Sales Slow? You Might Be The Problem

Are your sales slow?

Have you ever thought that you might be the problem?

Let me explain.

Recently, I was setting up some services with a new company, who in turn had a second company act as a third party to verify the information that I had provided them.

I wouldn’t call the experience positive.

They took 48 hours to respond to me to acknowledge they were going to be working with me.

Then it took another two weeks to get them the information they were looking for, in the format they wanted it.

That’s not the kicker either.

When at one point I was unable to provide a document exactly as they wanted it, my contact (a Vice President at the company) told me that there was nothing more they could do.

In calling back the original company, I learned there was plenty we could do rather than supply the document in question.

The problem was not with me, but rather with them.

Are you the problem in your business?

Think about this for a moment and ask yourself these questions:

• Do all decisions related to the business and our customers flow through me?

• Am I often late in responding to my employees with any questions or clarifications they have?

• Do I find myself jumping in on things my employees are working on, frustrated with how they’ve been handled?

• Do I often complain to others about my employees and their lack of ability to make decisions on their own?

If you answered yes to even one of these questions, it’s possible that you might be the problem.

How do I know?

Well, in my work with entrepreneurs and small business owners, I’ve encountered dozens who themselves were the problem, yet they didn’t realize it.

Having grown the business from the ground up, they were still accustomed to being at the center of all decisions and had never learned to let go.

Sure, they had hired employees and given them responsibilities, but they had never truly let go of making the decisions.

This was the single biggest contributor to their lack of sales growth.

The good news is, it’s not permanent!

With a few simple shifts, you can turn things around.

To begin with, provide your employees with the tools and authority to make their own decisions.

Remove yourself from the day-to-day bustle and spend more time focusing on the business.

Shorten the path between customer needs and your product or service.

Are you struggling to increase your sales and improve your customers’ experience?

There may be some straightforward shifts we can make to reverse the trend and set your business on a path to significant growth.

First, however, you need to ask yourself the questions above to be sure you aren’t the problem.

© Shawn Casemore 2019. All Rights Reserved