I don’t know about your part of the country, but central Ohio got hit with another helping of snow last night. We’re certainly not weather wimps, but this winter has taken a toll. Schools are out, businesses have been closed, and everyone is trying to dig out, again. This kind of weather has taken us all out of our comfort zones and changed our routines. And while it might be annoying, that’s a good thing!
Our weather can be an analogy for our businesses, too. When the weather is good, like business, everything just goes along. We keep doing the same things we’ve always done, “If if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Or we keep an eye on what everyone else is doing and try to match it. “How are we doing compared to the competition?” “What are they doing that we’re not?”
Sometimes, we need to break out of that rut and take a snow day ourselves! We need to take a step back and change the landscape we’re familiar with. When the world is covered with eight inches of snow, your landmarks change. You need to rely on other clues to find the front walk, the driveway. Things don’t look the same. We need to do the same with our businesses. Look for other clues on how the business landscape has changed. Look at how we handle our channel partner relationships and ask, “What can we do that’s different?” “How can we make this partnership more successful?”
Instead of being annoyed by the changes happening, embrace them. Rethink how you deal with your partners. Ask yourself how you can help THEM be more successful, because their success is ultimately your success. Break out of your ruts, and get out there and start clearing the roads and driveways of your business. You’ll be glad you had this chance.