In “New Year’s Resolutions For Wellness Businesses (Part 2)” we told you about 9 things you can STOP doing.
Here’s what you should START doing:
1. START thinking like a customer.
You’ll need help to do this. Hire a firm to provide mystery shoppers or enlist family, friends, and other business owners to visit your location and report back on the customer experience. Give them a checklist of what to look for.
2. START asking your customers for help.
You’ll thrill happy customers by asking them for their ideas.
Select a small group and bounce your ideas off them. Thinking about a new ad campaign? Ask them for their reaction. New store hours? Ask them how to make doing business with you more convenient.
3. START thanking your best customers.
Nope, we don’t just mean saying “thank you”.
Give your best customers reasons to spend more money with you. Consider frequent shopper programs. Public appreciation, even without financial rewards, works well. Give your newer customers something to look forward to. Communicate clearly about when and what they will receive.
Even better, do something for your best customers that no one else can do—say, a key business referral, or volume discounts on purchases from your suppliers that your customers can also use.
4. START tapping your employees for ideas and problem-solving.
Your business success means job security and personal satisfaction for them. Share information about what’s working and what’s not. Include them in troubleshooting and problem-solving. Ask them how to make their jobs easier. Get their thoughts on what annoys customers. And last, share the financial rewards of success with them. Consider profit-sharing and bonuses for specific results.
5. START planning for success instead of hoping for the best.
Many of us hope for the best without putting plans in place to make it happen. Identify major goals, and spell out what has to happen, by when, and who will do it. Then keep track of these specifics on a weekly and monthly basis.
6. START analyzing financial and operational results at least monthly.
Many wellness business owners and managers prefer dealing with clients and programming. They avoid the financial and operational details of running a business. However, leaving these to chance means you’re leaving your business to chance. Grit your teeth and do it!
7. START learning from other businesses and industries.
Looking only at direct competitors limits your perspective. For example, unattended gas stations sell to customers 24×7. Perhaps 24-hour card access would allow you to offer extended hours at your facility without additional staff costs.
8. START balancing work and your personal life.
Businesses, both small and large, consume as much energy as you’re willing to give them.
Trust us— taking time for healthy living, community activities, family, and friends renews your energy for business. And life’s too short to spend it “staying late at the office” every day. The work will still be there tomorrow, we promise.
9. START balancing data and intuition to make decisions.
Some of us don’t trust our instincts and delay decisions to get more data. Others trust their gut and don’t bother with data.
Use a balanced approach. For example, don’t let enthusiasm for a new nutritional fad deter you from doing the market research to make sure you’ll find customers.
10. START honoring your time commitments.
Nothing builds distrust faster than frequent last-minute cancellations.
How many times have you canceled a meeting with a staff member or delayed a personal commitment at the last minute?
Avoid overbooking yourself— but keep the appointments you do make.
