What an appropriate time for the topic of next Monday's no-cost tele-class: The way you do anything is the way you do everything.
There's a common thread that runs through the vast majority of businesses:
Soft hearts
Being loving and kind and truly caring about your customers and your employees is an extremely nice quality in you as a person; but just listen to how it affects your business results.
The bottom line is that we are in business to help people ... to offer a solution to people's problems. If you're not offering relief to people's pain then people wouldn't pay you any money.
Even Canadian Tire and Walmart
are offering pain relief to their customers - whether the customers need or want their products, if "feels" pretty much the same. In fact, putting ointment on a "want" feels much more relieving than applying the ointment to a "need." Just think of the last luxurious item you treated yourself to.
I've seen this common thread weaving its way throughout many & varied businesses just this week alone, even. I'll give you some examples:
1) A contractor has an employee who produces less in a day today than he did when he was hired 9 months ago. 3 times already in the past few months this employee's lack of follow-through and slow pace have been the topic of our coaching sessions. And again this week his employer said: For right or wrong, I gave him another chance. Well, this employer would not have been discussing it as an issue in our coaching session if it weren't ... an issue, a.k.a. a problem!
Why would he give this person who's actually putting the company at risk with the way he's not doing what he's been hired to do, and costing the business money ... paying the employee for the hours he puts in even though he's considerably over the labour estimated for the project?
Well ... the employee has these personal issues. The employer has spoken to him about these work-related issues numerous times, now ... always giving him another chance. The employer saw this week how he has a history of hanging on to non-producing employees for years longer than he should. This person is obviously not plugged in to the position. Release him. Let him go. Give him the freedom to find what he's looking for ... and allow the business to find the person who wants to play a major role in the growth of the business.
We are responsible to our employees; not for them. For this contractor to concern himself with the personal issues of his employee is costing the business, the contractor, his family, the employee, the customers and the future employee.
2) A health-care provider started out the day pumped and full of energy. By early-afternoon she sounded like she was carrying quite a load. What was the difference? She so loves the way in which she serves the world, helping people enjoy better health, but she, too, has crossed the line. We are responsible to our customers; not for them.
Easier said that executed, right? After all, that's why we got into business in the first place. When she has done all she can do, and refers her clients to other health-care providers ... that's all she can do. To carry the weight of what others aren't doing serves no one ... not this health-care provider, nor her family, nor her employees, nor her other clients, even!
"When I began working with Lynne, her first question to me was "What do you want to achieve?" My answer was simply "To have customers leave and say 'WOW that was great'". Since working with Lynne I find that not only are the customers leaving and saying "WOW that was great" but so are my staff and myself, making it a fun and happy place to work. I now look at things around me with a holistic view, not compartmentalized and find myself more in tune with people's feelings. I'm now able to be proactive when small things begin to happen, before they get to be big things. Working with Lynne was great, not only for helping me put strategies and systems in place, but also to use her as a sounding board to help clear my thoughts and as someone just to listen to me. Thank you, Lynne, for everything".
Steve BentonManager - Auto Service Department
3) Another client is stressing over cash-flow. With the amount of cash-on-hand, from week-to-week, he wants to be able to pay everyone, but as we focus on increasing and freeing up the flow of cash he still doesn't have enough to go all the way. He wants to make sure that the little businesses get as much as they need from him because, after all, they have families to feed.
Whoa! I asked my client to please get out of their kitchens! Feeding their families is their responsibility. What are the payment terms of their invoices? What do they do when people like my client don't pay 100% within those terms? There's a reason why these people continue to do business with my client, even though they don't get paid within 30 days during the slow season. As we focus on honouring their payment terms, he needs to remember that he is responsible to his "subs" not for them.
4) And I, a success coach, who helps people enjoy the results and live the lifestyle they desire through their businesses, have had 2 issues this week with receiving payment. I make it extremely clear to my clients what the payment terms are. On rare occasions I will bend ... and I just had a reminder of why to always stand tall.
I am responsible to my clients - and I deliver on my promise every single time. I just had a wonderful reminder that I am not responsible for my clients ... nor for their results.
Look around in your business ... and in your family and personal life, even.
Where are you giving people a break, a second chance, another and yet another chance? When we are crystal clear on
> the requirements for the position;
> the services we offer;
> the promises we make; and
> the terms of our providing those services and keeping those promises
and then we cave in yet again it costs ... not only us, but it costs our businesses, through our frustration it costs our families, in Case #1, above, it costs the other employees, the customers, etc. etc. I'm sure you get the picture.
What are your systems? What are your ... terms - payment or otherwise? Remember that you set them for a reason. Now ... stick to them! Follow through! It may feel painful at the moment, but you know as well as I do and as well as all of the people involved in the above scenarios, that your toeing your own line benefits everyone and everyone will thank you for it.
Want some help in sticking to your terms? My VIP Coaching Program, originally launched in the Pilot Project stage back in late December, has been helping numerous business owners stick to their terms. In the Pilot Project stage the investment for the services delivered was almost one-third of regular. Within the next few weeks the Pilot will go to Regular and the investment will more than double. Your ROI will still be every bit as fantastic, but if you like getting great deals ... ACT NOW!
E-mail me directly at Lynne@mljcoaching.com or give me a call at 613-353-9941 to see if the VIP Coaching Program is the solution to your problem ... the relief for your pain.
Click here to view the newsletter on the site:
Posts
