Sometimes less is more
Don’t make false economies to save costs. Spend wisely to gain leverage.
Last week Rick Osman talked about exhibitors’ mistakes at Interbuild. This reminded me how important attention to detail is as the much heralded recession starts to bite. Many companies have had to make cuts and the remaining staff will be having to fit much more into already busy days. The temptation is to cut corners, but the secret to success is attention to detail. You need to be doing things better than your competitors be it submitting proposals, processing orders or following up on completed projects.
And it is not just those dealing with external customers, it’s just as important for your internal customers. I was recently taking to a company about supporting their project to restructure the sales force. Necessary in these difficult times, but also an opportunity to do things better. Unfortunately they were still trying to decide which consultant to use after they announced the changes. Consequently, due to a lack of attention to detail, they would be telling their sales team their roles were changing but not exactly how. Turning the opportunity to motive the team by focusing on the positive to de-motivation due to lack of information.
And sometimes more is less. If you are reducing staff, make sure those that remain are properly trained so that they can be as effective as possible.
So, yes we need to cut costs, but don’t let this lead to a drop in standards. When you undertake initiatives be thorough – it’s better to do less but do it properly.
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Chris Ashworth, founder of Competitive Advantage Consultancy, provides strategic marketing, research and training services to the construction industry. He is a member of the organising committee for the Chartered Institute of Marketing Construction Industry Group (CIMCIG)
First Published: 6th November 2008, CNPlus
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