If there is something you could change about your business, what would it be?
Whether you are a solopreneur, service professional or business owner with employees, what change if any could make your business run more smoothly, reduce stress, reduce overhead, or improve your situation in other ways?
What I have noticed working with many business owners over the years is that some have the tendency to keep doing what they have been doing and then stick to it.
They know it works, it feels comfortable and why change anything, right?
How about looking at your business from a different perspective.
Imagine you walk into your business as a stranger or a business coach/consultant.
What would you observe and notice?
Maybe it’s the copy machine that needs to warm up for 10 minutes. How about the person answering the phone? Imagine you being on the other end, would you feel welcome?
Another aspect is how everyone is managing their time and workflow. Now, let’s talk about your employees. If you don’t have employees, maybe you work with commissioned salespeople. Either way, how engaged are they at work? How are they communicating with each other? How are they communicating with (potential) customers? How would you know whether the way they work is costing you business?
Yesterday, I had to get my car serviced and called one of the dealerships that I had visited in the past.
After a short conversation and being placed on hold, I was supposed to be transferred to a service specialist. Transferred I was, but I ended up in his voice mail. Guess what I did next? I called another dealership that I had visited before, got my questions answered from just one person and scheduled an appointment for just about 90 minutes later!
Can your business afford to lose customers like that?
As I am thinking about this conversation yesterday, it seems that I was put on hold so that the first person I talked to could get the information I asked for. Then, she told me that I need to talk to someone else, which would not have been a problem IF that person would have picked up the phone.
Wasn’t she able to talk to another person? Maybe she just reach his voicemail herself and instead of spending more time with me, decided to just transfer me? Your guess is as good as mine.
Imagine this being your business, how could this be handled differently?
Here are 3 ways to ensure your business is running the best it can:
- Take a look at your business with a fresh set of eyes, an open mind and no preconceived opinions!
- Decide on the desired outcome you want to achieve with any changes you are planning on implementing.
- Implement a system that allows you to track the results. Remember: What gets measured, gets results!
Some things may contribute to your bottom line directly, while others may be contributing to your bottom line indirectly. For example, improving the work environment for you employees.
