ManageWisely: Back to Our Roots

3 effective communication strategies to change how we view work and boost productivity.

I am hoping to share some key insights and inspiration through realistic marketing methods we can use to begin managing more wisely in 2021 and get out of the managing-not-to-jump-of-a-cliff-2020 mentality that has become a mindset to many Canadians during this pandemic.

Our organization, among others, has fallen victim to the domino effect that is plaguing businesses today due to our recent economic, mental and physical health strife that is ‘living in a world of pandemics’.

My go-to philosophy is, "come to me with solutions, not problems" - courtesy of the ManageWise President, Shara Tardif.

I have identified some possible solutions to problem areas that I have mentally flagged in my recent experiences. You're probably asking yourself, what does this have to do with marketing? Marketing in its entirety is about building and maintaining relationships.

Cliché alert, "If you can't love yourself, you can't love anyone else."

Business relationships work in the exact same way. We must prioritize our relationships internally so we can begin to improve our relationships externally. In this segment of #ManageWisely, I would like to share some pointers on how we can improve workplace productivity for the benefit of employees, management, and clients by simply changing how we communicate.

Objectives

1. Identify service/product values and areas for improvement;

2. Establish structure and consistency;

3. Boost productivity.

It is okay, to say you are not okay.

Are you experiencing a recurring negotiation of fees and a growing demand for services due to the significant changes in the economic and professional climate?

Clients and fellow team members don’t necessarily understand what is going on in your world. We don't need to bear it all, but at least be mindful of professional boundaries. Flip the script and remind ourselves that above all else, there should be a clear threshold for daily duties.

Most people do not perceive the value of time spent on a task as much as they do the tangible benefits that come from your time well spent. Tasks should be defined so clients can expect to get a return on their investment without worrying about how much time it takes to deliver a service.

Challenges of working with an 'hourly' mindset

1. Unestablished workflows leading to burnout;

2. Unidentified communication gaps from mental noting;

3. Marginal profitability and undervalue of service;

4. Delivery inconsistency and inefficient priority setting.

You may develop a disconnect between team members and client deliverables - for example, if marketing is on the docket, we are giving them either everything or nothing, dependent on the client's level of activity. There is also the risk that the option to transfer knowledge is not available in the event of being down a team member.

Solutions

1. Balance service value internally and externally;

2. Determine service hierarchy;

3. Build workflows.

The solution is to drop 'hours' and fine print from our lingo and replace it with different levels of services for each workspace. Service-based businesses need to streamline deliverables so that what they do and how often they do it is clearly defined.

By establishing an order of deliverables, that leaves us with a foundation for growth referencing back to our vision of engaging, empowering, and establishing businesses that we work with.

Conclusion

Take the time to understand your team and your clients better by getting to know their values and offer a balanced solution that is beneficial to both. By defining deliverables from each workspace and the perceived value of each service, you can create a visual overview, and include the option to offer a side of gravy with your service steak, and give clients the power to customize your solutions to meet their ever-evolving needs.

There are a number of project management resources available for free or for a marginal fee that promise to maximize profitability through streamlined communications and ensure that goals are being set and met. Shake off that Mandolorian mindset that this is the way and learn to recognize that there is another way, and that requires evolution.