Empowering people is a key principle for success and it involves thinking deeply about all of the people who walk through your doors, whether they are your customers, the team you've built who work directly with them, or those behind the scenes who make that team thrive.
Consumers today have access to more choices than ever. They are now accustomed to getting the specific product they want, and they'll take their dollars elsewhere to get it. When this happens enough times, that customer might just be lost for good.
Personal attention is one way to stand out. Our customers need to feel that their individual wants and needs are addressed; person-to-person interaction is the most enriching way to do this. Customers crave interaction and information, and moments like talking directly with a butcher or baker over an order or having an employee suggest the perfect cheese to complement a meal makes a customer feel empowered and that your service is tailored directly to them.
Even now, with the internet more important than ever, the personal touch is still important. A customer can't replace the suggestion for an idea they'd never even considered. Sharing an informed opinion makes the customer feel more informed and more excited about their experience. Person-to-person interaction is the most important opportunity for businesses to meet and exceed customers' desires.
This connection makes the people in your company that interact with your customers an invaluable resource, especially those with specialized knowledge. As your people grow in their knowledge, so grows your connection to your customers. Few things will be more rewarding to a company than inspiring a dedicated worker to look at their work as a career instead of simply a job; leaving a job for another is easy, but one can dedicate oneself to growing and improving in a career.
Your people should be another way your business stands out from the competition. Just like you, when it counts, your customer will go to the baker they know is talented and dedicated over someone unknown.
Empowering people needs to be your focus. Focus on the desires of your customers as individuals and supply them with personalized care and attention they can't get elsewhere. Actively develop the talent in your staff, build their dedication by investing in their training and growth, and inspire them to view your business as a place for their career. As they thrive, so shall you.