FIX ANYTHING
H
ow many industries would you describe as perfect?
How many things, in general, would you describe as
perfect? In the next few issues, we will discuss how to
fix “anything” by breaking down issues to their basic
elements. It’s just a process. You can either embrace it
or just fold your poker hand and say, “Well, I can’t fix that!” attitude and an end goal to solve them. Remember, that primary
end goal should be solving your customers’ problems, not your own.
Look for opportunities to benefit their needs. “When/Where/How
can I make them happier?” These are the questions to ask when
beginning this process. The solutions to your own issues come later.
We don’t even know what those are yet. We have only just begun.
Picking out shortcomings is easy—in fact, it’s too easy. As a society,
we collectively do it way too much. So identifying problems in an
industry shouldn’t be very difficult at all. However, being able to
relate from a consumer standpoint is far more difficult. But that’s
the answer to fixing it, whatever “it” is. You might have 99 problems,
but the ones you need to be concerned with are the ones that your
clientele see as problems. THE UNSTOPPABLE FORCE
WHAT IS YOUR SHOE SIZE?
Start by being a customer. Put yourself in their shoes. It’s an
exercise in self-awareness as a company. From the first point of
contact with your business, then the purchasing process, to delivery
of goods or services, to invoicing and finally follow-up. However
your particular industry operates, run through it from beginning
to end. Do it with your own company, and then give it a shot in the
marketplace with a competitor. What was easy? What was
cumbersome? What was disappointing? What was most
rewarding? Would I look forward to doing it again? Be the
customer. It’s such a simple exercise that so many people
ignore, to great detriment to their understanding of how
their industry operates.
We all have our “go-to” people or providers for certain goods or
services; usually found in the recent-calls list in your smartphone.
That’s your end goal when fixing stuff. Be someone’s “go-to.” Be
the one who solves the issues. We aim to make their lives easier,
better, more profitable, and in turn, we want them to seek us out for
solutions.
So what’s their problem? Is it service? Monetary? Functionality?
Transparency? Education? Accessibility? Time-related?
Exclusionary? By focusing on their problems rather than your own,
you start providing real value to your customers. If all you can come
up with is a cheaper way to do something, all you have done is make
yourself cheaper, and you haven’t fixed anything at all. +
WAIT, YOU WANT ME TO FIX WHAT?
OK, now the hard part: comparing what you do to how
others do it and identifying the real problems that the
customer faces industry wide. Not just how your company
can do it better, but how the entire industry could do it
better.
First, identify your problem (a major discomfort) from the
perspective of the customer. For example, if your widget
machine is 78 years old and breaks down all the time,
that’s your problem. What we are talking about here are
things that your customers see as problems. They don’t
necessarily care how much time you spend repairing your
old widget machine; they just want their widgets on time.
So we need to get into their heads and identify what causes
them discomfort so we can ease their pain and so they
continue to buy our widgets.
Far too often, people blame poor performance on
perceived professional handicaps. Statements like “We
can’t compete with the bigger guys” or “We don’t have the
money in our budget” reveal a lack of vision and a poor
understanding of your customers’ needs.
GLASS HALF FULL
Often when we go looking for problems, we automatically
become pessimistic. The entire process holds a negative
tone, so the negative attitude can tend to dominate. At this
point, it is very important to be looking for light, not dark.
It’s a paradox really: looking for problems with a good
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