For a small company, business development is not without its paradoxes - for instance, if you are successful then your business isn't so small. However, you can resolve this paradox by 'getting big by staying small'.

The above statement is one of the slogans concerning that is used by a company by the name of De Mar. Another is 'Not the biggest but the best'. The objective is to retain all the virtues of being small while growing through development of the business.

What De Mar proves is that professional management reaps rewards for any business - and that includes plumbing.

The boss, Larry Harmon, pounced upon the common weaknesses of the trade as the foundation for his business. Focusing on customer complaints - such as delays, high prices, mess and poor standards - he worked out a formula that gave De Mar a starring role in a Video Arts film with management guru Tom Peters called 'Service with Soul'.

Harmon describes his job as 'getting the phone to ring'. His marketing programme means money spent on TV advertisements and telemarketing - as many as 3,000 a week. The company's attitude to its staff is what really sets it apart.

Rather than plumbers or technicians, they are referred to 'customer service advisers'. The dignified title implies that the staff are valued within the company and boosts performance and morale. Their financial rewards are partly based on customer satisfaction and they act as businessmen in possession of a 'rolling franchise'.

The business development has certainly been a success, with a rise from $4,000 a week to $70,000.

Thinking small for your development strategy is bound to fail. Harmon and De Mar show that it is possible to think big but keep the valuable characteristics of a small company - and growth and success has emerged from such a policy.

The above article on business development was written by Robert Heller, renowned management expert and co-author of business management website Thinking Managers along with world renowned thinker and creativity expert Edward de Bono.

Source: www.isnare.com