Wide ranges of business people have the vision of running a successful company and living their business dreams to the fullest. Yet some may have fallen prey to the late night infomercial or internet guru promises of no bosses and easy money, idly daydreaming about money just rolling in.
The truth, however, is that there is no easy money and, in fact, running a business is hard work. The most successful CEOs, presidents and business owners understand that being successful requires a combination of these crucial skills:
- being a visionary for the business
- understanding how to create a powerful work force that leads the company toward the vision – and ultimately, ongoing business success and profit.
Here are 15 strategies, to help you realize the vision and business dreams for you and your company:
1.) The Vision. You probably already have a vision for the company, but do you have a plan designed to translate that vision into tangible success? Otherwise, your business dreams will be just that, dreams. Have you identified potential problems, how they will be addressed and how you will measure success? A plan for the company is critical if the business is to grow and flourish. If you don’t have a plan in place already, invest the time to develop one now to ensure your company is poised to be profitable and to grow.
2.) Take Responsibility. As the leader of the organization you are ultimately responsible for everything that happens at your company. Everything from sales volume and customer service to employee turnover and product quality, it all begins with you, the CEO, president or business owner. When expectations are not met, look to your own management failure. Reevaluate how you manage, motivate and lead your employees to correct the mistake(s) and move forward. A key to your success and living your business dreams is to: Always keep moving forward.
3.) Get Away From Your Desk. If you’re going to be responsible for each and every aspect of your business, you must personally invest the time to see things for yourself. Know what is happening at your company — walk the halls, sit with people in the lunchroom, hangout at the water cooler attend meetings and training sessions. Make yourself highly visible and approachable — make sure you have an open door policy regarding your office at specific times of the day, use email and other modern technologies as a way to keep the entire company aware of critical matters to ensure no one is left out. By doing so, you can provide a consistent voice to the vision you have for the business.
4.) Delegate! You cannot do it all yourself. Create team spirit and camaraderie by delegating to managers and staff who should in turn delegate to their team members and work associates. It’s critical to have a clear, consistent message. Delegating responsibility empowers employees to feel their input is valuable and now have a reason to care more about the success of the company. Truly successful CEOs, presidents and business owners are visionaries who understand how to lead-think-delegate and its important connection in building a business. Those leading a company who are unable to delegate are just workers performing a job – and will never be the visionaries responsible for continuously growing a business. This can only lead to worry, overwhelm, confusion – and lost business dreams.
5.) Be Involved In The Sales Process. The truth is that selling isn’t a one time only occurrence; in fact, it happens at every moment that you or someone in your company interacts with someone outside of your company. It starts with the first “Hello” on the telephone and doesn’t end with “Thank you for buying from us.” Smart CEOs, presidents and business owners understand the important role of sales in the overall success of the company. Take concrete steps to ensure each and every employee in the company understands as well. You must learn everyday how to sell your company and its vision to employees, customers, vendors and other business associates. If you do not successfully sell the vision, the company will not succeed – nor will your business dreams. You must be the number one salesperson at your company to lead it in the right direction. Without sales, nothing happens.
6.) Hire Closers Not Just Sales Reps Or Sales People. While sales is an ongoing process within the entire organization, creating a sales department that can predictably close sales is critical if the company is to grow. In order to create a successful sales department, you must understand the difference between a sales person and a sales closer. Yes, a person in sales must be the face of a company, thoroughly understand the product and deliver exceptional customer service, but what about his or her ability to actually bring in new and repeat business? When asked about accomplishments, too many sales people will point to intangibles, perhaps mentioning an impressive presentation to a potentially lucrative client. But did they make a sale? If so, for how much? How long did the sales process take? Is it a profitable venture? To be truly successful, it is not enough to just make monthly quota, yearly sales goals or to just make a good presentation. Being a good sales person means going the extra distance and not being satisfied with the norm. This will lead to the fulfillment of business dreams for you, your employees and your customers.
7.) Call On Key Customers Yourself. Your customers are at the heart of your company. Make sure they know you care and appreciate their business and feedback by meeting with them personally. In between visits, pick up the phone or dash off a quick email to stay in contact. Such interactions can offer valuable insights about your company’s products and services, which is why you must listen carefully to what is being said – and what is not being said — evaluating what changes should be made to improve customer satisfaction. Your customers business dreams are as important as your own.
