| Every businessperson knows that customers are | | | | their opinion of your business: no stupid mistakes, no |
| valuable. Repeat customers are the most valuable of | | | | dirt, no unpleasant people. More important, they saw |
| all. The fastest route to small business growth is | | | | things about your small business that left them with a |
| through building a strong base of repeat customers. | | | | good opinion. |
| Yet the vast majority of businesspeople do not take | | | | Not only do the customers come back, but they tell |
| the simple steps that keep existing customers. Hence, | | | | their friends. |
| most new businesses fail, and older ones go through | | | | Make quality the first and highest priority in your |
| hard times when the economy does. | | | | business, even above profits, and the profits will come |
| Which companies disappear first in an economic | | | | soon enough. Learn about quality, think about it, |
| downturn? The ones with the least solid repeat | | | | incorporate it into every aspect of the business from |
| customer bases. What is commonly overlooked is that | | | | bookkeeping to addressing envelopes to buying raw |
| what turns customers into repeat customers is not just | | | | materials to sweeping the front walk. Most important, |
| quality of product. What creates repeat customers is | | | | get everyone in your company to do the same thing. |
| the overall quality of the business, which includes quality | | | | Demanding quality from your staff does not work all |
| of product, but oh, so much more as well. | | | | by itself. Sadly, many people equate "improving quality" |
| Quality is the single most important determining factor | | | | with "wasting time." They can even feel foolish or |
| of small business success on a long-term basis. This | | | | apologetic about trying to do something better than is |
| statement is true across the boards, in every industry | | | | normally expected. So the effective approach is not to |
| and trade. Musical groups are usually short-lived, unless | | | | demand quality from your staff, but to expect it. Start |
| they are very, very good musically. New restaurants | | | | raising the standard of what is expected. First with |
| pop up every week, and disappear within months. | | | | yourself, and then with others. |
| Hundreds of business books focus on how to improve | | | | You will run into opposition. Muttering and grumbling will |
| specific areas of a company: customer relations, | | | | occur. But your best staff will embrace every step |
| advertising, personnel management, inventory control, | | | | you take to make things better. Those who don't are |
| and hundreds of other aspects of businesses. They | | | | holding your business down from its potential success. |
| keep missing the common denominator: the underlying | | | | Finally, one more step is critical. You have to find out |
| principles of quality. The principles of quality apply to | | | | what your customers think of your business. You can |
| each and every area of business. Implement these | | | | ask them; you can provide a very easy link on your |
| principles across all the functions of a business, and | | | | website for complaints and praise and suggestions; |
| that business will succeed (assuming it actually has a | | | | you can run a contest on "The five things you like |
| real and valuable product). | | | | most and least about this company"; however you do |
| Customers come back because they are pleased, not | | | | it, you must do it. Without this knowledge, you will often |
| because they are merely satisfied. They got what | | | | be shooting in the dark in your efforts to improve. With |
| they wanted, and a little more, or they got what they | | | | it, you can soar straight to bull's-eye after bull's-eye. |
| expected, and a little more. They felt comfortable. | | | | Note: This original work is copyright 2010 by Don |
| They understood or were helped to understand what | | | | Dewsnap. Also published in Associated Content |
| they needed to know. They saw nothing that lowered | | | | directory. |