:: TIPS - STAYING AHEAD IN AN EVER COMPETITIVE WORLD ::

  
Staying ahead in an ever competitive environment is the only way you can survive in the rapid, growing creative world. I always remind myself of this adage, “Life is a race, run faster or you get trampled upon”, if you don’t adapt to the advancement of the world which is now transforming into a global village, with so many talents emerging, and well honed to take over the best opportunities available, you would be left to scuffle for the remains of the petty jobs, or stare at your telephone all day for that clients phone call, which might never ring.

To survive in this modern era, you must adapt some of the fundamental tips of gaining the advantage of trying to stay ahead over others.

Break new frontiers, achieve new goals.

In this article I would be highlighting some tips for staying ahead:

1.    Productive pricing
2.    Effective timing
3.    Premium Quality
4.    Innovation & versatility

Productive Pricing

Productive pricing is not all about keeping the price low, but by making sure your cost covers the labour of getting a project done, plus a substantial amount of profit. It is very true that keeping the cost low increases attraction to your services and people do not feel hesitant to require your services, but remember first impression lasts longer. For instance, you try to get a client by minimizing your price, in other to keep the client you maintain a particular range in your pricing, if you try to hike the price, there is an 80% possibility the client would lay complains about the sudden change in price, which might raise suspicion, and might weigh options of trying try to get another competitor involved.

If you weigh the best chances of getting a client, it’s by fair pricing. Always consider the nature of business of your clients, the way you would charge a fast food down the street is not the same way you would bill a telecommunication giant. Make sure you do your cost analysis properly; get your production price, know the cost of labour that would get the job done, and then add some substantial amount. The most important thing is having a minimal amount that you can't go beyond, due to rigorous negotiation between you and your client, thinking of the stress you might have gone through getting the job done, you will want to take a ridiculous price. Always bear in mind that there is a particular price you mustn't go beyond. This helps you build a standard, maintain it at all cost.

Fast and timely
How quick is your response to customer request?, how fast can you develop a concept?, Can you meet up with crazy deadlines at any cost? etc., failure to deliver promptly might require placing a call for another competitor and also derail you and the image you portray ending up with comments like “very good but doesn’t meet up with deadlines”, nah nah that’s a terrible tag, instead “you do a lot better than the others because you guarantee prompt delivery”. Give a suitable time for yourself and if the client insist on a particular date, weigh your options, check your schedule, check your labour capacity before putting forward an answer. An adage says “A good name is better than silver and gold” if you can’t meet up let it go. Timely response to the customer adds value to your business.

Premium Quality
Quality is the excellence of a product; it means it lacks no defect, guarantees reliability and long term dependability. Your starting focus should be on good quality. If your works are of standard and quality you will be indispensable, this gives you a good reason to be quite expensive because quality is assured, that guarantees a clients confidence in you, they get what they pay for, and their money is safe. They no longer just need your services but you become a part of their needs, becoming a first choice on their lips, using you as a standard to compare with other competitors. It helps attract customers and polish your brand.

Innovation & versatility
The ability to generate new ideas for your clients is key. Study there nature of business, look at things they can’t do without, for example a fast food will always need a bag, for customers to carry items they buy.  Think ahead of them; suggest new trends in their day to day use, suggest trends that would boost labour and efficiency. Enlighten them on how to go about achieving their needs. Use the loop holes you see in a clients business to generate ideas, which make them, see the need for having you around, knowing that you have the growth of their business in mind. A client should not depend on one product all the time, in such cases; there is room for competitors to introduce so many new products. Implement new ideas in your services and deliver continuously new products for every class of client. Think fast, act to serve wide, the result of this process gives you a lead by dominating and holding the major share of customers.

By putting these tips into practice, you would see how fast your business would grow, and how indispensable you can be.

I greatly hope you enjoyed this article. 

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