Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Want some tips for starting a small business?
I am really excited -- my new booklet is hot off the presses. I've put to paper some of the basics on how to (and how NOT to) start a small business. There are links to great small biz websites and some info that every new business person needs to know. If you're interested in learning more, send me an email and I'll be happy to talk to you about the book.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
King Arthur’s Roundtable
The story of the Roundtable is that Arthur’s most trusted knights sat with him around this table making decisions, having fun and sharing their lives with one another. It’s a good way to think about business even today. A book, written by David Perkins, entitled King Arthur's Round Table: How Collaborative Conversations Create Smart Organizations talks about how this method of business management creates a better decision-making process and therefore a more effective business. How do you do this if you’re a one person organization? Well, there’s help on the horizon.
The Work Place Initiative is just such a Roundtable: the members become your “Board of Advisors”, sharing goals and ideas, different perspectives, and learning and networking with those who will become your trusted friends and colleagues.
The purpose and mission of the Initiative is to provide effective business growth strategies to small and medium sized businesses through networking, educational forums and peer support. The focus is on owners and managers of businesses that have been in business for more than one year and have reached a level of growth where they need help getting to the next level.
One aspect of the Initiative, Insight, is an Advisory Board -- a group of professionals specifically targeted for their knowledge, skills and/or influence in the industry, who are convened by an organization to offer input and advice pertaining to a specific goal or objective. The Board offers “guidance” and functions as an operational Board of Directors, minus legal liability and statutory responsibility.
Through the sharing of thoughts and goals with a small group of respected advisors, businesses involved in Insight learn how to put first things first, optimize their capability and widen their circle of influence. They find win/win situations while developing an abundance mentality.
The other part of the Initiative is monthly networking and educational forums where experts in their field present information on topics of interest to small business owners and managers. Areas such as health insurance, marketing, management and more are all envisioned to be on the agenda in the coming months.
Roundtable Discussions (Insight):
Groups of no more than 6 members gather on a weekly basis to discuss issues of concern to themselves and other members of the group.
Shared Office Space:
Use of The Work Place conference room and computer/printer/Internet access (no rental on room; reduced charges on equipment)
Monthly Networking Meetings:
Provide a business networking environment where members and non-members can meet and greet each other (non-members pay entrance fees).
Access to Member Forums, Blogs and Articles
The Work Place Initiative is just such a Roundtable: the members become your “Board of Advisors”, sharing goals and ideas, different perspectives, and learning and networking with those who will become your trusted friends and colleagues.
The purpose and mission of the Initiative is to provide effective business growth strategies to small and medium sized businesses through networking, educational forums and peer support. The focus is on owners and managers of businesses that have been in business for more than one year and have reached a level of growth where they need help getting to the next level.
One aspect of the Initiative, Insight, is an Advisory Board -- a group of professionals specifically targeted for their knowledge, skills and/or influence in the industry, who are convened by an organization to offer input and advice pertaining to a specific goal or objective. The Board offers “guidance” and functions as an operational Board of Directors, minus legal liability and statutory responsibility.
Through the sharing of thoughts and goals with a small group of respected advisors, businesses involved in Insight learn how to put first things first, optimize their capability and widen their circle of influence. They find win/win situations while developing an abundance mentality.
The other part of the Initiative is monthly networking and educational forums where experts in their field present information on topics of interest to small business owners and managers. Areas such as health insurance, marketing, management and more are all envisioned to be on the agenda in the coming months.
Roundtable Discussions (Insight):
Groups of no more than 6 members gather on a weekly basis to discuss issues of concern to themselves and other members of the group.
Shared Office Space:
Use of The Work Place conference room and computer/printer/Internet access (no rental on room; reduced charges on equipment)
Monthly Networking Meetings:
Provide a business networking environment where members and non-members can meet and greet each other (non-members pay entrance fees).
Access to Member Forums, Blogs and Articles
The Little Engine That Could
One of my favorite stories as a child was about a little train that couldn’t make it up the hill like the big trains around him; but then he gave himself confidence by saying “I think I can, I think I can” and eventually up that hill he went. That’s what I think is needed in the business world today – at the very least for the small business owner out there, me included. We all have to have a sense of accomplishment and know that we’ve got to put in our best efforts to get something back out. A quote I read the other day went like this: “Half of success in life is showing up, and the other half is not quitting too soon.” That’s exactly on the head – we need to just keep telling ourselves, “I think I can, I think I can.”
What are some things that we need to have in order to be successful in our businesses? First and foremost, we MUST NOT give up. There are days when we just don’t want to get out of bed. We can’t face another frustration or piece of bad news. We just want to say “The heck with it – I’m outta here.” But that doesn’t solve anything does it? We have to have faith and patience. We need to tell ourselves that things will get better; the economy will come around, or people will eventually learn about our business and flock to our front doors.
