#1- Forgetting how important customer service is.  Customer service is THE most important part of your business.  Especially in this economy, If your customers don’t see you as going above and beyond to provide exceptional service, they will go elsewhere.

#2- Inconsistent marketing.  Many small business owners only market when business is slow.  This is a mistake.  Market consistently.  You want to keep a consistent funnel of prospective clients and customers.  When you get too many customers, it’s time to streamline your business and figure out ways to clone yourself.  That is good thing!  And, it’s far better than having your customer base dry up because you slacked off with marketing.

Maintain the best customer service and stay on top of your marketing.  You’ll be glad you did!

Here are a few questions to help you identify your competitive advantage and why customers/clients should invest in your business over the competition.

1. From the perspective of your ideal clients/customers- what value do you offer that they care about?

2. What do you offer, or what can you offer, that is truly unique?

3. What is the purpose of your company?

4. What does your business do differently than your competitors?

5. How can you increase the value of what you offer so it attracts more ideal customers?

Use yours answers to create your Competitive Advantage.  To give you an example, here is ours:

Excelerated Success’ competitive advantage:  We help business owners and entrepreneurs create easier-to-run, more efficient businesses.  Business owners get their lives back while running a more efficient, more profitable business at the same time.

You want your competitive advantages to be consistent over time and difficult to replicate by your competition.  The businesses that excel are those that are constantly thinking about their competitive advantages and ways to improve upon them.

To learn more strategies to improve and streamline your business, sign up for our free report on our home page at www.exceleratedsuccess.com

If you don’t have time to create the systems and processes you need in your business, and you don’t have time to write your Operations Manual, shoot us an email and we’ll set up a time to talk.   If we’re a good fit for each other, systematizing businesses and creating Operation Manuals is a passion of mine, and I’d love to help you out.

As I’ve studied success and business owners and CEOs who are the happiest- it’s the ones who’ve kept their balance,  stayed in touch with their values outside of work, and have streamlined their business so they don’t have their hand in too much.  They shirk their work responsibilities, they work very hard.  Every entrepreneur and CEO I know is a hard worker.  But they don’t give up their other values- they embrace their work AND other parts of their lives they care about- such as taking care of themselves and spending quality time with people they care about.

There is a way to run your business so it doesn’t take over your life.  It has to do with streamlining your systems, understanding where your focus should be and where you should delegate, and living your values outside of work.

I write more about this in my chapter in the upcoming book, “Mastering the Art of Success”, that I co-authored with Jack Canfield and some other experts.  It will be out in the spring and I hope you enjoy it!

In this case, when I asked her why she wanted to return a third year, she said it’s because she knows she needs me to help her expand her vision and figure out her path to get there.  Without our services, she says she would not have had the courage to “get out there” in the ways she needs to.  As a solo entrepreneur, “getting yourself out there” is imperative.  Even if you feel uncomfortable about building your business (as so many do)- there is always a way to do it that is within your comfort zone.  It’s just a matter of brainstorming, evaluating what is working in this economy, setting a plan, and having someone hold you accountable.

Thank you Martha for your third year!  It’s such a joy to work with you and watch as you just get better at what you do and bolder with how you do it.