Building a business improvement brand

Anne Graham has become a business improvement brand by pointing out something that should be obvious, but isn’t – seeing the profit right in front of you, the profit in plain sight.

Which begs the question – why do we so often take the hard way to profit, chasing new business and leaking revenue with our expenditures? In this conversation, Anne reveals very human characteristics that drive us to make our lives harder, and lets us in on a few simple tips, and reveals her own personal journey to enlightenment.

Highlights of the business improvement brand conversation

Profit in Plain Sight is all about the profit that is already in your business. That can include finding people who want to give you money – your existing clients. It can also mean stemming the flow of needless expenditure that bleeds your earnings.

How do you focus on existing customers? By making your mantra to deliver more value to them every single today. Because, let’s face it, it’s easier to get business from your existing customers. If you have good relationships, that’s where you go first. That’s how you find the profit in plain sight.

“People do business with people. Make that difficult, and your customers will soon go to your competitor.”

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When it comes to costs, if you’re making good money and have nothing to show for it, it’s time to look for profit leaks. Those leaks can be as simple as dealing with customer complaints more than once.

If you keep yourself on delivering great value to your customers, the profit follows (and follows easily). And as a side benefit, it brings the fun back into our businesses.

A big watch out that manifests itself in things like selling product online. Don’t lose sight of your mission. If you’re selling product simply to sell product, you aren’t focused on your mission. If bringing your message to the world is your mission, and if making that happen equals leveraging online resources, then create those online resources.

Quotable quotes

“One of my formative early experiences was working for Digital Equipment, a company that downsized 120,000 people in the space of four years, before they disappeared. How could a company that got it so right, get it so wrong?”

“One that hasn’t changed is that people do business with people. Make that difficult, and your customers will soon go to your competitor.”

“I made the classic mistake all entrepreneurs make: I tried to be all things to all people. A brand that tries to be everything to everybody means nothing to nobody.”

“The only way you’re going to thrive and survive in times of chaos is by constantly working at it, constantly getting rid of things that aren’t useful, constantly pushing to keep up with the rapid rate of change.”

“It takes time to build the muscle of pushing for the new.”

Honorable mentions

Alan Weiss – Million Dollar Consulting

Frank Palmer

Digital Equipment

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