Heritage day on 24 September is an opportunity for us as South Africans to celebrate our cultural heritage and our diverse beliefs and traditions. As a business owner, I would like to encourage you to reflect on your business culture and ensure that it reflects who you are and what you stand for. A company's culture can influence results from top to bottom. With this in mind, I reflect on 5 common business values that you can adapt for your own small business as a direct seller:
Trust and Reliability
It is a fact that customers buy products or services from companies that they trust. Millions of rand are spent on advertising campaigns to create a sense of trust and reliability. In direct selling, it all starts with you. You have to live and breathe trust. How do you show your customers that they can trust you? Are you reliable in the delivery of promises made to your customers?
By ensuring a reliable supply and products they trust, you will be able to get not only get repeat business from customers but referrals.
Respect
Treating everyone like you would like to be treated is an easy way to show respect. Respect that your customers may come from different backgrounds and have different traditions than yours. Show them that you respect them and they will respect you.
Ask yourself: "Do I respect my customer's time, objections, and traditions?"
"Do I respect the terms and conditions of my supplier?"
By showing respect, respect will be given to you.
Teamwork
No one is an island! Whether you have no employees or thousands, working in a team makes everything easier. Many network marketers have downlines that will become part of your team. Listen to your team's challenges and offer the support that they need. Don't forget that you are also in a team with your supplier company. Make time to participate in team activities that your supplying company offer which can include workshops and other team events.
Consistency
"Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity" – Bruce Lee, martial artist
It is no surprise that financial giants like Coronation have adopted this saying as one of their core values. As a direct seller, you will find great benefits in being consistent. Apply it in your communication with your customers; to your service delivery; in all other aspects of your business. Regular communication, reliable delivery times and consistent quality of product will strengthen your relationship and engagement with your customers.
Diversity
South Africa has 11 official languages and a multilingual population fluent in at least two. IsiZulu and isiXhosa are the largest languages, while English is spoken at home by only one in 10 people – most of them not white. We live in a country rich in diversity of culture, languages and beliefs. Embrace diversity in your business by not limiting yourself to your own culture.
