CHANGE -- AN OPPORTUNITY
by Alan J. Zell, Ambassador of Selling

Change is an opportunity to do more business . . . if you are ready to offer Change to your customers and clients when the right time comes along. The keys are to be ready before they are ready or need to Change, to let them know you are aware of oncoming Change, and that you have the services and products that will help them meet Change.

Before offering to help other effect Change, you need to do the following:

1. ANALYZE YOUR BUSINESS

A. Divide your business into 5 Categories:

1. Outputs -- products, services, information, ideas
2. Personnel -- people, salaries
3. Resources -- supplies, equipment, suppliers
4. Operations -- policies, procedures
5. Customers -- former, current, prospects

B. Apply the following questions to each of the above categories:

1. Can we adapt to the Change?
2. How are we going to do it?
3. What can we add to meet our customers' Change?
4. Who will be responsible for the development?
5. How will this be integrated into our present offerings?

2. GATHER INFORMATION Listen for, record, and discuss the answers to the following questions:

A-1	What questions are most often asked by . . . customers? suppliers? staff and associates? family and friends?
A-2	Why do the keep asking the same questions?
B-1	What new questions have we been asked by . . . customers? suppliers? staff and associates? family and friends?
B-2	What generated these questions?
C-1	What products or services (that we do not normally offer) are requested by . . . customers? suppliers? staff and associates? family and friends?
C-2	Where did they get the idea they needed it?
C-3	Why do you think they are asking us?
D-1	What did we offer that was not accepted by . . . customers? suppliers? staff and associates? family and friends?
D-2	What should/could we have done to have it accepted?
E-1	What did we offer that was accepted but later returned or not used the way we thought it should be used by . . . customers? suppliers? staff and associates? family and friends?
F-1	What were the complaints we received from . . . customers? suppliers? staff and associates? family and friends?
F-2	What was the situation? The solution?
F-3	What are we going to have to do so it will not happen again?

Only by analyzing your business and gathering information will you be ready for the opportunity Change presents.

Change, after all, is an opportunity for all businesses to do more business.

To better understand how Change is seen by others, see "Change: Pain/Progress"

This article was written to help you and your business. If you believe some of these articles will be helpful to your business, please e-mail me your comments on how you will apply them. ajz

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Copyright © 2000-2007 Alan J. Zell, Ambassador of Selling, Portland, OR. All rights reserved.

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