Whatever You Believe to Be True… You Are Right!

Have you heard people talk about how slow business is right now? Read virtually any newspaper, watch newscasts, listen to commentaries and you’ve likely been exposed to the “business is slow” conversations. Millions of people are holding daily conversations about how slow things are.

On the other hand, there are those who are experiencing more business growth now than ever. Their conversations are not of how slow things are. Rather, about how much opportunity there is.

How can this be? After all, the media is telling us we need to worry. They’re not just telling us, they are repeating it over and over again until we “get it”. During a newscast talking about the state of the economy there is often a commercial on debt-reduction. Wow! That’ll fix it.

The fact is, whether you believe business is slow or it is booming, you are right. It has been proven time and again that what we believe to be true is true.

When people support a specific belief they often reinforce it over and over again in order to prove they are right. After all, don’t we want to be right? Even to the detriment of our business and livelihood?

If you are one who has been chanting, “Business is slow, business is slow,” there’s an equally good chance you are talking more than taking action that could feasibly create revenue streams that will counter this belief. This allows you to be right.

On the other hand, if you happen to be one who believes there are ample opportunities you will likely take the action that supports this belief. Thus, you make yourself right.

Which would you rather be right about? How slow things are or how abundant things are?

More than simply thinking about increasing your business flow, you must also take action behind the thought. I hold a belief that massive action creates massive thought. I also believe my actions must be specific to the result I desire. I also choose to be in the group that believes there are ample opportunities for others and for me. I also surround myself with people who have similar beliefs with opportunity.

Interesting that my business is doing great as are the businesses of others who hold the belief that there are incredible opportunities at every turn. Hmmmm.

If you want to increase not only your revenues, but your profit margins, here are a few tips on building a consistent flow of business throughout the year.

When someone first uses your service, send some type of a follow up to him or her. This can be done via email, phone or the postal service. Since email is becoming so commonplace, you may want to consider an actual letter or card in order to stand out from the crowd.

Additionally, if you have a slump in business take that time to call clients/customers in your database. This seems to be a lost art.

Some time ago I stopped into a pet store to pick up supplies. I took the time to say hello to the groomer and see how things were going. Rather than being happy to see me, the customer, the groomer started complaining about how slow things were.

The groomer expressed frustration because several people had made appointments for that day and didn’t show up. She went on and on about how inconsiderate “all” people are.

I asked her if she made it a part of her business practice to call clients to remind them of their appointment. As I suspected, there wasn’t.

It’s not uncommon for people to forget. Also, what her customers may not realize is that if they don’t show, she doesn’t make money.

Instead of taking action, she kept telling me how slow business was. “I knew it would be. Everyone I know is saying the same thing.” Wow! Talk about supporting a belief. When I told her that the people I knew were talking about how great business is, she was shocked.

She asked what she could do to increase her revenues. My suggestions were as follows:

1. Require a 50% deposit when the person makes the appointment. No shows forfeit the deposit. There is a level of commitment people make when there is a monetary exchange.

If someone refuses to put down a deposit they may not be serious about their appointment.

It is about setting appropriate business boundaries.

2. After the appointment, send a thank you card to the pet – of course addressed to in care of the owner. This is not a common practice so the groomer will suddenly become someone who cares about your pet rather than someone who simply grooms the pet. By sending the card to the pet the groomer is adding a pinch of humor. It is likely the pet owner may show his or her friends the thank you card because it is so unique. This likely could increase referral business.

3. When business is slow, pull out the past and current client list. Get on the phone and find out who needs a grooming right now.

A dialogue such as, “Hi Kathleen, I notice that Max is due for a grooming. We tend to get very busy this time of year and I want to make sure you are able to get an appointment. Let’s go ahead and book you for one right now. Let me go ahead and get your credit card number so we can take care of your deposit on that. Thanks and see you on _____.”

4. Each day, spend a few minutes going through the booked appointments for the following few days and make a quick call to remind people of their pet’s appointment. You will be amazed at how this will reduce the no shows.

What was amazing is the groomer said, “That won’t work. I tried it once.” Aghhhhh. She is destined to continued frustration and likely will be closing her doors very soon. Of course, that would support her belief that business is slow thereby making her right!

You say you don’t have a pet store and grooming services. No problem. Think about what you just read and how it might apply to your business.

In these changing times, it is up to you to be as flexible and creative as possible. Instead of singing the “Business is Slow” blues, keep in touch with your customers and clients, check your beliefs and take action towards a specific result. You will be amazed at the results.