However, we need to have more than just that faith and patience. We can’t just sit at our desks and wait for the phone to ring. If we encounter an obstacle, we have to figure out how to get around it. We need to use our imagination and see what other means we have to get the job done. We must continue with our marketing and networking – don’t be afraid of the unknown. Take a leap of faith and get out there and let people know who you are and what your business can do to help them.
It is also important to understand that you can never stop learning and trying new technology. Don’t let yourself become stagnant; again, sitting there and praying is not going to get the job done. Try new things, learn new techniques for growing your market. It will all help in the long run
What are some things that we need to have in order to be successful in our businesses? First and foremost, we MUST NOT give up. There are days when we just don’t want to get out of bed. We can’t face another frustration or piece of bad news. We just want to say “The heck with it – I’m outta here.” But that doesn’t solve anything does it? We have to have faith and patience. We need to tell ourselves that things will get better; the economy will come around, or people will eventually learn about our business and flock to our front doors.
However, we need to have more than just that faith and patience. We can’t just sit at our desks and wait for the phone to ring. If we encounter an obstacle, we have to figure out how to get around it. We need to use our imagination and see what other means we have to get the job done. We must continue with our marketing and networking – don’t be afraid of the unknown. Take a leap of faith and get out there and let people know who you are and what your business can do to help them.
It is also important to understand that you can never stop learning and trying new technology. Don’t let yourself become stagnant; again, sitting there and praying is not going to get the job done. Try new things, learn new techniques for growing your market. It will all help in the long run
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Is Your Network Working?
Network? My computers are linked and talking to each other so, yeah, I guess my network is working.
Nahhhhhhh, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m asking you about your business contacts and the way you get clients to use your company. One of the first people to coin the phrase as Dr. Ivan Misner, the creator of Business Network International; what he meant by this term was a way that people connect to each other and send out referrals or recommendations. It is believed that each person, between family, friends and business colleagues, has at least a minimum of 200 contacts. When you share those contacts with one other person, and his or her 200 contacts, you’ve just multiplied the number of people who you have in your contact list. The idea spreads out from there.
The idea of networking then is taking this concept and applying it at a much smaller level. When you form relationships with people that include feelings of trust and consideration, you have the start of a good network.
If you check out Google, you will see hundreds of items that pertain to business networking and the various groups that are out there – they range from Chamber of Commerce after hours meetings, organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary, and other of this type of group, to formal sit down groups that meet each week with the specific goal of finding and referring business to the other members.
Even if you’ve never heard of business networking, I can guarantee that you are a networker. You have contacts that you talk to about your product or service. You have customers. You have colleagues and even competitors. How do you put these networks into play? First, I would suggest that it is better to give than to receive. Put yourself in the place of your potential “partners”. Don’t you feel good when they provide you with a referral to someone that wants to provide you with business? Sure you do. Doesn’t it then make you want to give something back? The same is true with networking. The recent movie, Paying It Forward, says it all. If you do something good, they will try to give you something back. It’s much better than if you’re always telling everybody what you want, and never asking them about their needs or goals, isn’t it?
Finally, once you’ve started to develop these relationships, I would suggest that you find, build and maintain about 6 relationships with people who are at the same or higher competency level as you. These people become your informal board of advisors and will be able to work with you when you need outside opinions and support. Never forget however, that you need to be there for them as well. The “Give to Get” concept is one that works when you use it in an honest, creative way. Try it and see where you get!
Nahhhhhhh, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m asking you about your business contacts and the way you get clients to use your company. One of the first people to coin the phrase as Dr. Ivan Misner, the creator of Business Network International; what he meant by this term was a way that people connect to each other and send out referrals or recommendations. It is believed that each person, between family, friends and business colleagues, has at least a minimum of 200 contacts. When you share those contacts with one other person, and his or her 200 contacts, you’ve just multiplied the number of people who you have in your contact list. The idea spreads out from there.
The idea of networking then is taking this concept and applying it at a much smaller level. When you form relationships with people that include feelings of trust and consideration, you have the start of a good network.
If you check out Google, you will see hundreds of items that pertain to business networking and the various groups that are out there – they range from Chamber of Commerce after hours meetings, organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary, and other of this type of group, to formal sit down groups that meet each week with the specific goal of finding and referring business to the other members.
Even if you’ve never heard of business networking, I can guarantee that you are a networker. You have contacts that you talk to about your product or service. You have customers. You have colleagues and even competitors. How do you put these networks into play? First, I would suggest that it is better to give than to receive. Put yourself in the place of your potential “partners”. Don’t you feel good when they provide you with a referral to someone that wants to provide you with business? Sure you do. Doesn’t it then make you want to give something back? The same is true with networking. The recent movie, Paying It Forward, says it all. If you do something good, they will try to give you something back. It’s much better than if you’re always telling everybody what you want, and never asking them about their needs or goals, isn’t it?
Finally, once you’ve started to develop these relationships, I would suggest that you find, build and maintain about 6 relationships with people who are at the same or higher competency level as you. These people become your informal board of advisors and will be able to work with you when you need outside opinions and support. Never forget however, that you need to be there for them as well. The “Give to Get” concept is one that works when you use it in an honest, creative way. Try it and see where you get!
Cleaning House
There are two times a year when I get very productive – bustling around making my “nest” (or office as most people call them) all neat and clean: fall and spring. Since our neighborhood kids are now back in school, it’s officially fall at The Work Place, and time for me to start knuckling down, getting back to work.
If you’re like me, you’ve spent time over the summer months, relaxing a bit – maybe taking time off from work to enjoy being with the family or just slowing the pace down a bit. But now that there’s a briskness to the air in the mornings, I know I need to get my mind and body remotivated and ready to start marketing my services.
But how do you even begin to start? I want people to call my phone and tell me they’ve got work for me. But how do I get them to do that? But what is marketing anyway? Is it your business card? Your logo? An ad in the newspaper? It’s all those things. Marketing is whatever you do that convinces someone to buy what you’re selling. That includes things like the look of your store, or office; the way you dress when you’re working (image); your business card; your ads; your logo – anything that tells the potential customer that what you have is what they want. Marketing includes PR and sales as well. It’s a big pot isn’t it?
Make sense? Sure it does. Think about how you buy things. For instance, you want to buy some groceries. You go into a grocery store and it’s really old and dirty. There’s broken glass lying on the floor and food that’s rotted. Bugs are flying around it and a bad smell is floating in the air. Are you going to buy the groceries you came in for? I sure wouldn’t. I’d get out of there as fast as I could. Wouldn’t you? They’re not doing a very good job of marketing are they? Now, you go into a grocery store that is shiny and new. The smells are of fresh baked bread and meats cooking on a grill. The lighting is muted and the shelves are decorated nicely with the boxes and cans stacked in interesting ways. You’d probably feel pretty good about buying here, right?
Ok, here’s another scenario. You go to a meeting with some of the people that you’d like to do business with. You come to the meeting dressed in ragged blue jeans and an old stained t-shirt. During the meeting, your phone keeps ringing and you keep answering it. You’re not paying attention to what’s being said in the meeting are you? When you’re not talking on the phone, you’re doodling. Again, you’re not really paying attention are you? What about if you go to that same meeting dressed in a suit, your hair combed neatly and your attention level at full force. You listen to everything that the potential clients tell you and you ask them questions about what they’re saying. Which “you” is the client going to hire?
Are you getting the picture? These are all part of marketing. Here’s another one. You want to do a direct mail piece that you’re sending to 100 people. You’ve gotten the letter designed, typeset and you’re ready to go. Each letter is personally addressed to the person it’s being sent to. This letter then gets put into a hand addressed envelope. What happens if you give this work to your 10 year old son, who stuffs them while watching TV? They get folded awkwardly, put into the wrong envelope, and thoroughly messed up. Is that good for business? Is the client going to want to hire you? I’m betting not.
As I’ve said before, you can make the best widget in the world, but if your potential customers don’t see it as having value, it’s not going to sell and you’re soon to be out of business. Image, attitude, and professionalism – they all make the company. And when you think about getting out there and “selling” your wares, stop and think about what the customer sees, as well as what they get in the end. It could make a lot of difference!
If you’re like me, you’ve spent time over the summer months, relaxing a bit – maybe taking time off from work to enjoy being with the family or just slowing the pace down a bit. But now that there’s a briskness to the air in the mornings, I know I need to get my mind and body remotivated and ready to start marketing my services.
But how do you even begin to start? I want people to call my phone and tell me they’ve got work for me. But how do I get them to do that? But what is marketing anyway? Is it your business card? Your logo? An ad in the newspaper? It’s all those things. Marketing is whatever you do that convinces someone to buy what you’re selling. That includes things like the look of your store, or office; the way you dress when you’re working (image); your business card; your ads; your logo – anything that tells the potential customer that what you have is what they want. Marketing includes PR and sales as well. It’s a big pot isn’t it?
Make sense? Sure it does. Think about how you buy things. For instance, you want to buy some groceries. You go into a grocery store and it’s really old and dirty. There’s broken glass lying on the floor and food that’s rotted. Bugs are flying around it and a bad smell is floating in the air. Are you going to buy the groceries you came in for? I sure wouldn’t. I’d get out of there as fast as I could. Wouldn’t you? They’re not doing a very good job of marketing are they? Now, you go into a grocery store that is shiny and new. The smells are of fresh baked bread and meats cooking on a grill. The lighting is muted and the shelves are decorated nicely with the boxes and cans stacked in interesting ways. You’d probably feel pretty good about buying here, right?
Ok, here’s another scenario. You go to a meeting with some of the people that you’d like to do business with. You come to the meeting dressed in ragged blue jeans and an old stained t-shirt. During the meeting, your phone keeps ringing and you keep answering it. You’re not paying attention to what’s being said in the meeting are you? When you’re not talking on the phone, you’re doodling. Again, you’re not really paying attention are you? What about if you go to that same meeting dressed in a suit, your hair combed neatly and your attention level at full force. You listen to everything that the potential clients tell you and you ask them questions about what they’re saying. Which “you” is the client going to hire?
Are you getting the picture? These are all part of marketing. Here’s another one. You want to do a direct mail piece that you’re sending to 100 people. You’ve gotten the letter designed, typeset and you’re ready to go. Each letter is personally addressed to the person it’s being sent to. This letter then gets put into a hand addressed envelope. What happens if you give this work to your 10 year old son, who stuffs them while watching TV? They get folded awkwardly, put into the wrong envelope, and thoroughly messed up. Is that good for business? Is the client going to want to hire you? I’m betting not.
As I’ve said before, you can make the best widget in the world, but if your potential customers don’t see it as having value, it’s not going to sell and you’re soon to be out of business. Image, attitude, and professionalism – they all make the company. And when you think about getting out there and “selling” your wares, stop and think about what the customer sees, as well as what they get in the end. It could make a lot of difference!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Singing the Marketing Song
It's the start of fall, and to me, the beginning of the business year again. This actually happens to me several times a year; January, when the year is shiny and new, and the fall, after a refreshing break over the summer. But there's a price to pay for this time of summer relaxation -- I've now got to get myself going and start a marketing campaign to make up for the lax days I've just gone through. Thankfully, I have a marketing plan that allows me the time to take off and play during a couple of months of summer and helps me to ramp back up in September. Do you have a marketing plan?
A marketing plan is, like a business plan, an effort to put down on paper various items of your business. While a business plan looks at several parts of the business, such as location, revenues, equipment, and all the other important aspects of starting, running and growing a business, a marketing plan focuses on the different things to be done in order to get the customers in the door, buying what you're selling.
The first thing you need to do is decide what your objectives for marketing are -- do you want to sell, educate, get people to walk in the door? When you have objectives and motivations, then you can start the work of the marketing plan.
There are some very important sections to a plan: you need to know your customer base. Who is going to be the most likely to buy from you? Young, old, male, female? Are they local or is this a wider ranging clientele? Who else is selling the same items (services) and what about their product appeals to their customers? Market research is very important here. You need to know the competition -- their prices, their marketing mix, how do they get their customers in the door?
Then you need to know what advertising venues are going to work the best: TV, radio, yellow pages, etc. What are the things people like the best about your product/service? What do they like least? By knowing this information, you are better able to market to the good parts while working on changing those areas that are not as well appreciated. At the same time, you can create marketing materials that bring to the forefront the best while downplaying the not so good.
Finally, you need to put a budget together so that you have an idea of what to spend and how best to spend it. What are the various costs? What is the most cost-effective? Where do you get the best ROI? When you have those answers, you will know what is the best, most efficient method of advertising.
A marketing plan is, like a business plan, an effort to put down on paper various items of your business. While a business plan looks at several parts of the business, such as location, revenues, equipment, and all the other important aspects of starting, running and growing a business, a marketing plan focuses on the different things to be done in order to get the customers in the door, buying what you're selling.
The first thing you need to do is decide what your objectives for marketing are -- do you want to sell, educate, get people to walk in the door? When you have objectives and motivations, then you can start the work of the marketing plan.
There are some very important sections to a plan: you need to know your customer base. Who is going to be the most likely to buy from you? Young, old, male, female? Are they local or is this a wider ranging clientele? Who else is selling the same items (services) and what about their product appeals to their customers? Market research is very important here. You need to know the competition -- their prices, their marketing mix, how do they get their customers in the door?
Then you need to know what advertising venues are going to work the best: TV, radio, yellow pages, etc. What are the things people like the best about your product/service? What do they like least? By knowing this information, you are better able to market to the good parts while working on changing those areas that are not as well appreciated. At the same time, you can create marketing materials that bring to the forefront the best while downplaying the not so good.
Finally, you need to put a budget together so that you have an idea of what to spend and how best to spend it. What are the various costs? What is the most cost-effective? Where do you get the best ROI? When you have those answers, you will know what is the best, most efficient method of advertising.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Work Place Initiative -- A New Organization
Has your business survived the start-up phase? Are you ready to move to the next level? Are you ready to work smarter – not harder – to grow your business? And do you want the support and guidance of people in the same boat as you?
The purpose and mission of the Initiative is to provide effective business growth strategies to small and medium sized businesses through networking, educational forums and peer support. The focus is on owners and managers of businesses that have been in business for more than one year and have reached a level of growth where they need help getting to the next level.
One aspect of the Initiative, Insight, is an Advisory Board -- a group of professionals whose knowledge, skills and/or influence offer input and advice pertaining to a specific goal or objective.
Through the sharing of thoughts and goals with a small group of respected advisors, businesses involved in Insight learn how to put first things first, optimize their capability and widen their circle of influence. They find win/win situations while developing an abundance mentality.
