Spring is here and the flowers are blooming. This gave us a great idea to relate treating your business as a gardener would tend to their garden.
1) Study your landscape before you start gardening In business, you should know your competition and you should know what can propel your business above the competition. At the very least, know what separates your company from the competition. Come up with a plan that you can follow through and know that your plan will grow your business. You wouldn’t plant a tree that needs a lot of sun in a shady area, so don’t sell a person a product or service that won’t grow your company and get you referrals.
2) Fertilize the soil Related to checking in with your clients and making sure your service or product is up to their standards. You should be doing this on a regular basis.
3) Pull the weeds This can translate to two things with your business. You can clean up any loose ends you need to fix to ensure your customer is happy or you can get rid of the customers you believe to be holding your business back. There is such a thing as a bad client (we don’t have any, but when you make those sales you shouldn’t have made, these customers have a way of hurting your business). Seriously, we love our clients!
4) Choose the right Plants In business, you need to choose a plan that will benefit you and your customer. Offer a product or service that your company specializes in producing. Do not offer singing lessons to a customer, if your company only makes custom leather gloves. Similarly, to a garden, do not plant a tropical plant in a shady area in a northern climate. You will simply be wasting valuable time and money.
5) Water Properly This goes without saying, but successful gardens need water (unless you have cacti and desert plants). Each climate is unique and each plant/flower depends on different watering schedules, but they all need water. Your clients are comparable in the sense that they need quenching (H2O). Each client depends on your care differently. Some may need lots of attention, whereas, others may be annoyed by you constantly soaking them with attention. Know who you’re dealing with.
6) Keep a keen eye on your garden during all seasons This doesn’t mean, hovering over your customers at all times, but understand what makes them tick and what keeps them happy. If you produce clothing, make sure the quality is where it should be. If you run a daycare, keep your play areas sterilized. If you run a fruits & vegetables stand, ensure there is no mold or pests on your produce and keep your produce hydrated (that last analogy was used to link the garden to the business).
Your business like a garden is a beautiful thing. If you maintain your garden, every year it will look nicer and keep a smile on your face. Your business is no different. If you tend to your business properly, every year it will grow and everyone will take notice…just like you garden.
Logging Out,
Logical Mix
