Shake Up Your Priorities: Don’t be Your Own Worst Customer

Let’s paint a new picture for your business

Imagine you own a delightful paint shop and there’s a customer who is perpetually indecisive. They constantly need advice, but they never make a purchase. They can’t decide on the right shade for their kitchen, are too occupied to attend your DIY paint workshops, and always seem to forget to pick up their custom paint order.

Would you keep investing your time and energy in this customer? Probably not.

Now, let’s swap roles. What if the indecisive customer is you, and the ‘purchase’ is investing time and energy in your own business growth? It’s easy to make excuses, but it’s your future at stake.

Time to be your own VIP

It’s high time we change this narrative and start treating ourselves like the VIPs we truly are. It’s time to prioritise your business over others. Only then will you be able to broaden your reach, serve more customers, and accomplish your professional goals.

The easiest way to do this is to start scheduling appointments with yourself. See that vacant slot on your Thursday afternoon? Don’t fit in another customer consultation; book it for yourself. Treat it as an immovable commitment, just like a meeting with a key supplier or your accountant.

Use this time to work on the tasks that contribute to the growth of your paint retail business.

Invest in growth-centric tasks

• Develop new, creative workshops or design new workshop hand outs.
• Draft blog posts or email newsletters to engage your customer base.
• Plan your social media content for the next month.
• Reach out to potential collaborators in the home decor industry.
• Leverage SEO: Optimize your website and product listings for search engines.
• Improve store layout and product display.

In short, take the time to do what you advise your customers to do – add a splash of colour and breathe new life into their spaces. Don’t push your own development aside for “later” or “after I’ve helped this customer.” Upgrade yourself to VIP status, and put your needs first. Your paint business will thank you for it!