Take control of 2020

If you somehow assume that 2020 will be better only because it is a new year and a new decade, you would be dead wrong!

It will be a continuance of the same recipe of 2019 with the same results, good or bad.  With times as tough as they are and business closing down at an alarming rate, it is easy to see that we are certainly not satisfied with the results of 2019.  If we expect 2020 to be better, we need to take active control over 2020.  Easier said than done?  Yes, certainly, there are a lot of outside influences like a dead economy, crime, unemployment, electricity increases, water shortages, and loadshedding…  BUT entrepreneurs are those people who can find a way to flourish in any circumstances – how do we (they) do it?  The answer is control and self-control.

Create content for your business and your life like you create content for your Facebook page (well it could very well be the same if you are clever about it)

What does this mean?

Create a plan of a mission or task for every week of the year – starting this week.

Call your staff in every week and share the mission – let them give input in the plan of what to do as well as the plan for each mission.

If you do one thing every week to improve your business, your business will be 50 times better at the end of 2020.

You will focus on positive creation and looking for possibilities, instead of focusing on the negative things.

You will be less affected by the ugly news headlines and the bad influences on the economy and the country.

Your staff will be excited and motivated by having something to work towards instead of waiting for the phone to ring.

There will be tangible differences and improvements in your business – these are all stories for your Facebook page and website.

Clients are the same as friends.  They attach themselves to success stories and they go to a business with a Buzz.

OK, now for the next challenge – What should be in my content plan?

The easiest way is to do a SWOT analysis.  With the help of your employees, list all the Strenghts (S), Weaknesses (W), Opportunities (O) and Threats (T) of your business and your team.

Those should help you to create a balanced approach to your content plan.  Play on your strengths, find ways to eliminate your weaknesses, exploit the opportunities (this is the most important) and find ways to mitigate risks and threats to your business.

Change what you can, work around those things you cannot change and find a way to work without that.  Eliminate negative influences and negativity at all costs.  The lack of business confidence is one of the most important reasons why the economy is flat lining. This is a factor we CAN change!  Attach yourself to your passion and not your pain…

Examples:

Some of the weaknesses might be a lack of integrity.  An integrity programme could be implemented covering at least 6 weeks of your plan.  Take one word per week, 1. Honesty (doing what we say) 2. Empowerment (improving knowledge) 3. Respect (lead by example – do as you would be done by) 4. Fairness (balancing interests, climb into someone else’s skin) 5. Ubuntu (you have to be involved in your community) One point for each finger on your hand.  During the last week you can do a little event where people put their right hand in paint and print it on a T-shirt or their office uniform, to remind them of their commitment to the integrity campaign.

Another one would be to increase sales (remember we do not just want to sit and wait for the phone to ring).  My recipe is simple, phone 40 people a week, out of that 40 you should be able to secure 10 appointments, out of those you should be able to create 2 new regular clients.  This goes for everybody in the sales team.  People for Durban and Johannesburg do this and call us for anything from print cartridges to holiday packages.  They do this, because it works!  Don’t let them take your clients because they put in the work.

I will elaborate and give tips on a regular basis on what could be addressed in the content plan over the next year.  Of course you can change your plan as you get more experienced and more brave!   

KLCBT members will receive a sample plan in their weekly newsletter.

Post daily on your Facebook page (personal and business) and Website on the plans and progress and lots of pictures as your positive team is taking the world by storm.

Happy New Year!!

Published in Lowvelder, 10 Dec 2020: