Take your business from okay to outstanding

Russell Bell PHOTO/FILE

The great ones. In any field, activity or business they all bring something unique to the table.

The greatest musicians of all time are the Beatles. They haven't recorded music for over 40 years but the quality and integrity of their music is such that no one in that time has ever come close to them. Or will.

Those that have been successful in their wake all borrow from the innovations the Beatles pioneered.

In my view, the greatest sportsman is Muhammad Ali, who took the boxing world by storm.There wasn't a heavyweight with his agility or speed, so he dominated. However, other sportspeople that rate behind Ali like Tiger Woods, Martina Navratilova and Don Bradman all developed their games in a unique way and to levels not seen before them.

So how do you and your business go from being okay to outstanding? You need to work to be better than the rest and have something that you do which sets you apart.

Examples are knowing your customer's name when they drop by and starting their coffee before they have ordered it and making the best possible product and delivering ahead of expectations. You could also do big things, like identifying a unique need and dominating your market.

Innovation, anticipating what the market wants, developing a part of your business that sets you apart. We need to do things differently to get ahead and then stay ahead of the pack. Businesses excel and gain repeat customers - because they are the best at customer service.

On Friday I had a spare half-hour so went to Unity Books to find a publication which I struggled to find in the bigger stores. They are specialists, and when you walk in the door you know there are high-quality titles on offer.

In my case they did indeed have the title that I wanted but also remembered me from a previous visit. They occupy a niche very successfully and they deliver books to the market in a way that no one else does. For that reason I and many of my friends make a pilgrimage regularly to the store.

But some businesses don't get it. They don't demonstrate great customer service, they produce substandard products and/or they follow the company line at the expense of their customer relationship.

We've all experienced this type of thing. It presents an opportunity, for small to medium businesses that excel in delivering value, to be better and grab market share. Don't be intimidated if your competition is a big corporate; the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and the bigger the reward for the competitor who gets it right. So find your unique value driver and focus on delivering that value every time. The great ones are waiting for you to join them.