Emarketing 4 Business

Do people really call from vehicle signage?

2008-11-13T15:02:00.005-06:00

If they can find you! I was driving the other day and I saw a truck that said "Reliable Painting" and it had a phone number on it. By the time I realized what they did, they were too far away from me in traffic and I couldn’t see their phone number. I saw the area code and it was local so when I got home I Googled them but nothing came up by that name. I called them because their truck was clean and the ladders, lettering and everything I saw led me to believe they “looked credible.”

The sad thing was I couldn’t find them when I looked them up online. Nothing about their business came up and they did not have a website, at least not one I could find.

The moral of the story? Make sure your business is findable online. Make it happen!

For more information on why your business may or may not be findable online, read this article too.

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Should I exhibit at a trade show or just attend?

2008-11-01T12:30:00.001-05:00

This is a question that every business owner asks themselves at one time or another. If you have never been to the type of trade show you thinking about exhibiting, then take the time to attend the show you find out the real value in showing. Why? Tradeshows can be an expensive means to advertise and you may be able to attend a show, spend minimal costs to obtain the same amount of exposure. Also, it may be tough to determine your return on investment at first glance.

If the trade show is not local you can safely assume your company will incur these costs:
Travel costs (i.e. Airfare, Car Rental, Gasoline, etc.)
Hotel Expenses
Meals
Parking
Tips
Exhibiting fees including but not limited to:
Booth costs (average 10 x 10 $1,000 or more)
Internet fees
Shipping and freight fees
Electricity
Higher food costs at the event and
Personnel cost because you will need more than one person to staff the booth for breaks, etc.

By attending an event you will meet other attendees who would have been potential visitors to your booth and can interact with them by exchanging business cards and telling them about your business all the while, test the waters in terms of interest.

Typically, there is a designated area to for breaks, take several coffee or soda breaks and sit at tables where people are congregating. Talk with them; ask them how they like the event and what they do. They will undoubtedly ask you what you do and you can test out your product’s offering by discussing it with the groups. Take their input and generate from there solutions to best reach your target audience. Spend as much time as you can meeting and talking to people at this show and stay at a hotel where attendees or exhibitors are and network with as many people as possible.

Lastly, while at the show, talk to exhibitors with similar type products/ services that you offer. Before you tell them that you are contemplating getting a booth next time, casually ask if they are having good luck at the show and if it is prompting sales.

By taking all these steps you can decide if you want to exhibit the next time around with “eyes wide open” to all of the costs and the potential benefits.

Tell us how your visit to the next show goes!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Marketing 101: Don’t blow your shot!

2008-10-11T17:29:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love a good massage? I feel very fortunate I am able to get one of these stress relieving, knot reducing, self indulging acts on a regular basis to ease the pain from all this typing! When you think of massages, marketing typically doesn’t pop into your mind but for many masseuses marketing is a key tool for obtaining a full clientele base.

I have used the same masseuse for many years now, not only out of loyalty but because their services were bar none. More recently, I was approached by a new therapist who heard about my frequent massages. She attempted to sell us on her services raving how her techniques for deep tissue massage were second to none and that is was absolutely necessary we give her a try. Since deep massages are my forte and this therapist seemed to really understand the concept to giving deep sports type massage I thought I would be willing to try out her services.

As the new therapist's luck with have it, my current masseuse needed to change my schedule around, which did not work out for me and so I decided to contact the new therapist. I made several attempts to contact her via phone and email a couple days ago and I still have NOT HEARD FROM HER!

This brings up a very serious question. Why would the new therapist spend an intense amount of time trying to obtain my business and when the opportunity presented itself she completely dropped the ball? The answer remains a mystery but because of her lack of dependability, she blew it. If this is how she is treating me as a potential customer, how will I be treated once she gains my business when she no longer has to work for it? Unfortunately, she will never get the opportunity.

Not only do you never get a second chance to make a first impression, with some customers you'll never get another chance period. Keep this mind when marketing you services and products. Don’t spend the time to obtain potential customers if you don't plan on staying consistent with your business etiquette.

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

What is a PEO?

2008-09-08T13:55:00.000-05:00

A PEO is a Professional Employer Organization. Companies who do not want to manage all of the employee related human resource aspects of running a company, often align themselves with one of these types of companies. A PEO provides a cost-effective alternative to outsource the management of HR, employee benefits, payroll and workers compensation which allows the business owner to focus on their core competencies of running and building their company.

By aligning yourself with a PEO you become a Co-Employer with them. For the most part everything stays the same with this arrangement, you still run the day-to-day management of the company and your people, but your PEO Company makes sure you do it within all of the State and Federal guidelines. They in essence become your in-house consulting firm to consult with to make sure you do everything right with your compliance, administration, procedures and interaction as it relates to your employees.

Another big benefit to aligning yourself with one of these PEO’s is that you can typically offer big Company benefits even though you are a smaller company. How? Because PEO’s usually have hundreds if not thousands of people in their Co-Employment relationships you are able to leverage these big numbers of employees to provide your employees more comprehensive benefits at what are usually lower prices than you could get on your own.

