What's wrong with this picture?
I don't think this one needs explanation. What do you see? I think this store owner needed to use one of our circle check sheets!
Communication Breakthroughs!
If you are like Led Zeppelin and have experienced "communications breakdowns" that "drive you insaaaane" (my best textual Robert Plant impersonation!), I have good news. I know a couple of communication superstars. Like most real entrepreneurial innovations that impress me, and often motivate me to rave about them here, these are very simple, and immediately implementable by anyone.
Business communications are a messy and noisy realm these days, with all of the electronic options available to us in getting our message out to prospects, clients, associates, and service providers alike. And, there are inherent challenges in using these modern modes of communicating. For example, the inability to express emotions in emails (other than silly emoticons) can lead to misinterpretations and misunderstandings that harm business relationships. And, using emails as a promotional medium means you have to fight through the spam-weary recipients to actually get your message read.
My communication superstar #1 is a client who has put a very simple, but I thought very effective, message as part of his "signature" for emails sent from his mobile. Instead of the stock "Sent from my wireless device", he has made his say "Sent from my mobile device (please excuse conciseness and typos)". A subtle, but effective, way to let you know very plainly why his response might be as it is, and takes away most opportunities for the recipient to deem a short message as abrupt or rude, or one containing spelling errors as unprofessional.
My communication superstar #2 is a client who uses a monthly e-newsletter to share info about his business, info about upcoming shows and performances (he is a magician and speaker) and includes a link to view a video trick of the month (check his site out at www.trommater.com). At the very top of every newsletter, he lists the word count and number of minutes required to read the message. So, for busy recipients wading through overflowing inboxes, they can tell right away that Dan only wants about 2 minutes of their time. This helpful quantifying of the time commitment involved HAS to help these messages get read, instead of immediately being trashed or ignored because its unknown by the reader how long it might take to get through it. Maybe this kind of thing is common practice in e-marketing and I've been too quick on the "delete" button for others to notice, but Dan's newsletter is the only one I can recall seeing this innovation on.
Once again, "simple" rules the day in effective innovations or improvements to doing business. How will you become a communication superstar in your business?
Business communications are a messy and noisy realm these days, with all of the electronic options available to us in getting our message out to prospects, clients, associates, and service providers alike. And, there are inherent challenges in using these modern modes of communicating. For example, the inability to express emotions in emails (other than silly emoticons) can lead to misinterpretations and misunderstandings that harm business relationships. And, using emails as a promotional medium means you have to fight through the spam-weary recipients to actually get your message read.
My communication superstar #1 is a client who has put a very simple, but I thought very effective, message as part of his "signature" for emails sent from his mobile. Instead of the stock "Sent from my wireless device", he has made his say "Sent from my mobile device (please excuse conciseness and typos)". A subtle, but effective, way to let you know very plainly why his response might be as it is, and takes away most opportunities for the recipient to deem a short message as abrupt or rude, or one containing spelling errors as unprofessional.
My communication superstar #2 is a client who uses a monthly e-newsletter to share info about his business, info about upcoming shows and performances (he is a magician and speaker) and includes a link to view a video trick of the month (check his site out at www.trommater.com). At the very top of every newsletter, he lists the word count and number of minutes required to read the message. So, for busy recipients wading through overflowing inboxes, they can tell right away that Dan only wants about 2 minutes of their time. This helpful quantifying of the time commitment involved HAS to help these messages get read, instead of immediately being trashed or ignored because its unknown by the reader how long it might take to get through it. Maybe this kind of thing is common practice in e-marketing and I've been too quick on the "delete" button for others to notice, but Dan's newsletter is the only one I can recall seeing this innovation on.
Once again, "simple" rules the day in effective innovations or improvements to doing business. How will you become a communication superstar in your business?
Who do you answer to?
Earlier this year I enrolled in an entrepreneurial coaching program that helps successful entrepreneurs take their businesses to even greater levels, and achieve a better work-life balance in the process. We meet in person for a full day every three months, and receive incredible tips and practical tools to help us implement the ideas we have discussed.
The program would have some value even if it only offered the training and these accompanying tools. But, I would suspect like most entrepreneurs, even if I have been given all the tools in the world to make this kind of thinking and changing as easy as possible, I know that I still am not very likely to actually implement most of it. Same old excuses we all use - too busy, too tired, no resources, etc..
