Ep 59: Are You Attending to the Detail in Your Business? - Coaching Conversations

EPISODE IN BRIEF

Attention to detail in business.

How do you focus on the little things? How do you ensure those all-important deal breakers are not overlooked?

In the latest episode of Coaching Conversations, Nick and Chris urge you to slow down. Put on the hand break and focus on the small things that get lost in the pace of day-to-day.

Nick will break it down to five key areas to help you re-focus on micro-elements. You will lose respect and revenue if you choose to ignore this avenue for competitive advantage.

In fact, it’s a critical and often misunderstood element in business that you cannot sweep aside under the guise of busy-ness. Your bottom line can’t afford it.

This chapter is all about focusing on the best you can offer – right down to those tiny details. Take notes and be inspired….

Time Code/Show Notes

2.24   Attention to detail. What does that phrase mean to you. Is it important? Nick opens with a tale of a high-profile Italian restaurant that seated his party next to a wall. It wafted unsavoury on the nose as they were opposite the garbage bins. Forty minutes for the first course – two are forgotten, one is wrong and still no drinks order taken. What would you do?

6.00  Another example of attention to detail; Nick talks about McLaren        Racing from on site-catering to pitstops, everything is perfection.

7.55  If you do not look at the small things, sooner or later your customers will let you know.

9.36  Firstly, be aware. For example, wear your uniform even if you’re not client-facing that day; presentation is so important. Train your staff to be aware. Foster pride. From email punctuality to event detail, it’s all about client “experience”.

12.29: Chris nutshells the point; be aware of how your customers view your business!

13.25  When Chris was in hospitality, he used to insist on his staff taking   60 seconds to talk to the diners about their day. Hello, repeat business!

14.40 Preparation – Plan it out! Nick refers to the F1 Pit Crews. Being prepared is critical. Attention to detail. Nick espouses many retail examples of prepping and embracing good customer service to retain business.

17.25 Training - Are you training your staff? How often? Are you encouraging a standard that you’re proud of? Are your staff proud of the way they carry themselves and engage with clients and each other?

20.05 Deployment and testing - Do you have systems in place to re-engage with customers?

21.25  Feedback – this circles back to the original “awareness” and listening. Are people happy, are they referring more clients? Are they tipping (in a restaurant) at all?     

22.40  What happens if you avoid these steps from awareness through to feedback? What happens if you attract a customer who is still grumpy after all your outstanding effort?

24.30  Ask yourself. How can you over-deliver to a client that expects the world? You’re already locked into the pursuit of good attention to detail. Well done!

29.00  If you really want to compete, to differentiate yourself, it’s all about the “little things”. If you need help identifying and working on attention to the detail in your business, contact [email protected]

 EPISODE SUMMARY       

If you really want to compete in your space, it is critical that you identify and address those small details.

Firstly, be “aware”. Look deeply at the way you and your staff are doing even the most basic duties. What improvements can you make?

Make sure you “prepare” so you can move confidently towards retaining and growing good clients.

Check that you are constantly training and monitoring staff to high standards of customer care.

And don’t ignore “testing”. This is how you’ll know if you’re doing it right!

Finally – feedback. This circles back to the original concept of “awareness” and listening.

It truly is the only way to differentiate yourself from the crowd - focus on the little things and watch your business flourish naturally.