It’s that time of year. Ghosts and goblins are everywhere, even in your business. I’m not talking about the bring-your-kids-to-work treat-or-treating events. I’m talking about real, hauntingly scary ghosts right in the hallways of your business. Don’t believe me? Read these ghostly descriptions from Jan Triplett, CEO of Business Success Center … if you dare!
Triplett says that ghosts exist in every business—you may just find it hard to see them. Here’s a few to look for:
CWS Ghosts: Could, Would, Should
These are sad ghosts and they are very hard to exorcize. They are the past and the future. Do you know how to spot these ghosts? Listen to the words around your business. “I could do this, but I don’t have the resources.” Or, “I should invest in your program, but then I won’t make my quarterly numbers.” “I should fire him, but then I will have to deal with the workload when he leaves.”
Do these ghosts sound familiar? You may hear those “C, W, S” words coming from your staff when you want to change or add something or someone. Sometimes these ghosts are explanations or justifications for why something wasn’t done, why it was done differently than expected, or why the results were an unpleasant surprise.
Listen for these ghosts that manifest themselves as questions because they are excellent warning signals. Pay the right attention to them and you can prevent their constant presence and interference, and lessen regret. Ignore them or deal with them improperly and they can stagnate the business, stop innovation and cost you customers and employees.
Ghost Competitors: DIY, DNAA, UC
You can learn a lot from ghost competitors, such as what Triplett describes as the self-sufficient Do-It-Yourselfers (DIY) or Do Nothing At All (DNAA). These friendly ghosts encourage you (sometimes through stark terror) to find the right message and best way to position your company and its products and services.
They allow you to stay ahead of the Unfair Competition (UC) that use a low price or other point as a top reason why your customers should choose them over a business like yours. Be aware of these lurking goblins.
Colleagues, Competitors, Customers
It’s easy to see how your regular competitors might be business ghosts. They come unbidden into demos and sales calls. They can seem to be in control of your entire business world.
Colleagues and customers are also ghosts of the past. There’s the colleague who didn’t do his job, wreaked havoc in the organization and left relationship damage with customers that had to be repaired. There’s the demanding customer who took all of the team’s resources or who didn’t pay what they owed. These ghosts can linger for months afterward.
So this Halloween, avoid the tricks these ghosts can play on you and treat yourself to a few new ways to improve your business.
Source: Jan Triplett, Ph.D., CEO of the Business Success Center, uses proven growth structures to build profitable, efficient businesses throughout the United States and abroad. She is an entrepreneur, speaker, author and advocate. Her book, The Networker’s Guide to Success, is now in its third printing. Her company has won national awards from the Small Business Administration and was recognized as a top management consulting company by the Austin Business Journal.
She was the Texas governor’s delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business, an NFIB delegate to the Congressional Summit, and selected as Texas Small Business Advocate.
