• Are there some dusty old marketing strategies that are hanging around, and no longer looking so good when you take a look in the cold light of day?
  • Does your website need a spit and polish so that those looking in can see your offering clearly?
  • Is your database getting overwhelmed with clutter?
  • Are your costs getting overrun with no-longer-required services and subscriptions?
  • Do you need to hoover up some old debtors and pull in those late payments?
  • Is your team looking a bit jaded?

Now we’ve pretty much recovered from snowmageddon and the daffodils are beginning to show, it’s a seasonal reminder to make sure our businesses are fresh and ready spring forward.

It’s easy to get comfortable in doing things the same way we’ve always done them, and forget that. Just because something worked well before, that might not be the case now. We know how fast change is happening around us – technologically, politically, legislatively. It’s no surprise that we need to keep reviewing what we’re doing in our businesses. Just the sheer number of businesses who’ve recently gone into CVA arrangements or receivership indicates that we need to be constantly alert.

So, I encourage you to allocate the next few weeks to a spot of Spring Cleaning in your business. Whilst you might not need the rubber gloves, you’d be surprised at what detritus you might find…

Some suggestions to get you started:

  1. Take a critical look at your marketing activity – is it driving the best ROI? Are the lead numbers and lead quality up to standard? Do some strategies need a dust down or even a complete refurb? Is your website up-to-date with your current products/ services, latest events and offers, and recent testimonials?
  2. Next up, take a long hard look down the ‘expenses column’ of your P&L. Is each and every one of those costs a) necessary and b) driving or enabling business performance? When did you last re-tender for better service or reduced costs?
  3. Go after those late payers with renewed vigour and bring in the cash that has been sluggish in reaching your bank account.
  4. Give your database a deep clean. With GDPR just around the corner, you’ll need to do this anyhow and you can then be confident you’re reaching out to the right people who want to hear from you.
  5. And most importantly, check over your team. Has there been ‘role creep’, and if so, has it been in the right direction? Do the team members need to be nourished with some personal development? Is some pruning needed to create space for new growth?

This can be challenging work, leading to some tough decisions – but as the business owner, that’s what your paid to do… And this work definitely comes under the banner of ‘Important not Urgent’. We know such things have a habit of becoming Urgent,  in an uncontrolled way, so get Spring Cleaning your business right away!

If you’d like some motivation to get started, come and join our next GrowthCLUB on 23rdMarch and join 30 other Business Owners planning out their next priorities.

If you’re not sure where to even begin, then call me on 01494 641671 to set up a complimentary coaching session.

Now get into Action!