Brent Pohlman
…and I am extremely happy with the way 2015 is starting out.
Overall activity is up with respect to client sales and new accounts in 2015. Getting off to a great start is critical for every business. Gone are the days when our company used to have a slower time period. It is really about operating with a 24 x 7 mindset and making sure you are working each day at servicing clients and staying on top of your companys’ overall activity.
Servicing clients
This year, clients are seeking answers at such a rapid pace because they know every minute counts in their respective business. With this in mind, it is critical to understand clients’ needs and make sure service to clients’ needs is the highest priority. At our company, we are trying to work on servicing clients’ needs faster by providing them with the answers they need to help them succeed in 2015.
Sense of Urgency
In 2015, I am working at creating a culture that emphasizes a proper “sense of urgency”. Too many times, people are sitting and waiting to be told what to do. Some people even have the audacity to feel that they’ve earned a little free-time because they may have worked so hard earlier in the day. Just this simple change in raising the expectations can help people become more directed and work with a sense of purpose. If companies are going to see success, they must always have a resonsiveness attitude.
Tracking Goals and Productivity
Typically, this area gets ignored. As you can see, I am going to follow-through and track performance each week. Performance from clients and sales activity as well as internally with respect to production and service objectives. In addition, these numbers will be shared with supervisors to keep them informed of how productive the company is doing overall and where there could be possible inefficiencies that need to be corrected.
Regarding marketing – Closer attention is being taken to sales reports, online inquiries, traffic and overall brand presence. Ultimately, the best analysis results are based on client activity, (number of phone calls, email inquiries, web inquiries) and sales activity, (services performed, payments received) Once you have a firm foundation in these metrics, then you can dig deeper into other metrics. Too often, the reverse occurs and we often spend too much time chasing the wrong metrics.
Creating a Highly Productive Culture
In 2014, as I talked with professionals across different industries, I saw too much apathy and negativeness regarding the economy and the potential for more regulations. Being around these type of discussions is very depressing and creates a “protective” attitude in a number of respects because people are fearful of their jobs.
In a highly, productive culture people come together, work together and ultimately serve clients better. If you can be a step up on the client service part, over your competition, you will see results like I have seen in 2015.
We are only a week into 2015! It’s not too late to change.
Sharing Success
I only tell you this information, because of what I have learned from others. It is critical to share more about how our companies are doing good and bad in 2015. The items I mention here are a work in progress and I may seem that I have oversimplified this example. The truth is, I have a new, renewed attitude in 2015 and I believe if I can see results in one week in 2015, you can too.
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