Shoes
I just bought a new pair of running shoes. The old ones had a puncture hole in one of the heels where the “air support” was supposed to be. Needless to say, without the full support, the shoes didn’t work as well and actually reduced my effectiveness and made me more prone to injury.
How comfy are your business “shoes?”
You may be doing things and behaving in ways that you have for years without change. While these activities and behaviors once worked, they may be losing their “air support” because they are now obsolete and deflated. The risk to you is stagnation and injury to your brand and ability to grow.
Example – You always used a direct mailing piece to get the word out about your company’s services or products. For years, the US Postal Service got the news out to the world about you. Even though technology has made it easier, more effective, and more inexpensive to get the word out, you still spend time and money on direct mail becasue you may have 3 sales a year attributed to it. You can find other examples around your web site, newsletter, and even the products and services you offer. If you’ve not created anything new in the past 5 years, you’re the one that’s obsolete!
The bottom line is you need to identify the 20th century tools you’re still using and then switch over to the 21st century. This is a great time of the year for that type of candid self-assessment. I had to do it with my running shoes. Are you ready to assess how your business is running?
© 2014 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
