At PKF Texas we often meet people in the marketplace who have advice that is beneficial to the blog audience . Barbara Hayley of Hayley Ranch Consulting, Inc. is one of those people and she wrote the below guest blog for our readers.
I am often asked at my presentations to give advice to entrepreneurs about growing their business. I believe if you give more of your time, your efforts, your resources and your contacts to others generously, many good things will come to you. I founded my company, Hayley Ranch Consulting, Inc. based on the business theology of net-weaving. Net-weaving is a way to help others, being generous with your resources and contacts and find out who people are deep inside and share what you have with them.
Do you have customer evangelists for your company? They are customers that believe in your company, your people and your products or services. They want you to succeed and want to share in your dreams and are willing to spread the word of your business. In order for your customers to believe in your business, you must start with a great team, talent and the right culture. It is important to know where you are, survey your people, find out where the gaps are and do something about it, don’t just let the dirt build up until it is too late. Your customers will not believe in your dream and vision unless the heart of the company is in the right place. So we net weave-become a connector and evangelist for others.
Another piece of advices I can share is to cross sell your customers to each other. Host “lunch and learns” for your customers. Have a speaker outside your industry teach them something; allow your customers an opportunity and drive the conversation for them to do business with one another.
Below are some action points and questions to ask yourself when analyzing your business:
- Visit with your customers
- Is your company focused on creating memorable experiences?
- Do your customers feel like a part of your family?
- Do you spend money and time on training your employees and is there a commitment for growth & development?
- Is employee compensation tied directly to customer ratings?
- Are employees empowered to do the right thing?
If you have thoughts, comments or questions, feel free to contact me at bhayley@hayleyranch.com.
Barbara Hayley is a 5th generation Texan and a 13th generation American and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Barbara formed Hayley Ranch Consulting, Inc. to provide exciting and innovative ideas for companies to market and serve their customers though a technique called Net Weaving. In 2008 Hayley Ranch Inc. was a finalist in a city-wide Star Awards Recognition. Barbara was recently named to the Board of Directors for the Houston West Chamber of Commerce and serves as a Director for Mind Technologies, Inc. Barbara can be reached at bhayley@hayleyranch.com.