Habits - Good or Bad - We've Got Them

Habits are a mixed breed of human behavior. Some are good and some are not so good for us. We all have habits we wish we could do away with and behaviors we would like to make habits for us. I know I do and every day I am reminded of them. That reminder serves as my change agent to work harder at changing what I can and to accept what I cannot change.

Well in the business world, we have to make changes as our customer's habits change. We don't have the luxury of staying the same all the time because our customers do not stay the same. The Model T is a prime example of how it did not change but yet today the American auto industry still seems to live in the mindset of "I have every color you want as long as you want black." The industry had to have a big jolt of reality before it could start making changes to reflect the American car buying audience.

Habits have an effect on not just large business but small business also. In fact, habits probably have a faster effect on a small business's bottom line because of how close it is to the ultimate customer. In small business, the owner is often in front of the customer while in big business, the owner is many times removed.

So how can a small business owner change his or her habits and improve the bottom line? The first thing an owner should do is make sure the inventory is in line with the customer's needs and desires. Consumers change over time and what was needed last year may no longer be needed. So if you don't update your inventory you may be selling last year's fad which is this year's junk(bad habit). So talk to your customer's - ask them what they would like to see you carry. Ask them about how they see the market changing and what their expectations are (good habit). Involving the customer in your decision making process is one way to make sure your habits on inventory are changing and you don't get caught with your pants down.

Then once you involve the customer in your store, it is easier to ask them to buy more - the second thing you can do to change habits. Many times, small business owners are happy to get the order (bad habit). Once you have the order, then is the time to ask how else you may help them and grow that customer in terms of sales. It may be a purchase of an auxiliary product, something totally different in another product line - whatever but do the ask! (good habit)

The third habit to change is complacency with the competition (bad habit). We all know competition is there and more of it every day. It is surprising to me when I talk to a business owner and they say they have no competition. Bull Hockey! We all have competition. Heck even I, as a free service, have competition from for profit sources. So go out there and shop the competition (good habit). Have friends and family members go to them and shop them. Check out the customer service, inventory, policies, etc. Get to know them so you can identify their weaknesses (and yours) and build a stronger case for "why buy you."

Next recognize the value of the repeat customer and start paying attention to her. It is not a good practice to offer new customers something and not the existing ones (bad habit). It is on average nine times more expensive to acquire a new customer then to keep an existing one. So reward the repeat customer (good habit). How? Try a customer loyalty card, customer appreciation events, insider sales, preview sales, special packaging or services etc. Give them a reason to come back more often and buy from you. Many times these special services are not expensive when compared to the sales they generate.

We are all creatures of habit so reinforce your customer's habit of shopping with you with your own good habits. So I invite you to share with us some examples of good and bad habits you may have or have witnessed in small business. Let's talk about them.....

Small Business Organization - Are you ready for a system?

Gotcha - you thought this was going to be about LLC, corporations, partnerships etc didn't you!

Well it is not. In fact I won't even touch on the LLC, corporations and partnership topic at all. How is that for you?

Actually I was reading the other day in one of my magazines and came across an article that I would really sink my teeth into - office clutter and how to get rid of it. Now I am not the neatest person and any visit to my office will attest to that but I tend to be a systems person. One of my co-workers finds my system approach to be way overboard and I fine with that because I am a "let live" person. But I know my system works for me.

Well let's on with the topic of this blog - office clutter.

I firmly believe that an organized workspace helps small business owners stay on top of their business. You always know where the project is, the invoices are or the next to do list. You are organized and the clean work environment helps you stay that way. The staying that way is probably the hardest trick.

The tips the article gave were pretty good. I will list them here and hope for some discussion from the readers out there in internet world. I will of course provide my opinion also.

Tip #1 - Clean out/Straighten up - Here I am talking about keeping your workspace free. I find I can always work more efficiently if my desk is clear of unnecessary papers, files even pens/pencils. I can get frustrated with the lack of space when working if I have an over crowded desktop. I often do that with my PC desktop also. I decide that needs to go into the trash, be filed, or created a file for it and then file it away. To make sure I don't forget about it, I have a task listing I use daily to help plan my work. Each project I am working on is put into file and on that task list. Some days that task list has saved my behind and other days it only made for a frustrating day of never getting to the to do list.

Tip #2 - Once you find a home, make it a home - Everything on your desk, office or work environment is searching for its home. You should decide what goes here and work hard to keep it there when not in use. I find this tip to be the hardest. I am so bad for getting something out, using it and then laying it down. Only to have to hunt for it later when I need it again. How frustrating is that I tell you? Some suggestions here are lateral files, wall hanging file keepers, desk top file keepers etc. It depends on your personality but if you have to keep in the projects out front, then make it happen. Or if you are like me and prefer to do lists, keep the to do list up to date and use it.

Tip #3 - Plan for your work flow when organizing - I learned a long time ago to keep my phone on the left and my paper and pens on the right. I am right handed and when I am on the phone, I take notes. So that set up keeps me from switching hands in mid-stream each time I am on the phone. I also keep the most used office supplies close to the top of my desk so they are handy. The office items I use the least are located in the bottom desk drawer or on the left side of the desk. Just me but it works for me.

Tip #4 - PC clean up - If you keep a junky office, chances are you keep a junky PC. Clean it up. Run file clean up software to take care of the debugging, cache, formatting, etc. Each time I do it, I am always surprised at the junk I have accumulated on my PC (Yes I am a PC guy.) This also goes for security/virus updates. Nothing is more frustrating then when you are working and the computer shuts down and the circle of death appears. A tip the article mentioned that I just did recently, is bundle your power cords together. I was so surprised when I did this and my physical desktop and floor all looked so much cleaner.

Tip #5 - Consistency - Once you got it all planned out, then keep it that way. How hard is that to do? Believe me it is hard but once you get into the habit, then you start to see the improvements in your work and you keep doing it.

So tell me what your "system" is for reducing office clutter. Share some tips and what works and what does not work.

Until next time.....