Your Business Mission

What is the Mission of your Business?

A Successful entrepreneur won’t have the same answer as you are having in your heart right now. Too many small business owners assume that the mission or goal of their business is to make money. If you set your eyes on making money, be rest assured that your business won’t last for long.

Businesses are practically packaged solution to people’s need. Businesses are meant to satisfy the need of individuals or organization. If that is the case, then making money cannot be the mission of a successful entrepreneur. An entrepreneur that aims at making money will only survive until an entrepreneur that aims at satisfying the need of customer comes around to dislodge him.

Customer Satisfaction Should Be Your Mission

Successful entrepreneurs often encourage their staff to aim for two things. First, attract customers. That is the whole essence of internet marketing and all the gimmicks internet marketers parade online. Everyone is trying to get the attention of customers. The competition for customers attention is very keen. Even though you have the capacity to satisfy the need of a market better than your competitor, your inability to attract the customer will make it impossible for you to prove that you are better!

The second goal is to satisfy the customer. Whatever you do, aim at satisfying your customers. A satisfied customer will safe you thousands of dollar in advertisement. His or her recommendation may earn you better return than you can ever get on paid advertisements. Also, a satisfied customer repeated patronage pays huge dividend which cannot be easily quantified. Instead of attempting to subtly grab a few hundreds of dollar from a prospect work at making the prospect a satisfied customer and watch him spend thousands of dollars in repeated sales while recommending your business to his friends.

Quality Customer Support Service Holds The Key!

Irrespective of how good a product or service is, poor customer support service will run the business down. People love to be treated with love, care and respect. Every human being is craving for attention. You will agree with me that everyone, including yours sincerely will love to be treated as Royalty.  When this fails, customer support service should come to the rescue.

To err is human, so it is not out of place for a business to fail in its bid to satisfy customers. However, whenever such failure occurs, customer support service personnel should spring into action to ensure that the mistake is remedied. Customer support service must ensure that the dissatisfied customer does not leave the business because of such failure. Everything should be done to redress and win back the customer’s confidence.

This is one area that small business owners in Nigeria need to look into. It has been discovered that too many big enterprises dump inexperience and ill-motivated personnel in their customer support service departments. Such personnel when attending to dissatisfied customers are often rude and abusive. Some even act as if they are doing such customers a favor. Instead of treating the customers as royalty, they actually demands subtly that the aggrieved customer be grateful that they are spending their precious time attending to such trivial complains. This is a golden opportunity for small business owners to tap into.

Give The Customer Royal Treatment and Watch Your Business Grow!

Since the market is already full of lots of aggrieved customers, take advantage of this! Build a first class Customer Support Service Department for your business. Ensure that the department is staffed with the best behaved, smooth talking, diplomatic, courteous staff you have. Explain to the personnel that they are the last hope of the company in retaining any aggrieved customer. So, their attitude should be such that a customer having come in contact with them will find it difficult to leave.

Get Feedback About Your Customer Service Department

If you really want to stay and grow in business. You need to get direct feedback from your customer on what your customer support service personnel are doing. You need to know if they are striving to keep customers for you or doing otherwise. Too many businesses have lost valuable customers because an aggrieved customer was not well attended to. Getting feedback from customer is not so difficult. You only need to be creative and you will be surprised that customers are willing to comment on how your staff treat them.

Reward Good Support Staff and Fire Bad Support Staff

It is your business, so be bold enough to reward good support staff and fire without hesitation any support staff that is killing your business. It is foolish to allow an arrogant and uncultured support staff to continue in your employment. Any staff that does not accept the fact that it takes the income from satisfied customer to keep the business running must be fired. Customers pay for satisfaction and it is the responsibility of any business that takes a customers money to provide such satisfaction or refund the money taken. As such, it is compulsory that every staff understand and agree to treat every customer like royalty.

This post was provoked by a recent experience I had with a business organization. Having failed in keeping their promise, their support service staff are acting as if they are doing me a great favor listening to my complain. If I were to have my way, I will recommend that the entire customer support service department of that business be overhauled, because their response to customers sucks!

Your business mission is to attract customers and satisfy them. Never forget that if you truly want to be a successful entrepreneur.

