Missed Opportunity
A local cosmetology school ran the ad: "purchase a facial, get a manicure free." I asked if we could use it on two people. "No, the facial and manicure have to be on the same person," came the reply.
My children were listening to the phone call. So, when the phone disconnected, I asked my older two girls if that was a smart business move. Both said no. They had a 50/50 shot. Curious as to whether they were guessing or if they really had a grip on what was going I asked, "Why?"
They weren't guessing. A 10- and 12-year-old began to explain to me that if two people had gone for the services and liked them, then they could have had two new customers-instead of one. Now, they weren't going to have any, because we weren't going to go at all.
In contrast we went to a new salon that was running a special, "15 percent off adult manicures, children's manicures free." In addition, the nail technician offered my daughter free nail paintings on two nails, a $5 value. Those paintings cost them a few cents in polish, but made an invaluable impression.
Are you cashing in on the opportunity to create business or just losing opportunities?
These particular scenarios are retail in nature, but the concept applies across the board, no matter what your business.
What are your policies and procedures meant to accomplish? They should be designed to serve your clients, thereby increasing productivity and profitability.
Regularly assess your policies and procedures. If a policy doesn't make sense, change it. If a process creates more work than it accomplishes, change it. Change is painful. But status quo can be costly.