Is Your Business Easy To Buy From?

Why is it that so many businesses, in their tireless quest to excel so that they can compete more effectively, actually create more problems for themselves in the process? This is a phenomenon I have identified time and time again over the years as a business consultant and I still see growing evidence of every day.

For example, you've probably received at some time a direct mail package with a persuasive sales letter and a nice brochure, but there is nothing in the package that tells you how to order the product or service. You're left feeling confused and you simply toss the entire package in the trash.

You've probably also had the unfortunate experience of calling a company to get some information or place an order, and the telephone operator snaps, "Hello, hold please" and then leaves you dangling on hold so long that you finally hang up and promise yourself that you'll never deal with that company again.

How about going to a Web site to order a product or service and you find all types of great sales messages and links but it doesn't tell you how to place an order on the site. When you finally find the order page it is so confusing that you just click out of it and never visit or recommend that Web site again.

To further illustrate the point I'm trying to make, there's a powerul example in something that happened to me the other night. There was this wonderful little Italian Restaurant close to where I live. The food there was all homemade and it was excellent. They did a good business and most every night there was a wait to get a table.

One day I phoned to place a take out order only to be informed that the number had been disconnected and there was no forwarding number. My immediate assumption was that a fire or other emergency had taken place. I presumed that the restaurant would be back in business in a relatively short time.

I tried to phone again a few weeks later, but still to no avail. I didn't think much about the restaurant after that; I simply began to search for a suitable alternative. A few days ago, I was driving in the vicinity of the old restaurant, I decided to take a little detour and investigate. I wanted to find out what had driven such a fine establishment out of business.

When I drove into the parking lot, I couldn't believe my eyes. The restaurant was still there. There was no damage, no sign of fire. There was a new owner who welcomed me to his establishment.

As he talked, I immediately saw the problem. He told me that he had purchased the restaurant because of its great reputation, but he was determined to make it "his place," and not just an extension of the previous owner. So, he changed everything, including the phone number and he wondered why his business suddenly took such a dive.

I wish I could say that I made up this little story to illustrate my point, but sadly, it's all true.

What's important here, is that you learn from this unfortunate business owner who let his ego and his pride get in the way of common business sense.