The other part of the Initiative is monthly networking and educational forums where experts in their field present information on topics of interest to small business owners and managers. Areas such as health insurance, marketing, management and more are all envisioned to be on the agenda in the coming months.
MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:
Membership Costs:
Annual -- $75.00
Roundtable Discussions (Insight):
Groups of no more than 6 members gather on a weekly basis to discuss issues of concern to themselves and other members of the group.
Shared Office Space:
Use of The Work Place conference room and computer/printer/Internet access (no rental on room; reduced charges on equipment)
Monthly Networking Meetings:
Provide a business networking environment where members and non-members can meet and greet each other (non-members pay entrance fees).
Access to Member Forums, Blogs and Articles
The purpose and mission of the Initiative is to provide effective business growth strategies to small and medium sized businesses through networking, educational forums and peer support. The focus is on owners and managers of businesses that have been in business for more than one year and have reached a level of growth where they need help getting to the next level.
One aspect of the Initiative, Insight, is an Advisory Board -- a group of professionals whose knowledge, skills and/or influence offer input and advice pertaining to a specific goal or objective.
Through the sharing of thoughts and goals with a small group of respected advisors, businesses involved in Insight learn how to put first things first, optimize their capability and widen their circle of influence. They find win/win situations while developing an abundance mentality.
The other part of the Initiative is monthly networking and educational forums where experts in their field present information on topics of interest to small business owners and managers. Areas such as health insurance, marketing, management and more are all envisioned to be on the agenda in the coming months.
MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:
Membership Costs:
Annual -- $75.00
Roundtable Discussions (Insight):
Groups of no more than 6 members gather on a weekly basis to discuss issues of concern to themselves and other members of the group.
Shared Office Space:
Use of The Work Place conference room and computer/printer/Internet access (no rental on room; reduced charges on equipment)
Monthly Networking Meetings:
Provide a business networking environment where members and non-members can meet and greet each other (non-members pay entrance fees).
Access to Member Forums, Blogs and Articles
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
ARGGGGGG ---
We’ve all been there. Life happens. Things go wrong. But how do we deal with them when they do? A perfect example is my day today. I have a client in Washington, DC (lawyers for that matter) that send me audio files of interviews to transcribe for their monthly magazine – a magazine that goes to thousands of readers around the world. They are never proactive; always waiting until the last minute to get me the file before the deadline. This month, their regular audio/visual tech was out of town doing work for another of his clients and he sent in the “back-up team”. This guy, needless to say, did not know what he was doing, and the production of the file to send me got messed up. Instead of a 40 minute interview, I only got 9 minutes. They tried for three days to get me the right file but it never seemed to get here. Finally, she overnighted me what should have been a CD but when it got here it was a tape. OH NO!!!! I haven’t used tape transcription equipment in two years. And all my gear was packed away in my storage shed.
Off I went to dig through boxes to find my equipment (the tape was supposed to be transcribed and back to DC by tonight). When I finally found it and got it back to my office – guess what! It didn’t work. Something that had worked fine when packed away was not working now. What was I to do? Afterall, it wasn’t my fault that something I should have had to do a week ago was just now getting to me! It was, by all means, the fault of the audio/visual company and the lawyers – right? Well, yes it was but that’s not the right answer. When something goes wrong, and it will, we as business owners need to stand up and take responsibility. Do what we can to make things right, or we’re liable to lose our customers – whether it was our fault or not.
We’re trying to build relationships here with our customers, aren’t we? How do we feel when we buy something and it comes broken? Or we need our phones or our televisions repaired and have to wait a week to get service? We get angry right? And when the person on the other end of the phone says, I’m sorry but we’re really busy right now, that doesn’t help much does it? We don’t want our customers feeling that way about us, that’s for sure.
What we do know is that when you quickly and professionally handle the problem, the customer loyalty will actually improve. First of all, say you’re sorry. Give a sincere apology, immediately, and then work to fix the problem as quickly as you can. Listen to the customer’s concerns and keep them posted as to the progress on the problem’s fix. All of this shows the customer that you really do care about their business and are doing whatever it takes to make it right.
For me, I called my customer. I told her that the tape had arrived but that my old equipment which I don’t use any more was not working. So, knowing that she was under a deadline, I tried to find some way to fix the equipment – no luck. I then ran down to the local discount store and bought a small digital transcriber. I’m in the process of taping the interview onto the small piece of equipment so that I can then download it onto my computer and use my state-of-the-art equipment that we normally use for these projects. She gets her job completed (a little late but still relatively on time) and I get a happy customer who knows that I went the extra mile to help her. You can be this type of business as well.
Off I went to dig through boxes to find my equipment (the tape was supposed to be transcribed and back to DC by tonight). When I finally found it and got it back to my office – guess what! It didn’t work. Something that had worked fine when packed away was not working now. What was I to do? Afterall, it wasn’t my fault that something I should have had to do a week ago was just now getting to me! It was, by all means, the fault of the audio/visual company and the lawyers – right? Well, yes it was but that’s not the right answer. When something goes wrong, and it will, we as business owners need to stand up and take responsibility. Do what we can to make things right, or we’re liable to lose our customers – whether it was our fault or not.