Do you have a story to tell about customer support service? Do you have a tip to share that will empower a small business owner? Please do so in a comment. Cheers 😉

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20 Responses to “Your Business Mission”

  1. Paul Onwueme says:

    Nigerian Entrepreneur,

    Great tips there. The key to business success is having the right mission which in the case you stated is attracting the customer and keeping him by satisfying his needs.

    With regard to customer service many companies especially in the IT field are very bad at this, their customer service representatives are rude and uncaring, just makes me wonder who they think they are, meanwhile Nigerian consumers don’t seem to care about this. Personally I will stop patronizing anyone who insults or mistreats me especially with bad customer support.

    Overall like you said making money should not be your main mission in business rather customer satisfaction.

    Nice post

    • NaijaEcash says:

      Thanks Paul. Sincerely speaking that article was born out of an ill treatment that I received from a business organization. The truth is that, soon and very soon at that, some of this big companies who don’t care about customer’s feeling will start paying for it. The world is now a global village, so it won’t take long for the Nigerian populace to learn from other developed countries that it is the “moral right” of a consumer to receive good treatment when he parts with his hard earned cash.
      A business has no right to collect money and yet fail to satisfy the consumer need. It is therefore an additional insult, which is totally acceptable when an aggrieved customer is further insulted by ill-mannered customer support staff of such business.
      I saw a thread on Nairaland where people were complaining bitterly about poor customer services being provided by the big businesses in Nigeria. It will no longer be business as usual. The change has started. Cheers 😉

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  2. Wale says:

    I agree with your point that businesses must treat their customers with some respect and dignity. However, i disagree with you when you stated that “it won’t take long for the Nigerian populace to learn from other developed countries that it is the “moral right” of a consumer to receive good treatment when he parts with his hard earned cash.” I think the Nigerian populace already knew that they need to get value for their money just like it is expected anywhere in the world where there is common sense. The problem in Nigeria is that the government has not instituted laws that protect customers against abuse and bad practices from businesses.
    Wale´s last blog post ..Uncle Adisa

    • NaijaEcash says:

      I guess I shouldn’t have used the phrase “Nigerian Populace”. I was actually referring to product and service providers. Business organizations. You are quite right about the fact that Nigerian consumers know their rights, it is just that we are unable to enforce it. My point is that, soon, we will be able to enforce our right, so it is time that business entities wake-up to the reality that consumer is King and deserve royal treatment. Cheers 😉

  3. Wale says:

    My brother, how soon are we going to start enforcing our rights? Look, when it is obvious to business owners that the government of their country lacks regard for it citizens, then they are free to do whatever they like with impunity. No bi Naija?
    Wale´s last blog post ..Uncle Adisa

    • NaijaEcash says:

      Bros, the fact that it is uneconomical attempting to enforce consumers’ right is why so many simply abandon the idea. Imagine an individual trying to make a case against one of the telecom provider for FRAUDULENT deduction or BILLING. Such fellow may need to spend hundreds of thousands of naira to seek redress before he can get justice. Else, he will only wast his little resources and time. That is the challenge we have in Nigeria. Commercial cases are treated like criminal cases and they take donkey years before justice is served. So, many consumers just feel it is not worth the effort. Why should I spend hundreds of thousand and my precious time to enforce my right because my telecom provider wrongly debited my account for a call that I did not make. It is better to accept that little fraud and continue with life than suffer more pain trying to get justice in the Nigerian court.

  4. Wale says:

    I quite agree with you that it would be a waste of time and money to purse such injustice. But, what if the injustice is duplicated multiple times? For example, you were over-charged by 1,000 Naira in a month, and, at the same time, about 2,000 customers like you were over charged the same amount. If none of these over-charged customers do nothing, the company works away with 2,000,000 Naira free money.
    I know it would be difficult to fight in Nigeria without the government doing or making it easy for consumers to file complaints against rogue companies. Still, i think somebody must take a stand somehow.
    Wale´s last blog post ..iledi Awo

    • NaijaEcash says:

      It would have been easy if Nigerians are good at cooperating. It won’t have taking much to build a website and poor the complaints on the pages of the website. That way, we can summon those business to the public parliament. We rank those that are good as deserving continual patronage and blacklist those that are notorious for poor performance as not worthy of consumer patronage. Unfortunately, that dream may not be realize in this generation. But I really wish we can do something. It is worrisome the way the consumers are being cheated while the government watchdogs pretends like they don’t know what is going on.