The fees for a PEO are usually a percentage of your payroll. The fees you pay them can sometimes be offset by the savings you might have with workers compensation, payroll administration and benefits cost reductions. Often times companies can compete better for new recruits with more comprehensive benefits and a more coordinated HR process.

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

What is the difference between an email address and a domain name?

2008-08-15T16:02:00.000-05:00

A domain name is the address where a web site typically resides. For example: http://blog.em4b.com is our domain name. If we want to have an email address associated with our domain name we could use questions@blog.em4b.com.

It’s kind of like your physical home address where you live. Your home address is 123 Main Street (Domain name) and your address for mail at your home is John Doe @ 123 Main Street (email address).

Hopefully this is making sense to you. If someone gives you their email address and its: billsmith@smallenginerepair.com most people that want to know about your company will go to their web browser and put in your domain name of www.smallenginerepair.com to see more information about your company. If they want to contact you directly they will use your email address at: billsmith@smallenginerepair.com.

Hopefully all this is starting to make sense to you now. The other most commonly used terms for domain names are: URL, Web Address or Web site address.

It’s best to try and keep your domain name as short as you can and as easy to remember as possible.

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

What should I look out for when turning in a leased vehicle?

2008-07-31T11:27:00.001-05:00

Fees for Termination, Wear and Tear, and Mileage are the biggest things to look for. There are many horror stories of people turning in leased vehicles and the leasing companies, banks or dealerships charging them thousands of dollars for these fees. It seems the definition of “Wear and Tear” is typically not defined until you turn in the vehicle. When you lease a vehicle, you need to have all fees CLEARLY laid out for you IN WRITING before you sign the lease.

Here are some examples of fees to watch out for:

Lease termination fee - This is a fee the leasing company is charging you to “turn in” your vehicle to them. This can range from $250 - $500.

Wear and Tear fee - This is a fee the leasing company can charge for something that is typically not defined when you lease the car. When you prepare to turn it in they will come up with charges for excessive paint chips, dings, scratches, tire tread depth, gouges, worn carpeting, wear in seats and the list goes on! This can get really high, from $500 to over $1,000.

Investigation fees – These are fees they try to charge you to further investigate things like engine components, pulleys, belts, drive train, etc. Often the leasing company will try to charge you a flat fee to “check” these items and waive any additional fees if they find things. This fee is usually $250 - $500. Or they may try to “investigate further” to find other things. Refer to what you signed in your lease contract.

Mileage fees - These fees are assessed when you exceed the mileage you have contracted for. If you have an allowance of 12,000 miles per year and you have a 3-year lease, you have 36,000 miles. If you turn the vehicle in with 50,000 miles, you will be charged typically between .10 and .25 cents per additional mile. If you went over by 14,000 miles, this fee would be from $1,400 - $3,500 depending on the per mile charge.

Gap fees – This is the gap (the difference) between what your insurance company will pay if your vehicle gets stolen or totaled in an accident and what you still owe on the lease at the time of the loss. For example: If your vehicle is stolen half way through your lease and the insurance company will only pay $18,000.00 and your lease payoff amount in your contract is $22,500.00, you would have to pay the difference between what the insurance company will pay and what you pay the leasing company. This is the Gap fee.

How can you minimize these charges?

1) Clean up the vehicle before you turn it in.
2) Typically the leasing company will call you for a vehicle inspection before you turn it in. Get everything in writing.
3) Pull out the paperwork you signed when you took out the lease. Were you told any of this before you signed the papers? Did they give you examples of what the charges might be and did they go into this level of detail when you signed the paperwork? If not, why are they doing it now, after the fact? You will need to ask them to justify, from your contract, whatever items they are trying to get you to pay for now.

Be careful when leasing cars. Contracts are changing and leasing companies are looking for opportunities to charge fees on the back end of your contract. What seemed like lower payments during your lease term can end up haunting you when you turn the vehicle in, so be careful! If possible and if it makes fiscal sense (especially given all the fees above), purchasing your next vehicle might be the better way to go.

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

How much money should I spend on office supplies to set up my home office?

2008-06-09T17:24:00.002-05:00

As little as possible! Too many people go crazy trying to set up their home office to be perfect, to have all the gadgets, new furniture, computers and all kinds of other things. Get what you need to function to start and AFTER you start making money you can think about getting more. Get focused on marketing your new business, tell everyone you know about your new company and try to get referrals. Get your business cards out to people and keep your website up to date.

Start making money with your new business before you start making additional investments in office equipment you don't need yet. Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

How do I get on a No Call list?

