Big Business Needs to Think Smaller

It always good to return to our roots -- how it all started, how did we handle all the networks, clients before the success. It's important we don't get a big head and listen more. I always prefer the clients to tell me what they need/want instead of straight away jumping to 'what do you think I should do?'. QC control can best be monitored if we understand how to serve clients according to 'their' needs, not ours. Communication counts. :-)

Brilliant post, as always.

@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
.-= Ching Ya´s most recent blog post ...16 Facebook Applications to Boost Popularity of Facebook Fan Page =-.

The web, blogs, social media, etc. are great tools, but connecting with others in a meaningful way hasn't really ever changed. Thanks for the reminder!

Your comments apply to small business as much as large business. I never cease to be amazed by the poor client/customer care being offered by both large and small operators. People often overlook the link between great client care/relationships and business success.
In my corporate days I worked for Coca-Cola and learnt a lot from them about customer care. They practised real collaboration and partnership arrangements with both major and smaller customers. Customer care is very important to successful companies. And thereby lies the key - the word "care". Many businesses of all sizes don't care and it shows. Yet more of the right sort of "caring" can improve business results!
Really enjoyed the post. Thanks.

It's funny I was just thinking about a dear friend of mine who died last year. We had worked together in pretty high-stress sales jobs for a Fortune 100 company and he was the best salesperson I ever knew. He always contended that his business success stemmed from paying attention to the little things like returning a phone call quickly or providing an update on a problem even when there was not much to add. So it was nice to read the same sentiments in your post ... obviously i agree. Thanks so much for sharing.
.-= Mark W Schaefer´s most recent blog post ...The End of The Trust Agent? =-.

Good post once again. I think businesses are especially forgetting the basics because of the digital tools available. Instead of reaching clients the old fashion way, they would rather set up a Facebook page and spew off announcements about new product offerings. This is a good way to get feedback and interest clients but it doesn't mean they should stop the old things they use to do that allowed them to get to a point where they could also use internet tools as a compliment to their preexisting methods.
.-= Jason P McGee´s most recent blog post ...Hello, Social Entrepreneurship =-.

Great reminder - drop the email and the tweets, go take a client to lunch.

Looking at a new phone system? Get the one that requires a real person to answer your call and direct your call to the right person.

On some days, it's as if we prefer to hide behind technology instead of meet, shake hands and get to know each other.

Great post Danny,

"Back to basics" is such a reoccurring cycle in business - and a needed one. If companies could keep their eye on the ball of providing superior customer service and interaction, the "basics" would become the norm.

I'm wondering Danny - which Big Businesses do you see out there that are focused on the "basics"?

Jet Blue?

Enterprise? (good St. Louis based company)

Who do you see?
.-= Frank Dickinson´s most recent blog post ...Are You a Social Media Evangelist? =-.

Danny, even for a little business who is growing that is great advice! I am working on tracking systems to make sure that the ball doesn't get dropped. I know my limits but I don't always listen to them. I can handle a certain number of clients at at time and deliver but when there are more on the books, I need to be checking to see where I am and also keeping everything else moving.

You are very right about big business and I try to remember what frustrates me as a customer as I respond to my client's needs.
.-= Julie Walraven | Resume Services´s most recent blog post ...And the Thank you goes to Kim! =-.

Well said, Danny. I've been preaching the "back to basics" approach at my 9-5 of late (a big business). It's a tough sell to many precisely because it is simple.

It seems the larger you get (I worked for Wal-Mart for four years, so I know a little about big business), the further you tend to get away from the very principles that got you so large and successful in the first place. Once a digression begins, it seems very difficult to reverse the trend.

There seems to come a point with many businesses (it's in the leadership IMO) where customers become about the numbers. It's about the dollar signs than actually providing a quality experience for the customer. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule with some larger companies - but it seems they are few and far between.
.-= Andrew Weaver´s most recent blog post ...24 Ways to Improve Employee Morale =-.

Hi Danny,Cool thoughts as always. I think listening is the core of anything from marketing to management, as that is what tells you what's going right or wrong, positive or negative for you or your customers, So big brands should make it a point to embrace these social tools to recollect all the forgotten values.

It always good to return to our roots -- how it all started, how did we handle all the networks, clients before the success. It's important we don't get a big head and listen more. I always prefer the clients to tell me what they need/want instead of straight away jumping to 'what do you think I should do?'. QC control can best be monitored if we understand how to serve clients according to 'their' needs, not ours. Communication counts. :-)

Brilliant post, as always.

@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
.-= Ching Yau00c2u00b4s most recent blog post ...16 Facebook Applications to Boost Popularity of Facebook Fan Page =-.

The web, blogs, social media, etc. are great tools, but connecting with others in a meaningful way hasn't really ever changed. Thanks for the reminder!

