Most people run in packs, what I mean by that is that they just do what they have to do to get by and no more. Some of us, and I am including my dear readers in this, want more and we work on getting ahead.

 

Same goes with companies, most are mediocre and we only either remember the bad experiences or the exceptional ones.

 

What I want to focus on in this post is how to create a stand out exceptional company. These are just my thoughts from launching my business Latchgate nearly two years ago and getting to capacity within 6 months!

 

Show Passion 

As business owners we are usually passionate about what we sell and make – that is what drives us. It is important to show our passions to potential clients and customers so make them feel part of it. I recently spoke to a man who ran a travel business. He spoke about it like it was the most boring job he has ever had – that is not going to make me want to contact him to book my next holiday. People do business with people, so make it about the people.

 

Know your customers 

That leads nicely to my next point about knowing your customers. For example, in my case, Virtual Assistants seem to be everywhere now. (4 years ago, not many people even knew what one was, myself included) I am not at all worried that there is an influx of VAs.  My company offers a variety of services which are different to my local Vas – from general admin support to specialist project management and intellectual property investigations, I know what types of clients I work well with and I choose them – if someone else contacts me, I have a good directory of other VAs that I can refer them to.  Matching with the right client is very important, without the right match a good solid business relationship will likely not  flourish.

 

Deliver to your customers 

To maintain a good working relationship, you need to deliver on your promises. In my experience it is vital to agree the scope of work or products that you will deliver and by when. And then you do it! My adhoc clients have come back a few times for additional project work, because they know that I will deliver to the quality they expect.

 

Excellent customer service 

I recently ordered a t-shirt from a small local company, the reason I will probably order more in the future is that their website was really easy to use, they delivered the t-shirt on time, it was wrapped nicely with a little hand-written note saying “thank you for your order and hope you like, if you love it please share a photo with us via social media”  Well guess what I did, exactly as they asked! The fact that they took the trouble to write that note on the receipt, I thought the least I can do, is share a photo with them online and provide a review.

 

Outsource & Delegate 

Do what you are good at. Some people are just better at doing some things – that is a fact. For many creative small business owners and entrepreneurs, the admin and business process side of the company is usually a black hole of chaos. That is why I work with  a large number of creative people, because I provide the organised business process support they need to actually keep going and grow.

Review your own business model; if you are putting tasks off; ask yourself why? Is it because you don’t enjoy them? Don’t have time for them? In most cases there will be someone that is an expert compered to you in those tasks that could help you. That will free up your time and give you more energy and incentive to focus on what you are great at.

 

Keep ahead

My final recommendation in order to have a stand out service company is to keep ahead – don’t just stand still because you are doing well. People will catch you up and you will be part of the pack again – you do not want to be part of the pack, you want to be ahead of it. So, keep evolving, keep giving your customers what they need and want and love what you do.

 

So, as we start winding down for Christmas – have you made a plan of what will make your company stand out and attract the right clients in 2019?