“Now is the best time to play catch-up!”
Business owners, in all categories, are kicking themselves for not finishing certain projects prior to the pandemic. A handful are experiencing an uptick in sales and are struggling to keep up. The rest are wishing their phones were ringing and emails were dinging.
The restaurants that had never prioritized take-out sales and never instituted a user-friendly online ordering process (let alone displayed a current menu) may be missing out on today’s incremental revenue binge. It may fall short of replacing dine-in revenue, but it sure beats no business at all.
The restaurants – and all other business – that had captured my email address or cell phone number have been consistently communicating with me. I’m giving my business to those that are asking.
The restaurants – and all other businesses – that had never collected customer contact information – are wishing they had. This applies to email lists as well as social marketing followers.
That’s a profoundly costly regret: Wishing you had integrated a marketing protocol back then that you could be leveraging today. Was business just too good or did you fear starting a strange new project?
Was is a matter of procrastination? Maybe. Was it a lack of determination? Probably. We all tend to prioritize what matters most in the moment. Smart owners with vision boards and growth plans typically plan ahead. Who, though, was ready to handle such a draconian pivot?
You are a business owner and a consumer just like me. As a consumer, you are seeing what I am seeing: those businesses that are brilliantly nimble and the rest that are not. Building on my foundational premise that this is a LEADERSHIP MOMENT, we are witnessing a standout category of leaders that are capturing more followers.
Here’s my best guess at the TOP REGRETS. Mind you, I am not here to point fingers and be the bearer of bad news but the cheer leader of good achievements. My mission is to validate what you’ve done well; remind you of what you may have forgotten; and offer suggestions in areas you may not have thought of.
- I regret not having a remarkably good web site. Today I will review every word to be sure it tells my compelling story. I will review every link to be certain my site has no errors. I will adjust the message so it is appropriate for the times (to position myself as a leader).
- I regret not having a warm email list of followers. If I had no list, I would create one based on prior sales and leads. I will urgently start communicating relevant messages to become their professional touchstone (to position myself as a leader).
- I regret not segmenting my list of followers. I will categorize my followers as CLIENTS, UNCLIENTS, PROSPECTS and SHOPPERS. Then I can keenly tailor my messaging appropriately to increase my engagement (to position myself as a leader).
- I regret not having a virtual meeting solution. I may have attended online meetings and never truly embraced them as effective and efficient ways of receiving and sharing information. Now I will adapt a solution and learn how to master the tool (to position myself as a leader).
Want more? I will continue this series because the list of potential regrets is long and opportunistic. Now is the best time to play catch up. At the very least, you’ll finally get done what’s been on your list for years. At the very most you’ll attract new followers, demonstrate loyalty to those who know you (and are missing your presence), and plant the seeds of future sales.
This is a LEADERSHIP MOMENT if you do something to earn it. You will sleep more soundly tonight knowing you have completed all those tasks that didn’t seem relevant then but are critical now. That sense of accomplishment and confidence transcends your TO DO LIST and will be welcomed and admired by your followers.
Stuart Cohen, Chief Motivation Officer at StuartLloydCohen.com
If you can think big, Stuart will help you do big! An accomplished 28-year travel industry executive turned serial solopreneur, Stuart is a creator of brands and an energizing motivational speaker. He motivates & maximizes personal performance in leadership, entrepreneurship, salesmanship & wellness.
