Structure Business Group

Existing & New	Customers / Clients
Communication	Marketing / Advertising / Public Relations
Quality	Goods / Services
Productivity	Performance goals
Foundation	Comprised of all four structures
Structure 4	Communication / Development / Knowledge / Process
Structure 3	Associates / Employees
Structure 2	Management
Structure 1	Idea / Product / Service

Structure 1:
Includes the development of the Ideas, Products, and Services you intend to offer. I understand why many businesses list employees at the absolute base of their business model, but can you sincerely say that you have chosen the right people to move or sell what you offer without identifying the viability of what you offer. Reasonably, it can be argued that without clear due diligence regarding cost, demand, and profitability one would do their employees injustice without the ability to offer future employment with the company. Simply stating employees make it all happen may be the politically correct thing to say, but without solid offering to customers and/or clients no-one has a job.

Structure 2:
Management is the vertebra of the employee relationship. They must have precise understanding of Structure 1, fundamentals, and philosophy. They must also wholly buy into the businesses’ fundamentals and philosophies. Open communication is critical. If they do not feel free to question and challenge their disapproval will spread through other employees. Pay for training as necessary. Hold workshops. Offer a financial interest in the company whenever possible through productivity based bonuses, idea compensation, stock options, educational scholarships for their children, vacations, vehicles, donations to their preferred charities, and other creative incentives.

Structure 3:
Associates and employees are the tentacles through which fundamentals and philosophy reach customers. They should look to managers for direction and educate customers. The obvious conclusion might be that they are the front line, not so. The front line is Structure 4, the presentation of it all. Employees, like managers perform tasks, and duties to provide products and services to customers. Employees also must be comfortable to question, challenge, and provide ideas. All of which should be focused on the betterment of the company to provide whatever it provides to its customers. Their feedback is as close to foundation as can be and therefore should always be encouraged.

Structure 4:
Communication, development, knowledge, and process are the conduit through which your business flows. I know this block may seem out of place, but it is not. Consider the fact that many businesses interact digitally or through other communication means to their customers. For those that do through their employees, this block is even more appropriately positioned here because professionalism is always expected and respected by customers. People can have bad days, communication and interaction with customers can not!

Foundation:
This is truly where preparation meets expectation, and preparation must not fail! Hence Structure Before Foundation. You will notice that Structure deals mostly with statements where above the Foundation line; we deal mostly with questions that provide answers back to Structure blocks.

Productivity:
Having breached Foundation, how are customers being served? Performance and productivity are the name of the game here. Are customers waiting unnecessarily? Are production ratios being met? Are actual costs in line with projected costs providing the expected profitability from Structure 1? Is there a structure or method in place to track it, analyze it, modify it as necessary, and track it some more? Are we maximizing profitability while providing the best customer service? Are all of our products or service lines profitable? If not, what initiatives do we take to bring them profitability? Do we retract particular lines and expand others?

Quality:
Are we receiving positive or negative feedback on a majority of product and service lines? Why? Are there particular products or services that create more customer dissatisfaction than others? If so why? Should these issues be dealt with through modification, discontinuance, or replacement? If we are not the original manufacturer, what follow up do we owe our customers and ourselves? If we are the OEM, do we have equipment production issues? Is it time to consider an upgrade or replacement investment?

Communication:
Do we understand the difference, and pros and cons to marketing, advertising, and public relations? Are we focused on messaging, branding, or both? Why? Are we tracking results? If so how? Are our efforts interesting to our target market? Do we know if our target market is changing? Are we involved in the community? Why or why not? If we chose to be involved, what are we doing; informative, outreach, developmental, etc? Do we know what to do in the case of an emergency; location, immediate area, city, state, and nation?

Existing and New Customers:
What is our return customer percentage compared to new customers? Do we track it? Why are or not customers returning? Is there an incentive program in place to recapture sales? Are we mining database information to cultivate customers who have already done business with us? Can we do so legally? Are we informing new customers of who we are, and our products and services through strategic methods or taking a shot gun approach? All of this information goes back to Structure 1 and the process starts over again.