Hi Danny. Another great "reminder" post about going back to basics. It's a passion of mine. Business is about people - first and foremost. It is not about tools, processes or indeed "internal politics". It is about delivering to our customers - end of story.

Communication is the most important element of any engagement - especially vital for when things start going wrong (which inevitably will happen on an engagement of any level). If you have rapport and open communications, problems tend to sort themselves out. If you don't it can be very messy!

Your comments apply to small business as much as large business. I never cease to be amazed by the poor client/customer care being offered by both large and small operators. People often overlook the link between great client care/relationships and business success.
In my corporate days I worked for Coca-Cola and learnt a lot from them about customer care. They practised real collaboration and partnership arrangements with both major and smaller customers. Customer care is very important to successful companies. And thereby lies the key - the word "care". Many businesses of all sizes don't care and it shows. Yet more of the right sort of "caring" can improve business results!
Really enjoyed the post. Thanks.

It's funny I was just thinking about a dear friend of mine who died last year. We had worked together in pretty high-stress sales jobs for a Fortune 100 company and he was the best salesperson I ever knew. He always contended that his business success stemmed from paying attention to the little things like returning a phone call quickly or providing an update on a problem even when there was not much to add. So it was nice to read the same sentiments in your post ... obviously i agree. Thanks so much for sharing.
.-= Mark W Schaeferu00c2u00b4s most recent blog post ...The End of The Trust Agent? =-.

Good post once again. I think businesses are especially forgetting the basics because of the digital tools available. Instead of reaching clients the old fashion way, they would rather set up a Facebook page and spew off announcements about new product offerings. This is a good way to get feedback and interest clients but it doesn't mean they should stop the old things they use to do that allowed them to get to a point where they could also use internet tools as a compliment to their preexisting methods.
.-= Jason P McGeeu00c2u00b4s most recent blog post ...Hello, Social Entrepreneurship =-.

Great reminder - drop the email and the tweets, go take a client to lunch.

Looking at a new phone system? Get the one that requires a real person to answer your call and direct your call to the right person.

On some days, it's as if we prefer to hide behind technology instead of meet, shake hands and get to know each other.

Time and time again I have seen firsthand how this attitude has hurt big businesses. When i worked for one of the largest specialty contractors in the country, I could see it coming from a mile away. Some of my colleagues forgot that it is all about being there for your clients; being a real problem solver for them. Once you disengage and just collect their money it's over. Great food for thought Dan and I am so glad you brought this up as a reminder to all of us. Keep your finger on their pulse or run the risk of finding the client relationship dead.

Great post Danny,

"Back to basics" is such a reoccurring cycle in business - and a needed one. If companies could keep their eye on the ball of providing superior customer service and interaction, the "basics" would become the norm.

I'm wondering Danny - which Big Businesses do you see out there that are focused on the "basics"?

Jet Blue?

Enterprise? (good St. Louis based company)

Who do you see?
.-= Frank Dickinsonu00c2u00b4s most recent blog post ...Are You a Social Media Evangelist? =-.

Danny, even for a little business who is growing that is great advice! I am working on tracking systems to make sure that the ball doesn't get dropped. I know my limits but I don't always listen to them. I can handle a certain number of clients at at time and deliver but when there are more on the books, I need to be checking to see where I am and also keeping everything else moving.

You are very right about big business and I try to remember what frustrates me as a customer as I respond to my client's needs.
.-= Julie Walraven | Resume Servicesu00c2u00b4s most recent blog post ...And the Thank you goes to Kim! =-.

Well said, Danny. I've been preaching the "back to basics" approach at my 9-5 of late (a big business). It's a tough sell to many precisely because it is simple.

It seems the larger you get (I worked for Wal-Mart for four years, so I know a little about big business), the further you tend to get away from the very principles that got you so large and successful in the first place. Once a digression begins, it seems very difficult to reverse the trend.

There seems to come a point with many businesses (it's in the leadership IMO) where customers become about the numbers. It's about the dollar signs than actually providing a quality experience for the customer. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule with some larger companies - but it seems they are few and far between.
.-= Andrew Weaveru00c2u00b4s most recent blog post ...24 Ways to Improve Employee Morale =-.

This is good food for thought- we are finding ourselves in a situation of feeling blessed by the growth of our business and concerned because it is beginning to feel as though the growth is greater than what we can handle, both from a systems stand point and from a customer service standpoint. We have made investment of time and money to bring our system up to the most current technology to stream line our processes simply because we never want to lose our personal feel. Our goal is for there to always be a sense of community and first name basis around here, and this is honestly requiring that we turn some work down to avoid it becoming too big. The problem with being too big is the loss of personal touch- and where do you go once you reach that size? Besides bigger and bigger, you get further and further away from what why you started to begin with- oh but it is a balance and the temptation for the immediate profit gain is there- but, we have to keep the focus on long term growth and stability. Great thoughts- good stuff!