The UK's Liveliest Small Business Newsletter
Old archive | New site
|
|
Brick No119: More secrets and lies
By Matt Weston, Friday 10 December 2004 "If you tell the truth", Mark Twain wrote exclusively in his world exclusive for business bricks on Tuesday, "you don't have to remember anything." In my line of fire: the myth that the only way for a small business to look professional is to spin a false façade of being a big business. If you tell the truth, you don't have to spend all your time spinning, posturing, and pretending. I got several emails arguing the opposite. Robert Chapman was chief witness for the defence. His business - The Training Camp - raked in £3.5m last year, employs 40 people, and is the fastest-growing IT training company in the UK. From day one, they hooked free-phone numbers up to a call centre that answered professionally then routed calls to his house. And they set up website technology to auto-respond with a tailored-looking reply that made enquirers feel like a real person had responded in 5 minutes. Robert, frankly, didn't believe this would have worked if he had told people he was doing it from his spare bedroom. I agree with Robert, the façade can work. But the opposite of transparency - here at least - is secrecy. If that secrecy places a barrier between you and your customer, you have a problem. (In Robert's case, the technology he put in place to keep his spare bedroom a secret actually served to remove barriers between his business and his customers.) This all builds on a previous brick I wrote on Julian Richer But in general secrecy - bad, transparency - good. The more transparent your business, the quicker your customer can get at the truth. I have a host of examples to prove my point - relating to your product benefits, your processes, your customer feedback and your suppliers. Below, a handful of the best. FIVE EXAMPLES OF TRANSPARENCY IN ACTION (1) A PHOTO OF JAMES DYSON'S FIRST BAGLESS VAC FROM 1991 http://snipurl.com/dyson_gforce . . . see how much more transparent the bin is nowadays http://snipurl.com/dyson"If you don't see the dirt in here," the ads say. "It's still in your house." Pre-Dyson, vacs kept secret the dirt they'd collected (the true benefit). (2) AN INNOCENT CHRISTMAS SMOOTHIE. The ingredients read: "2 pressed apples, 1/2 mashed banana, 12 crushed blackberries (20%), 8 red grapes (16%), 1/2 a freshly squeezed orange, 1/2 a freshly squeezed lemon, a touch of cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg." Mama's Secret Recipe? Not for Innocent. They know that the more transparent and real they can make their product, the more they'll sell. (3) "I USED TO BE A PLASTIC CUP." Remarkable make electric coloured pencils out of plastic cups. Unbelievable? Not if you look at this diagram that explains the nuts and bolts of the process http://www.remarkable.co.uk . . . Like FedEx (who pioneered order tracking) and Sushi restaurants (you see them make it) the process is transparent. (4) "FEEDBACK IS THE BASIS OF TRUST ON EBAY." (From eBay Hacks http://snipurl.com/ebay_hacks) Every transaction is tied to buyer and seller feedback, marked positive, negative or neutral. As the No1 ecommerce site on the planet eBay knows better than anyone that transparency - posting what customers really think (even complaints) - removes uncertainty and helps people to buy. (5) HONEYCHURCH TOYS. Reader Andrew Farrow emailed on Tuesday. He handpicks unusual wooden and soft toys from around the world and sells both via his shop in Devizes, Wiltshire and his website http://www.honeychurchtoys.com . . . Unlike many specialist retailers, Andrew doesn't cloak his suppliers in secrecy. Instead he tells colourful, real-life stories about the products and where they come from. Andrew's competitive advantage isn't secrecy - it's transparency. Remember to sign up: back to top |
|
|
Link to us | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | ©2005 Business Bricks Ltd
Designed by Mint Digital