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Business Coaching for Success

We have just had some solar panels put up: I was extremely nervous about the whole exercise, as the offer seemed too good to be true, but now they have been installed I am feeling a lot more confident about the expected outcome. The thing is, I imagined all sorts of things going wrong with the installation, and despite understanding all the positive reasons for going ahead, I still felt anxious, wondering if I was doing the right thing, and I kept asking others for reassurance.

The interesting part of this, is that I am sure many of my clients, or perhaps more importantly, my leads, go through a very similar set of emotions. They know they need to change things, they know what I am saying makes sense, and they know they need someone to help them. Yet despite all that they will often hesitate, or delay the start for any number of real or imagined reasons. Fear of the unknown is always with us, particularly if it involves an investment of time or money, but as I have said before, most of my clients wished they had started with me sooner, and none have regretted it.

Of course I am not recommending that everyone should become reckless and foolhardy, making decisions without weighing up the pros and cons properly. However, think about the opportunities you have had, and still have all the time, and how often you have said no rather than take the plunge, despite all your instincts telling you to do it.

Indecision is generally much more stressful than making a decision, and then living with it. So next time an opportunity arises instead of dithering and postponing your decision, why not say “yes,” and give it a go.

We often hear people saying “If it isn’t broke, why fix it?” And I was thinking about why we can be so loathe to try something new, or change the way we’ve done something for years.

It is understandable that we get used to doing something in a particular way and learning to do it a different way will take time. And time is about the most valuable commodity in a small business. We see the time spent learning a new system or process as wasted, when the old system would have got a good enough result in half the time. But is this really the case?

This week we started using a new system for managing our leads. The first day was very frustrating, as we seemed to be going round in circles and achieving very little. And naturally we started to wonder whether we had made the right decision. Gradually though everything started to fall into place and by the end of the second day, we were thinking “How did we ever manage before?” Already it has actually saved time and looking ahead I’m confident it will continue to do so. The end result being a much more efficient and user-friendly system, enabling us to concentrate on other things.

So next time you are considering changing a process or system, but are being put off because of the time involved in getting to grips with it, don’t immediately write it off. Do your research, ask for a free trial, speak to other users and in the end you may find that a little time spent learning a new system can reap rewards in the long run.

O.K. hands up who fell for the “Don’t get me anything line,” and actually didn’t get their other half something for Valentine’s Day. Of course it shouldn’t, and perhaps doesn’t, really matter, but deep down there will no doubt be a feeling of disappointment, and even of being let down by your husband or wife. The thing is just by making the effort to buy something and show that you are still thinking of them in the busy humdrum of events (even after many years together) however small the gesture may be, is what shows that you still care, and that you can be bothered to do that little extra thing.

The same thing applies in business. Someone reminded me the other day about the “critical non-essentials,” which are all the things around the core product or service you offer to your clients which make you stand out from the crowd. The little extras you provide without being asked. The care you take with them when you know they need special treatment, and all the after sales processes which ensure that your customers are important to you. Essentially it is “going the extra mile,” and continuing to do that right the way through your relationship with your clients. These are the things which make all the difference, these are what bind your clients to you, and what makes them want to recommend you to all their friends.

But remember, it is no good doing something nice once. It has to be ongoing, and it has to be consistent. Once you have created a precedent, if you subsequently fail to keep up to that standard, you will actually disappoint your customers more than if you hadn’t done it in the first place. Just as with your personal relationships, they may say “don’t bother, it doesn’t matter,” but in reality they will be upset, and you will find that they start to look for a new supplier.

So with business, as with your personal relationships, keep working at it. Don’t be lazy, and don’t kid yourself it doesn’t really matter. Keep giving, and you will reap the rewards.

Do you know who is doing what in your business? Do they follow your systems? Are you sure they are projecting your values and ethics to the outside world?

For those of you who have read the “E Myth” by Gerber, you will recognise the risks of abdication versus delegation, but for many this is an unfamiliar concept, until you have experienced it yourself.

Essentially, as a business grows you will need to start to take on people to support it, and to allow you as the business owner to free up time to work on the key aspects which are your responsibility. Of course many people are terrified of letting go initially, but once they have passed a whole load of tasks over, they suddenly realise how much better life seems to be. However, the danger arises if you abdicate all these responsibilities rather than delegate and then manage. If you simply hand things over and then let them get on with it in their own way, you can quickly find that the whole nature and even culture of your business starts to change as others start to impose their own ways and their beliefs into what they are doing. If this results in systems not being followed, and processes being altered so that only one person can do them, then mistakes and quality issues start to appear, and you may become dependent on key personnel who have created their own little “kingdom.”

So remember, as you let go, always manage what you have passed on. Make them accountable, have regular meetings where they report results back to you, and ensure that things are done in line with the business culture, not that of the individual.

Business Life Ltd

Molens Cottage
Bures Road
White Colne
Colchester
Essex
CO6 2QF

Telephone: 01787 229908
Email: info@yourbusinesslife.co.uk

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