Attention to detail (ATD) is often promulgated as one of the key success factors of entrepreneurial businesses. I wholeheartedly agree that ATD separates the men from the boys (or girls from the women) when it comes to service delivery, product differentiation etc. What makes one restaurant constantly full and the one next door empty? In most instances, because these restaurants are so desperate for clients, their service is generally better than the one next door. Some might argue that people are attracted to restaurants that are full because they subconsciously connote a better “product”. This is probably true if the battling restaurant opened after the successful one. But, how does it explain the opposite sequence of events i.e. that the successful one opened subsequent to the battling restaurant?

The economists like to use the words “Ceteris Parabus” (all things being equal). So if all things are equal, i.e. the service is the same, the food is the same-ish, the prices are the same-ish, the location is - for all intents and purposes - the same, then why is there a difference in success? It’s the difference between a fake smile and a genuine smile, it’s the difference between a cheap Chinese knock off and the Italian original, its about the kind of attention to detail. I strongly believe that attention to detail needs to be consistent in every part of the “product”. You cannot have the best quality fabric with shoddy stitching, you cannot have a clean table and dirty toilets, you cannot have a sparkling pool and old stained towels. The attention to detail needs to permeate every (and I mean every) part of the business. The message needs to be consistent at every touch point that the customer has with you.

Start by being clear as to what your consistent message is going to be, then identify all the touch points that the client will have with you. The hard part is to honestly critique yourself on how you are faring in relation to your objective message. Then slowly implement the requisite changes over time. Revisit this process time and time again. It will drive your behavior, your thinking and your profits. A consistent message leads to consistent profits, provided the message is valuable to the client.

This Week’s Challenge

Keep the message consistent.