Are we there yet??

I typically get the “Are we there yet?” question from my kids, Megan and Matthew, at some point on any given road trip. I recently addressed a group of global general managers about how to help our customers survive this economy. I shared a lot of the best practices I’ve seen and they likewise talked about what they were doing in their local markets. At one point, someone expressed that they have done so much to battle against the recession that it felt like they put in a whole year rather than six months. That’s when I heard the kids in the back seat saying, “Are we there yet?” Yes, we’ve all been working hard, we’ve accomplished a lot but we’re not there yet, we’re half way through – here are some steps to help us evaluate the goals we set for ourselves this year and refocus our efforts we put forth for the remainder of this year.

Re-set priorities
Take a look at your goals from the beginning of the year, do they still apply? Have new goals or objectives come up that we need to address? We have had to make course corrections and adjustments to our plans this year, make sure to re-set your priorities accordingly so your efforts will drive the results that you need to be targeting now.

Stay positive
Yeah, it’s been tough and we all have been working hard. Take a look in the review mirror for a minute – take stock of all the efforts you’ve put out. Perhaps some of those successful tactics can be re-applied in the coming months. By being positive, it will help yourself and your team to keep moving forward.

Delegate tasks
We don’t have to do everything – ask yourself who on your team can do this or that. By delegating activities to the team they become engaged in the solution and take an ownership role. This also gives you the added benefit of freeing up some time to think, focus and come up with new ideas. Don’t exhaust yourself by trying to do it all.

Get out
Take this time to get out of your office, get out on the floor. Talk to the people, your staff, your customers – by doing so, you’ll get a clear idea of what their needs are and if what you’re doing in your business is addressing those needs. They can be the best source for new, creative solutions; have those conversations.

Keep an eye on your health
Over the last six months, there most likely have been some sleepless nights, more than a fair share of stress and a lot of extra efforts that stretched us out. All this takes a toll on us physically and can impact our health and the well being of our team. By staying positive we address our spirit and mental health – do something as well to address your physical health. Besides, it’s the summer – getting the group out in the air, maybe playing a friendly softball game or just tossing a Frisbee can be a great and well needed de-stressor.

Rewards
Don’t forget to make time to reward yourself and your team for all the hard work and celebrate those victories – big and small.

When you evaluate where you are right now at this mid-way point in the year and reset your goals and priorities you’ll gain a natural, forward momentum that will re-energize you, your team and your business. Apply these six simple steps as you go forward into the remainder of the year. There is a lot we’ve already achieved and a lot more we can achieve, remember there is still time, we’re not there yet.

It's time to re-connect!

Ok, we’re just about at the half way mark for 2009. Whew! In talking with several of my clients, they are looking ahead to the October to December time period, when business naturally picks up and the economists are saying the recession will loosen its grip. Standing between that time and now is the typically slower summer season. The good news is, perhaps more people will be staying closer to home this year as we all tighten our belts – that spells opportunity. In the meantime, let’s think about another opportunity and that is getting back in touch with the customers that loved our services and might have had to go elsewhere due to the hand they were dealt with the economy. Remember, these were loyal customers, let’s reach out to them and let them know we’d love to work with them again and bring them back!

Make a list
The first step is to identify who left and make a list. If we’re going to do this, let’s really do it, go through your customer list for not just the last 6 months, how about the last two years? Who knows how many old clients are out there that would love to come back.

Make contact
Segment your list into recent clients and one who went missing further out. Clients that have recently strayed might warrant a phone call, others an email or letter. In all cases, the message is “we just want you back!” and never “why did you leave?”. You might also consider including an offer or discount when you reach out to these clients, sort of a “let’s get back together” offer.

What to do
When the customer does come back, take this opportunity to really show them what they missed out on. Don’t just slip back into the old familiar ways. Yes, you have a relationship and now you can take that relationship to the next step. Welcome them back and make them feel comfortable being back, get reacquainted and then start with them as if they were a new client. Don’t make the mistake of assuming everything is as it was the last time you worked together. If they never told you why they left, it may come out in this process and you can then put a plan together to meet their current needs.

When business is booming, many of us are so busy serving current customers that we don’t have the time - or the need - to keep up connections with former customers. Regardless of how well your business is doing right now, it's time to get back to these fundamentals. They will pay off and can potentially bring in business to offset the coming slower months. If we are successful here, we will finish this year and start 2010 strong.