We’re trying to build relationships here with our customers, aren’t we? How do we feel when we buy something and it comes broken? Or we need our phones or our televisions repaired and have to wait a week to get service? We get angry right? And when the person on the other end of the phone says, I’m sorry but we’re really busy right now, that doesn’t help much does it? We don’t want our customers feeling that way about us, that’s for sure.
What we do know is that when you quickly and professionally handle the problem, the customer loyalty will actually improve. First of all, say you’re sorry. Give a sincere apology, immediately, and then work to fix the problem as quickly as you can. Listen to the customer’s concerns and keep them posted as to the progress on the problem’s fix. All of this shows the customer that you really do care about their business and are doing whatever it takes to make it right.
For me, I called my customer. I told her that the tape had arrived but that my old equipment which I don’t use any more was not working. So, knowing that she was under a deadline, I tried to find some way to fix the equipment – no luck. I then ran down to the local discount store and bought a small digital transcriber. I’m in the process of taping the interview onto the small piece of equipment so that I can then download it onto my computer and use my state-of-the-art equipment that we normally use for these projects. She gets her job completed (a little late but still relatively on time) and I get a happy customer who knows that I went the extra mile to help her. You can be this type of business as well.
What are the Real Costs of Virtual Services?
There’s a new kid in town these days – or at least one that’s been away for awhile. When The Work Place first opened, we were considered a Secretarial Support Service. That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it. We do secretarial work for other businesses. Now, we’re called Virtual Assistants (VA). Does that mean that we’re a temp agency? Nope. We do the work in our offices, which frees you – the small business owner – to do the work that you need to do to generate income and to grow your business. The administrative (things like answering emails, calendar scheduling, sending out invoices, writing marketing materials, mailing those materials, updating the customer database, etc.) gets handled efficiently and effectively without you having to worry about how you’re going to get it all done.
Sounds good doesn’t it. Kind of like a genie in a bottle. Just rub it and out we pop; your wish is our command. Hiring a VA has many advantages, particularly for a small business or an individual who is self-employed. Unfortunately, many would-be clients tend to shy away from such services because they don’t understand how they work and don’t understand the pricing value of such a partnership. For example, the VA does the work in his or her own office: not in the employer’s office. Questions like how can I control the work flow? Am I paying for them to sit around, do other people’s work, and take naps? come to the fore. The answer is NO.
First of all, a VA is a business owner, just like you. Their business will not be a success unless your business is a success. They want the same things that you do – for their company to grow and prosper. Thus, they put their whole effort into making your work as accurate and complete as possible. Oftentimes they will be able to even take over some of the more “thinking type” projects that tie you down – once they get to know you and have worked with you regularly.
And because you only pay them for the time that they are doing YOUR work, you save money. You’re not paying benefits, taxes and other compensation. You’re not paying for sick leave, vacation time, breaks and equipment. That is all the responsibility of the VA and frees you from those costs. Think about if for a minute. Say you’re a plumber. How much is your time worth. Do you charge $50, $75, $120 an hour? And when you’re spending time doing that admin work, how much potential income are you losing? Two hours of designing a newsletter (while an important marketing tool) costs you $240 (if you bill out at $120 an hour). Yet, if you were out there fixing a backed up kitchen sink, you could be earning $240. You’ve actually just lost $480. Now, if you had a VA doing that newsletter for you, it might cost you $50. You gain the $240 because you’re out there fixing that sink. And you might gain some new customers who read your newsletter and get a better understanding of what’s involved in remodeling their bathroom (an article you wrote for the newsletter). What’s the value of that?
A VA can be surprisingly affordable when you calculate how much more billable work you can accomplish when you’re not trying to do it all yourself. Give us a call at 269-503-7350 if you’d like more information on how The Work Place can help you free up your time, and add money to your bottom line.
Sounds good doesn’t it. Kind of like a genie in a bottle. Just rub it and out we pop; your wish is our command. Hiring a VA has many advantages, particularly for a small business or an individual who is self-employed. Unfortunately, many would-be clients tend to shy away from such services because they don’t understand how they work and don’t understand the pricing value of such a partnership. For example, the VA does the work in his or her own office: not in the employer’s office. Questions like how can I control the work flow? Am I paying for them to sit around, do other people’s work, and take naps? come to the fore. The answer is NO.
First of all, a VA is a business owner, just like you. Their business will not be a success unless your business is a success. They want the same things that you do – for their company to grow and prosper. Thus, they put their whole effort into making your work as accurate and complete as possible. Oftentimes they will be able to even take over some of the more “thinking type” projects that tie you down – once they get to know you and have worked with you regularly.
