Your Competitive Edge - Your People

Get ahead of the rest!

What a challenge we have at the moment to keep working away in our businesses, providing excellent service to our customers; to be spending some strategic time looking at our product or service and determining what customers in this changing economy are looking to buy; AND trying to differentiate ourselves from other people in our market.

I think if you focus on the unique experience you provide for your people, they will do the rest for you. By building on employee confidence, they will become your raving fans, and sell to existing and potential customers. People coming to your business will feel the attitude and passion for your business and want to spend more time around you and your people. All of this equates to more dollars spent and more profit for your business.

Have you heard about the the approach that Woolworths Chief Michael Luscombe is taking? He has said that Woolworths’ view is “don’t believe in a recession and try your darndest to keep going. Now is the time to be positive. We’ve made a decision to stick to our guns and follow through with our strategy.” This gives the Woolies staff evidence that he is in control and that he has a plan for the future.

So what can you do to maximise your people as your competitive edge?

1. Provide a unique experience
× How are you different from all the other employers? Do you provide a different environment or philosophy? Maybe you have a unique approach to your people management?
× EVP – the employee value proposition is what they are interested in – what’s in it for them?
× Do you offer flexible work practices; can they start later or finish earlier to allow them to do the other things that are important to them?
× Are you involved in the local community, or do you have a charity-giving program? Do you only use green products or have a carbon neutral scheme? Generation Y employees especially see this as a real positive.

2. Forget your old paradigms!
× One of the hallmarks of a creative company is a willingness to listen to everyone within the business and pay close attention to their ideas and suggestions.
× Be flexible and open to new ways of thinking or doing things, your staff or customers can have the best way of doing things in this new environment. It might be a new product or service – keep your options open.
× Respect is not automatic. Gen Y staff wont give you the credit just because you are the boss – you have to earn their respect. Treat them as you want to be treated, enjoy them for who they are. (Oh – and get over it! They will soon be the majority of the workforce and it is you who must change the way you think for your business to benefit.)

3. Be open and honest!
× Front line employees in customer service, delivery, purchasing, operations, and sales often have powerful money saving or customer building ideas at their fingertips. Give them the forum to share them.
× One on one review’s should happen for 30minutes every 3 months. Your daily informal catch ups should not stop, but save some focused time for each of your people where you listen and tell them how much they mean to the success of the business.
× Make your staff and customer experience as good as it can be. Don’t just satisfy them – make them raving fans!
× Commit to a development plan, not just professional but also personal or fitness or spiritual – whatever is important to each of your people.
× If you need to reduce costs in your business, tell your people in advance. Consider some of the many options available before you reduce your head count. Don’t let this be a surprise, respect and support is borne from honesty.
× Lasting relationships are built in hard times – this is true for your staff and your customers.

Don’t underestimate the value of your people being your competitive edge. As always, your customers experience of your product or service is your best advertisement. Your people will be remembered long after the experience of buying your product or service.