turmoil, I think we can all agree on that. I
think we can also agree that turmoil is not a lot
of fun. However,we must remember turmoil
can lead to opportunity particularly in capitalist
societies."Creative Destruction," essentially
the replacement of old businesses or old
business processes with new, innovative businesses
and processes, occurs rapidly during
times of economic turmoil. The damage done
to existing businesses allows for entry to the
marketplace by innovative businesses. This
regular cycle of renewal is a powerful force sustaining
long-term economic growth.
To assure that your company is one of the
innovators and not one of the struggling companies,
you must evaluate all aspects of your
plan with consideration of the current environment,
understanding that standard business
procedures must be redefined. All business
leaders need to realize that their company is
composed of many, very talented, inventive
individuals. The companies that will survive
these turbulent times are those with leaders
who are successful in mobilizing their entire
team to help them find the correct path to the
future. Involve as many of your employees as
possible in your strategic planning sessions to
gain as wide a range of ideas as possible.
Once you have your employees involved,
you need to inspire them. There are many ways
to successfully enthuse people.Ask them for
their ideas and most importantly, when someone
makes a suggestion, take it seriously.Work
to fully understand their suggestion and work
with the employee determine if it is worth pursuing.
If it is viable, give the employee who suggested
it the opportunity, resources and authority
to pursue their idea personally. If someone
felt strongly enough to make the suggestion,
they are probably passionate about the idea,
and passion is the most important aspect of
successful implementation.
Another key method of mobilizing your
employees is to make each and every one of
them an ambassador for your company.
Everyone has contacts and their contacts have
contacts. Therefore, the more people you can get
out on the street promoting your company, the
more opportunities for success you will find.
Furthermore, it makes sense to teach your
employees to be ambassadors for your company.
After all,who can tell your company's story
better than your employees? Who lives your
company's philosophy more than your employees?
Think of your employees as high-ranking
diplomats representing your business much as
ambassadors represent a country when the
president, prime minister or monarch can't be
there in person. They should be expected to act
on your behalf and bridge the physical gap
between you and your clients or customers.
Not only is this a benefit from a business
development standpoint, but granting employees
the responsibility to go after new business
engenders passion and pride in your company.
In fact, research has shown that employees who
have this kind of freedom begin to think more
strategically about their work and about the
company as a whole. If given the opportunity,
employees will go beyond satisfying needs to
exceeding expectations and improving the company
philosophy, the state of the industry, and
the ins and outs of good business practices
because they know more about how your company
does things than you do.
Hold monthly company meetings where
you ask all employees for marketing ideas and
encourage each of them to always be on the
lookout for new business opportunities. Some
of the key steps in getting people involved in
marketing are identifying each person's marketing
strengths and then augmenting their
strengths by teaming them with the strengths
of other employees. In most companies, the
majority of employees are not involved in
obtaining new clients. But tough times call for
looking at the resources you have available to
you without increasing costs, so evaluate your
current employees' strengths and weaknesses
and delegate work they are capable of completing
with success.Although not everyone is cut
out for all aspects of selling, it is important that
everyone participate in the aspects that they
can perform well.
The next step is to redefine job descriptions
so that everyone understands that communicating
your company's services or products is
part of their job responsibility. It is easy to let
staying on top of new business leads go by the
wayside. Set clear expectations and make sure
your team understands that being a part of this
process is a part of their job.
Finally, educate your team and give them
the time and resources they need to succeed.
You need to have clear methods of evaluating
potential ideas, projects or leads.Ask your
employees for an idea then have them analyze
with a "GO /NO GO" form. This form tends to
help them objectively look at the pluses and
minuses and make better decisions on how to
proceed. You must also provide them dedicated
time every week to work on business development
and have enough marketing tools,
brochures, flyers, etc. so that they feel comfortable
promoting your company's services.
No matter what element of your business
you are trying to improve, you will always make
progress by motivating your employees and
trusting them to make good decisions. The key
is to remember that when delegating business
tasks,make sure employees know what is
expected of them and what the rewards might
be for their service in a timely and visible fashion.
Company management should make clear
that new business is a part of expected performance
and not just "someone else's job."An
incentive program can be implemented to
encourage involvement and reward initiative. If
their behavior is not supported and rewarded,
change will never take place.Acknowledge
employee efforts and let them know what particularly
impressed you.
Imagine the positive impact on your business
of empowering your employees. Given the
proper training and necessary resources, they
will naturally encourage others to become
clients and will do so with genuine conviction.
Although you may not see immediate results,
when the market slowly begins to turn, contacts
made now will come to you for business in the
future.
