As commercial trainers, we always encourage entrepreneurs to develop a (commercial) strategy based on mission and vision. Vision is then the way in which you view the environment that is relevant to you. Your view on trends and developments in the market and the world. If you now work with the same strategy that you drew up in December/January, you run a good chance of missing all kinds of planks. The environment relevant to you has probably changed enormously! Whether this has had a positive or negative effect on your business varies greatly per industry. But the world has changed for everyone.
So it's high time to reinvent yourself. How does your company become the best version of itself in this new situation? It is wise to start with a scan or a baseline measurement. If you have health problems, go to the doctor. He also does a kind of scan, asks a lot of questions, does any additional research and makes a diagnosis. From there, a treatment plan follows. You can have the same done for your company. Go to your commercial GP, have yourself examined, develop a new vision and determine your strategy for the short and medium term.
The government really agrees with this and would like to help you with it. Subsidies are available through the so-called SLIM scheme for having such a scan made, making a diagnosis and drawing up a treatment plan. 60-80% of the costs incurred are eligible. You can submit a plan for the coming round in September.
Such a process is also very relevant if your company has had little trouble or has even started to perform better recently. After all, you don't have to be sick to get better.
Do you have any questions or has this article prompted you to take action? Please feel free to contact our organization via [email protected].
Hans Roelfsema
How and why investing in yourself pays off
The best professionals do not wait for a problem to arise before working on their skills. They proactively invest in their development. Think of a top athlete: they do not train only when they lose a match, but precisely to win matches. The same applies to your commercial and professional skills.
In practice, we see that organizations that invest structurally in the development of their employees achieve better results. Not only in revenue, but also in employee satisfaction and customer retention. When you continuously work on your conversational skills, your ability to persuade, or your strategic insight, you notice it in every customer conversation and every internal meeting.
From awareness to action
It starts with taking an honest look at yourself. Where do your strengths lie? And where is there room for improvement? Ask three colleagues what they see as your greatest quality and where they think you can grow. You will be surprised by the insights this yields.
Next, it is important to translate those insights into concrete actions. Choose a skill you want to work on specifically over the next three months. Find a training course or workshop that fits this, and consciously practice in your daily work. At Kenneth Smit, we offer training courses that address exactly this: practical, directly applicable, and aimed at lasting behavioral change.
So, you indeed don't have to be sick to want to get better. In fact, the best time to invest in your development is when things are going well. That is when you have the energy and the space to truly grow.
