For the past few weeks, there have been fallen leaves everywhere underfoot. Sweeping away the leaves in autumn probably goes back to primitive people keeping their cave entrances clear — and metaphorically it’s also something that needs to be done regularly in business.
Old Practices and New Practices
Business always moves with the times, and there are constantly fallen leaves to sweep up. You don’t have to go back to keeping accounts in dusty ledger books with a quill pen. It’s not very long ago, for instance, since the state-of-the-art way of getting a document to someone was a fax machine. I doubt if most offices even have one now.
These days, of course, technology is changing almost on a weekly basis, and so are the ways it can be used. Do we communicate best by email or text? Use Google Ads or Facebook, or ignore advertising and rely on SEO? And, come to that, what makes the best SEO?
Working styles are changing just as fast. Only a few years ago, most of us needed to be in a set workplace to do our jobs, but that’s no longer true. Many jobs can now be done just as well from a café, a train — or even sitting in your living room wearing pyjamas.
Of course, that doesn’t apply to all jobs — not yet. Surely manufacturing, at least, will always need to be done on the spot? Not necessarily. If 3D printing technology continues to develop, it may eventually be possible to build a car, for instance, via a computer in a different country. The whole concept of the workplace could become obsolete.
Changing Attitudes
It’s not only technology that’s changed, though. The past few decades have seen a massive shift in approaches to business, and especially to sales and marketing.
The kind of service telemarketing companies would at one time have consisted of aggressive cold calling, manipulating the person on the other end into committing to something they didn’t really want. Thanks heavens, that’s long gone now, not only because it’s unethical, but also because it doesn’t work. What we offer is forging contacts for our clients with companies who really want their services.
Sweep Away the Leaves
Autumn’s a great time to think about sweeping away all those dead leaves in your business. Of course, they’re not always quite so easy to identify as the actual leaves, but if you let them pile up, you might find yourself with a fax machine and no-one to send to.