Shaking Things Up In A Stale Business.

(Akiit.com) Business life is often anything but boring, as you’ll have plenty to do leading one day after day. But it can sometimes be the case that our business feels stagnant, in need of a real revolution, but it can be very hard to see where this might come from. If you’ve started to notice this fact, your staff have likely felt something similar.

It can be scary to shake things up as a direct solution to this. If things are working in your firm, but not quite as well as they should, it can be easy to remain in this current state for fear of ruining what does work in a rapid change of your operational application. But shaking things up in a stale business needn’t be a massively fundamental shift, just more of a new application of thoughts, ideas and intentionally pursuing a goal.

Thankfully, this is quite possible to do, and many businesses will have done this before you. You just need to know where to start, and what you might change without ruining the foundation of your current success. Let us try and help you to this end:

Consider Conduct

It might be that you wish to shake things up in terms of the basic formatting of behavior in your business. For example, it might be that changing the 9-5 standard structure of attendance could be more appropriate for the firm you hope to run, such as when your support is available for your online store. It might be that your industry is now reaching 24/7 operation in terms of what customers expect, and so trying to implement a wider arc of open hours in the day could be more profitable. It could be that so far, you’ve noticed that staff have lagged in their work at the end of each day. Instead of the minimum half an hour lunch time you give them, allowing a full hour might help them feel more energized and rested for the afternoon work.

It might be that you’ve noticed new hires find it hard to penetrate the social scene of your workplace, as the family atmosphere has left the ‘inner circle’ feeling harder and harder to breach. It might be that reworking seating plans, sending a polite memo around or simply trying your best to restore a welcoming atmosphere could help that introduction feel much smoother for yourself and others.

Leave The Office

It can often be the case that working all week every week inside the same office or workplace can feel quite constricting. Of course, it’s not like you’re going to comp staff trips to Disneyland as a collective every other month, but you can embark on measures that get you out of the office and instead potentially help you expand your business.

For example, might it be worth designating sales reps? For example, let’s say you are a soda company. Why not call in to cafes you already supply, and allow them to sample a range of products you find most promising? This might help you increase your sales revenue, spread the good word of your brand, and by extension build connections with exclusive retailers you might approve.

But this needn’t be the last of it. You might also consider attending business conventions and expo’s, as they can be one of the best places to network and connect with other firms and your consumers alike. It might be that you wish to arrange a trade show presentation to talk about matters within your industry, orchestrate a product launch, or compose something else out of left field bound to get people talking. For example, if you’re in a heavily wasteful industry, it might be that promoting recyclable materials and renewable, healthy, fairtrade practices could designate you as a new light in the industry, and it might be that this renewed focus can increase staff satisfaction by an untold percentage. Here you can also have plenty of fun with how your presentation or convention attendance is formatted, through the use of your demonstrations, high quality poster boards or written speeches.

Take Risks

If you want to make an omelette, you have to break some eggs. This is an age-old saying, or so it seems at least, and it perfectly suggests that despite the stable freshness and beauty of an egg, it must be broken and chanced to get to the good stuff. Taking calculated risks can help your business grow if successful, and at least chart a new ‘never-direction’ if a failure is experienced. It might be you wish to try a new marketing campaign that pokes light fun at the competition, you hope to try experimental features in your new product within the spirit of innovation, or you simply wish to be more pronounced in how you interact with your industry.

This kind of renewed focus can also allow your staff to feel they are working on something important, rather than just the same old, repetitive tasks that often contribute to the running of a business. After all, if you don’t change with the times, the times will change without you, perhaps in a manner you won’t appreciate.

Commit To Higher Standards

Sometimes, a stale business feels stale because they’re resting on their laurels. It might be that you’re hitting your expected figures and your products are doing okay, but you’re not quite thrilled by the growth. Of course, you can’t force people to buy your goods, but you might try and hold yourself and your staff to a better standard. Trying to improve how many customers are satisfied with their support experience by investing in staff tools and setting up the digital infrastructure to allow them continual contact through many organized sources can help your staff feel more in control, for example. It might be that you wish to hold yourself to a higher set of transparent protocols. Everything counts, provided you can measure it and plan realistically.

With these tips, you’re sure to shake things up, no matter the stale business. Good luck!

Staff Writer; Brad Moore