You cannot be all things to all people, especially in business.
We know this, right? We say it often. We talk about the fact that you can only please all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time and most of the people much of the time or something.
So why on earth are we so resistant to the notion of letting go of an opportunity that’s not a fit for our business?
We scramble to write out “positioning” statements to illustrate why we’re the right choice for a person or company in a given situation. We mash up what we already have to spin it just the right way, in hopes that it will look like we can do the job. Even if it’s not our strength.
If we’re trying to provide solutions for small business owners, why would we waste hours putting together a mammoth proposal for Wal*Mart? One that would most likely send our business into an operational tailspin because if we were to win the contract, we’d have to scramble to find capacity for it operationally (because you certainly don’t buy the team and the infrastructure before you land the deal, right?).
But it happens all the time.
And the real kicker? We are absolutely resistant to the idea that handing off that ill-fitting piece of business to a competitor would be a good business move.
Why? Because we see the short term lost opportunity cost. We see it as driving the engine of the competition rather than fine-tuning our own. We see the trees instead of the forest, thinking that if we’ve lost that customer today, we won’t ever be able to have them.
The problem is that they weren’t going to be our customer. Not today, anyway. If we have to force-fit our company with their needs in order to capture a short term win, what have we done? We’ve put ourselves in the unfortunate position to have to cram a round peg into a square hole, and fulfill a promise we weren’t really qualified to fill in the first place. And that’s likely going to end with a customer who’s not very satisfied, which means not only might we lose the business, but we might lose their trust and respect as well – and those might be irreplaceable.
There’s a fine line between stretching your capabilities to capture a new market when the right opportunity is there, and stubbornly refusing to pick a rock and stand on it.
The backside to listening to the customer community at large is that there will always be someone for whom you are not a fit. You’ll be too big. Too small. Too expensive. Too cheap. Too traditional. Too renegade. Too something.
And if you listen to all of them and try to accommodate their needs, you’ll do nothing well.
But if you’re willing to be honest with yourself and the customer and admit that you might not be a fit for their needs – even send them to someone who would instead – you might just earn their respect and admiration. And down the road, if their needs change or your focus does, you’ve established a basis of credibility and trust that might just win you that business back.
Seth Godin (in “Linchpin”) uses a great metaphor for this concept: that of a street performer. Street performers don’t go chasing after all the people who walk by–they play for the ones who stop and listen.
.-= Tamsen McMahon´s last blog ..What do you expect? =-.
Seth Godin (in “Linchpin”) uses a great metaphor for this concept: that of a street performer. Street performers don’t go chasing after all the people who walk by–they play for the ones who stop and listen.
.-= Tamsen McMahon´s last blog ..What do you expect? =-.
Amber — you are absolutely right. It is one of the hardest things to do as a business owner – turn away business. This is when gut instinct comes into play. We almost always know when it is not right, but we still try, as you say, to force-fit and make it work.
It is important to know your business strengths and go after those.
Looking forward to meeting you at PRSA’s Counselors Academy next month in Asheville.
Amber — you are absolutely right. It is one of the hardest things to do as a business owner – turn away business. This is when gut instinct comes into play. We almost always know when it is not right, but we still try, as you say, to force-fit and make it work.
It is important to know your business strengths and go after those.
Looking forward to meeting you at PRSA’s Counselors Academy next month in Asheville.
Amber – As always you are right on! Whether it is travel or real estate agents, one should pick their strengths and serve those customers that play up to their strengths. Alton Brown may not like single use utensils in the kitchen, but for B2B or B2C relationships a multi-tasker is usually not the right fit.
.-= Chuck Flagg´s last blog ..Why should I use a travel agent =-.
Amber – As always you are right on! Whether it is travel or real estate agents, one should pick their strengths and serve those customers that play up to their strengths. Alton Brown may not like single use utensils in the kitchen, but for B2B or B2C relationships a multi-tasker is usually not the right fit.
