Spring Cleaning
With the release of the highly popular Netflix show Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, both her name and method are quickly becoming common knowledge all over the globe. Kondo’s show has sparked an international cleaning revolution that is taking the media by storm, as numerous individuals showcase their before and after photos of decluttering and tidying up their own homes, Kondo-style. So, what exactly is this method, and what does it center around? Essentially, Kondo’s advice is to only keep items that “spark joy” or bring happiness to you. Items that no longer insight joy should be “thanked” for their use and discarded while items that do “spark joy” should be carefully organized in a space saving manner. While Kondo’s advice center’s around home organization, Forbes magazine recommends several ways in which this excellent concept can be applied into your business and sales process:
Declutter your client list. According to Forbes, one of the biggest mistakes made by small business owners is going after every single client and chasing every dollar. In order to avert this, think about if your clients spark joy or drag you down. If you can get better at getting rid of clients who aren’t quite the right fit, or who take up more energy than they’re worth, you will have more energy to deepen relationships with your best clients.
Tidy up your sales process. Is there a part of your sales process that feels outdated, but you keep doing it “because that’s how it’s always been done”? Just like Marie Kondo brings order to a cluttered home, you can improve your sales process, so it runs more smoothly. Go back to your first principles: If you had to design your sales funnel today for the first time, what would it look like?
Achieve clarity on big-picture goals. Give yourself a timeline with specific deadlines to work on. Decide on a few crucial big-picture actions, such as “Cut ties with three under-performing client accounts,” or “Edit and revise our sales demo.” After you have performed a few of these actions, retreat from your business for either a half day or full day to do some big-picture strategizing.
Practice Gratitude. Marie Kondo teaches her clients to say “thanks” to every discarded item during the decluttering process. Though an item may no longer be useful, it deserves thanks for the time it did server its purpose. This is a fun and excellent attitude to have in business, too. Whether you’re cutting ties with a client who is no longer a good fit, getting rid of an outdated brochure, or changing some aspect of how you do business, be grateful for what you’ve discarded and be thankful for any new opportunities.
Lastly, find joy in your business. By striving to obtain the most value and enjoyment out of every client relationship and every facet of your business, you can create a simpler, better-performing business that will hopefully “spark joy” and generate big profits for many years to come.
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