When you run a business you probably get given lots of advice and you probably read a lot of articles.  They probably all say things such as, “Do this…”, “Do that…” and “Don’t forget you should always do some of this as well…”  But how often are you advised to STOP doing something?

Well, this is what we’re going to do right here.  It’s all very well piling more things into your busy working week.  But this is where we’re going to tell you that if you’re actually DOING some of these things, well you should stop immediately.  Although it’s not actually us telling you this.  We discovered these five tips on entrepreneur.com and they’re jolly good.  As always, we’ve added our own observations…

Top Five

1. Stop neglecting your customers.  Good customer service doesn't end when they’ve handed over their money.  Customers can be lost through neglect, so don't take them for granted.  If you’re too focused on attracting new customers you risk losing the existing ones.  If you’re a small business, you may initially think you need more users to grow, but if your existing clients are not happy, they can take their business to your competitor.  Reinforce the importance of great customer service to your team.  Catch up with your customers regularly and let them know you care.

2. Stop marketing your product and start selling your story.  People are tired of being sold to but when things are put into context, they understand better.  Every client is different, so every approach should be different.  Don’t reel off a standard script.  Research your client and find out their needs.  That way, you’ll be presenting a solution to their individual problems.

3. Stop setting unrealistic goals.  Set realistic short-term and long-term goals to evaluate your company's performance and know what you have achieved over a period of time.  Measurable goals help your team know the amount of work that needs to be done to meet the company's overall target.  Your milestones should be measurable and achievable within a specific time.  If you can't identify what needs to happen within a specific period, you’ll struggle to get the right things done.

4. Stop micro managing your team.  To grow, you must first learn to delegate and to trust.  If you hired the right people, they should be capable of delivering.  Bosses tend to micro manage when they haven't clearly communicated what is expected.  If you expect your team to perform better and own their work, give them room to work with timelines.  Constant scrutiny has a negative impact on work and overall performance.  Your intent might be to help, but micro managing only hinders progress.  Trust your team instead of constantly inquiring about routine assignments.

5. Stop compromising on your vision, purpose and core values.  Be flexible and adapt, certainly keep improving how you deliver your product, but don't compromise on your core values and purpose as a business.  Ask your team if they know the vision of the company.  A clear, concise vision of a common goal will motivate them to achieve.  If you know where you’re going, it's a lot easier to get there.  As your company grows, it will be hard to maintain the core values that makes your team unique.  Build an awesome culture by rewarding success and learning from failures.  Your team must understand your culture and why it's key to your success.  Communication is essential.

The Basics

There you are, you see?  It’s all fairly basic stuff.  But you don’t really think about these sorts of things until they’re laid out in front of you.  There are other gems that can greatly assist communication between you, your customers and your team.  And these are systems that Fresh Air Studios can organise for you.  So we’re just going to be annoying now and flip this article on its head to advise you of a couple of things you can START doing!

We’re talking on-hold and IVR.  Not the dreadful sort that sends people around in circles and keeps people listening to Greensleeves for a millennia; we’re talking expertly recorded audio in hi-tech studios with professional voice artists.

Silence is Not Golden

So instead of your potential clients being put on hold and hearing silence, they can hear some nice music with some announcements about your company; such as current offers or news about new services.

They can also be told how to get straight through to the department they want, rather than being passed from pillar to post.

Teams

In terms of communicating with your teams; if they’re spread far and wide across the land or across the globe, we can record podcast messages for you.  These can be used to make announcements to your teams or even take the format of an interview.  Everyone can then access your podcast by dialling in to your show over the ‘phone or by accessing it on your company’s intranet.

So those are the couple of things we can help you to START doing! 

For more information on all those things we advised you to STOP doing, click on http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235915 for the original article.

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