Do You Have a Plan?

I can't tell you how many morning I come into my office without a plan.  I start reading emails, answering calls, writing up orders and before I know it I'm bouncing around in more directions than a pinball trying to avoid the gutters.

I just signed up for my first half marathon February 19th the Heartbreak Half (not going to lie the name intimidates me).  The race involves quite a bit of an uphill journey and running uphill stresses me out just a little (okay a lot).  I realize it would be pretty stupid to just show up February 19th start running and plan on finishing a 13.1 mile run with a good time and no injuries.

Yet how many of us run our businesses that way just taking off and hoping everything works out for the best.  Hoping that the sales come in, the orders go out and that at the end of the day we can hopefully call it a win.

Here are a few things I've learned from this adventure that can be applied to your business:

1.  Find a coach.  Those of you who know me know that I have Katie.  She is my trainer, coach and incredible friend. She tells me when I'm doing too much (or not enough), when I need to rest and most  importantly when I need to suck it up, quit whining and shut my mouth.  You need a Katie in your business.  Someone you can talk to and strategize with. Someone who isn't afraid to tell you they think you're wrong or heading down the wrong path.

2.  Create a plan.  With the help of Katie I have a plan.  It's a 12 week plan that runs right up to the race.  I know how many miles I need to run each week and how many days.  It lays out how many bootcamps, swim, spin and zumba classes I can take and on which days as well as what intensity of workout I should do.
Now I am sitting at my desk this morning thinking what is my 12 week plan for sales.  How many calls do I need to make? How can I structure my day to get the best results?  Am I doing too much? Too little?

3.  Form a team.  I realized a long time ago it's much harder to achieve success if you try to do it alone.  My friend Heidi signed up to run the half marathon with me.  We are training together.  We can share the fun as well as the pain and hurdles (and I am betting there are going to be a few hurdles).  It makes me accountable to someone else besides just me.  I can't just say I don't want to run today because it would be letting her down. (Fortunately for me Heidi is a great motivator so she won't let me back out and goof off anyway!)  I have other friends who have volunteered to run with on days we need it and even more that provide encouragement, motivation, cheering and often the well timed kick in the butt.  Everything is easier and more fun it you have a great team.

I love how doing something in one part of your life can impact other areas.  Stay tuned over the next 12 weeks as I'm sure there will be more lessons learned from this half marathon.

Is it Important to Say Thank You to Your Clients?

I'm in the business of helping clients reward their customers for loyalty and helping them to find and keep good clients.  Sometimes, however, I'm the one that learns a lesson.

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to go out with a group of friends. Even better they were bringing along another friend so the two of us could meet.  Well of course I had to head down to the mall and pick out a new outfit just for that night. What with all the exercising and weight loss the clothes closet is a little bare.  I went to two separate department stores buying a new jacket at the first store and jeans and a dress shirt at another. 

Two weeks passed and yesterday I received two pieces of mail.  The first was a beautiful 5 panel postcard with my name typed on the front a bunch of great marketing material inside and two gift cards attached inside.  One for $25 off my next purchase of $100 and one for 20% off an entire days purchases.

The second was hand address envelope with a hand written thank you card that in nut shell said:

"Just wanted to follow up with you to see how your date went?!  I hope you had an amazing time, we know you looked great!"  Inside was also her business card with her cell phone number hand written.

Now it turns out I need to get a couple more new shirts.  I can give my business to the store that sent me  the generic mailer with an offer of cash off or I can choose the store with the incredible sales woman who showed me she listened to what I said and cared (or at least pretended to) about how my evening went.

No contest I will be calling the saleswoman today and setting up a time to come in and buy my shirts right after I finish sending out some handwritten thank you cards to some incredible clients of my own.

Moral of the story "Never forget the importance of a simple thank you!"