But, the true genius of this program is that it has a high degree of accountability hard-wired into its structure. Throughout every session I attend, not only am I learning the new ideas presented, but I am also continually having to answer for how much/well I have implemented the ideas from prior sessions. I am now, in essence, accountable to my coach and the 20 or so other entrepreneurs in the room as to the progress I am making in utilizing what we've been taught. Makes it much harder to let all these tools and ideas simply go to waste, for fear of looking foolish in a room full of successful people.
I had actually thought about this idea of creating third-party accountability for my business a little while ago, even before I began this program. Being the sole owner of my business, I have no Board of Directors, or similar group, to answer to. I have a network of associates, friends and mentors who I will continually bounce ideas off of, but no one to "answer to", no one who is aware of my goals and will hold me accountable for my results.
I think most of us are wired like that, for whatever reason - whether its natural procrastination, or some subconcious fears or apprehensions, or simply a lack of devoted time to do it, most of the time we all have trouble actually executing plans with any reasonable degree of urgency, especially "big" ideas, like strategic changes in your business. So, we all need to find a mechanism that creates that urgency.
I think all small business owners should have a formal entity to which they answer. Call it a Board of Advisors, call it a Mentoring Panel, whatever - but a small group of selectively-recruited people (on a voluntary basis, who have your best interests in mind and relevant skills to offer) with a specific mandate (help you grow your business) and responsibilities (set, regular meeting dates, meetings with agendas and written reports, etc.).
I have committed to have mine in place before the end of this year, and in fact, a colleague of mine and I who are looking at starting a business together in the future have already discussed the need for such a group for us in that business as it comes to fruition.
Who will you answer to in yours?
The program would have some value even if it only offered the training and these accompanying tools. But, I would suspect like most entrepreneurs, even if I have been given all the tools in the world to make this kind of thinking and changing as easy as possible, I know that I still am not very likely to actually implement most of it. Same old excuses we all use - too busy, too tired, no resources, etc..
But, the true genius of this program is that it has a high degree of accountability hard-wired into its structure. Throughout every session I attend, not only am I learning the new ideas presented, but I am also continually having to answer for how much/well I have implemented the ideas from prior sessions. I am now, in essence, accountable to my coach and the 20 or so other entrepreneurs in the room as to the progress I am making in utilizing what we've been taught. Makes it much harder to let all these tools and ideas simply go to waste, for fear of looking foolish in a room full of successful people.
I had actually thought about this idea of creating third-party accountability for my business a little while ago, even before I began this program. Being the sole owner of my business, I have no Board of Directors, or similar group, to answer to. I have a network of associates, friends and mentors who I will continually bounce ideas off of, but no one to "answer to", no one who is aware of my goals and will hold me accountable for my results.
I think most of us are wired like that, for whatever reason - whether its natural procrastination, or some subconcious fears or apprehensions, or simply a lack of devoted time to do it, most of the time we all have trouble actually executing plans with any reasonable degree of urgency, especially "big" ideas, like strategic changes in your business. So, we all need to find a mechanism that creates that urgency.
I think all small business owners should have a formal entity to which they answer. Call it a Board of Advisors, call it a Mentoring Panel, whatever - but a small group of selectively-recruited people (on a voluntary basis, who have your best interests in mind and relevant skills to offer) with a specific mandate (help you grow your business) and responsibilities (set, regular meeting dates, meetings with agendas and written reports, etc.).
I have committed to have mine in place before the end of this year, and in fact, a colleague of mine and I who are looking at starting a business together in the future have already discussed the need for such a group for us in that business as it comes to fruition.
Who will you answer to in yours?
A creative idea that truly "moves" you
I was in Toronto last year and saw a really unique idea a small business was using to help get noticed and gain a bit of a competitive advantage in a very crowded marketplace.
I saw a cube van driving around that belonged to an independent mortgage company, and though I can't remember the exact wording on the truck, it was very clear that if you got your mortgage with them, they'd let you use this cube van for free to help move you into your new place.
Competing against all the giant financial institutions, I thought this entrepreneur really tapped into a clever idea to stand out for potential clients.
How can you "move" prospects to choose to do business with you today?
I saw a cube van driving around that belonged to an independent mortgage company, and though I can't remember the exact wording on the truck, it was very clear that if you got your mortgage with them, they'd let you use this cube van for free to help move you into your new place.
Competing against all the giant financial institutions, I thought this entrepreneur really tapped into a clever idea to stand out for potential clients.
How can you "move" prospects to choose to do business with you today?
Can I hear your "watercooler"?
