Recently, I got something in the mail from our insurance carrier stating that it was time for me to check my cholesterol level. According to the literature, it was easy, free and they felt it was the right time. As I read this, I thought to myself the following …
How do they know that it is the right time for this for me?
Define “easy”…it might be for them, but how do I know that it is easy for me?
Why do they even care?
I’m scared…since I don’t know what is involved or what they could find.
So you might be thinking to yourself, “What does this have to do with me and my business anyway?” And the answer might surprise you …
Before I answer that, let’s think about this for a moment. Imagine that you are working hard at your desk when there is a knock on your door. You look at your schedule and see that there is nothing scheduled at this time, so your curiosity peaks as you get up and walk toward the door. Through the opaque glass you see a figure, but you cannot tell who it is. As your hand reaches out to open the door, you hesitate for a moment. “What if it’s not good news?” you think to yourself…for an instant you freeze, now wishing the person would go away. “Get a grip,” you tell yourself.
As you open the door, you see that it is your best client and a sudden sense of relief comes over you. But wait, why is he here? As you greet him, you think to yourself, “Was I supposed to have this meeting and it did not get on my calendar?” So, after exchanging the normal pleasantries, you ask him how you can help him. He stalls when the topic comes up. “This can’t be good,” you think to yourself. “Did he come over here to yell at me? Or worse yet, fire me?”
“You know,” he says, “I have always been your best advocate both to my team and to anyone that would listen to me. But lately, there have been a few things that have caused me to look at our business relationship and take notice…” For the next 30 minutes he proceeds to tell you all of the things that he thought could help your business. After he leaves, you sit back in your chair and really think about what he said. “Why did I not catch these?” you ask yourself.
Typically, this would not happen. More often than not, your clients want you to figure out where your business needs strengthened. Most clients do not have the time or the expertise to tell you how to improve.
An effective leader will ask himself these questions:
When is the right time to do a business checkup?
Will it be easy?
Who will even notice if I do this?
What if I find things I don’t want to know?
All of these are great questions, but in the end, when would you rather know the answers to these questions – today, when you can still do something about them, or later, when the choices are far less desirable? Do yourself, your business, your team and your clients a favor and check on your business today. If you want some tips for this, please Contact Us and I will send you some tips that will help you improve your small business. Oh yeah…I almost forgot that I have to get my cholesterol checked…soon!