Wenatchee Office located at 238 Olds Station Road, Wenatchee. By appointment call 509-888-7252 or email jim.fletcher@wsbdc.org

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Never Stop Testing Ideas


Operating a business is a series of trial and error experiments products, services, marketing, how you do things are all subject to variables that can be changed to improve the outcome.  Yet I frequently hear a client say, I did that and it did not work, end of discussion.

An important part of making your business better that the competition is discovering how to do your business better than the competition.  When an idea works, it’s obvious and we repeat it. But, when the idea does not work we frequently miss an opportunity to learn why the idea didn’t work, or conversely how to do it better next time.  In some respects we can learn more about our business, customers, products and services because we need to solve a problem, to improve the product or service, as a critical step towards growing the business. 

Learning how to do better will improve your chances of out competing and winning new business opportunity.   Thus, when you try a new idea, product or service analyze the following:
  • Was product/service right for this time and place: Technology, fads, even location can influence customer needs. 
  • Why was the idea a success or flop? 
  • What changes would result in a different outcome?  

Advertising message must fit the correct audience.  Each new generation of consumers is as different as we are for our predecessors. In other words, what I like is not necessarily important to my customers.
Product and service are provided consistently, on time, and meeting or exceeding customer expectations. Complaints are solved quickly.  

Consider new opportunities beyond your normal customer base.  The Internet opens the global market place to any business willing to be seen by new customers, who are looking for the goods and services you are offering.  An order from India, China just might be an opportunity knocking on your door don’t miss that opportunity just because you “tried it once and it didn’t work.” Fix what didn’t work.  

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