Designing the customer-accessible areas of your business space is a tricky task - there are considerations of logistics, convenience, decor, functionality, etc.. No matter the type of business you operate - retail, professional service, hospitality, trades - there will likely be a "watercooler" space that your employees will naturally assemble at, mingle and chat with one another. Its kind of like the kitchen at a house party - some place where people will naturally congregate and talk. And, it might not be a place you would have expected in designing the space. But, effective managers or owners will watch their staff's behaviour to learn where the watercooler is, and determine if it is having any negative impact on the business.
I was in a restaurant the other day where the order entry/cash register terminal seemed to be the natural gathering point. When the space was designed, the location of this was obviously chosen for convenience - it was exactly between the two dining rooms, just beside a group of tables, and near the entrance to the kitchen - likely the seemingly "perfect" place for ease of use by the staff.
But, by also becoming the "watercooler", it might have some repercussions the owners didn't think about. As 3 or 4 staff habitually gathered there between trips to the tables and kitchens, they engaged in the kind of friendly conversation that you would hope for between staff. But, in this instance, it included one staff member telling the others about having to wait for a medical diagnosis for one of his family members, and how he really didn't want to be at work because as soon as his cell phone went off with the news, he was likely leaving.
He wasn't my server so I can't tell if his level of service was impaired (understandably so, if that was the case), but because I was within earshot of the "watercooler", I heard it all, and was left to feel uncomfortable, as if I was intruding on a very personal conversation. Imagine if the watercooler conversation was something even more uncomfortable, perhaps even offensive? How would that make those patrons within earshot feel?
If I were to come into your business, could I hear your watercooler?
I was in a restaurant the other day where the order entry/cash register terminal seemed to be the natural gathering point. When the space was designed, the location of this was obviously chosen for convenience - it was exactly between the two dining rooms, just beside a group of tables, and near the entrance to the kitchen - likely the seemingly "perfect" place for ease of use by the staff.
But, by also becoming the "watercooler", it might have some repercussions the owners didn't think about. As 3 or 4 staff habitually gathered there between trips to the tables and kitchens, they engaged in the kind of friendly conversation that you would hope for between staff. But, in this instance, it included one staff member telling the others about having to wait for a medical diagnosis for one of his family members, and how he really didn't want to be at work because as soon as his cell phone went off with the news, he was likely leaving.
He wasn't my server so I can't tell if his level of service was impaired (understandably so, if that was the case), but because I was within earshot of the "watercooler", I heard it all, and was left to feel uncomfortable, as if I was intruding on a very personal conversation. Imagine if the watercooler conversation was something even more uncomfortable, perhaps even offensive? How would that make those patrons within earshot feel?
If I were to come into your business, could I hear your watercooler?
Would you think to Circle Check this??
In our book, Trucker Management, we talk about the importance of regularly doing a Small Business Circle Check in your business.
A Circle Check is essentially a brief pause and chance to objectively look at your business space through the same scrutinous eyes of a first-time visitor, rather than with your usual "million-things-on-my-mind-as-I-rush-in-and-out-the-door" eyes. This way, things that might reflect poorly on your business and easily be overlooked amidst the day-to-day rush of things have an opportunity to be noticed, and more importantly, addressed. If some part of your premises is in disrepair or dirty, if your signs and other notices are outdated, or some other "let-down" in your business has occurred, a Circle Check will let you identify and fix it before too many people have the opportunity to see it.
To aid with this, we suggest creating a checklist (or customizing one of the ones we have created), and include on it the different areas of the business space (interior, exterior), viewing things from different angles or viewpoints, etc.. There are a lot of "obvious" things or places to include on your Checklist, but often times, there are aspects of your business which ought to be included in these regular Checks that you might forget about.
One of my favorite ones is your voicemail/phone answering message. Is it current, is it clear? How about your hold music if you use some - I can't tell you how many businesses I have called where the tuning for the hold music has somehow been thrown off whatever station it was set to (yes, with all the available technology, things were still connected to an FM radio), and the caller hears an earful of static. Most business owners won't ever have to listen to their on-hold music or messaging in the course of their daily work, but things like this definitely need to be checked regularly.
However, I came across one the other day for one I hadn't thought of. I received a cash register receipt from a store, dated July 23rd, and the receipt had a printed message that said "Starting on February 15th there will be a change to our returns policy." Kudos for the initial insight to include this warning/notice to customers on the receipt way back in January or February, but that's a message that's more than a little stale by July 23rd. Even if it was still important that this change be communicated on the receipts, the message ought to at least be changed to "Since February 15th, there has been a change to our returns policy.", or something else more current and accurate.
