My last monthly post in 2011 for Small Business Victoria’s business blog…
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Spending smartly on things that add value and saving money in less important areas is a very familiar challenge for business owners. Imagine if all of your team members had the same approach? It can be done.
Running a business today can be more competitive than ever and I reckon the most brains wins. In my experience, the key to encouraging your team members to help your business be sustainable is to trust them. By sharing your biggest challenges and asking for their help you will get great suggestions. Get more brains working on your challenges by asking for help.
Here are a couple of things that we’ve used at The Physio Co to encourage our team to help our business be more sustainable.
Always ask for a discount
When asking for a quote from suppliers, we always ask for a better price. Always.
Business owners should be doing this every single time they make a purchase. We’ve trained our team to do the same. It’s not hard. With a smile on your face, politely ask ‘Is that the best price you can give me?’. There’s no harm in asking and you’ll be surprised how often you can get a discount.
Teach your staff about the business
For the first time, this year we have shared the people, financial and logistical challenges that exist in our fast growing business with our physio team. Instead of protecting our physios from the issues that our leaders deal with every day, we asked for their help. We asked for the 40+ intelligent people in the room at our annual conference to help figure out what we should do next.
The result: a rich group discussion that was eye opening for some and empowering for others. We now have about 8 times the number of brains working on challenges that, when solved, will grow and improve The Physio Co faster than ever. What a fantastic result!
Share your challenges and ask your team for their help – it works!
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