As small business owners, Kate and I understand that these are challenging times for business. Here Tif shares ten top tips to assist your business in thriving through uncertainty.
1) Have a clear vision and purpose - making a profit is essential but it is not enough to sustain and motivate most people over time. Be clear about what the purpose is and what you want to achieve, and create a vision for reaching your goals.
2) Engage staff, suppliers and customers - Once you know what you are in business for, communicate your purpose both internally and externally. Chose people to work for the business that are aligned with the business vision. This collaborative energy will assist you in achieving your goals with a great deal less effort.
3) Co-create- Continually seek out others to collaborate with as they will keep your creativity and focus fresh. Remember that the total is greater than the sum of the individual parts. You will be surprised at what you can achieve through collaborative projects!
4)Treat others as you would like to be treated- everyone working for and with your organisation becomes an ambassador so the smallest things matter eg paying on time, treating staff well, etc
5) Surround yourself with inspirational people- Jack Canfield suggests we become the product of the five people we spend the most time with. Develop a peer group with people who are already achieving what you want so you can learn from their success.
6) Get skilled up! - At this time, its easy to think that cutting back on training budgets is the only answer. In fact, this is a good time to invest in the future so you are well-placed as the economy begins to turn around. Even if you are a master in your area of technical expertise, learn other skills. Leadership, sales and marketing, financial, presenting and influencing skills are all essential for business success. If you are looking for consultancy and training that makes a real difference, Kate's others business (Go Beyond Ltd) offers excellent and tailored training solutions visit www.go-beyond-.co.uk
7) Seek to understand your customer's map - To sell effectively, you need to understand your customer's needs from their perspective. Ask questions to discover what is most important to them and target your response to meet their stated and unstated needs.
8) Don't Quit! - All business has its ups and downs and sometimes when things seem at their very worst, success is just around the corner. Commit to seeing things through even when the going gets tough!
9) Talk to people - Networking is no just confined to planned events. My biggest contract came from the tennis court! Chat to people around you whether you are in the pub, in the gym or on the train. You never know how far a chat can go....
10) Give something back - Remember the old expression that what goes around comes around. Make a difference to someone in the community, help a start-up business or join a group to influence the environment around you for good. It will increase your personal sense of well being and have a positive impact for you as well as the people you are helping.
To see Kate and Tif's presentation on this very topic, see our previous post "Hypnotic Success"