Is your cash register receipt or invoicing documents included on your Circle Check? What else have you forgotten?
A Circle Check is essentially a brief pause and chance to objectively look at your business space through the same scrutinous eyes of a first-time visitor, rather than with your usual "million-things-on-my-mind-as-I-rush-in-and-out-the-door" eyes. This way, things that might reflect poorly on your business and easily be overlooked amidst the day-to-day rush of things have an opportunity to be noticed, and more importantly, addressed. If some part of your premises is in disrepair or dirty, if your signs and other notices are outdated, or some other "let-down" in your business has occurred, a Circle Check will let you identify and fix it before too many people have the opportunity to see it.
To aid with this, we suggest creating a checklist (or customizing one of the ones we have created), and include on it the different areas of the business space (interior, exterior), viewing things from different angles or viewpoints, etc.. There are a lot of "obvious" things or places to include on your Checklist, but often times, there are aspects of your business which ought to be included in these regular Checks that you might forget about.
One of my favorite ones is your voicemail/phone answering message. Is it current, is it clear? How about your hold music if you use some - I can't tell you how many businesses I have called where the tuning for the hold music has somehow been thrown off whatever station it was set to (yes, with all the available technology, things were still connected to an FM radio), and the caller hears an earful of static. Most business owners won't ever have to listen to their on-hold music or messaging in the course of their daily work, but things like this definitely need to be checked regularly.
However, I came across one the other day for one I hadn't thought of. I received a cash register receipt from a store, dated July 23rd, and the receipt had a printed message that said "Starting on February 15th there will be a change to our returns policy." Kudos for the initial insight to include this warning/notice to customers on the receipt way back in January or February, but that's a message that's more than a little stale by July 23rd. Even if it was still important that this change be communicated on the receipts, the message ought to at least be changed to "Since February 15th, there has been a change to our returns policy.", or something else more current and accurate.
Is your cash register receipt or invoicing documents included on your Circle Check? What else have you forgotten?
From pet leashes to the toy box
I was in Merrickville, Ontario recently and saw a very simple, yet likely very effective, idea that a local business had implemented to make it easier for some of their customers to do business with them. For those that don't know, Merrickville is a small village along the historic Rideau Canal, that has a number of craft and artisan-type shops - a fun place for people to wander and browse, especially in summer.
As I was entering a small independant ice cream shop on the main street, I noticed that they had a "pet leash hook" installed on the front of their shop, just to the side of the entrance, with a small sign over it to explain what it was. Nothing fancy, a simple hook with a one-way locking arm screwed into the building, no more than a couple of bucks at the hardware store.
But what a difference it must make for their potential customers who are walking dogs, craving a nice homemade ice cream cone, and otherwise might be stuck trying to figure out how to make a purchase! No need to leave one person in a group outside to hold the leash while everyone else goes in, no need to worry about asking if its okay if the dogs come in, no wondering about the dogs' safety tied to the stop sign post a few metres away, the nearest such item to tie off to.
Are people out walking with their pets a huge portion of their clientele? No, of course not - I'd guess no more than 5-10% during the peak summer months of July and August. But this shop found a simple and easy way to make it SO much easier for this small sub-segment of their clientele to do business with them.
I got thinking about how to apply this to my own business. I have a number of clients with small children, but only a very few number of them who ever actually have to bring them into my office with them when meeting with me. But, for those instances, perhaps a dozen a year, the meetings are often rushed and awkward, with impatient and bored kids wanting to do anything but have to sit in a dull office while their parent talks to me (and understandably so!).
So, I have brought a couple of toys into the office to have them on hand now for the few instances when this happens. Hopefully, the result will be similar to the ice cream shop and its pet leash - something simple that I've done in my business to make it markedly easier for a small segment of my clients to do business with me.
Now, if only I could get an ice cream machine in here......
As I was entering a small independant ice cream shop on the main street, I noticed that they had a "pet leash hook" installed on the front of their shop, just to the side of the entrance, with a small sign over it to explain what it was. Nothing fancy, a simple hook with a one-way locking arm screwed into the building, no more than a couple of bucks at the hardware store.
