What kills you first? Lack of oxygen or lack of blood? We are aerobic creatures that need oxygen to live. Blood helps transport oxygen throughout our body, most importantly to our brain. So blood is the means to provide oxygen, but it’s the oxygen that keeps us alive. When someone is declared brain dead from lack of oxygen, they’re usually legally dead since the bodily functions start shutting down. So lack of oxygen kills you first!
Oxygen is clients to a business and blood is cash.
When you have no clients in your business, you are legally dead! It’s just a matter of time before your business bodily functions start shutting down.
Clients First, Cash Later!
When looking at your business body, your critical functions are Sales/Marketing, Operations, and Finance. Think of these functions in your human body as the Respiratory, Digestive, and Cardiovascular Systems, respectively.
The Sales/Marketing department’s role is to generate leads and convert them to clients. The Respiratory System’s role is to take in air and convert oxygen in a usable form for the body. The Operations department’s role is to take materials/supplies (information for the service industry) and create a product for customer use. The Digestive System’s role is to take food and create energy (the human body product) so the body can serve its purpose (whatever occupation or vocation they’re in). The Finance department’s role is to manage cash flow so the company remains solvent. The Cardiovascular System’s role is to manage blood flow so the body remains operational.
All three of these functions (whether in a business or human body) are important to have a viable business / life. However, life starts with oxygen! The first thing that develops in the womb is the baby’s nervous system (brain). Since the brain can’t function without oxygen, that must come first. The heart of a baby actually doesn’t pump blood immediately. So clients are vital to start a business. That must come first. Cash comes later.
Your Business Must Breathe Well
Fast forward to your business 5 years down, even 50 years down the road. While cash is king, without clients your business dies immediately. Your Sales/Marketing department (Respiratory System) is the lifeline of your business. What happens when you hold your breath too long? You get dizzy and may pass out. Your business body gets weak and dizzy when your sales funnel dries up, and operations may shut down temporarily (pass out). What happens when you’re filling your lungs with bad air (whether smoking or breathing in polluted air)? It robs your body of needed oxygen. Your business body gets weak when you’re in the wrong market (air) with low quality prospective clients (oxygen).
To have a long life, your Respiratory System has to be strong and constantly taking in oxygen. For your business to have a long life, your Sales/Marketing department has to be strong and constantly generating quality leads to convert to clients.
Business Aerobics Lengthens Life
We all know that exercise extends lives. However, studies have shown that aerobic exercise extends lives longer than other forms of exercise. Aerobic exercises start with breathing so it engages your Respiratory System first. Breathing starts the process of getting oxygen in your body.
Your business can have an extended life through aerobic exercise
. . . continual development and training of your Sales/Marketing department.
What would your business look like if you always had a strong marketing team to generate leads, and a strong sales team to convert those leads to clients? How would that impact the health and longevity of your business?
What are you doing to strengthen your Sales/Marketing team? Are you getting enough oxygen for your business?
Take the Organizational Checkup to gauge the health of your company! For more information on creating a healthy business lifestyle, read about the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).
My next blog will be about the Finance department – Your Business Cardiovascular System. Remember – blood is cash!
To Your Business Health!