One of the most difficult conversations I have with my clients on a regular basis is about focus. As business owners, there is a mentality along the lines of "I don't just want my customers business, I want all the business." The mentality of getting "all the business" is a very dangerous path in business. Since the earliest days of commerce and civilization we have known that specialization helps grow businesses more effectively and therefore economies.
Even in the 4th Century, Plato found it worth mentioning:
All things will be produced in superior quantity and quality, and with greater ease, when each man works at a single occupation, in accordance with his natural gifts, and at the right moment, without meddling with anything else. - Plato
The internet community and most search engines support businesses and websites that are focused specialists. So now the question, what does this mean to your and your business? Lets have a look at a couple of examples.
Company A is a full service pet store.
As a full service pet store they offered grooming, pet food, supplies, a mix of domestic pets and training classes on the weekends. The owners were frazzled trying to keep up with the big brand stores with their one little shop.
The big stores can just buy their advertising and links for all of these different areas. For a single location business, there are a couple of different approaches. In this case we focused the business. A careful review of the clients accounting and interviews with customers about what they liked in the shop. The analysis clearly indicated that the shop was more productive in two areas. Grooming and pet supplies.
The owners weren't sure they could survive if they didn't sell pets and offer classes. We started by focusing the internet marketing on only those two areas. The website was cleaned up and the advertising cut to only advertising grooming services and pet supplies. The training classes were stopped at the completion of the class that was in progress. Internet profiles were built separately for the grooming and the pet supplies as if they were two dedicated businesses.
The numbers were clear, in just four weeks the stores gross sales were up 5%, net profit up 25% and most importantly the owners finally had some time off.
The internet community and the pet store's customers rewarded the more focused owners with better business and more of it.
Company B is a auto repair center.
When we first met the owner, he was working on any car, any brand and had two mechanics helping him and a part time receptionist. There were cars and parts stuffed into every corner of the shop and lined up out the door. Hours were spent researching parts and trying to find a place that had the parts in stock.
Talking with the other two mechanics, it turned out the owner was a master at repairing 1960's era Fords. He had part numbers memorized and a complete Rolodex of parts suppliers. Looking around the shop there wasn't a single 1960's Ford. The owner felt like there wasn't enough business in the area. The great thing about being a specialist is you can broaden your net.
The conversion took a little longer than the conversion of the pet store. The methods were a little different here. Using direct mail we went a little old school and found a list with all of the owners of 1961-1975 Ford's that were registered in a much wider area.
The first few customers weren't really sure when they arrived and didn't see a shop filled with Fords. The work went faster on the Fords and funny thing, the work was more profitable. Today the shop doesn't do any advertising and has a reputation that brings in restoration work from hundreds of miles away. The owner is working on the cars he wants to, and the customers are getting better work.
The next time a customer asks you do go wide and add a brand or service you don't offer, stop and think if it is really worth it. Staying focused helps you reduce your training costs, advertising costs, real estate costs and stress.
How many people do you call successful that are the "Jack of all Trades"? How many specialists to you know that are living better than you? All of those rules work for business and the internet community.
Your story on the internet is what your internet presence is all about. If your internet presence is focused and clear you are more likely to attract the business you want as a reward from the internet community. What can you do to to as Plato said and focus on your single occupation and produce more with greater ease so you can go get your rewards? Get focused, get rewards.
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