Don’t Neglect The Most Fertile Soil of Your Business
April 25th, 2019 // 3:57 am @ Scott Manning
Last week, we talked about the obvious “planting” in your business. The act of getting customers for most businesses is done in one of two ways…
“Hope” and “Accident”
There is very little of anything being done on purpose. Most businesses just get the customers that show up and know what to do with them once they are there. Their entire business “development” has been built on the inside of the business and, while that is important, it doesn’t matter much if there isn’t a steady stream of customers flowing in the first place.
We covered that last week. Planting for profit and cultivating the appropriate customers. This can be considered the marketing, prospecting, referral initiatives, relationship building and anything else that is creating interest and moving people towards engaging with your business.
The other “seeds” I referenced last week that must be planted have nothing to do with customers.
They have to do with the intentional planting that makes you and your people more valuable to yourselves and therefore to your customers.
Being exposed to ideas and information.
Going to work on yourself and your thinking.
Planting seeds in your people to grow your organization.
I have never forgotten Zig Ziglar’s quote that I heard in the very first cassette tape I ever listened to of his…
“You have been endowed with the seeds of greatness.”
And in everyone there are those seeds. Only some stay dormant for a lifetime and others take root, grow and ultimately blossom.
I challenge you to be not just looking for but doing something to nurture the seeds of greatness in you and in everyone around you. The best organizations have the right people doing what they are naturally a good fit for and then they surround them with positive information and opportunities to learn and grow.
For our doctors and practices, we live by this principle: if you want to grow your business, grow the people inside. Your business will plateau because of the people’s skills, abilities and, most of all, beliefs of what they are capable of.
Better be planting seeds in all areas of the business if you want to make good on the cultivation of customers and be as profitable as you possibly can. This comes from getting the most out of every crop. You should be deliberately working on the key areas of your business that make the rest of it all possible.
Don’t undervalue yourself by not investing as much on you as you do your customers – otherwise you reach a diminishing return where your customers will actually outgrow you.
Your business must continue to evolve and expand its value or, just like a soil being depleted of its nutrients, you keep going back to the same crop as it gives you less and less each year.
Ask yourself…
What skills you need to hone?
What opportunities do you need to seek out?
What can you do to better sow, nurture, cultivate the seeds of greatness endowed in your team?
A real business leader sees all the many aspects of the business and has initiatives with dedicated attention put towards planting seeds. It’s not just about growing customers but the people who take care of the customers; and not just the people but the opportunities that only come when sought after; and not just opportunities but themselves because ultimately no business will grow beyond the leader’s own vision. It is your responsibility to monitor all facets of the planting, cultivating, nurturing and eventually harvesting (and starting all over again) in every part of your business.
That’s how you succeed no matter the weather, the variables, the time of year or anything else. You will have complete clarity in approach, strategy and perspective when you understand what really leads to the success of your enterprise.
Not just the inside of the business, not just the customers, but everything in between.
Category : Blog