And because you only pay them for the time that they are doing YOUR work, you save money. You’re not paying benefits, taxes and other compensation. You’re not paying for sick leave, vacation time, breaks and equipment. That is all the responsibility of the VA and frees you from those costs. Think about if for a minute. Say you’re a plumber. How much is your time worth. Do you charge $50, $75, $120 an hour? And when you’re spending time doing that admin work, how much potential income are you losing? Two hours of designing a newsletter (while an important marketing tool) costs you $240 (if you bill out at $120 an hour). Yet, if you were out there fixing a backed up kitchen sink, you could be earning $240. You’ve actually just lost $480. Now, if you had a VA doing that newsletter for you, it might cost you $50. You gain the $240 because you’re out there fixing that sink. And you might gain some new customers who read your newsletter and get a better understanding of what’s involved in remodeling their bathroom (an article you wrote for the newsletter). What’s the value of that?
A VA can be surprisingly affordable when you calculate how much more billable work you can accomplish when you’re not trying to do it all yourself. Give us a call at 269-503-7350 if you’d like more information on how The Work Place can help you free up your time, and add money to your bottom line.
Out to Lunch
We’re well into the summer months now, with the 4th of July behind us. I don’t know about you but with the sunshine we’ve had lately and the sounds of kids playing in pools and riding their bikes up and down the street, I’m not all that motivated to sit there at my desk typing away. Yet, the work continues, and if I want to make my clients happy (as well as my tummy), I have to put my nose to the grindstone, and my fingers to the keys of my computer.
Summer is generally the time for vacations and a more leisurely lifestyle – we need it after working hard all those dreary months of winter. Yet, we need to keep in mind (at least from a marketing standpoint) that we have to continue to focus on our efforts to do the work and to keep the work coming in our front doors. For the small and homebased businesses especially, it’s really tempting to say, “I think I’ll take the day off today. It’s just too pretty outside to be working.” But, what if your customers are trying to get you? Do they get a voice mail message? A ringing phone that never picks up? Or a darkened door with a closed sign hanging out front? What do you think that customer is going to do then? If they are very loyal they will probably keep trying until they finally reach you – the next day of so. But, if they are like the vast majority of people, they want their work done and they will head straight for the closest competitor.
What then are your choices? Do you have to stay there working away? Can you not ever take a day of vacation? Sure, but there are some simple actions you can take to ensure that the customer will get their needs taken care of quickly and efficiently even while you’re gone. At the very least, if you have walk in traffic, put out a sign that says that you are closed for the day but will reopen the next at a certain time. If your business lends itself to the humorous, put out a “gone fishing” note or something similar. It will give them a chuckle and they will not feel so frustrated by your absence. They may even wish they were out there on the water with you.
There are also some really good alternatives to voice mail. One for instance, is that for relatively little a month, you can have a live answering service that takes care of your customers as if they were their own. In the article What are the real costs of Virtual Services? later in this newsletter, we’ll see how bringing on someone to answer phones (virtually) and do other work for you will actually save you money. By having someone who sounds like they are part of your business taking messages, you get the calls answered (THE NUMBER ONE BENEFIT) as well as someone who can reach you in an emergency, get accurate information and give out details to someone – perhaps somebody new who is looking to hire your company.
The bottom line is that as small businesses ourselves, we know how important it is to be available to our customers when they need us; yet it is a thin line we must walk in order to have time for ourselves as well. By maintaining some elementary precautions such as these above, we are able to show our clients that we are there for them, and that we will be able to do our best because we’ve had some time to rejuvenate ourselves as well.
Have a great summer and enjoy some time with family and friends!
Summer is generally the time for vacations and a more leisurely lifestyle – we need it after working hard all those dreary months of winter. Yet, we need to keep in mind (at least from a marketing standpoint) that we have to continue to focus on our efforts to do the work and to keep the work coming in our front doors. For the small and homebased businesses especially, it’s really tempting to say, “I think I’ll take the day off today. It’s just too pretty outside to be working.” But, what if your customers are trying to get you? Do they get a voice mail message? A ringing phone that never picks up? Or a darkened door with a closed sign hanging out front? What do you think that customer is going to do then? If they are very loyal they will probably keep trying until they finally reach you – the next day of so. But, if they are like the vast majority of people, they want their work done and they will head straight for the closest competitor.
What then are your choices? Do you have to stay there working away? Can you not ever take a day of vacation? Sure, but there are some simple actions you can take to ensure that the customer will get their needs taken care of quickly and efficiently even while you’re gone. At the very least, if you have walk in traffic, put out a sign that says that you are closed for the day but will reopen the next at a certain time. If your business lends itself to the humorous, put out a “gone fishing” note or something similar. It will give them a chuckle and they will not feel so frustrated by your absence. They may even wish they were out there on the water with you.
