Time to jump off a cliff
My first day back at work today.
I was immediately filled with anxiety and stress.
I wanted to go back to focusing on time with my son, and exploring the world with him.
In reality, I can still do this - I have the benefit of flexibility as the owner, and can be a dad and work at the same time without doing crazy hours.
However, at the end of last year, my business lost some customers. This wasn’t due to any failure by us, just a change in objectives for those clients.
It’s rare I lose customers. In 15 years there’s only been a few, and most of them I didn’t mind parting with because they weren’t a good fit for what we do.
I need to replace what we’ve lost, and ideally add a couple more to ensure we have some financial leeway.
Since I’m a technician by trade, my instinct is to work internally. I think that by improving our service, we will attract more customers.
However, this just isn’t the case. Of course service is important but our marketing and sales is what actually wins us customers.
Our service is already excellent, as demonstrated by our great retention.
Sales feels to me like the last great uncharted land. I’ve done everything else in my business and figured it out, but sales remains something I’m afraid of.
All my growth so far has come through referral, save for a few clients we’ve picked up after working with a marketing company here and there.
None of the marketing efforts I’ve done have been particularly successful. We’ve barely broken even, and often attract less than ideal clientele.
Additionally, I’m not comfortable being represented by another business that has its own way of doing outreach that doesn’t always align with my beliefs.
My anxiety and stress comes from the sense that I need to work harder to get new clients. Problem is, I hate the idea of lead generation and sales and marketing. I enjoy solving problems for people, not trying to get in the door.
I don’t know how I can get more clients in a way I enjoy, and due to how my brain works, it’s nearly impossible for me to do something I don’t enjoy. I can force myself through it on occasion but it’s never consistent and I rarely do a good job.
I think the answer is to hire a salesperson. Someone who can learn our products and services, and understand our style and what types of businesses make good clients for us.
There’s two challenges:
First, we have very little marketing collateral and no systems in place to support a salesperson. I’d need someone who was comfortable working independently, with loose guidance from me, and developing their own framework.
Second is the cost. We are already maxed out supporting our team, and my family costs mean I can’t reduce my wage significantly. T is returning to work now which will help - but there’s uncertainty and challenges there too.
So, I think the answer is to go back to basics. Realign with what really matters to our clients - fast, friendly, and highly skilled IT support. In doing so, we can perhaps cut some costs from systems and tools that aren’t contributing to our core service delivery.
This will hopefully free up some cashflow and give more of a runway for a salesperson. I think three months is the minimum to move the needle - but maybe six months is more realistic.
It’s a scary thought to invest $20,000+ in something that may not deliver any results — but that’s my fear of sales talking.
My logical brain knows that if we go from doing zero sales to doing 30+ hours a week, there will definitely be results, even if the person I hire is not that skilled.
If we acquire three medium sized clients, it would cover the investment. One a month.
Time to jump off a cliff and see where I land.