Running a small business can become overwhelming, especially with how 2020 has unfolded to date.
None of us are born as business gurus or with the perfect business plan in our heads. Most successful self-made business owners got there through hard work and learning as they went. Therefore, we wanted to offer a few tips that we have picked up along the way from managing people, time, and other things.
These tips may be things you are not doing, or maybe you are; either way, our goal is to help you avoid unwanted headaches and push forward to the goals you are looking to achieve.
Set Aside Response Times
Many people spend the first part of their day sifting through voicemails and emails. If you are going to do this first thing in the morning, develop a way to identify those emails that are of high priority. Once you have identified those, respond accordingly. The rest of those email, if not urgent, can be set aside to be addressed in you “response time”. We like to have three half-hour segments blocked off for this, once in the morning, another right before or after lunch, and one early afternoon. By doing this, you guarantee yourself time to focus on more pressing day-to-day matters. It also helps break up your day.
Have a Marketing Plan
Merely having an “Open” sign on the front door is not enough to bring in new business. The world we live in demands that you reach out and engage your customers. The day of the local store drawing local people because that is the only option is gone.
The key is to invest in marketing correctly; you’ll need to do a little research to find out what works best for your business model and market. Some examples could be a booth at an event, social media, traditional local paper ads, online ads, or networking and referral programs.
No matter what you do, don’t be inactive. Have a plan, stick to the program, and execute.
Multitasking is Not Your Friend
Have you seen the research about multitasking in the workplace? A recent study by Bryan College found that balancing more than one task at a time hinders employee performance, with an ultimate global cost of $450 million per year.
Remove the term seeking “competent multi-taskers” from your job postings. Do not allow yourself or your employees to multitask. At least in the context of tasks outside their scope of work. Do not have your labor workers start doing the accounting.
Do not sit and filter through your emails while you’re on a conference call with a vendor or customer. Essentially you are paying attention to one while the substance of the other is not getting any cognitive recognition from your brain.
By doing one thing at a time, you will find that you get more done in a day, achieve higher quality, and make fewer mistakes.
Although none of these three tips change the game, they can all come in handy. Most small business owners do not have the time to think through things that can improve their business. These few tips, even if you incorporate one, could save you some time and increase your sales.
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