 Marketing
Best Practices
Is Your Business Taking a Vacation?
Seven Steps To Keep Customers Pleased
While You’re Away Trying To Be At Ease
By: Dale W. Hutchings
Published: April 30, 2008 (Digital)
You don’t need health experts to tell you, but if you
ask, they will surely let you know that taking a
vacation now and then is important to your health and
well-being. Health professionals say a good vacation can
help us reconnect with ourselves; reduce our chances of
burnout; and enhance both our creativity and
productivity once we return to work.
Sure, that’s all fine and dandy for those who are not
self-employed. But how about those of us who are small
business owners? How do we go about keeping our
customers pleased, while we are on vacation recharging
our batteries, trying to be at ease? Don’t fret. There
are solutions. Here are seven strategic steps you can
take to keep customers connected to you and reduce your
worries so when you go on vacation you can truly unwind.
Step #1 Plan Ahead.
Let your clients know well in advance about your
vacation plans. Your customers will respect you for
letting them know. And be specific when you give them
notice. Give them exact dates when you are leaving and
returning, not merely, “ I will be gone the week of …”
If you have an assistant or business partner, take the
time to prepare them for your absence. Give them a
checklist to follow so you can be sure things will run
smoothly.
Step #2 Don’t Say “Yes”, When You Should Say “No.”
As the date approaches for your vacation, don’t say
“Yes” to a project when the request should be a definite
“No.” Plan your time so you can finish those things you
need to complete before you leave. And, by all means,
don’t take on work that is going to mean working all
kinds of hours right up until the last minute before you
leave. Doing so is unfair to you, your family and your
client. Furthermore, if you inform your customers well
in advance regarding your vacation, last minute job
requests from any of your clientele should be few, if
any.
Step #3 Have A Plan In Place For E-mails & Phone Calls.
No matter how far in advance you have notified your
customers regarding when you will be on vacation, about
a week before you leave, send them an e-mail reminder –
especially if you feel it is necessary for certain
clients. It is also a good idea to set up an e-mail
auto-responder and a voice-mail message to let anyone
who calls know your vacation schedule and that you will
respond to their phone message in a timely manner upon
your return.
Step #4 Establish A Flexible Vacation Schedule – One
That Allows You To Get Back Up To Speed Before Handling
New Business.
When you decide to take a vacation, allow yourself some
“wiggle room.” Give your clients a date when you are
leaving town that is a day or two ahead of when you
actually plan to leave, and add a day or two to the date
you actually are returning. This will give you
flexibility and a lot less stress.
Step #5 Schedule Vacations At Your Slowest Time.
If you are nervous about leaving during a busy time of
the year, then take a vacation when your business is
typically slow. For many businesses, there is usually
some time during the year when it is “off season.” If
you don’t have a business that has a slow period, take
the vacation anyway. Your health and well-being should
always be a major priority, especially if you are a
one-person operation.
Step #6 Avoid Checking E-mail & Voice-Mails As Much As
Possible.
Instead, while you’re away concentrate on the vacation,
not your business. If you must, for peace of mind, go
ahead and check on your business occasionally. That
doesn’t mean a few times a day or even once a day. It
means just a few times during your entire vacation.
Step #7 Get Someone To Cover For You While You’re Away.
This strategy won’t work for everyone, but for certain
types of businesses getting someone to substitute for
you while you are away can be the perfect solution. Then
perhaps you can do the same for him when he needs a
break. And you don’t have to rely on just one person to
cover for you. Perhaps it is two or three different
people. In fact, this may make it easier for you to
organize such an arrangement.
So if you’re hesitant about taking a vacation this year
because you fear your customers will be discontent while
you’re away and will go elsewhere for their business,
think again. Put into practice these steps and you
should be able to take that vacation you want to take
and so richly deserve.
Dale W. Hutchings, APR, specializes in “out of the box”
marketing and has more than 30 years of Public
Relations, Marketing and Advertising experience. Since
2001 he has had his own practice with a heavy focus on
marketing consultation and copywriting for a wide
variety of advertising mediums. For more information on
his services visit
www.dalewhutchings.com or contact him
via e-mail at: hutch7@verizon.net.
back to top
|
