Lynn Espinoza is a broadcast news veteran with more than a decade of media, presentation and executive coaching experience. She has developed personal coaching sessions for Fortune 100 C-level executives, corporate communicators of all kinds, doctors, lawyers and leaders in non-profit.
Business Resolutions for 2010
Posted on December 30, 2009. Filed under: Latest News, The Tip Sheet
Au Revoir, 2009. Hasta la vista, baby. Good riddance.
For all but a very few of us, 2009 was the worst economic year ever. Though just a few depression-era babies are still in the business world, the rest of us are, well, just depressed. It’s time, though, to pay homage to the fact that we picked up some important lessons in 2009, and use them for good with our business resolutions for 2010.
Resolution #1: Make customer service your unwavering priority. You have some customers who stuck with you through the worst of times. Celebrate them! Treat them better than you’ve ever treated them before. Thank them effusively for their relationship with you. If you are able, offer them something that will ease their weary bottom line. If that isn’t possible (yet), make the little things matter:
- Answer their calls quickly, and happily
- Send thank you notes along the way
- Do more than what is expected
- Help them make connections: refer customers to them whenever you can
- Treat the relationship for what it is - a relationship, rather than a transaction
- Say thank you, again
Treat new customers the same way. Sure, new customers are more exciting - like a shiny new toy gets the glory at Christmas - but remember that the more established relationships are what carried you through a dismal 2009.
Resolution #2: Employers - Remember that your employees are your number-one asset. They have been through the ringer, too. Even if you were lucky enough to keep all of your employees, each one of them came to work in 2009 with a sense of dread. They watched their neighbors and friends lose work and wages; they suffered through months of tragic economic news and listened for the sound of their own shoe dropping. What to do? See tips under resolution #1.
Resolution #3: Employees - Curb the complaining, and celebrate your continued success. You think supporting your own family and financial obligations is daunting? Imagine supporting a whole company; its employees and the families that come with them. Few things weigh heavier on a business owner than the thought of sending someone home to tell their family they’ve been fired. This year, when the toner is empty, the help-desk is busy and bonuses have been cut - take a breath and smile. Things will continue to get better, and you’re still standing! For more advice, see tips under resolution #1.
Here’s to 2010! A year filled with optimism, and packed with lessons - valuable lessons - from 2009. Cheers!
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