Do you plan for downtime?

No matter whether you are a business owner or an employee, planning for downtime is imperative. Planning for downtime is realistic – but it can also be difficult when you are busy. When you are overwhelmed with work it may feel like it’s never going to slow down so you don’t worry. Then the slow down hits…like a ton of bricks on an unprepared business. So, be prepared, know what you need to do before you need to do it.

As a business owner, this should be obvious – all businesses have slow times and having a marketing strategy constantly in place can help. But, you will never fully avoid slow times and you need a plan for dealing with it. If there were only one thing you were to do during the down time it should be refocus your customer service! Customer service tends to fall to the wayside when business is super busy because it isn’t always the top priority. Unfortunately this means that not all your customers are being treated the right way, so it is less likely they will come back. The minute things slow, think hard about how you deal with the new customers, the current customers and the past customers. What about problems that you have with customers? Work on improving all areas of customer interaction with your company so when business picks back up, you know you’re in top form.

As an employee, slowing of business may not seem as important, but your job relies on the fact that the company you work for stays productive and profitable. If they don’t have customers, you don’t have a job. On the same token, it is important to not overstep your bounds. But, you can still help and tread lightly – showing your business owners that you care and are dedicated. So what can you do? You can suggest new ways to build business without high overhead costs. Look for events you can attend for minimal cost, look for new social media strategies, and find ways you can get more conversation around your product or service. Even if your job isn’t in marketing or business building, if you have ideas, you should share them. Creativity is not only reserved for certain people.

What do you do when you notice slowing of business?

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