There are also some really good alternatives to voice mail. One for instance, is that for relatively little a month, you can have a live answering service that takes care of your customers as if they were their own. In the article What are the real costs of Virtual Services? later in this newsletter, we’ll see how bringing on someone to answer phones (virtually) and do other work for you will actually save you money. By having someone who sounds like they are part of your business taking messages, you get the calls answered (THE NUMBER ONE BENEFIT) as well as someone who can reach you in an emergency, get accurate information and give out details to someone – perhaps somebody new who is looking to hire your company.
The bottom line is that as small businesses ourselves, we know how important it is to be available to our customers when they need us; yet it is a thin line we must walk in order to have time for ourselves as well. By maintaining some elementary precautions such as these above, we are able to show our clients that we are there for them, and that we will be able to do our best because we’ve had some time to rejuvenate ourselves as well.
Have a great summer and enjoy some time with family and friends!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Help!!!! Resolutions 2008
The days of 2007 have come to an end — if yours were like mine, the time has flown by and you wonder what happened to the spring, then the summer, and finally fall. Snow is on the ground and the Christmas holidays have come and gone. That, of course, means that it is now time to look ahead to the shiny bright new year where the cycle starts all over again.
For entrepreneurs and small business people that can be a scary thought. “How am I going to get it all done?” you may think. “I want to spend time with my family and friends, but I want to have money to pay my bills and do the things I enjoy doing. And of course that means I have to work.” A few years ago, people were talking about 4 day work weeks and having time for travel and time for relaxation. Now, it seems that we’re working well into the night and through the weekends just to start all over again the next week. There is too much work, not enough time and far too much stress. It all is never ending.
With the coming of the new year, tradition often has us thinking about setting new goals and objectives. We make our New Year’s Resolutions to go on a diet, stop smoking, get more organized, and on and on. For the business person who is the “chief cook and bottle washer” for their company, such resolutions probably contain thoughts like those above with getting more organized being at the top. But how do we do that? We’re faced with streams of e-mails, phones ringing off the hook and paperwork flowing non-stop, not to mention back-to-back meetings. Productivity goes out the window as we sit there and worry about how to get it all done.
But there are ways of helping yourself through this dilemma. And with the new year just around the corner, now’s a great time to put this plan into action. Start by sitting down and setting some goals for yourself. Make it something that you really want to accomplish because the motivation will help see you through. It is much easier to do something when motivated to do it, than when you’re not. Next, create some activity logs and for a week or so, write down exactly what you do and when you do it. How long does it take to complete? What else could you have been doing when you were trying to accomplish this task? Is it an important task that ONLY you can do, or could you delegate it to someone else? When you really take a look at how you spend your time, you can see what you do with your day. Then, once you know how you spend your time, you can create prioritized to-do lists and schedule when and how to complete those tasks.
Finally you need to remember that something like this does not become habit overnight. You must work with these time management tools for at least 30 days for them to set in as regular parts of your work life. But once you start, you won’t regret it. You will find that you have more time for your personal life, while your business life becomes more effective, efficient and productive.
I wish you a happy new year and a busy, successful 2008.
— Nancy Sherman, The Work Place
Business Consultant
For entrepreneurs and small business people that can be a scary thought. “How am I going to get it all done?” you may think. “I want to spend time with my family and friends, but I want to have money to pay my bills and do the things I enjoy doing. And of course that means I have to work.” A few years ago, people were talking about 4 day work weeks and having time for travel and time for relaxation. Now, it seems that we’re working well into the night and through the weekends just to start all over again the next week. There is too much work, not enough time and far too much stress. It all is never ending.
With the coming of the new year, tradition often has us thinking about setting new goals and objectives. We make our New Year’s Resolutions to go on a diet, stop smoking, get more organized, and on and on. For the business person who is the “chief cook and bottle washer” for their company, such resolutions probably contain thoughts like those above with getting more organized being at the top. But how do we do that? We’re faced with streams of e-mails, phones ringing off the hook and paperwork flowing non-stop, not to mention back-to-back meetings. Productivity goes out the window as we sit there and worry about how to get it all done.
But there are ways of helping yourself through this dilemma. And with the new year just around the corner, now’s a great time to put this plan into action. Start by sitting down and setting some goals for yourself. Make it something that you really want to accomplish because the motivation will help see you through. It is much easier to do something when motivated to do it, than when you’re not. Next, create some activity logs and for a week or so, write down exactly what you do and when you do it. How long does it take to complete? What else could you have been doing when you were trying to accomplish this task? Is it an important task that ONLY you can do, or could you delegate it to someone else? When you really take a look at how you spend your time, you can see what you do with your day. Then, once you know how you spend your time, you can create prioritized to-do lists and schedule when and how to complete those tasks.
Finally you need to remember that something like this does not become habit overnight. You must work with these time management tools for at least 30 days for them to set in as regular parts of your work life. But once you start, you won’t regret it. You will find that you have more time for your personal life, while your business life becomes more effective, efficient and productive.
I wish you a happy new year and a busy, successful 2008.
— Nancy Sherman, The Work Place
Business Consultant
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