Two weeks ago, I wrote about the challenge of prioritizing your work time. I asked: “So what do you do to guard against spending time on good stuff, but not the best stuff? And how do you figure out what the best stuff even is?”
I got some interesting responses through e-mail and conversation, but perhaps the best input I received was from my 85-year-old grandfather who lives in Ohio and is apparently still cool enough to blog.
His no-nonsense approach, learned through decades of successful sales, management and business experience, got right to the point.
“Dave, business practices have not changed much over time,” he said. “The best advice I can give you is that you have to learn to separate the chaff from the wheat. Without new business coming in, everything else is inconsequential! So that must be uppermost in your mind at all times. I know you have a million and one things to do, but somehow they will get done.”
So there you have it. Nothing else matters if you don’t have clients (or customers). What a novel idea. Of course, you should make sure you are taking good care of the clients you already have, but I think from his perspective that is a given. Creating a revolving door doesn’t get you anywhere.
Being a smart businessperson means staying in business – something that is a whole lot easier when someone is buying what you’re selling. And while there are at least a million other things we can be doing, take it from a wiser Fiore than myself – keep new business coming in and let the rest take care of itself.
That is my goal this week (and beyond). What about you?
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The More Things Change...
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2 comments:
Thanks Dave -- I got a tip a long time ago regarding the need for new business. Basically, when you are completely swamped with current client work is when you need to go out and get more business. Otherwise, you'll finish up those projects that were making you crazy and you won't have any new work to do. That has been a good rule of thumb, albeit hard to do.
What someone needs to do is invent Chaff Glasses so we can tell the difference at a glance. Too often we spend way too much time on the wrong thing thinking it is the right thing--it's an honest mistake of bad assessment. Of course, when you realize your mistake you are so far down the road that the loaf of chaff is already in the oven and you end up having to chuck it in the garbage when it is cooked. And do throw out the chaff, even in bread form. It may look tasty but you end up chewing and chewing and are never able to swallow it. Seriously empty calories. And so ends my version "Run the Metaphor Into The Ground." Join us next week when...
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