Many of you will read the article by Michelle Brisebois on repositioning your business and think, “Thank goodness I don’t need to do that. My business is humming along beautifully.” Don’t be too smug.
At the very moment we allow ourselves to relax and take a breather, it’s time to rethink what we do. No doubt you are a creative and talented designer, marketer, salesperson or manager. If you’re really good, you may be all of those things combined. It’s what makes you successful and it can make you just as unsuccessful.
You may have built your business on your creativity. Those of you who are designers have probably become successful because you have a signature look. It’s easily recognizable and people know it’s yours, and they have to have it. And then, they don’t. It becomes recognizable, it’s no longer different. So do you let this customer get away and just grab the next customer who hasn’t seen your work, or do you change?
If you decide to mess with success, your first question will be when? How do you decide when and where to take it to the next level? My answer would be – now and everywhere. Make it part of your thought process to mentally scan your clientele on a regular basis. Who is your customer? Who isn’t your customer? Should they be?
Your non-customers are: minimalists – anyone who doesn’t buy from you or only buys minimally (funerals, Mother’s Day); refusing customers – people who don’t buy flowers because they don’t last, or because the obit said ‘in lieu of flowers’; and the unexplored customer – they don’t know about you, you know about them but haven’t targeted them (youth market, commercial accounts).
Once you have established who the non-customer is you can put them into the categories above and see which group offers you the most potential growth with the least investment. This time you are looking for a value proposition for your business, not the customer. Do you already have a database with the names of your minimalist purchasers, but don’t market to them? Could you convert them to regular buying habits with a targeted marketing program?
Or is there an opportunity to turn the refusers into believers? Would a vase-life guarantee change their opinion? If you wrote an article on the importance of tribute and funeral flowers for the local community newspaper could you convince people that donations and flowers are the answer? The unexplored customer is already in the back of your mind. Is it time to act on them? Can you afford to ignore them any longer? If you don’t want them another florist probably will.
While it may not be time for you to make a major change in your shop’s direction it’s always a good time to work on your next growth strategy. Entrepreneurs need to keep their edge.
Ps- Our condolences to the family of Jack Atkin . Kudos for their well worded obit.: “While there will definitely be flowers, we ask that those interested in making a donation to remember Jack….”
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