When Is It Time For A Change?

As you start a small business, there are always times when you know you will have to change. Certain marketing techniques change, customers change, the workforce changes. It is important that you understand when you need to make the right type of changes to the company in order to keep up with the competition and to make your company legitimate in the eyes of the customers. The hard thing is that change is not always well-received by employees and even by customers. In some cases it might end up taking a lot of convincing to do in order to really get people behind the changes that you have made.

Get rid of the negative perceptions that center around change. You need to make sure that people actually understand why you want to make changes and they need to see how they are going to benefit the company. People often have their own ideas in mind about the way things should be and when you come in and try to change it, it can scare them. Resistance is common and you have to accept this in order to focus your efforts on making change into a good thing and something that people can get excited about instead of getting frustrated about.

How do you know when it is a good time for change? There really isn't a clear-cut sign that will tell you that you need to make a change but there are a few indicators that can give you an idea of when and why you might want to make some changes. Here are a few to look for:
- High employee turnover
- Profits are steadily decreasing
- Your company doesn't seem to be unique or original anymore

In many cases your weakening sales are the big indicator that there is a problem that needs to be addressed and that it may be time for a change. You have to plan for the change before you just spring it on the staff. People will be nervous about it initially so it is a good idea to be prepared with the right type of plan before you just tell them that you are making changes. When you make the right pitch and you really do believe in the positive things the changes will bring to the company, your employees can adopt it.

Another time to consider making changes is when you have employees that leave and a new group of employees are coming in. You should focus on making the changes at this time as the new staff members will not know the difference. They will be able to know that this is just the way the company has always done things. When you do it this way, it will make it much easier on you!

If you plan on making changes when you still have employees working for the company, you should get their opinion. Having the employees talk to you about the changes that they would like to see can really make it easier on you to be able to get their support. They will feel involved and likely excited about the changes that you are making and they will really understand them.

Start with small changes before you just jump right into the big ones. Starting small makes people less resistant because they are not as overwhelmed with all of the changes that you need to make. They will adopt them quickly and you can continue making more adjustments here and there as they start to become comfortable with all of the changes that are helping the company.