Be Vigilant

Recently, Jim Donovan, a Philadelphia area TV journalist, shared on CBS-3 television that he had developed Lyme disease. He said it wasn’t the result of hiking in a state or national park; he was just doing some yard work at his suburban home.  Jim mentioned that whenever he did yard work in the past, he had always worn long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. This was the one time he did yard work while wearing shorts and a t-shirt and unfortunately, he got a tick bite on his thigh.

What does this mean for you, other than to remember to use insect repellant, wear pants and a long sleeve shirt while doing yard work, and be sure to check yourself for ticks after spending time outdoors?  The takeaway from Jim’s encounter with Lyme disease is to be vigilant. You never know when a small nuisance or mistake can grow into a bigger problem.  Here are some things you need to be on the lookout for in your business.

Expenses

Keeping an eye on the dollars and cents in your business, isn’t exciting, still it is very necessary if you want to turn a profit.  Look over your expenses and if you can cut something without sacrificing customer service, then do so.  Many times, it is keeping a rein on expenses, as opposed to landing a big sale that will help your business to thrive.

Employees

Is your staff grumbling? Do they have the hump day blues on Monday? Do you know why? Perhaps there is another way to do a work task?  Or maybe it’s time to schedule an after work happy hour or employee appreciation event.  Learn how your employees feel about work and, if possible, make adjustments.  While you can’t change all of the bad aspects of work, at the very least, listening to your employees shows that you take their concerns seriously.  Paying attention to what your employees have to say does wonders for morale and when employees are happy, productivity goes up.

Social Media

This is one item that you always have to keep an eye on because you never know when someone will post an “I hate your business and here’s why….” comment on your social media channels. Use negative posts as an opportunity to connect with the dissatisfied customer, acknowledge their dissatisfaction and then take the conversation OFF LINE! This shows your followers that you are receptive to all types of feedback and that you take action to remedy your customers’ dissatisfaction. Learn from the negative comments what went wrong and take measures to correct any problems that may exist.

On the flip side, if someone posts a compliment, thank them for the compliment and try to find out what went right so that you can do it again. You can learn about the good and bad aspects of your business from posts on social media, so pay attention to what your followers have to say.  Social media comments are full of gems that can help you with your business. Pay attention to them.

It’s isn’t always the latest gadget or app that you need to get to improve your business.  Rather it is keeping an eye on what you already have that will help your business to succeed. Of course, it never hurts to wear a long sleeved shirt and pants and to use insect repellant while doing yard work.

 

https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2018/07/02/jim-donovan-lyme-disease/