  5. Wale says:

    I have actually thought about setting up complaints website, but the level of internet connectivity in Nigeria and the number of homes that have computers discouraged that idea. One day, I believe Nigerians would have a way to vent their anger.
    Wale´s last blog post ..Monday Omo Adugbo Final Part 2

    • NaijaEcash says:

      I agree that internet connectivity in Nigeria is still pretty low. I believe it is due to the high cost and poor service. As the situation improves, it will become viable to have such a website. Cheers.

    • Mk Akan says:

      That’s a great idea…i don’t think you should wait till internet connectivity is high,you can start it now and build the brand and website as things improve…this will make sure you are the first website with the idea in Nigeria
      Mk Akan´s last blog post ..One Important Lesson About Making Money Online Or Offline or Anywhere (Very Very Important)

      • NaijaEcash says:

        Well, you have a point. It is just that keeping a website up and fresh requires encouragement. If only 5 bloggers will promise to assist Wale in ensuring that the website get’s fresh content and the publicity it requires, then now is the best time to start. However, I have not seen much cooperation among Nigerian bloggers. We tend to work solo 😉 Sorry, if that sounds offensive to you, I’m just talking from my personal experience, I may be wrong. Cheers.

  6. Celestine says:

    I believe Nigerians would have a way to vent their anger.I know it would be difficult to fight in Nigeria without the government doing or making it easy for consumers to file complaints against rogue companies.
    Celestine´s last blog post ..murano glass

  7. puuabu says:

    I agree that some small business fail because of lack of proper attendance to customers. Once you are not able to satisfy customers then your business will surely not progress. I was in one pharmacy to purchase drugs prescribed be a doctor, I had been buying drugs from this pharmacy for more than ten years and I knew the owner, he was a very serious minded businessman. As God will have it, this man died in a ghastly motor accident. This brought the downfall of his business because when I went there to buy drugs one other time, the attendants were busy discussing what did not concern the business at all. Customers were waiting for them but this did not bother them. I called their attention and reminded them of their duties towards their customers. They did not take me serious, they went back to their discussion which had no bearing on the business. There was nothing I could do but to walk away and other customers did go to other pharmacies too. Since then I have never gone back to that pharmacy. They have lost one customer and I believe that those who left with me that day may not come back. If customers are not treated well they disappear and the business goes down. I am in total agreement with this post. You can read more I have put forward just <a href="http://www.godwinjobs.com"<CLICK HERE
    puuabu´s last blog post ..
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  8. Money Mobile Machines says:

    I actually implement this myself. Great Post. I agree one hundred percent.You really did a great job.To share your information with us.

  9. Hyna says:

    Very interesting and helpful post. This knowledge is what every internet entrepreneur needs to be successful on what he or she intends to do. This tells all the basics of internet marketing and what every successful entrepreneurs have done too.
    Hyna´s last blog post ..The Fun of Coaching Frustrated Entrepreneurs

  10. kingsley says:

    i quite agree that customer service is neccessary.i will work to improve it in my business.

  11. Fantastic article couldn’t agree with you more.

    Entrepreneurs should spend the greater part of their time listening to their customers. Always treat your old customers like royalty and your new ones like your business depends on them. First treat your staff like your customers and they will in-turn look after your clients.

    Customer service needs training and evaluation. Appraise your staff putting a higher emphasis on customer service. Use role plays to make them see how their actions impact on customers. One simple trick i use is if you wont eat it don’t sell it. If you don’t like a certain treatment don’t give it.

    Good article keep up the great work.
    Douglas Tobaiwa´s last blog post ..5 tremendous books to inspire and reinvigorate entrepreneurs during Easter break

  12. […] To Improve Your Small BusinessWritten by NaijaEcashTopics: Guest Post, small businessThe success of your small business depends on flexibility, good planning, and solid organizational skills.  Too many small business […]

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