Foundation for Success

Writers never truly know what hits a nerve with their readers and subsequently will generate the most responses. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a column about social media networking and cold calling. The underlying message was strong positive core values or business ethics are the foundation for success in business regardless of what marketing platform or vehicle one uses.

This column generated numerous e-mails and phone calls. I was directly asked if the unnamed business professional was this person or that person. It appears that I am not the only business professional experiencing poor ethics and the subsequent behaviors.

Small business owners provide employment for 57.4 million people and represent 99.7 percent of all firms, according to the Small Business Administration. Business networking, whether face-to-face, direct mail, paid advertising or through social media is still one of the best ways to attract new customers and build relationships.

Professional Business Ethics

To truly be successful at this potential customer attraction strategy requires a strong code of professional business ethics demonstrated through the actual observable behaviors regardless of the marketing vehicle.

Business Coaching Tip: Return to your strategic plan and revisit your Values Statement.

Business ethics when positive and consistently displayed build customer confidence and add a tremendous value to the buying decision making process. Value, as shared in another past column, is simply the worth to the customer or client. This worth differs because everyone has his or her own unique valuing criteria. Much of this value is subconscious as Read Montaque shares in his well-documented book, "Why Choose This Book."

When value is clearly articulated to the potential customer, this makes the buying decision much easier. Unfortunately, most businesses do not know how to articulate the value of their products and services. This inability in turn makes their marketing and selling activities more difficult.

Business Coaching Tip: Value goes beyond features and benefits.

Another interesting factor to add to the daily business value soup is some research suggesting that providing the basics and doing it well along with making the customer experience "effortless" are much better measurements than the traditional customer satisfaction and net promoter scores. Again business ethics are directly connected to doing the basics well.

Possibly the easiest way to determine if you are providing value through the demonstration of positive business ethics is to ask this question to yourself and even your customers: Are we easy to do business with?


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