.-= Chuck Flagg´s last blog ..Why should I use a travel agent =-.
Even at a time when clients are hard to come by, this is like butter – gotta spread it around and share the love. SERIOUSLY – the point you made about having to be “honest with yourself and the customer and admit that you might not be a fit for their needs” is key. Don’t try to wriggle your way into making it work – if it’s not a good fit, it’ll be miserable on multiple fronts:
* your client-relationship
* your work quality
* your integrity
* your reputation
It’s not worth it by any means.
Awesome Post, Amber 🙂
Narciso Tovar
Big Noise Communications
@Narciso
.-= Narciso Tovar, Big Noise Communications´s last blog ..3 Essentials… =-.
Even at a time when clients are hard to come by, this is like butter – gotta spread it around and share the love. SERIOUSLY – the point you made about having to be “honest with yourself and the customer and admit that you might not be a fit for their needs” is key. Don’t try to wriggle your way into making it work – if it’s not a good fit, it’ll be miserable on multiple fronts:
* your client-relationship
* your work quality
* your integrity
* your reputation
It’s not worth it by any means.
Awesome Post, Amber 🙂
Narciso Tovar
Big Noise Communications
@Narciso
.-= Narciso Tovar, Big Noise Communications´s last blog ..3 Essentials… =-.
Have you read Rework? If not, I believe there was one section where Jason and David went into how they let their customers outgrow their services. Sure, they sometimes lose complex and large accounts, but since the bulk of their business is smaller, they don’t want to alienate new people to satisfy one big company.
I think people make this mistake often. They get scared of losing a large client and build their service to fit their needs. The problem is, this alienates the rest of their smaller customers, the people they wanted to target originally.
So as Amber said, sometimes you need to pick your rock, stand on it… and keep standing on it no matter what.
.-= Derek´s last blog ..How to Increase Online Customer Loyalty By 82% =-.
Have you read Rework? If not, I believe there was one section where Jason and David went into how they let their customers outgrow their services. Sure, they sometimes lose complex and large accounts, but since the bulk of their business is smaller, they don’t want to alienate new people to satisfy one big company.
I think people make this mistake often. They get scared of losing a large client and build their service to fit their needs. The problem is, this alienates the rest of their smaller customers, the people they wanted to target originally.
So as Amber said, sometimes you need to pick your rock, stand on it… and keep standing on it no matter what.
.-= Derek´s last blog ..How to Increase Online Customer Loyalty By 82% =-.
Great post. Not only do we do this on the business front , people often find themselves doing this professionally – going after that job or company that just isn’t the right fit unless they cut a little here and add a little there.
I like Abbie’s comment about it being a gut instinct. Too often, my organization has struggled with a proposal and client needs that twist us up, when all the while our collective gut knows that they really aren’t a good fit and we should just accept that and let them go.
Going out to find our rock.
Great post. Not only do we do this on the business front , people often find themselves doing this professionally – going after that job or company that just isn’t the right fit unless they cut a little here and add a little there.
I like Abbie’s comment about it being a gut instinct. Too often, my organization has struggled with a proposal and client needs that twist us up, when all the while our collective gut knows that they really aren’t a good fit and we should just accept that and let them go.
Going out to find our rock.
Amber,
Great post overall, but I feel like you missed the underlying reason why businesses do this: Fear. Fear of not making budget, fear that if I let this potential client go because they’re only a 70 percent match, and the next client go because their only a 75 percent match for my business, then pretty soon I won’t be making payroll. Irrational fear? Of course, most of the time anyway.
Amber,
Great post overall, but I feel like you missed the underlying reason why businesses do this: Fear. Fear of not making budget, fear that if I let this potential client go because they’re only a 70 percent match, and the next client go because their only a 75 percent match for my business, then pretty soon I won’t be making payroll. Irrational fear? Of course, most of the time anyway.
