Make Hay While The Sun Shines
May 28th, 2020 // 2:04 pm @ Scott Manning
You’ve heard the expression, you might have said it before, your parents, your parents’ parents, and so on and so forth. As you go back in generations I’d guess the saying was more common than it might be today.
The simple point: make the most of an opportunity while it lasts.
I’m sure the other principle behind this statement is also one of work ethic… while the sun is up, you need to get the work done. Slothful approaches never achieve much of anything.
Know this: with every opportunity there is a fleeting amount of time that is undetermined and unknown. What is there today could quickly dissipate and be gone tomorrow. You can never take for granted a chance to prosper.
There will be things that can be done to prolong the powerful impact the ‘comeback’ is having and allow you to ride the wave for a long while but who really knows. So, better make the most of it while you can.
They now say the 3rd quarter could be the largest economic growth in our history. Of course, I always find percentages to be a funny thing – it all depends on what the previous number was in the first place. Ultimately, you have to look at many quarters (year over year) not just quarter after quarter. Still, growth is growth and it sure beats a slow recovery.
And for you personally, what really matter is: opportunity is opportunity.
You build for the future but you live for the moment. That’s why it’s time to double down right now and make the very most of it.
Everyone is excited about the comeback and with excitement comes positivity and with positivity comes consumer spending. People are anxious to take back control over their lives, not just with their time and activity, but with their money and decisions.
Case in point, my Doctors are seeing their Patients respond with more interest in their health, they are clamoring to get in, they are less price conscious, and everyone is focused on doing positives things for themselves.
As I have been talking about this whole time: supply and demand for most businesses has been tipped into their favor in a bigger way than they have ever experienced before. Meaning they have more customers wanting in than they have room to accommodate them – in some cases literally – but that too is temporary, trust me.
Right now, the questions to ask yourself are…
How can you make the most of this opportunity in your business with each and every customer?
How can you apply lessons learned from the past couple months and take advantage of possible new ideas or even temporary adjustments to turn them into profitable initiatives?
How can you use this to expand your exposure, capture more market share, drive up your referrals, bring in more new customers, find ways to come out of this smarter (not just better), and emerge with a more profitable business?
How can you make your own time more valuable, while also enhancing your overall experience along the way?
Ask yourself where is the leverage that can last long after the ‘moment’ of this whole thing is gone and people have truly returned to ‘normal.’
For my doctors, they are using this as a great way to introduce new concepts or structure inside of their practices that they have always wanted to do. I’ve talked about some of them already… engaging their patients virtually before they come in, accelerating size of case and therefore value of patient, as a courtesy to everyone ‘mandating’ a pre-payment philosophy if they didn’t already have it in place before.
These – if they are done right – are things that will stick. They will last. The virus, the masks, and the safety protocols will all wear off. Eventually these aspects will return to what they once were, but the good, the opportunity, the lessons, the leverage, the enhancements don’t have to – you get to decide.
It is a balancing act of maximizing the moment and making the hay while still creating the future and planning for the long term.
I believe you’ve done well. Using the shutdown to think deeply about your future and then coming back into a structure that is more like what you want for the long term by setting up systems and making the adjustments that are not just forced upon you but that you find most advantageous for your goals.
Now, sprint this thing out and make hay while the sun shines. Really embrace the buying frenzy and the positive optimism that exists all around you. Then take it one step further and be a conduit, a leader, a facilitator, an amplifier of it. Your customers need you now, your industry needs you now, and the country needs you now.
The very best thing you can do for not just your comeback but for everyone’s is to make the most of this great opportunity and ride it out as long as possible. Don’t forget to have fun doing it!
Remember, the sun won’t stay out forever.
Category : Blog
