Web Design Blog

There’s a story of a company that makes lawn mowers. Good, sturdy, reliable lawn mowers at affordable prices. They became so popular that the nation’s largest retailer noticed them and offered to carry them - effectively extending the company’s potential audience to unprecedented numbers. The retailer then became convinced that it could sell the mowers even cheaper if the company would buy cheaper parts. The lawn mower company chose to remove their mowers from the retailer and drop the retailer altogether. Their large potential customer base was now gone, and doom seemed inevitable.

Sadly enough, I don’t know how that story ends. I didn’t tell it to leave you dangling with suspense either, but instead to tell you how much I believe in that story and how much I respect what those guys did. Why? They lost their customer base. They may have lost millions. But they gained the respect of me and others, I’m sure. How? Because they chose to have a commitment to excellence. Executing with excellence should be one of your biggest priorities, no matter what you do. Here’s how:

If you screw up, handle it gracefully. You know how the back of your car insurance card tells you never to admit fault in an automobile accident? Doesn’t work in the business world, buddy. If you know you goofed, so do they. Handle it in a humble way and you may be able to salvage it, all because you were willing to admit you were wrong and did what you could to fix it.

Evaluate and revise broken processes. I know an airline that saved hundreds of thousands of dollars a year by simply removing a single olive from their salads. Who noticed? The one who made the decision, that’s who. They saw an area that could help the company that wouldn’t hurt the customers. Evaluate every process you have and make sure it’s the most efficient and effective way of doing it. Never, ever do things just because “that’s the way we’ve always done things”. If you think that way, you’ll never grow. Remember: If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always had.

Reward loyalty and faithfulness. You might be providing a service, but the customers, clients and staff that stick with you are the ones you’re indebted to. Be sure to let them know how invaluable they are to you. One of the best ways? A simple hand-written note.

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