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O P I N I O N
A competitive advantage
B etween wrapping up business and preparing for family time most of us probably ended 2017 in the same mad rush. But in the haste to end the year, did you overlook how to best start 2018? Evaluate where you are, how you can improve, rank yourself and your team, and then work through every way you want to perform better.
inquisition to determine name and purpose, a process that clearly implies they are not an impor- tant part of your business? Of course, client experience is not just about the greeting, but how everyone on your staff inter- acts with that client. Are calls and emails returned promptly? Do clients know that you value them? “Between wrapping up business and preparing for family time most of us probably ended 2017 in the same mad rush. But in the haste to end the year, did you overlook how to best start 2018?”
How about evaluating your firm’s operations? This may sound like a tall order when your plate is already full, but why avoid evaluating your successes and failures? You should also not just review the typical items such as finances, but focus on those experiential aspects of your firm that can create real differentiators from your peers. From my perspective, there are five key areas that should be reviewed – aspects of running a business that can deliver competitive advantages in 2018. 1)External client experience . When you are provid- ing services that can be replicated by 10 other firms, how can you distinguish yourself and not be seen as a commodity? One way is to provide a differentiat- ing client experience. This does not have to be an elaborate proposition as it can be as simple as how your client is greeted when they call your office. Do they hear a helpful voice or are they put through an
Stephen Lucy
See STEPHEN LUCY, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER March 19, 2018, ISSUE 1240
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