Especially in emerging fields, you don’t have competitors. You have eventual collaborators. The key to success in the social media/social business industry today is ENSURING that every company (regardless of budget or circumstance) has a good experience sooner rather than later. If that means handing off 75% of your inbound leads because you’re too busy, then it does.
Two hackneyed cliches that I recommend heartily:
Rising tide lifts all boats.
Success is based on saying no, not on saying yes.
.-= Jay Baer´s last blog ..Get Your Social Media Story Straight =-.
Especially in emerging fields, you don’t have competitors. You have eventual collaborators. The key to success in the social media/social business industry today is ENSURING that every company (regardless of budget or circumstance) has a good experience sooner rather than later. If that means handing off 75% of your inbound leads because you’re too busy, then it does.
Two hackneyed cliches that I recommend heartily:
Rising tide lifts all boats.
Success is based on saying no, not on saying yes.
.-= Jay Baer´s last blog ..Get Your Social Media Story Straight =-.
Amber –
I’m with you. I agree with Patrick too that much of this steams from fear. Also, we live in a NOW NOW NOW society. Short-term success. If you give away business, you may not make your quota today.
That being said, I “gave away” business in October. I recommended a competitor. Oh, no! As you mentioned, the fit was not good. They would have overpaid for our services. Here’s the good news. The person whose business I sent to a competitor blogged about his experience.
I’m pretty sure you know Neil Bearse (aka @ninjarunner). In Neil’s post, Conversation means blue skies for vendors, he details how sending him to a competitor (and being in the conversation) led to him becoming a fan and someone who will recommend us going forward.
This was not the first time I’ve done this and it certainly won’t be the last. However, it was the first time it was opening blogged about. Ha ha.
I don’t think sales folks love the idea of “giving away business” – however the short-term loss often pays big dividends in the long-run as evidenced by Neil’s post.
Finally. I hope you know that I am not trying to self-promote here, but it was an example I thought worthy of sharing due to it’s relevance.
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Hello World: Eva Claire Waldow =-.
Amber –
I’m with you. I agree with Patrick too that much of this steams from fear. Also, we live in a NOW NOW NOW society. Short-term success. If you give away business, you may not make your quota today.
That being said, I “gave away” business in October. I recommended a competitor. Oh, no! As you mentioned, the fit was not good. They would have overpaid for our services. Here’s the good news. The person whose business I sent to a competitor blogged about his experience.
I’m pretty sure you know Neil Bearse (aka @ninjarunner). In Neil’s post, Conversation means blue skies for vendors, he details how sending him to a competitor (and being in the conversation) led to him becoming a fan and someone who will recommend us going forward.
This was not the first time I’ve done this and it certainly won’t be the last. However, it was the first time it was opening blogged about. Ha ha.
I don’t think sales folks love the idea of “giving away business” – however the short-term loss often pays big dividends in the long-run as evidenced by Neil’s post.
Finally. I hope you know that I am not trying to self-promote here, but it was an example I thought worthy of sharing due to it’s relevance.
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Hello World: Eva Claire Waldow =-.
To take DJ’s comment a bit further, it’s all about people being people and being honest with customers. Everyone who has seen “Miracle of 34th Street” remembers that having Santa Claus refer customers to other stores for better prices actually HELPED the bottom line in the end. Why? Because people are more likely to spend money with you when you don’t appear to just be after the money.
I’d much rather have a sales person flat out tell me that we’re not a good fit than sour a relationship on trying fit the square peg through the round hole.
Excellent reminder, Amber.
.-= Scott Cohen´s last blog ..An Email Snob Interview with Fred Tabsharani =-.
To take DJ’s comment a bit further, it’s all about people being people and being honest with customers. Everyone who has seen “Miracle of 34th Street” remembers that having Santa Claus refer customers to other stores for better prices actually HELPED the bottom line in the end. Why? Because people are more likely to spend money with you when you don’t appear to just be after the money.
I’d much rather have a sales person flat out tell me that we’re not a good fit than sour a relationship on trying fit the square peg through the round hole.
