Eighth in a series of ten maxims I’ve cultivated and use regularly to enhance business.
Like this Mobius strip, Excellence End to End is a 
never-ending cycle.
Awhile ago I worked with a company that offered some of the highest quality services in their industry – arguably the best in their geographic area. They knew their field inside and out, they had a commitment to excellence second to none, and they were adamant about doing it not only right, but better than anyone else. Great people.
And they were slowly but surely losing customers and market share.
Here’s one thing we figured out: their focus on excellence was all about the service delivery itself – but they needed to pay more attention to Excellence End to End.
Excellence End to End means putting energy and effort into more than just providing a great product or service. It means Excellence from before the point of first contact with a client or customer, all the way through to after you’re done with the current project, however small or large.
How do you show Excellence at the front End – before your first point of contact?
- You build a track record of Excellence End to End with others, so the word on the street is good.
- You have a positive, attractive visual image – which may include your logo, your facility, your web site, and more (don’t forget the power of factors like a clean and inviting office space, and the impression left by the first voice a prospect hears, or the first face a customer sees).
- You’re known and thought well of by people your target customer knows and/or respects.
- You’re known to Take the Principled Approach.
And in the middle?
In your own business, you know what it means to show Excellence during the course of a project or engagement – or you wouldn’t be in that business. Suffice it to say that Excellence on the Ends only holds up if the “middle” – the core of what you offer/provide/sell – meets the level of Excellence that you promise to the market you serve. A VUCA Prime Mindset keeps you in the game.
How do you keep showing Excellence at the other End – after completing a client project?
- You show respect and appreciation for the business and the relationship that’s been established.
- You maintain enough contact so your name comes to mind first the next time (and not so much that you’re annoying!).
- You Leave the Door Open.
- You seek new ways to practice Excellence End to End.
Excellence End to End is a mindset, a practice, and a worthy goal. And I’ve seen it boost impact and effectiveness, for my own company and others we’ve worked with.
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Check out our previously-posted Maxims for Impact and Effectiveness, all of which I find myself repeating often. I hope they resonate with you as they do with scores of business owners and leaders we have coached, advised, or otherwise helped. Watch this space for numbers 9-10 – coming soon!
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