8.) Ride With The Sales Team. In addition to meeting personally with customers, take the time to see for yourself what is happening “out in the field” with the sales representatives. See for yourself how leads are generated, how sales are closed and what changes should be made to improve the entire process. A day in the field with staff and customers can lead to critical revelations about your business and how it relates to the real world.
9.) Have Job Descriptions For Every Position. As the old saying goes: How do you know when you get there if you don’t know where you’re going? Similarly, how can employees understand their role in the company without a written job description? Employees and departments alike are not only confused but inefficient as well when there are no written job descriptions in place. Employees who are accountable for their actions and understand their responsibilities within the company can develop individual plans that build on their own individual talents to ensure success. More successful employees translate into a more productive workforce. Everyone in the company benefits. This ensures your business dreams continue to evolve and grow.
10.) Teach Something New To Employees At Every Opportunity. Although training is vital to the growth of any company, all too many CEOs, presidents and business owners cut back or even eliminate training programs in a misguided effort to trim the budget. Employees need to be constantly trained and reminded of how to best execute their skills on a day-to-day basis; how to implement new techniques that will improve their skills and advance their effectiveness. Ongoing training will motivate your employees, ensuring they are interested in working with you so that when your competitor attempts to recruit them they won’t want to leave.
11.) Motivate! Employees who are motivated and feel fairly rewarded for their work create a powerful workforce than can offer a competitive advantage over your competition. Take the time to meet with your human resource contact and other department managers to discuss the best ways to motivate your employees, individually and collectively. Learn how to reach out to employees to understand what really motivates them on an individual basis. As the leader and visionary in your company you are in the people business – you must understand the people you work with. When the people in your business perform, your success and business dreams will be phenomenal.
12.) Put Your Business In Modules. Your entire business should be organized into modules, for example: sales, accounting, accounts receivable/payable, operations, etc. with each module evaluated individually. Take time to review each module on a set, regular basis to determine what’s working, what’s not and how they interface together.
13.) Build Relationships With Your Professional Business Sources. Many companies turn to outside consultants for specialized services such as accounting, insurance, legal advice, recruiting or advertising. Evaluate what special needs you and your business may have, then take the time to find the very best service providers possible. The time to find experts is before you need them when you have the luxury of time and can carefully evaluate different areas of expertise.
14.) Remember Where You Came From. Always remember how you started your business career. Always remember where you came from in order to achieve the success you have today. Someone gave you a break or believed in you at some point, so do the same with employees and other business associates who show talent and promise. It will make your business dreams and theirs come true – and that’s beneficial for everyone.
Obviously, running a successful, profitable business can be a daunting task and requires much energy, organization and persistence. CEOs, presidents and business owners without a well thought out plan and strategy will have difficulty succeeding. If you act like a hired worker, simply showing up for work and patiently waiting for the profits to roll in, you are never going to realize your goals or business dreams.
To make sure you succeed, consider hiring a business consultant who can help you focus on your vision, plans and goals for the company. Frequently the discerning counsel of a seasoned business advisor can help you maximize your potential, pinpointing new strategies to implement and help translate your vision into REAL attainable success.
Certainly every CEO, president and business owner wants to lead a company to magnificent profits. Those who do will be visionaries who understand how to manage the shifting sands of the business landscape:
- constantly weeding out problems
- shining a bright light on all that is positive
- developing employees into a powerful workforce.
- have a plan in place designed to move the company forward
- constantly re-evaluating how to make things better.
These CEOs, presidents and business owners will experience personally the satisfaction and the joy that comes with running a successful business. You will be watching your wildest business dreams unfold. What’s more exciting than to see your business vision in motion?
Now it’s your turn.
But wait! … Here’s another strategy to consider:
15.) Everyday, take specific time to focus on your business. Sit down in a quiet place where you will not be interrupted for any reason. It can be for 10 minutes or 30 minutes. Whatever works for you. The key is to just do it! Put it on your schedule. Write down your thoughts. Most thoughts and ideas nothing will come of them. But by getting it out of your head, it will evolve into that one great idea you can start to immediately implement and start seeing results with. Then a second great idea… Then a third great idea and much MORE! Write it all in a notebook or on a document via your computer or mobile device. Whatever works best for you as a business builder and on-going reference tool.
Ask yourself:
What should I be doing to make the business better?
Then think it through. Make it HAPPEN!
Be in ACTION to make your vision and business dreams successful and profitable!
To your success!
Howard Lewinter guides – focuses – advises CEOs, presidents and business owners throughout the United States to MORE success – MORE profit – less stress. Get MORE from your business! Talk with Howard: 888-738-1855.