The Parthenon was "built to last". Was your business?

In 479BC the largest temple on the Greek mainland, the Parthenon, was built by the Athenians following destruction of their city by the Persian forces. After many years of painstaking planning and excruciatingly hard work, the 150 pillar Parthenon has stood the test of time for over 2000 years and has become an apt metaphor for successful business.

A high level of commitment was required to build this amazing structure and this passion and drive is what is also required of any business striving for success today. The business you are building is as important to you as the Parthenon was to the Greeks. Like the Parthenon, your business is also supported by pillars which are integral to its stability and survival; ergo The Parthenon Principle.

This ‘Parthenon principle’ is based on the philosophy of strengthening your business pillars through constant small changes, resulting in the improvement of the overall success of your business - ideally increasing productivity and profitability.

Just as the ancient Greeks found all those years ago, “Small improvements in multiple areas of your business can result in large improvements in your results.”
Every business consists of several foundation systems (pillars), all of which are interrelated. In our coaching program we consider these core systems to be:
• Sales
• Service
• Pricing
• Promotion
• Referrals
• Productivity and
• Profitability

An improvement in any one of these systems can lead to the overall success of your business.


As the table below indicates, if you achieve just a small improvement of 10% in each key pillar, the cumulative effect will impact the overall productivity and profitability of your business, possibly doubling your business profits over the next few years.

Business Pillar Performance Improvement Cumulative Effect
Services 10% 1.10
Pricing 10% 1.21
Promotion 10% 1.32
Referrals 10% 1.46
Selling 10% 1.61
Productivity 10% 1.76
Profitability 10% 1.94

What are some examples of small improvements you may ask?
I have outlined below some suggestions that will get you thinking… remember the Athenians hard work and dedication paid off, the Parthenon is physical proof of that , that same level of commitment from you can achieve that same level of ultimate success.

OUR 7 TOP TIPS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR PILLARS & BUILD YOUR PARTHENON

1. Sales
Increase your conversion rate of inbound opportunities by enhancing your selling skills and proposal winning techniques. Understanding good sales techniques gets you that step closer to a done deal.

2. Service
Quality service is paramount.
• Try providing a ‘packaged service’. Bundle related services together (e.g. engineering support, town planning and project management) so your clients only need to come to you. Work with alliance partners to develop a service solution for your clients.
• Make your business more client-friendly; consider the final presentation of your product and how you can improve the customer service experience.

3. Pricing
You are running a professional practice supplying a quality service and product, ensure you are charging appropriately! Don’t discount, make sure you charge a professional fee. Try increasing your charges by 10% to a more commercial level. Review after a month and assess the results.

4. Promotion• There is a lot to be said for investing in existing clients rather than spending time on finding new ones. Client management is about building relationships. Take the time to visit your clients and find out ‘how you can help them more’.
• Don’t forget about your clients, communicate on a regular basis, keep them informed about what you are doing and services that can assist them.
• Build relationships with those alliance partners (i.e. Engineers, lawyers, town planners, architects etc.) so you can provide them also with the ‘packaged service’ mentioned above. Create a platform of win-win for both parties.

5. Referrals
Once you have strengthened your relationships with your clients and alliance partners proactively seek high quality referrals from them. Word-of-mouth is a valuable tool.

6. Productivity
Set daily productivity targets (i.e. chargeable hours), monitor them through simple reporting procedures and ultimately increase them by a minimum of 10%. Watch your bottom line profits soar!

7. Profitability
When was the last time you reviewed your expenses from your Profit and Loss statement to evaluate if you can reduce or eliminate them?

Put these 7 tips into practice and start seeing the rewards. Solid foundations will provide a platform for your business to succeed. Remember however you must always review the performance of your pillars and constantly implement small changes and improvements when you see the opportunity.