People are the lifeblood of your business. The hard reality is that if you are a service business how well you perform as a business comes down to your people. What they deliver is essential but how they deliver it is utterly crucial. How they engage with one another, clients, prospects and other professional contacts really creates that point of difference.
Here’s why your people create that competitive edge
How your people work with… colleagues.
When we’re given the space to work productively in a positive environment, this impacts the quality of the work delivered; it improves. This is fundamental to keep clients loyal and encouraging them to refer.
Without the stress of negative ‘Office Politics’, poor management and with the benefits of good relationships and strong management, your people are free to focus on their work, without harmful distractions. This will positively impact how your firm is portrayed to external people.
How your people work with… clients.
Services are often comparable across companies and, in highly regulated service areas the similarity in what is offered are high. It’s the ‘how’ these services are delivered that’s the differentiator. If clients like your people and feel positive about the interactions they have with your team, they’re more likely to stay loyal (even when you put the fees up), refer others and talk positively about your firm more broadly.
How your people work with… prospective clients.
When clients, whether B2B or B2C, are looking for a new service provider, what is offered and at what price matter. Fundamentally though, it is how they are dealt with as they make their choice that is likely to have a big impact.
How your people work with…other business contacts.
Even if specific people and other companies haven’t worked with yours, if they’ve had positive experiences with your people e.g. at networking events, and/or heard good things, they are far more likely to suggest your company when an opportunity comes up. Even if it comes with the caveat that they haven’t worked with your business themselves, the positive associations will be enough.
Why don’t firms ensure they have this competitive advantage?
Businesses frequently spend a lot of time upskilling their people in the technical skills they need. This is essential, after all, for example, who’d want a lawyer who didn’t know the law or an accountant with limited understanding of accountancy?
However, this crucial emphasis on technical skills means too many firms often ignore supporting their people to develop the skills that really help their firm stand out positively and grow. These skills are harder to develop, valued less (until getting them wrong has been detrimental to your business), and often don’t come with a recognised qualification or certificate.
It doesn’t have to be an ‘either’ ‘or’ approach when it comes to developing your people – their technical development should go hand in hand with developing the other skills they need to make them successful for your firm.
To conclude
I’ve worked with many companies to develop these crucial ‘other’ skills in their people, so they can have the competitive edge and grow their firm.
Contact me for a short conversation about where your firm is at.
Structured, skilled & people-centred
This article explores some of the key elements that drive successful business development.
They come from my proven framework, The 5 Ps of Proactive Business Development© – the key practical elements to help professionals win more work by being intentional and consistent.
EXPLORE THE FULL FRAMEWORK
