Serving Non-customers Profitably

Every organization focuses on profit first, right? While this is true for the corporate world, it often isn't true in the not-for-profit sector, nor in government. These organizations typically have many different stakeholders, including the communities they serve, donors, regulators, media, and special interest groups. And the goals of these stakeholders move well beyond profitability.

If you have only developed skills to grow sales and reduce costs, then you might be perfectly well-suited for the corporate world... of ten years ago. Just as individuals grow and learn, so do corporations.

Over the last decade, many corporate entities have looked at the not-for-profit sector and recognized that focusing on the needs of a wider stakeholder group is precisely the means to a [profitability] end. At the same time, not-for-profits have changed by learning from the corporate world: many have developed sophisticated marketing and fundraising programs, strong technological foundations, and tremendous management focus. Developing skills beyond profit and loss is critical for personal success in the corporate world of today: relationship-building skills, communications skills, analytical skills, and conflict management skills are but a few.

This week's action item: Identify the stakeholders who you serve. Some will be your "customers", both internal and external: this week, it's the "non-customers" that you want to think about. Who are they? What are their needs? And what can you do to better serve them? Answer these questions, and commit to doing at least one thing beyond the normal. Learn from the not-for-profit world: while you may have clear performance objectives that are related to profitability, success comes from serving non-customers profitably.

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Randall Craig is an expert on Career Development, Work-Life Balance, and Networking; to find out how his workshops, webinars, and keynotes can help your team or add to your event, contact him through www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com, or by email at editor@ptadvisors.com.

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Copyright © 2008 Knowledge to Action Press and Randall Craig. All rights reserved.

Publication Date: Aug 5, 2008