‘Is your business ENERGISING your customers, staff and suppliers?’

Think of a handful of great businesses you know. They don’t have to be famous or international (although some may be), they could be local, small and specific. Where do you go back to every time for a specific product or service? What businesses do you tell your friends about? Where do you tell them they absolutely must go for a certain product or service?

All of those businesses have one thing in common. They’ve got you energised.

Now think about the businesses you’ve had problems with in the last 12 months. Who’ve you told about them? How often? Using how many swear words?

Guess what – these businesses have got you energised too.

Now all those other businesses that you’ve bought from (or not) in the last 12 months that you don’t remember. How energised did they get you? Not much, right?

Energy flows from Emotion. We feel something and it galvanises us into action, sometimes positive, sometimes negative – emotion is a hugely powerful motivator. Our emotions come from our thoughts and perceptions. How often have you seen people perceive the same event in different ways and then attach 2 very different emotions to it? Think about music – a track that gets you going may be perceived as a terrible tune by someone else – one that makes them feel a completely opposite emotion to yours. I know this from personal experience of long car trips with my teenage daughter …

I really don’t like Katy Perry’s music but…

I really don’t like Katy Perry’s music but every time my daughter plays a particular one of her tracks, in my head I’m driving through Catalonia in the warm summer sunshine on the way to the coast on a family holiday we all loved. So I listen to it. And I feel good. Despite the fact that it’s Katy Perry. In the same way, if you can help your customers think and perceive of your business as overwhelmingly positive, then the energy and emotion that is generated will work for you. If they’re neutral or perceive your business as negative, it will work against you.

So how energised do you want your customers to be about your business? Energised enough to come back, every time? Energised enough to bring people with them? Energised enough to tell everyone how great your business is?

What about your team? Energised enough to turn up with a smile every single day? Energised enough to do a great job no matter what the circumstance? Energised enough to get it right first time, every time?

And your suppliers? Energised enough to work with you? To refer other businesses to you? To give you a great price and extended payment terms because they really value your business?

So what do you want them to feel about your business to get them to these energy levels? Energy doesn’t come without feeling, so what feelings do you want them to have?

And if you want them to feel that way, what do they need to think or perceive about your business? Because this is where it all starts. You can do things that help people think and perceive your product or service in a certain way. This will help them feel the way you (and they) want to feel which will raise their energy. Do this consistently and strongly enough and you’ll energise them to all of the levels you described 4 or 5 paragraphs ago.

Do you own any Apple products?

Here’s another example to illustrate that point. Do you own any Apple products? If not, think of someone you know who does. Apple devices are arguably not the best devices on the market in many cases. They’re also amongst the most expensive. They also have one of the most dedicated and energised consumer bases ever. An Apple fan will queue around the block all night to be first to buy a newly released phone. An Apple fan will argue vehemently about the merits of Apple over every other brand on the market. An Apple fan will truly not be able to understand how anyone could ever use a different brand of device. This is how Apple Inc has become the 2nd biggest company in the world with a turnover larger than the GDP of 75% of the countries on the planet. Now that’s Energy in motion.

So back to the question. What do you want your customers, employees and suppliers to think about your company? Because that’s the route to their emotions and their energy. Once you have this clear, you can start putting things in place to encourage these thoughts and perceptions in the “right” customers, candidates and suppliers. One of the companies I work with did this over 2 years to resolve a 10 year old recruitment problem. They’ve now become the chosen employer in their local area for certain jobs amongst a certain type of person (one that wants to work hard, learn, develop and be rewarded fairly for their efforts).

And don’t try to energise everyone to love what you do. The right number of the right people is all you need. After all, Apple is doing just fine without ever having convinced me to buy an iPhone …

We work with business owners and MD’s to help gain clarity on their 2024 goals and beyond. If you’re struggling with where to start, why not schedule a conversation with us? It’s free and at the very least you’ll come away with a couple of ideas to help you move forward.

Alternatively come along to one of our upcoming business masterclasses or workshops –  Upcoming Events