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Economic Survival Tips
Small Businesses
S. O. S.
Sales | Operations | Staffing

Operations
          Simplify, simplify, simplify! Focus, focus, focus!

(1) The biggest mistake that many businesses make when things get tough is that they add complexity to their operation out of frustration. More complexity means more cost and less productivity at a time when you need it the least.

(2) “Refresh” your basic operational doctrine. For most businesses it is a variation of quality, service and image . If you run a restaurant then image is cleanliness. If you have salespeople then image is how they present themselves. If you provide a service then image is a professional look. The best service philosophy is to look for ways to “exceed” the customer’s expectations. They don’t always have to cost money.

Empower employees (give permission) to “exceed customer’s expectations” in fixing a problem. The customer will remember the solution more than they will remember the problem. Product quality should never be compromised.

(3) Tough economic times may also be a good time to out-source some administrative functions such as payroll and health insurance administration. It costs nothing to take a look.