What happens when good customer service becomes the norm? Good customer service the norm?  Have I lost my mind? Within the last week I have dealt with the customer service departments at five major companies: Apple, Dell, Verizon, At&t and Cadillac. Not one of them was a bad experience.  In fact, it's not the first time I have had to deal with the customer service departments of those companies and I can't recall one bad experience with any of them. So it got me thinking about what happens when good customer service becomes the norm and not the exception. We Have Come To Expect Good Service There has been such a push over the last decade by companies to focus on good customer service that I have seen a real difference in the way they approach this opportunity.  Yes it's an opportunity. More and more companies have a primary focus on creating an experience that is more than just the product.  For decades the products were the differentiators.  Then as the competition increased we started to see customer service become a differentiating factor. Today we expect good service and when we don't receive it the negative response on our part can be amplified greater than ever before.

I hear it over and over again,  "I have this great idea for..., now what?" Really that's the most difficult part for people is developing a plan, a strategy, to go from idea to implementation. Many are looking for a "connect the dots" type system that will show them  step 1, step 2, step 3 and now your done. The problem is there really isnt a step by step guide that can be applied to taking an idea to implementation and success. However there are two steps you should be sure not to skip. Step 2 Is All About Research This is the most critical part of developing your business idea.  You need to do in depth research into your idea.  Some things you should be looking for.  Is there a market for my idea? Are there any other companies doing the same thing?  Are those companies successful? If there are companies doing the same thing where are they deficient. If there are not companies doing the same thing, why not? Will I outsource, produce, provide, contribute to the development of my product or idea? If so in what ways? If not who will do it for you? Now the list could continue for another 100 questions, however the point is to research, research, research, the idea that you have in order to best formulate a plan to move forward.  Knowing your market and your competition will be essential to your success.

Everyone's an Entrepreneur, why not you? Which excuse are you hiding behind? I'm not creative - Everyone is, look at your dreams, your personality I don't have money - Almost all start without money I'm not talented enough - Determination trumps talent I'm not capable - You're the only one who is. It's too risky - Doing nothing is much more risky It's too much pressure - No more than not being in control of your future That's been done before - Execution not originality leads to success That's never been done - Pioneering something can pay off I can't focus - Sure you can, it just takes some practice I can't make decisions - You do everyday, what to eat, what to wear, where to go I make decisions to quickly - Timely decisions are important My parents weren't and it worked for them - Perhaps but it won't in the future My parents were and it didn't work - Your opportunities are better My ideas are horrible - Horrible ideas can be successful too I have ideas but I don't know what to do - You're already well on your way

We've all faced them before.  Your driving down the road trying to get somewhere, inevitably running late, and you come up on a detour sign.  The detour is going to take you 30 min in the wrong direction. Obviously you don't have much choice but to take it and that's exactly why it irritates you.  While encountering these detours on the road is one thing, having them impact our life is quite another. How will you deal with the detours life throws at you?  What happens when your business is down 50%? What happens when your great business idea doesn't take off? What happens when your laid off? What happens when you've been rejected by publishers? What happens when your employees quit, like at Zappos? What happens when you loose your best customer? What happens when you get a bad review? What happens when you fail? Time and time again life throws detours in our path. How you handle those could be the difference between getting back on track or continuing in the wrong direction. It's something that you should be prepared for. Sign up for my free newsletter

...it's your competition. "I've never used an iPhone" was the quote from Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein during a recent interview.  That makes him either a liar or a fool. The arrogance of not deeply knowing your competition is something that perhaps would work in the past, but today and into the future is a direct line to failure.  As an entrepreneur one of the most important things you can do is to understand who your competition is and what they bring to the market.  Whether you're a manufacturer, service provider or blogger you need to make it a pillar of your career to have the mindset of researching your competition.  Here are some reasons why... In sales you will be better prepared to sell your features/benefits over your competition In design you will be able to exploit the design weakness of your competitions products In marketing you will be able to position your product where others aren't and where others fall short In pricing you will be able to target your markets more competitively In support you will understand opportunities that your offering can utilize to reduce complaints In usability you will find nuances that no one can share with you, no matter how many videos, reviews or articles you read. Being an entrepreneur today is all about learning. You need to learn your about your competition, market and customer.  A lack of understanding in any one of those three areas is done at your own peril. How about you, do you research your competition? How? photo credit