I have fallen victim to it again. Work got busy – as it always does this time of year, and I became “busy and important” once again. My office is a shambles (organised chaos?!), and while the work is pouring out the door, I am at the heart of it, smashing it out. Quick, someone get me a cross, I don’t look the martyr without it hanging over my shoulder.
I know I am not alone, this is small business. Things get busy, and you know one sure way to get the work out and keep the customers/clients happy – work like an animal and mow down the work. Meanwhile, calls don’t get returned, emails drop off the top of the screen, only to be dug out a week later when you go back to have a bulk review.
SNAP OUT OF IT – sorry, I was talking to myself…
So, what am I going to do???
I am going to set myself the task over the weekend to make a note of the following people to call, and I am going to make the calls by Friday arvo next week:
- 3 of my biggest clients
- 3 of my best referring clients (the flag-wavers as Big Phil calls them)
- 3 of my fastest growing clients
Do yourself a favour, look up, take a breath and do the same. Your business will thank you for it.
It is only going to be 2 calls per day next week (less actually if your maths is any good). Bring the client in for a cuddle, take a knee and shoot the breeze. Ask them:
- How is business?
- How do they see the market out there from their own point of view and the suppliers and customers they are dealing with?
- Ask them if there is anything you can do for them
- See what they are planning on doing within their business over the next 6 to 12 months
- If they have referred clients, thank them for doing so and let them know if the referral they made was a good one
Some of these things are not going to directly impact you, but it is going to give you a really good insight as to how other SME’s like yourself are tracking, and what they are planning over the coming year.
Tell them that you are calling some clients “just to say I love you”, tell them that you mean it from the bottom of your heart (too far??).
Tell them TC says to do the same with their clients.
Start a conversation with your fellow SME owner – we need to look up and work on the business, not just in it.