 BUSINESS BULLET 43 – Use change as a tool to reinvigorate your business.
Use change as a tool to reinvigorate your business
I meet a lot of business owners who are almost terrified of making changes of any sort in their business. Their fear is that a change, particularly a big change, will result in them losing customers. I argue that change has such an invigorating affect on a business that it will actually attract new customers. In many ways change causes the business to refocus and reinvigorate itself and from my experience that is the perfect way to attract new customers and to keep your existing ones for longer.
A business that looks stale and outdated does not inspire confidence. Next time you are driving around, take a long hard look at how many tired, worn out businesses there actually are.
One of the areas where I see the most resistance to change is with business names. The normal argument against changing the name of the business focuses on the concern that the business will lose customers if they don’t recognise or like the new name. In reality customers can handle change better than we give them credit for. As consumers we have all watched the large corporations change their names many times. It doesn’t stop us using them and in fact research shows that consumers look at these changes as positive steps that the particular organisation is being progressive and proactive.
Whenever I get a new business client that is tired and worn out, one of the first things I will do is recommend a name change and rebranding. The business needs a clean start whilst still drawing on its credibility and proven track record. Generally the results are quite amazing with most business owners stating that they should have done it years ago.
If your business name no longer reflects what your company does, or you need to get some fire in your belly and get excited about your business – change it. But if your business name is still working just fine, what other types of things should we be looking at when it comes to updating or refreshing our business? I think the following list covers the most important corporate image issues:
- Your company logo
- Your business colours
- Your business premises layout and décor
- The outside signage
- Your website
- Your company vehicles
- Your staff uniforms
- Your advertising
- Your promotional material
- Your vision for the future
People will notice if you invest time, money and energy into your business and now is the perfect time to do it. It is a new year and there is an air of positivity out there.
If you are starting the year feeling a little flat, or your business is looking tired, you have a wonderful opportunity on your hands. You can use change to reinvigorate and energise your business right now. It might be a lot of change it might be a little, but any change that makes your business look better will pay off down the line.
Till next time.
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