There was a time when many CEOs, presidents or business owners sat behind their desks not having much contact with the customer, delegating to their employees as the sales and profits flowed in. Never made sales calls. Never left the office. Talked only to key management people and shuffled papers back and forth. They could wait for business to come to them.
In today’s modern era of doing business that’s all changed. Though there are business people that have the tendency to want – or even wish – to conduct business the way “it use to be”, it just isn’t possible now. You can’t just sit in your office and wait for business to come to you. Now you need to be assertive, even aggressive, in a highly competitive marketplace to win and keep business.
Successful CEOs, presidents and business owners:
- Stick to the basics that work for your industry and individual business.
- Be on the front line every business day. Get out of your office.
- Spend time in every department of your company.
- Encourage employees to look for efficient ways to cut costs and boost sales.
- Don’t hesitate to ride along with your sales people to see what is going on.
- Show sales associates how to make a cold call or how to open a new account.
- Personally visit established customers to keep business.
- Everywhere you go listen, listen, listen for new ideas and strategy.
- Be interactive with your employees and customers.
- Have a positive attitude.
- Be the prime example of the company culture, vision, mission and goals.
Today’s workplace requires you spend more time running your business and experiencing first hand with your sleeves rolled up, so to speak, what’s happening.
There’s a great quote from a book entitled, We Were Merchants. The book is the story of the Sternberg family and their ownership of the Goudchaux’s department store chain in Louisiana. One paragraph from a Wall Street Journal review of the book goes like this: … The author describes “the Sternberg way” of retailing as emphasizing “courtly, old-world manners, personal attention to customers, an instinct for what sells, and a keen eye for what was occurring on the floor of his store.” When a prospective employee asked where his office would be, Erich Sternberg would look him over and say: “My friend, at the bottom of your shoes.” Everyone would be on the floor serving customers…
The one essential business strategy every CEO, president or business owner needs to remember is exactly what Mr. Sternberg talked about: Your office is at the bottom of your shoes.
Be in ACTION! Make it HAPPEN!
To your success!
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