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
Thursday, September 25, 2008
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
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