Working "on" vs working "in" your business or "can you see the wood for the trees?"

In order to generate new business it is important to spend time working "on" your business as well as working "in" your business.

Not sure what the difference is?

If you are not doing as well as you think you should be doing, then "that" could be part of the problem. Other problems of course includes:

• Spending more money than your business brings in
• Focussing too much on a few clients who bring in not much money and neglecting the clients or areas where there is potentially a "lot" of money.

But let me go back to the working on vs working in I mentioned earlier.

Working "on" your business means generating new leads, following up with people who you said you would get back to and never did. It means making sure your clients can do business easily with you.

If your website needs a facelift, then now is a good time to think about it. For example:

• Payment gateways that are clunky are no longer tolerated in the online community. People will go elsewhere if they can't do business easily with you.
• Another major no-no with websites is the lack of contact information. If you hide your contact details on a random page buried somewhere in the about us section, you've missed the point.
• Squeeze pages - The one thing I hate about some websites out there - you have to trawl through reams of information - usually on a single page and end up no better off after reading some of it than before you started.

In a world of sound bytes and abstracts, less is more. Just make sure the less is relevant to your clients and the people you hope to do business with.

Working "in" your business means looking at the processes and procedures that make your business run.

• Getting orders sent out when you said you were going to send them.
• Answering the phone in a polite and professional manner
• Answering emails and letters
• Keeping the office clean and tidy
• Paying the bills that need paying, and not paying yourself if you can't pay your workers.

As you can see from this short list, both items are essential if you want a successful business. Where most people fall down is they focus on one to the detriment of the other.

It's no good generating a lot of new leads if you fail to follow up or if the person answering the phone is rude. You always have one chance to make a good impression, and people will vote with their feet if they think they can get a better deal elsewhere. But it's no good being polite if the phones never ring.

As we begin the new financial year (granted here in Australia) it is time to take a good look at the way you handle your business especially if you want to come out ahead when things start to look up.

I would like to apologise now for those people who don't have a business of their own - bear in mind a lot of these principles can be translated across many different areas. For example - getting homework in on time. Making sure your job application doesn't miss the closing date. Keeping your home environment clean and tidy is just as important as keeping your office environment clean and clear of clutter. If you are constantly losing things then it's time to clean up !

Your thoughts as always appreciated -