When you look at businesses today, everything seems to be in “hurry-up mode.” Even those Amazon orders! We cannot wait two days to get that pack of sharpies; we need them delivered the same day. Traditional sit-down restaurants now have delivery and curbside pickup. Everyone wants to move at lightning speed. But that isn’t always the best choice. I’m guilty of falling into the “hurry-up” mode myself.
If you read one of my earlier blogs, you are familiar with my dryer situation. Long story short, the dryer broke, and I decided to fix it myself. Although the effort was successful, it wasn’t without incurring the self-inflicted wound of rushing to be done. Once I tested the dryer and ensured I had fixed the problem, I quickly reassembled it as I couldn’t wait to claim victory! As I stepped back to admire my work proudly, I saw it! Uggg – the dreaded left-over screw…sitting there mocking me! Well, no choice now but to go back through the process of disassembly, find the missing spot for the screw and reassemble. Trying to take the quick route did not end up so speedy in the end. However, I am now pretty proficient in dryer disassembly and reassembly.
As a Business Coach, I see this issue frequently with my clients. Think about this: How many sales have you lost because you rushed through your process and skipped steps (or perhaps you don’t even have a process)? How many projects or jobs have you had to go back and redo because you didn’t follow (or don’t have) a detailed delivery checklist? How many employees have you hired and lost because you didn’t take time to ensure the right hire (or follow a great recruiting process like our 4-Hour ActionCOACH Hiring System) in the first place? In all these examples, business owners rush to the next thing but fail to achieve their primary goal successfully. The “hurry-up” mindset often results in significant time lost, money lost, and customer service issues. But there is hope! In key areas, slowing down will result in speeding up: Business Growth, Customer Satisfaction, Top-Talent retention, and bottom-line dollars.
Here are four areas to focus on when slowing down. In each of these areas, remember the result should always be the priority. Not the time spent to achieve it:
- Hiring: The motto “hire slow, fire fast” is the one to live by here. Start with a detailed job description, measurements, key responsibilities, and a defined set of characteristics that the successful employee will need to demonstrate. Then find the candidate that best matches that description and do not settle for anything less.
- Systems: McDonald’s is not one of the most successful franchise models because they have the best hamburgers. They are successful because they are consistent in everything they do. That consistency comes from the top-bottom systemization process, including a system for creating and managing the systems. Consider your systems. Do you have a detailed delivery system? Do you use tools like checklists and flow diagrams? How much of what you do is in someone’s head instead of being documented?
- Sales Process: Higher conversion rates require a systemized approach to helping your customers buy your products and service. How much time do you truly give to finding out the customer’s needs and wants? Or do you jump to a solution because that’s what you know they need only to lose the sale?
- Team Management: You just spent a lot of time hiring the top talent (if you followed an excellent recruitment process). Don’t lose them because you have a poor team building and management system. This is not the place to take a “hands-off” approach. Engage with your team frequently and consistently. A great system here will lead to an excellent business (with raving fans as customers)!
While there are several more areas within the business you can slow-down to speed-up, focusing on these four first will not only help grow your business faster, it will give your business a competitive advantage for years to come!