Don’t Chase The Pain
I had some bad pulled muscles in my neck so I decided to get a massage. I explained to my masseuse exactly what happened, where my pain was and what would happen when I moved my neck. He started working on my upper body and arms but not on my neck. I said ‘What about the neck’? What he said next really startled me and then began to resonate. He said “Don’t chase the pain”. I then begged for an explanation. He said ‘Everything is connected. Where you may be hurting does not necessary mean the pain area needs the work. It can be down your lower back or your arm instead of specifically in the pain spot … precisely the reason I was there’.
While lying on the table I couldn’t help to try and understand his strategy and method and then the light came on. With my eyes closed while he worked his magic my brain went into high gear.
I was trying to relate that pain management approach to business. It’s tough for me not to take something I hear and find a relatable link to business. So here is what swirled through my mind while I was in that state of massage slumber.
If a company, your company was having a sales slump or sales decline you may rush to think all about what you could do to increase sales. With this new idea in my head, “Don’t chase the pain”, my thoughts focused on what could be the cause. What else could be responsible for sales? I started to connect the dots on all elements of a well-run business. Immediately operations and systems came to mind. What do they have to do with sales? Of course you know the answer … A lot. Happy customers come back when they are taken care of in the proper time. That produces future sales because your internal work flows and systems are fine tuned. It could also be the quality of work; meaning the quality of your people.
I could go on and on. So in essence any business problem needs thorough research to discover root causes. Don’t just jump into sending out more postcards or insert coupons on your Facebook page. It may be other things.
BTW the neck did feel better, but there is more work to do.
