why we need a coach mentor to grow our business

Why we need a coach/mentor to help us grow our business!

www.FashionMentorOnline.com

Change Your Current THINKING

‘In times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy….’


J. Paul Getty, oil magnate and one-time Guinness Book of Records ‘World’s Richest Man’ said this over 40 years ago. And yet it rings true today, more than ever, especially for small and medium business owners. At a time when all industries are experiencing change at a speed never before seen, SMEs are no exception. Major changes in communication and IT is just one of the curveball globalisation has thrown (quite quickly!) at SME owners writes Aaron Sansoni.


Think about this scenario; you sell shoes (heels, runners, blunderstones – your choice, you’re the boss).

You’ve been selling shoes for over 15 years in your one inner city store and you have a strong customer base that’s built on your strong knowledge and friendly customer service.


Then something happens. The Aussie dollar soars against the US. All of a sudden the same shoes you sell are available online for much cheaper. Including postage. What do you do? Do you lower your prices to match at the expense of your tight margins? Do you amp up your product knowledge and friendly personalised service?


Just as you’ve calmed down over disaster one, disaster two strikes. You see on the morning news that there are protests on the other side of the world about the treatment of local workers in sweatshops. Sweatshops that manufacture a line of shoes that you sell. In fact, they are your biggest seller. You are relieved that at least it’s happening over on the other side o f the world instead of here, in the proximity of your store’s street frontage! But then at the end of the news story you links to social pages, calling for global protest; people are encouraged to name and shame retailers. All of a sudden it only takes one click to bring a seemingly far away problem to your doorstep. What will you do? Will your 15 years of experience be enough to help you?


These scenarios might seem extreme, but the underlying issues are increasingly common for SMEs; customers are becoming self-educated, tech savvy and having greater access to alternative product/service options than ever before. Customer expectations, B2B relationships, marketing, distribution channels – the entire business landscape is changing and to keep doing what has worked for you in the last 5, 10, 15, 20 years is simply not enough anymore.


Relying solely on what your experience has taught you or what you have done may in fact be killing your business instead of helping it grow. Realising this, many SME owners have turned to experts in the form of consultants for help.

They have recognised the need for an objective outsider with a fresh perspective and strong knowledge base different from their own to come in and work on their business.


Business consultants vary in many ways, for example you can hire subspecialists such as marketing consultants or sales consultants. However there are commonalities across all consultants, with the utmost being how they operate within your business.

A consultant is there to do just that; consult. In a nutshell – you tell them your problem, they come into your business for a specified period of time and, using their expertise and resources, they fix your problem. Then they pack up and go.


A consultant can be highly valuable to your business and produce great results. They are always deliverable-focused and ‘do’ the work for you. However, the flipside is that when they leave you, so does all the knowledge.

Unlike a consultant, a business coach works with you, not for you. Through two-way open communication, business coaches transfer their knowledge to you so that you as a business owner learn skills and techniques that will continue to serve you even after they leave.


So, let’s link this to one of the above disaster scenarios. In the case of the online stores cannibalising your sales due to the fluctuating dollar, a business consultant would come in and fix the current problem, generally in isolation of the rest of the business. They might recommend you lowering your margin by a certain percentage that they calculated as the exact amount to remain competitive. You do as they say and – voila! Problem solved for now.


A business coach on the other hand would come into your business holistically with you. Yes, they would look at your margins but they wouldn’t stop there. They will work with you to motivate and get the best out of you until you have come up with a game plan to solve this problem and position your business in good stead for future issues. The best part is they haven’t just fixed your specific problem – they have transferred life-long learning and skills that you can continue to use and develop. TGR

Aaron Sansoni is the Founder & CEO of Coach Me.www.FashionMentorOnline.com

Why we need a coach/mentor to help us grow our business!


You’ve just seen the one of the articles relating to Business Success and Business Development, if you would like more information, just visit me at www.FashionMentorOnline.com or just email me at [email protected] And if you have any questions, just email me at [email protected] and I'll be happy to answer them for you. WarmlyCheryl

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