But what a difference it must make for their potential customers who are walking dogs, craving a nice homemade ice cream cone, and otherwise might be stuck trying to figure out how to make a purchase! No need to leave one person in a group outside to hold the leash while everyone else goes in, no need to worry about asking if its okay if the dogs come in, no wondering about the dogs' safety tied to the stop sign post a few metres away, the nearest such item to tie off to.
Are people out walking with their pets a huge portion of their clientele? No, of course not - I'd guess no more than 5-10% during the peak summer months of July and August. But this shop found a simple and easy way to make it SO much easier for this small sub-segment of their clientele to do business with them.
I got thinking about how to apply this to my own business. I have a number of clients with small children, but only a very few number of them who ever actually have to bring them into my office with them when meeting with me. But, for those instances, perhaps a dozen a year, the meetings are often rushed and awkward, with impatient and bored kids wanting to do anything but have to sit in a dull office while their parent talks to me (and understandably so!).
So, I have brought a couple of toys into the office to have them on hand now for the few instances when this happens. Hopefully, the result will be similar to the ice cream shop and its pet leash - something simple that I've done in my business to make it markedly easier for a small segment of my clients to do business with me.
Now, if only I could get an ice cream machine in here......
Are you open?
Happy Mothers Day to me! Today, while I was having a nice hot bath while the family went to get me my coffee, a Trucker Management moment presented itself. Not to me, but to my hubby. He went to a different Starbucks then usual (that's where the problem started) and pulled into the drive thru, waited for about 10 minutes and no one came. So he pulled around front and finally found the hours on the door, which if he squinted just right it looked like they open at 7, but it was only 6:55am so he went to get gas first then would get coffee. He came back at 7:10 but still no one around. So he thought maybe they were just getting a late start and waited for another 10 minutes and still nothing. Finally he got out of the car to go read the 14 point font on the door for the hours and it didn't open until 7:30! So, he left and went to our usual store. The funny thing is, is that we use this exact example in Trucker Management. Most people need to know your hours when they're in the car. So test your hour sign, can be seen from the road, parking lot or car? Is it posted at your drive thru? Not to mention, that today it's the mothers who had to be up before 730 that really needed a coffee!
What's so freaking hard about keeping a list?
I have had two occassions in the past few months where I asked local businesses to put me on a "notification list" for something, only to be told both times that they didn't do that, for similar but different reasons.
One was a doctor's office who was waiting for a piece of equipment to be returned from being repaired, which I was to come in and have a test done on. They didn't know when the machine would be returned, but instead of compiling a list of patients due to be notified when the machine was returned (myself included), I was told that I'd have to "keep calling in to see if its back yet." They gave me the excuse that they had far too many patients to worry about in their clinic and wouldn't have time to do such a thing as create, maintain and then call a list of patients waiting for this equipment to return. In addition to the poor customer service experience this gave me, I also wonder if a busy clinic fielding endless "is it back yet?" calls (especially when its still not back yet and at least one more call will be required from that patient) eases or compounds the workload for the staff there compared to keeping a list?
The other was the local theatre who told me that only single tickets remained for the show I wanted to see, but to check back closer to the show date as the promoter sometimes releases tickets they won't need but which have been set aside for them initially. Again, I asked to be put on a list to let me know if that indeed happened. The told me that they couldn't do that since they have "eight people working in this office", inferring that it would be impossible to coordinate a single list when there are eight people dealing with the public at any one time. Lets pretend for a minute that simple and effective database and email programs DIDN'T exist that could solve this problem in one fell swoop. Even if we were stuck back in the 1950's, surely there is a spot on a wall to clip a central clipboard of "contact these people if the promoter releases tickets for show X".
In each case, these businesses placed the onus for contact and follow-up on me as a customer or client, when there is no reason they couldn't have managed that process themselves. And, in each case, it has caused them any potential business I could have given them in these regards, as I haven't and won't undertake a game of phone-call lottery with them.
Are there any processes our practices in your business that unreasonably place responsibilities on your prospects or customers? Is it costing you sales? Are you or your staff using excuses to avoid making simple administrative changes in your business that would eliminate them?
One was a doctor's office who was waiting for a piece of equipment to be returned from being repaired, which I was to come in and have a test done on. They didn't know when the machine would be returned, but instead of compiling a list of patients due to be notified when the machine was returned (myself included), I was told that I'd have to "keep calling in to see if its back yet." They gave me the excuse that they had far too many patients to worry about in their clinic and wouldn't have time to do such a thing as create, maintain and then call a list of patients waiting for this equipment to return. In addition to the poor customer service experience this gave me, I also wonder if a busy clinic fielding endless "is it back yet?" calls (especially when its still not back yet and at least one more call will be required from that patient) eases or compounds the workload for the staff there compared to keeping a list?
