Great article from NZ Herald commentator Zac de Silva

byRosieCB

118 followers

Updated 9 years ago

I thought this was a great article that deserves a wider audience. The cross overs to emarketing are obvious.

See

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/64085422/whats-holding-you-back-in-business

If I am breaking any rules by re publishing it please tell me. I just hoped it would be helpful.

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Ninety-nine per cent of businesses that I come across seem to have real potential to be success stories. I often wonder why they haven't cracked it yet. What has been holding them back? Why do they lack confidence in taking their business or their own performance to the next level?

There are two common themes that hold businesses back, I believe. When we crack these, the performance levels that are possible are potentially very, very big.

A big issue is that companies do not really know what they are good at. They are sitting on some pretty amazing intellectual property and offerings but do not know what is under their nose. They focus on trying to compete head on with competitors and this means they miss what they personally are really good at.

If you want to perform at another level you need to work out what your unique advantage is. It is interesting that I see a lot of companies in brainstorming sessions coming up with unique advantages that are actually not unique; they are what I call "hygiene factors". So you need to think a bit more laterally to sometimes get to your inner DNA that sets you apart.

Customers have the best answers on your unique advantage - ask them. Then do something with what you glean from customers, use it in your marketing, your sales pitch and get your team excited about the special unique advantage that your company has.

Remember not to rest on your laurels, too, with what you are great at - complacency could see your lose your special unique advantages. So keep working on them. One proviso is to make sure that your inside advantage is something that resonates with customers. So what are you going to do to truly identify your company's unique advantage (also known as a unique selling proposition or UPA)?

Another issue - and this seems to be the root of many issues in life as well as business - is communication, or lack of. Why does it take an external person to help you unlock the communication issues that are plagues on your business?

Often it is we lack the oomph to have those difficult conversations, as most humans naturally do not like confrontation (and we just bury our head in the sand, hoping they will go away). Good communication helps to promote great individual accountability (that is, people doing their jobs successfully), brilliant teamwork and also the best customer experience. And it enhances the chance a business has to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

I see businesses often that are not taking advantage of being all they could, purely due to some issues at the management, director or shareholder level that are just sitting there, festering.

Sit down and talk it through. Those uncomfortable conversations will see a big weight lifted from your shoulders and open up the potential success of your business (or team) and see it go to a whole new level.

To be successful takes guts. Open communication and working through issues takes guts. Where do you need to be braver in your communications and conversations? What are you going to do about it?

There are of course many other reasons for companies being held back from reaching their true potential but these are the main two reasons that I come across daily. So my tips are: first, identify what sets you apart and use it in a positive way to grow your market share; and address those communication deficiencies that are holding your business back.

Zac de Silva is a business coach, director and speaker. He was just awarded International Business Coach of the Year 2014.