Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn’t it a pity
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city
Great song by The Lovin’ Spoonful which is also one of the coolest band names in rock.
This entry is brought to you by summer in the city. Specifically, it’s about 97 degrees outside so my original plans are scrapped and here I am. So what are the things you should be doing when your original plans are scrapped? This could be a result of a canceled meeting, you finshed something ahead of schedule, who knows. The point is that you have some open time and you want to be productive.
These are ideal “On the business” opportunities. “On the business” means when you are doing things to help the business as a whole to grow, be more efficient, to decide direction and strategy, etc. The best way to get right on something like this is to have a working list of your “on the business tasks.” Prioritize the list and jump on #1 when open time presents itself.
Here are some on the business examples:
- Write up a one page vision of how you want your business to look in 3 years. I call this a vision statement. It is hard to take your business anywhere without a defined destination. Let everyone know who can help you get there what your vision is. It will definitely change over time so this isn’t a one time deal.
- Thank existing customers. This may mean dropping by your top customers just to say thanks. A thank you card, thank you gift goes a long way.
- Create an informal, brief survey for your customers to complete. Never assume you know what your customers think of you. Ask them. They may not want to tell you to your face so a survey is a great way to get to the truth. Again keep it brief and always ask one question in that survey. ALWAYS ask: “If there was one aspect of our service to your company that you could change if you could, what would be that one thing?” The answers to this question are gold because it tells you what matters to your customers and what they think you could do better at. What a golden opportunity to show your customers how much you care.
- Plan a retreat for your team, or if you are self-employed, for yourself. Get away and talk about the business in a less formal, fun atmosphere. If you know someone who can moderate this (HINT HINT), it is a great opportunity to hit reset on your business and get re-invigorated.
There are a lot of things you can do when summer in the city halts your plans. Its the business that implements the most little improvements to their businesses that win.
Make that list cuz its going to be a boiler these next few days!
Larry