People have an aversion to change.
Why are we scared of it? If we have something going good for us, why should we change it?
My answer: basic human growth.
If you think about it, our bodies change from the moment we are conceived. We grow, learn, get hurt, get older; and because of these changes we become the people we are supposed to be.
Shouldn’t that be the same with a company or an organization? Each company starts out as a baby. Someone has a dream, they work their ass off to accomplish their goals, attain clientele and stay afloat. If they pass the five year mark they have a better chance of survival. During those first five years, a lot of mistakes are made, and as time goes on, things get a little smoother due to experience.
But what happens when you are a 20, 30, 40+ year old company and are still practicing the same techniques as the world around you changes?
The clients that were with you from the start are content- but what happens when they outgrow your product or service? How will you obtain new clients? The ones from the information generation?
As years go by, things change. The way we communicate, interact, do business- it’s all different.
Now meetings are held via Skype, companies gain business through Twitter and people are less informal than they used to be.
We have YouTube, Prezis, Blogs, LinkedIn and Pintrest. We have FACEBOOK!
What’s holding your company back from exploring these opportunities?
Yes- there is the chance that your clients are still old-fashioned- but who says you can’t serve Old Fashioned Vanilla ice cream in a new cone? People may react negatively at first, but eventually they will realize it’s the same service, quality and product- it doesn’t matter how it’s presented. The only thing that matters is your client is getting the results they want because of you.
You should never lose the integrity of your company. Your morals, values and customer service should never change, unless for the better. Yet, companies need to embrace new ideas and try to adapt as much as possible. I’m not saying go completely high-tech if your target audience is over 75, but at least attempt to target the younger folks, you never know what could come of a little social interaction with the information generation.
Use the tools available to grow your business- but don’t lose the morals and values it was founded upon. The foundation is what makes you who you are.
Pull up your big boy pants and try something new. You never know what could come of it.