Excellent reminder, Amber.
.-= Scott Cohen´s last blog ..An Email Snob Interview with Fred Tabsharani =-.
“Let’s stick to our knitting.” was an expression we used while growing a high tech computer company back in the 80’s. That’s not so say we didn’t expand into new products, services and markets along the way, but we did so logically and methodically – basing each move on our past success.
During that 15 years, from zero to $100 million, we sent hundreds of customers to our competitors when we realized they were asking for something that was not in our portfolio. It was hard at first, but once it became habit we found it easy to hand them off quickly and devote our resources to those customers who were wanting what we had to offer. Now that’s ROI.
.-= Global Patriot´s last blog ..UCSD Global Brigades Bring Sustainable Energy To Panama =-.
“Let’s stick to our knitting.” was an expression we used while growing a high tech computer company back in the 80’s. That’s not so say we didn’t expand into new products, services and markets along the way, but we did so logically and methodically – basing each move on our past success.
During that 15 years, from zero to $100 million, we sent hundreds of customers to our competitors when we realized they were asking for something that was not in our portfolio. It was hard at first, but once it became habit we found it easy to hand them off quickly and devote our resources to those customers who were wanting what we had to offer. Now that’s ROI.
.-= Global Patriot´s last blog ..UCSD Global Brigades Bring Sustainable Energy To Panama =-.
One of my friends asked me today how she could get better clients. She’s not happy with some of the situations she’s gotten herself into as an independent consultant. I told her that I love my clients because I’m choosy about who I work with. I look for right alignments that fit what I’m truly talented or love to do and get better at and then I funnel my creativity into people and projects that I believe in. Great post Amber!
.-= Mark ´s last blog ..Own Your Own Online Brand =-.
One of my friends asked me today how she could get better clients. She’s not happy with some of the situations she’s gotten herself into as an independent consultant. I told her that I love my clients because I’m choosy about who I work with. I look for right alignments that fit what I’m truly talented or love to do and get better at and then I funnel my creativity into people and projects that I believe in. Great post Amber!
.-= Mark ´s last blog ..Own Your Own Online Brand =-.
Keeping the main thing the main thing can be a hard task when big carrots are dangled out there. The biggest temptations to step outside what my org does well can take hold when I’ve forgotten my mission – or I get bored with it. ie just because I do it day in and day out, and some new project simply sounds more exciting than what I do.
I’d love to hear from you about that factor – keeping your own mission interesting to yourself. I know we’re all supposed to have passion about what we do, but I’m a person who loves change, and the new and different often catches my eye. Fortunately my business model makes me look at my org from a lot of angles, so that at least helps me perceive it as new and different, but some days I just wanna run away and join the circus.
(Perhaps I need a vacation! lol)
Keeping the main thing the main thing can be a hard task when big carrots are dangled out there. The biggest temptations to step outside what my org does well can take hold when I’ve forgotten my mission – or I get bored with it. ie just because I do it day in and day out, and some new project simply sounds more exciting than what I do.
I’d love to hear from you about that factor – keeping your own mission interesting to yourself. I know we’re all supposed to have passion about what we do, but I’m a person who loves change, and the new and different often catches my eye. Fortunately my business model makes me look at my org from a lot of angles, so that at least helps me perceive it as new and different, but some days I just wanna run away and join the circus.
(Perhaps I need a vacation! lol)
Fear my indeed play a role but I suspect there are many different emotional responses leading to this behavior. A disciplined approach to growth (or sales in general) is easy to talk about, but when the competitive juices are flowing or when sales are difficult, ‘things happen’. Just a thought, not an excuse:)
Rick
Fear my indeed play a role but I suspect there are many different emotional responses leading to this behavior. A disciplined approach to growth (or sales in general) is easy to talk about, but when the competitive juices are flowing or when sales are difficult, ‘things happen’. Just a thought, not an excuse:)
Rick