Spring Sprucing: Why it's critical to your success!

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com 

In the place where you live, there's most likely a dyer need to clean something somewhere. The window seals, cabinets, carpet, furniture...the need is always there and the cycle never stops. More commonly, in the spring time, people often have the realization that there are boxes whose contents need sorting and discarding. Furniture would benefit more from being shifted or completely moved in another area of the room. After all, your comfort and sanity depends on it. The weather is wonderful, your mind is clear and you realize that it's critical to perform your house sprucing now instead of later. That's what I like to call "Spring Nesting". It's simply spring cleaning. For some odd reason, at this time of the year, it's feels better to do. Just as an expecting mother begins "nesting" her home for the arrival of her new child. She begins cleaning and putting things in order, despite the pain and agony she may be experiencing. For her, it's an automatic, internally programmed activity that will be done. No one can tell her that those activities, in her state, shouldn't be done.

Every now and then, I like to do Spring Sprucing on my business. Just as my home, my business has a lot of rooms, areas and boxes that need to be taken care of and brought up to date. How many times have you been in total business ready and inspiration mode and received one of those emails from a Forum or online community that you forgot you were a member of? The email seems interesting so you click on it. One of two things happen when you get to that account. 1) You can't log in as you forgot the email address you used to create the account. 2) You log in to the account and view your profile to find that it looks like 3 years prior when your contact information or branding was totally different. Sounds familiar? I know that it does for me. I was the prime culprit of keeping a dirty business home year round. If you look up the word "Non-Spring Sprucer" in the dictionary, my picture would be right next to it.

In my organization, we've changed our logo and contact number over 5 times. Within that time, we've joined tons of online forums, business communities, created several online profiles and written several articles and blog posts to represent our business and expertise. Yes, it is a wonderful idea to extend your business across the globe, however there is one thing wrong with this type of scenario. That's right, you guessed it. Congruency and Consistency. Just as with cleaning your home, things just work better when the area allows room for ease of movement, reach and familiarity.

If your business' home isn't cleaned and spruced up frequently, it makes it difficult to function and represent a professional existence. Here are some things I recommend doing to begin your spring sprucing:

A) Create a Google Account to provide congruency. There are a host of business apps you can use that will all work under that same account. Starting with your email address, it should be of your business' name so that it's never forgotten. This doesn't mean that you can't use the email that's linked to your website. Just link the two together so that you won't miss the emails from that account.

B) Set up a local Google Voice number for your business. This will allow you to always have a number where you can be reached either by text, email or voice. You can set up your voicemail for your business to always answer when you're not available or when you're closed for the day. It's Free and will always be there when you lose your paid phone accounts for whatever reason. There's a misconception that a small business should have an 800 number. Within your first 3 years of business chances are you'll experience slow to no activity so, having additional (besides your cell or landline) paid phone accounts specifically for this will result in a major lost of money that can be better used elsewhere in your business.

C) Go into your Online Profiles and update your contact information, branding, and update your status. Even if you're not using them on a regular basis, it's always best to make sure their up to date and appear active. You never know where your new prospects are going to be. Make sure they can always see you as a business that's still active and still in business.

D) Update your Forms, Website and Marketing Accounts/Platforms. It's going to hurt you more when you're spending countless hours trying to update your business documents before sending anything out to your new prospect. This includes your signature on your emails, brochures, regularly used flyers, business cards and e-mail marketing platforms as well. Be sure to go through them all and provide them a set structure that includes your business name, logo, contact number, email, tagline and social media links.

E) Prepare a binder with all your updated information, services and programs. Call it your Service Guide and put the year of use on the front of it. This is my secret to success. Having this in place will honestly serve as the difference between success and failure for you. I can not stress enough how important it is. If you have information in place that allows you to properly, thoroughly and quickly service your prospects, you will show consistency and orginazation which is what 90% of new clients and customers are looking for.

In short, finding ways to keep your activities for your business at a minimum is ideal. This allows you to spend more time on servicing your customers and finding new prospects. Begin by thinking of all the rooms and areas your business is in (whether online or off). Start Sprucing and don't be afraid to make your small humble changes. If you've accumulated an email list of prospects, don't forget to update them as well on your company's changes. This way, you won't feel so afraid and nervous about your sprucing and the small changes. Think longevity.