employees enjoy life more. Simple things
like reduced cost movie tickets mean a lot.
Give
benefits to your part-timers- It will give you an edge
over the competition, and reduce your turnover and training costs.
Build
a database to improve sales- It will allow you to target
your marketing efforts effectively-better marketing means better sales!
Diversify-
Become recession proof-spread your customers across industries or
vary your products!
Reward
your best customers- Focus on the lifetime value of your
clients-what would you spend to keep them?
Take
advantage of voice mail- Use voice mail to share great
ideas you read or hear the minute you come across them.
Lead
by example- It's difficult for employees to believe what
you say, if you don't also do what you say.
Streamline
your processes- Videotape your operations, study them over
and over again, and look for wasted activity.
Use
every opportunity for marketing- Every communication is
a marketing opportunity-use them effectively. Package inserts and
voice mail messages are a good place to start.
Make
praise a common occurrence- Send handwritten thank you
notes for a job well done. Plan "spontaneous" recognition.
Implement
your mission statement- Give your employees the autonomy
they need to bring your mission statement to life.
Promote
volunteering to strengthen culture- Many employees want
to volunteer, they'll appreciate being given the time and support.
Stop
"nickel and diming" customers- Try to eliminate charging
for every little thing-instead, think of the little things you do
as services or marketing expenses.
Communicate
the "big picture"- You'll see better results if you let
all of your employees know your company's strategic goals.
Use
staffing strategically- Develop a staffing plan to meet
increasing demands from your customers, or to help grow your business.
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