When Better Beats Best
/I have a pet hate for "best practices". Not the concept, but the term. There are areas in every business where being the best is valuable. But most often, better is good enough.
Like many tech marketing terms, "best practices" is a well-intentioned cliche. Who says these practices are the best? That's pretty definitive. Best for who? Is best the same for every business? I'll let you know whether they're best for me.
Guard against being sucked in by the promise of doing something the best possible way - it's often unnecessary and distracting. I look at four options:
- Stop! : wind this down - it's no longer relevant to your business.
- Good : you're already good enough - just maintain what you have.
- Improve : should do better - steady improvement is useful.
- Perfect : become the best you can - it'll make or break your business.
You probably know what distinguishes your organization from your competition. Better still, what your customers need in their provider. Getting to best for these things is worth the effort. That means not trying to be best at everything. Knowing where to focus makes all the difference.
Where do you need to be the best? Test your focus by answering these questions:
- If your business could improve in three ways this year, which three would your customers appreciate the most?
- Who in your industry is best at each of these three things?
- How good do you need to be in each area?
- How good are you now, and what steps should you take to get there?
Send me your results at graham@primeFusion.ca and we can discuss an action plan.