Introducing the KISS Business Model
We often lose our sense of business adventure in the detail. There are just so many permutations to consider! Logistics, production, revenue and so the list goes on and on until all these dilemmas find themselves into your nightmares.
There seems to be a common perception that you have to have a Masters of Business Administration to be the ultimate business guru. And if you want to be the penultimate entrepreneurial guru, you have to hold a Doctorate in Entrepreneurship!
This may be relevant in a corporate world, but in the world of the micro-entrepreneur en-route to greatness, lending your ears out to these ‘business gurus’ is going to leave you frustrated, confused, and ready to throw in the towel. In reality the micro entrepreneurs that made it to the Everest of business did not have a degree and hardly had any business plans. Richard Branson and Tony Robbins are perfect examples of this phenomena.
How not to KISS your way to business success
So how does this all fit into the theme of Kissing your way to business success? I cannot help to remember an incident way back when I was involved in the marketing of corporate and industrial cleaning services. In an interview with a potential female sales rep, she explained blissfully that the way she sells cleaning services is to make the buyer believe he has a chance to become romantically involved with her! Nope, this article has nothing to do with anything of that sort.
The KISS Business Model
The KISS Business Model stems from a sustainable, yet practical plan and action. KISS refers to the acronym for ‘Keep it Super Simple’ or ‘Keep it simple, stupid’. Whatever tickles your fancy. It both refers to the fact that if you don’t want to hang yourself in a concoction of complicated strings, you need to stick to the basics. And then do the basics really well!
Do not get caught up in the insane amount of information and advice available from an abundance of sources. The majority of people are either in it to make a quick buck from you or they want to intentionally send you on a wild goose chase. Probably to make money from you at a later stage or just simply to derail you.
Google, friend or foe?
Google can be everyone’s friend, but it could very much work to your detriment. In the Netflix Documentary ‘Social Dilemma’, co-written by Jeff Orlowshi, the statement is made that if you do not pay for the product, you are the product. Something to consider. The vast majority of material available on the internet’s sole purpose is to make money. And if there is money to be made, the facts are constructed in such a way that it will draw as much attention as possible. Whether it is the truth or not. So be careful in what to use and what information to discard.
Know your Client
The first rule in business comes down to knowing your client so well that your product or service fits them perfectly and sells itself. Who is your client (or customer)? How do they look? Where do they shop? What are their pains? What are their why’s? And constant ask yourself this question: “Are your trying to solve their problems or have you fallen back to trying to solve your own problems?”
It is human nature to always look out for yourself first. After all, who do you search for first in a group photo? Yourself off course! We all do it! Snap out of it and focus on your client. Get a mental picture of how he looks like. Focus on him in that group photo. Is he smiling?
Know your Why
The second rule is to know your purpose so well that everything you do can be measured against this. Simon Sinek talks about starting with why? Why do you do what you do? What is your ultimate vision? Can you separate it from monetary terms?
If your why becomes super clear, everything else falls into place.
Jamie Kern Lima, founder of IT Cosmetics and first female CEO of L’Oreal writes in her auto biography ‘Believe IT’, how she kept on repeating the following phrase after yet another refusal in her struggle to break through with her IT Cosmetics business: “Know your WHY, then fly girl fly.”
Finding your VRIN USP
The third rule of business is to ensure that you have a simple, distinguishable unique selling proposition or differentiating factor.
Why should your clients choose you and is it simple enough to understand? If you want to become slightly more technical, you can use the VRIN test. VRIN stands for “Valuable, Rare, Inimitable and Non-Substitutable”. Birger Wernerfelt developed the VRIN framework in the 1980s. This framework offers a powerful way to evaluate your value proposition in light of the competition.
This is where your production or service delivery, logistics, price, marketing communication, and human resources or otherwise known as the 5P’s of marketing features in your KISS Business Model. And if you do not have a VRIN USP, it is time to re-evaluate your Who’s and your Why’s and why your how’s does not pull its weight.
When working on your unique selling proposition, it goes without saying that you need to be brutally honest with yourself. If you are in the property rental business, for example, you are pulling the wool over your eyes if you think that a USP of ‘we provide you with the most space’ will earn you the client loyalty that will make your business grow. You might want to refer back to your Who’s and your Why’s to construct a USP that will sell and keep on selling till death do us part.
Guaranteed Business Failure
You are not 100% guaranteed that the money, fame, and fortune will follow if you are committed to serving your clients. You are however guaranteed to fail if your focus is on making money and spending all your time constructing elaborate and confusing business plans.
Your Business Adventure Awaits
The simpler the message that you need to portray to your clients and team members, the simpler your to-do’s become. When everything is super simple, your business will move out of your nightmares and into your business adventure dreams. And if you are having fun, your energy and inspiration levels go through the roof.
Does this sound like something that you are interested in?
If you need assistance in deciphering your who’s, why’s, and USP’s, Addventure Business Coaching is available to help you work through these questions to get to the answers. Click here for contact details.
Christél Rosslee-Venter is a business coach and marketing consultant, author, and speaker with almost 30 years of experience in the marketing and advertising industry. Christél’s number one passion is to help entrepreneurs rediscover the adventure of business.
