Revitalizing Business

The Business Journey

Every business started with a story; the reason given to investors or initial customers to join. Over time, many businesses find themselves further and further away from the story. They stall and lose profitability as sales propositions become less clear and costs increase to support an increasing complex business. Sometimes, the initial story needs to evolve as the business finds its niche in the marketplace. More often businesses wander from their core value proposition usually pursuing growth beyond natural limits.

Rediscovering Your Story

Your best customers will point the way back. By definition, your best customers are finding the greatest value in your offering. If you focus on what makes these customers unique, you will rediscover what differentiates your offerings from competitors. Understanding and delivering against core customer needs, will strengthen your relationship with these customers, and build new customer relationships.

Aligning Your Business

Too often companies try to be all things to all customers, creating a diffused effort and expanding cost structure. Excellence requires focus. Renewed understanding of your core customers must guide every operation from customer acquisition to delivery and account management. Each business function must be evaluated in terms of its ability to cost effectively deliver against the rediscovered story. Less productive activities need to re-aligned, re-purposed or removed, so the company’s best resources can be focused on delivering the highest value to the most valuable customers.

Case Study:

In 1992 Subaru of America (SOA) was facing bankruptcy. Its pursuit of mass market status ended in thousands of vehicle which could only be sold at a loss. SoA realized it only made money on all wheel drive vehicles, so leadership summoned the courage to end ordering front wheel drive vehicles immediately; then nearly 50% of the sales volume. Subaru rebuilt its brand around all wheel drive attributes and set itself on a path of two decades of profitable growth.