12 The Financial Times Guide to Business Development
9. Actively strive for consistency
How often have you commented that a business you have dealt with in the
past has lost its way and that its overall standards have slipped?
This is a familiar cry, particularly in the current economic climate where
many businesses are cutting corners to save cash. It is a business develop-
ment truth however that ‘standards consistency’ can be achieved with
limited nancial investment if the corporate mindset is correct. In most
cases it is a product of internal thinking, strong leadership and personal
commitment from the top. Let me give you one great example of this.
I have visited a particular hotel many times over the past 12 years . . . The Merton
Hotel in Jersey. It has always impressed me, not just with its high standards, but
particularly for the way it has consistently maintained them over the years in the face
of a very tough economy. While many businesses have fought a losing battle with
this issue of consistency, the Merton has not let its standards drop. How have they
done it? I asked their general manager, Michael McInerney, to share his thinking and
secrets. Here is a sample of what he said:
‘If you want consistency, you have to have a consistent team and to do that you
have to look after your staff and make them feel valued. If you do this they will be
interested in the business and look after your customers.
‘One of the ways we get consistency is through the management team actively
engaging with customers. Even though it takes extra time, I am a visible and acces-
sible presence around the hotel. In general terms, management these days seem
to have lost the art of looking customers in the eye. Because I am always around
and interacting with people, I regularly pick up feedback about anything that might
need xing.’
Many businesses could learn a lot from this approach. What can you do to
make your staff feel great about working for you and how can you engage
more with your customers and clients to get closer to them? (See Chapter
6 for many examples of this.)
10. Recruitment is part of business development
A colleague and I were asked to review the way a major package holiday company
employed and recruited its staff. We had the enlightening experience of sitting in on
the group interview sessions as it recruited a number of reps who looked after chil-
dren for their Spanish holidays.
We encountered during these sessions a very bright and personable young woman
who spoke uent Spanish, had lots of relevant experience, the necessary child care
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