When You're Busy and You Know It, What Do You Do?
Remember the song you or your kids sang in preschool, “When You’re Happy and You Know It”? There were specific actions involved and, if you were like the rest of the kids in the group singing, you would follow suit: clap your hands, stomp your feet, and say “Amen!”
As odd as it might initially seem, learning these kinds of reactive responses can tie in today with your overall marketing strategy, and how you handle the natural cycles of workload and growth.
Two Problems — One Solution
I have two scenarios going on at the moment that inspired this week’s blog post. When I paused to reflect on them, I realized that the problem and solution of each are the same even though they appear to be totally opposite issues. Maybe you can relate!
Problem 1: I have a lot of Midwest and East Coast clients who have very seasonal businesses due to the weather conditions. As you might imagine, when it is cold outside, you cannot paint outside! Because of this (and our abnormally brutal winter!), these paint companies are currently scrambling to keep their entire staff working inside. That creates a lot of extra work for me during this time of year, and therein lies the issue: I am incredibly busy with extra strategy calls to keep guys working. As my email inbox fills, the phone keeps ringing for new and existing work!
Problem 2: I have my West Coast clients (many of them!) who are experiencing 80+ degree weather, painting inside and out, and their phones are ringing off the hook. In fact, I was talking with one of my clients yesterday who basically asked me how we could cut back on marketing because he was having staffing issues, not lead generation issues! He said he cannot handle anymore leads and wondered if we should stop the customer email newsletters and mailers. The same day I had another West Coast client basically say the same thing. So, what do you do when you have too many leads and you can’t keep up?
Growing Pains
All of this brought back to my memory a conversation that I had about ten years ago with my then business coach, Mark Fackler. The issue we were running into at that time was a reoccuring trend in which we would cycle through busy and slower seasons, but never experience any real, sustained growth. The temporary “busy season” distracted me just enough that I lost sight of the larger picture and ultimate goal: the growth of the business.
Mark, however, told me that I needed to move through the busy season and expand.
This is done by pushing through the cycles of a small business, even when one portion of your team complains that their job is too busy while another portion says that they are too slow (the tension typically exists between sales and production in the painting world). Rather than try to appease one side then the other, push through each cycle as it comes and grow your business! Do what it takes to never break the natural rhythm of expansion.
This was hard to hear at the time, but I have only come to appreciate its value and wisdom over the years since then!
I am experiencing this same thing at the moment in my marketing business. As I said, I have a lot of work on my plate! My customer and friend, Barry Stohlman, has come alongside of me to help keep A David Creation working at full throttle, pushing (and growing!) through this particular cycle. We have begun to analyze my list of services, sales systems, staffing, and so on. Instead of turning away work to make my load lighter today, I’m trying to make changes in my business to better serve both my current clients and the new ones that could come through the door tomorrow.
Here are a few things I’ve done over the past months to keep my business moving forward:
- I’ve hired an accountant to review my numbers each month
- Recruited a bookkeeper to help with billing
- I’ve invested in a full-time content writer
- I am in the beginning stages of bringing on a new salesperson and a second marketing manager.
These are growing pains that require careful planning and even an initial investment on my part. And you know, I’ve already seen a little load lifted off my back. It feels good and is rewarding!
Adapt Your Marketing Strategy and Grow!
When you and I are busy and we know it, let’s not stop the marketing and sales, trying to simply coast through a busy season with our heads down. And, if business is slow, don’t cut marketing strategies and tighten your belt to a degree where you are crippling your hope for lead generation.
No, let’s talk to our mentors and friends who will help push us forward to grow our businesses. The cycles come and go, but with consistency and determination they will lead to where you would like your business to be!