Business Brains: Your people are the heart and soul of your success - nurture them

Research has shown that only sixty per cent of consumers identify themselves as ‘confident consumers’. The remainder want advice, guidance or reassurance before making the decision to purchase.

Purchasing decisions are also directly influenced by the initial reception the customer receives, with warm, open, friendly and inviting staff being more likely to persuade them to progress to a purchase. Your staff are your brand and your image. So no matter how luxurious your premises, it is the behaviour of your staff that will have the greatest influence on your customers. Nurture them and you will gain the competitive edge.

Customers want to deal with business representatives who are enthusiastic, willing to follow ideas through into actions and have the tenacity to make sure the job is well done and the customer is fully satisfied. So look to employ and retain staff who can operate with sufficient autonomy to have the confidence to trust their instinct. At the same time they must be balanced by a level of accountability and commitment to achieving the correct level of service to ensure information is shared, ideas are discussed and benefits and issues are properly addressed with customers.

Do your staff have sufficient maturity of approach to recognise and manage potential risks and be part of a team that understands the customer’s needs and motivation? They will need this quality to translate the customer’s requests into clear, concise actions and ultimately seeing the job through. A further ingredient to this potent mix of requirements is a desire to exceed all expectations and display a true passion for performance which is infectious amongst customers and gives them a real confidence in your business or service.

Your people are your greatest business asset. They are the heart and soul of success. When trained, developed, nurtured and inspired, they have the ability to release the potential of your business.