Summer is here – what does it mean to you? The beach. Warm temperatures. Long daylight hours. For many people summer implies all of those things. While we should be sure to enjoy all of those things, summer can also be a great time to “clean up” as many businesses slow a bit in July and August.
It’s been said that the act of cleaning can elicit feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment, perhaps not when the actual cleaning is taking place but certainly when completed and everything is sparkling like new.
Why stop with your home? What about doing some cleaning for your business as well? Here are some things to consider as you set about your business cleaning:
Evaluate your current clients and prospects.
Clients fuel your business in all seasons. It is important stay focused on the relationship that you have with your existing clients and from time to time re-evaluate the situation:
- Are you getting all of their work or are you leaving business on the table?
- Are you doing the type of work that you want to do or have you strayed from your desired work product
- Do you have enough current clients?
Keeping track of your business prospects is also highly important to the growth of your company:
- Are your prospecting tactics generating results?
- Do you have enough prospects in your sales pipelines?
- What’s the likelihood that you will close these prospects and within what timeframe?
Assess your staff.
Remember that in order to have satisfied clients—or, even better, raving fans—you must have qualified and motivated employees. Ask yourself:
- Do you have the right staff in place to accomplish your objectives?
- Should you implement training or cross-training to ensure success?
- What changes need to be made?
Review Your Processes and Procedures.
Business is very fluid and you must be flexible and adapt to changes that can occur, sometimes without much notice. Operations playbooks, departments procedures and business processes that you established in the past should be reviewed to ensure they are still working and getting you the results you desire.
- Are your processes being followed or ignored by your staff?
- Do you need to refresh procedures to accommodate an uptick or downturn in business?
- Can you meet your goals with the processes that are currently in place?
Summer cleaning that you do in your home, and your business, is the perfect opportunity to look at “what you have” and see if there is anything that should be discarded or “cleaned up.”
