The new series of “The Apprentice” has started on the BBC and although I cringe whenever watching, but find it quite fascinating. Of course the programme is primarily filmed for “entertainment” rather than for business education, but the poor thinking from the candidates is fairly typical of what I see in real life!
Two key areas for many businesses are sales and customer care and yet many companies fail to appreciate the basics in both these areas. In respect of sales the golden rule is be able to get attention, because without being noticed, a business is unlikely to generate any client interest. Smart businesses will appreciate in this internet 4G era it’s more important than ever to be on the radar in these mediums. Since April this year Google has penalised all sites that are not “Google friendly” and despite this being widely advertised many companies still have failed to adjust their sites. Some IT companies who were aware of this change have actually charged their clients a second time for websites they failed to make “Google friendly” the first time! Here’s the link to check if your site fits the current criteria
https://www.google.co.uk/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/
Using great photos and video is also a very good idea, yet many businesses fail to do this in both respects. I currently have two almost identical businesses I work with. The first one I suggested using video ten years ago and have still not embraced this medium. The second one started using video within a week of me making the suggestion! Again every company has the total right to decide how it presents itself, but I would respectfully suggest that ignoring these mediums is not smart.
In terms of customer service smart businesses pay attention to customer feedback and adjust their services accordingly. With “The Apprentice” a smart candidate would make a point of watching previous episodes to be better prepared for the tasks. In the same way smart businesses who their client’s needs and appreciate that these can change over time. The less than smart ones insist that they are “always right” and fail to adapt and adjust. These companies ultimately die out and are overtaken by the competition. The most successful businesses pay close attention to these principals and grow accordingly. There are countless examples of this success on the high street and online and of course business is all about learning how to engage with and maintain customer interest.
