Our business is helping your business

How many times have we heard this from suppliers? Are they really there to help us and our problem – or are they there to sell a product? Or is this just a fad tag line in the business world?

This is much like the training and learning debate occurring in training – the ‘training provider’ having a product and the learner having a need – but do they really match?

The identification of needs is really important to identify the gap (gap analysis). In the world of training and development a tool or approach called Training needs analysis (TNA) or Learning needs analysis (LNA) is used. But when we are engaging consultants from other areas what do we use?

One such model for enabling one business to help another is a Business Improvement Review. An effective Business Improvement Review does a number of things:

• It looks at the company/ organization in a holistic way (PRIMO-F)
• It takes the views of all stakeholders in and around the organization
• Is change management led
• Is not tied to the political ‘whims’ of local funding, but the real needs of the organisation
• Is not linked to a framework which is used for competitions
• Provides the ability to measure and evaluate progress against any action taken
• Is owned by the management of the organization being reviewed

Having looked around the web I love the way that organizations attempt to show that they will solve your business problems..

Here are some strap-line examples:

1. Our business is helping your business purchase the best solution at the best price
2. Our business is helping your business, and a killer logo is the first step to a successful business presence
3. Our business is helping your business grow – xxx  as a location for xx-sector-xx related activities
4. Our business is helping your business succeed in the xxxx region
5. Our business is helping your business succeed
6. Our business is helping your business prosper
7. Our business is helping your business take full advantage of its information system resources
8. Our business is helping your business work better…at all levels
9. Our business is helping your business make money

Can you see a theme here…? and if you search the net for these you will find in-excess of 16000 business using this as a strap-line..

Buying a product is one thing, having a service provider sell you their service without considering the impact on the whole of your business could amount to commercial suicide.

Why business development or outsourcing fails

Our research on why business development fails over the last 20 years shows:

1. Not linked to organisational objectives
2. No overall strategy for corporate development
3. Corporate culture not taken into account
4. Purchasers not clear about what they are buying
5. Suppliers finding solutions to problems they can solve
6. Lack of evaluation
7. Time pressures on managers
8. Change process not managed

Before purchasing any business solution, make sure that these issues are addressed