Motivation Coaching and Organization
If you run a business coaching service, your job is to educate business owners and their employees on how to run a smooth, sound, and profitable business. For most, this requires improving marketing and increasing sales. Yes, you should focus on these topics, but look deeper. One reason why companies and their profits suffer is due to poor organization. If you haven’t already, make sure organization is included in your step-by-step guide.
If you have yet to cover organization in your step-by-step guide for business success or if you yourself have just started a business, you may be looking for more ideas. Many wonder if they should just talk about organization, use training exercises, and whom they should talk to.
When working with clients, you should deal one-on-one with the business owner or operating manager. Get started with them. Browse through their records. Are all tax documents in order? What about human resource documents? If a business owner or operating manager is unorganized, chances are that disorder continues down the line. Start fixing it at its source. Work one-on-one with the business owner or operating manager to improve their organizational skills.
When working one-on-one with a client to improve their organizational skills, it is important to stress the positives and the negatives. For example, there are many benefits to being organized. There are also many cons to being unorganized. This includes decreased productivity. Many new and struggling business owners do not always make the connection between organization, productivity, and profits.
When showing a business owner or operating manager how to improve their organization, meet in their office. Point out the mistakes made, such as the huge stack of papers on their desk. Then, make a visit together to an office supply store. Show your client some of the many tools they have available at their disposal. Do not pressure them to buy, especially if they are limited on funds, but give them ideas. For example, a desk sorter won’t eliminate that stack of papers, but it will make them more organized. When it comes time to for your client to tackle them, they can do so easier, quicker, and with less stress.
As previously stated, if a business owner or operating manager is unorganized, chances are it goes right down the line. For that reason, suggest viewing the offices of other onsite employees. Look at their organizational skills. Are they poor? If so, suggest hosting a small training session. For small businesses with only a few employees, meet right in one of those offices. For large business, with many employees, schedule your training session in a conference room. Before helping a worker cleanup and organize their office, take pictures. You will have before and after pictures to show.
As previously stated, there are many organization tools available to help small to medium sized businesses. Do not pressure your client to purchase these tools, but offer the encouragement. Better yet, look at the tools they have and are not utilizing. Encourage use. Breakout some filing cabinets and bookshelves from the storeroom and incorporate them into your presentation.
Remember, that organization is key to running a profitable and successful business. It improves productivity and should later increase sales. After all, a client who must wait 20 minutes before someone finds their file is a client who is likely to take their business elsewhere.