The other was the local theatre who told me that only single tickets remained for the show I wanted to see, but to check back closer to the show date as the promoter sometimes releases tickets they won't need but which have been set aside for them initially. Again, I asked to be put on a list to let me know if that indeed happened. The told me that they couldn't do that since they have "eight people working in this office", inferring that it would be impossible to coordinate a single list when there are eight people dealing with the public at any one time. Lets pretend for a minute that simple and effective database and email programs DIDN'T exist that could solve this problem in one fell swoop. Even if we were stuck back in the 1950's, surely there is a spot on a wall to clip a central clipboard of "contact these people if the promoter releases tickets for show X".
In each case, these businesses placed the onus for contact and follow-up on me as a customer or client, when there is no reason they couldn't have managed that process themselves. And, in each case, it has caused them any potential business I could have given them in these regards, as I haven't and won't undertake a game of phone-call lottery with them.
Are there any processes our practices in your business that unreasonably place responsibilities on your prospects or customers? Is it costing you sales? Are you or your staff using excuses to avoid making simple administrative changes in your business that would eliminate them?
"Defensive driving" for your business
One of the greatest investments my parents made was to send me to Young Drivers of Canada to learn how to drive, and using the techniques their "defensive driving" approach teaches has quite literally allowed me to drive out of and avoid three serious car accidents in my lifetime. Yesterday provided the third.
The roads were a terribly icy mess all over town, and as I sat stopped in the middle of three lanes at a red light, my defensive driving habits kicked in and I checked my rearview mirrors to see what was happening behind me. I saw a car coming up in the lane to my left that was going fast enough that, given the conditions, I was pretty certain he or she wasn't going to be able to stop before the cars ahead in that lane. I worried he might try to ditch to the side and head my way out of instinct. So, I changed lanes and moved over to a vacant spot in the right-hand lane, just as this other car began a 720 degree spin around both the left (his) and the middle (previously, my) lanes.
Had I not been watching what was happening around me, in conjunction with an awareness of the general conditions all around, I would have had the side of my car smucked, and my day drastically altered for the worse. In "Trucker Management", we talk about having "rearview mirrors" in your business to always see what's gaining on you - namely, your competition. But in general, much of the ideas of Trucker Management at their core are simply about awareness - paying attention to your surroundings, whether its your competition, your physical space, your staff, your finances - whatever. The basic principles of defensive driving are much the same - simply being aware of all that is happening, and may happen, around you, so that you can proactively take steps to protect yourself, regardless of the actions of others.
Have you been "driving" your business defensively lately, always aware of the conditions and actions of others around you? Are conditions (ie. the economy) changing? How are others around you behaving in these conditions (ie. drastic price-cuts or blow-out sales by your competition to aid their cash crunch)? Do you need to "change lanes" to avoid a costly and inconvenient impact?
The roads were a terribly icy mess all over town, and as I sat stopped in the middle of three lanes at a red light, my defensive driving habits kicked in and I checked my rearview mirrors to see what was happening behind me. I saw a car coming up in the lane to my left that was going fast enough that, given the conditions, I was pretty certain he or she wasn't going to be able to stop before the cars ahead in that lane. I worried he might try to ditch to the side and head my way out of instinct. So, I changed lanes and moved over to a vacant spot in the right-hand lane, just as this other car began a 720 degree spin around both the left (his) and the middle (previously, my) lanes.
Had I not been watching what was happening around me, in conjunction with an awareness of the general conditions all around, I would have had the side of my car smucked, and my day drastically altered for the worse. In "Trucker Management", we talk about having "rearview mirrors" in your business to always see what's gaining on you - namely, your competition. But in general, much of the ideas of Trucker Management at their core are simply about awareness - paying attention to your surroundings, whether its your competition, your physical space, your staff, your finances - whatever. The basic principles of defensive driving are much the same - simply being aware of all that is happening, and may happen, around you, so that you can proactively take steps to protect yourself, regardless of the actions of others.
Have you been "driving" your business defensively lately, always aware of the conditions and actions of others around you? Are conditions (ie. the economy) changing? How are others around you behaving in these conditions (ie. drastic price-cuts or blow-out sales by your competition to aid their cash crunch)? Do you need to "change lanes" to avoid a costly and inconvenient impact?
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