2008-05-28T16:17:00.002-05:00

The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint on the Do Not Call Website. You can register your home or mobile phone for free. Here is the link: https://www.donotcall.gov/

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Adding up other people’s money…

2008-05-20T13:58:00.000-05:00

Everybody does it. You know what I’m talking about…..You’re sitting in a restaurant and you start adding up how much your bill will be and then you divide it by the number of people in your party and then you multiply by the number of people in the room. But you’re not done yet, now you figure out how many “turns” of the tables there will be that night, maybe 2 or 3 and then you’ve figured it all out, you know how much the owners made. There is some small talk and then everyone at your table thinks about how glamorous it would be to open your own restaurant and make all that money. Don’t take that thought too far!

You did figure out what the restaurant brought in (gross), but not what they made (net). There is a big difference between the two.

Look at your own small business, what percentage of your gross is going to pay your expenses? If you look at restaurants more than 50% of their cost is typically food and drink and put in another 40% or so for employees and when you add rent, utilities plus some other expenses you don’t have a whole lot left over.

The grass isn’t always as green as your quick calculations would have you think! It’s fun to play with numbers but make sure you focus on growing your revenues and keeping your expenses under control while calculating how much YOUR business makes. Make it happen!
© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Will a slowing economy hurt my business?

2008-05-12T13:29:00.001-05:00

Assume that it might. By assuming that it might hurt your business you’ll do things differently, spend differently and pay attention differently. Start out by looking at all your expenses.

• How many of them are absolutely necessary and bring you a return? Make sure the expense is something you need, something that helps you do more business.

• Can you reduce expenses in any area? Do you really need all those post-its or could you get by with stapling a note to something? Every little bit helps and as you start to look around for ways to save, you’ll find them!

• Can you put off buying any new equipment? If you’ve got an old printer that works fine, keep it. If your computer still works well, than there’s no reason to get a new one just because your current one is a couple years old. Save the money clean up the old computer, eliminate old programs and defrag if you haven’t done it in a long time.

• If your business has slowed down you may have to look at reducing staff. This is the one that nobody likes to think about but if your business is down and you can’t seem to raise it back up, something’s gotta give. Keeping a person too long when you can’t justify the expense can end up costing you more than your piece of mind and your pride, it might cost you your business.

By taking a closer look at your business “in case” it is affected by the economy, your proactiveness might minimize the effects of a business slow down. We know the economy goes through cycles and if you are prepared for a bit of slowdown, all the things you are doing now to reduce expenses and make your company more efficient will compound your success when the economy bounces back. Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

How do I handle stupid customers?

2008-05-02T13:17:00.002-05:00

I hear people say that indirectly in many ways….."That person that just called was so dumb", or "WOW, what an idiot", or "I can't believe they don't understand what we're doing", or ... and the list goes on, you know what I'm talking about. Every time I hear people say that or complain about customers I have to wonder "does this company really run right, do they get it?"

Let's say a customer calls and says they don't know how to do something on your web site. The easy thing to do is just say that customer is a "dummy" and they just don't understand. The smart thing to do is to go to your web site and try to do what they just tried to do. See what may have tripped them up or caused them to pause or caused them to hit the wrong button.

When you do this, chances are you might just find what that "dummy" was saying was really happening and the input they gave you, the call they made will actually save you money in the long run. Look at the call as favor and quite possibly a wakeup call to get you off of autopilot and get you back engaged in the marketing and purchasing of your products or services.

Keep in mind insurance policies and other public information that people really want people to understand is written at an 8th grade level. I can't tell you how many times I see people use words in their marketing or the directions for buying or describing things that people just don't understand. That's either going to cause them to call you or leave without buying.

Do you want the call or a lost sale? For sure the goal is to get a sale without a call, but I'll take the call over a lost sale a million times a year! The next time you or someone at your place of business labels a customer question or call as stupid or dumb, take a minute and look for the "smartness" of the information they are telling you with their questions. When you start to look at your customer calls with this mindset, you'll not only get fewer calls but you'll get more sales! Make it happen!
© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Should I try to get an intern for my job opening or hire an employee?

2008-04-24T09:46:00.005-05:00

That depends, how long does the position need to be filled for? If you bring on an intern you may still have to pay them so it really depends on how long the position will be open. If the position is permanent rather than part time, you might want to try to find a part time person who wants to work part time and plan on keeping them in that position on a permanent basis.

The biggest challenge with bringing on interns when you have a permanent part time position you are try to fill is you will have to train each new intern you bring aboard. Most interns are trying to get different types of job experience so they won’t plan on staying with your company too long, they want to get that experience, master it, and then move on to another company for different experiences.

The permanent part time worker is not interested in working full time so your goals in this case probably align better.

Either way you go, be sure you are up front with the people so they know exactly what your plans are for the position. You might also find the article “How do I get an intern for my business?” to be helpful too.

Are you being realistic?

2008-04-15T16:54:00.001-05:00

People say it all the time; “Come on, be realistic.” Whose reality are we talking about anyway? I’ve found over the years that the people who say things like “you aren’t being realistic” are usually people who aren’t doers. Nine times out of ten they are talkers. The people who don’t set goals, who don’t write anything down and don’t step outside of their little boundaries they have set for themselves.

Hey, I’m not knocking people that live that way, if it works for them more power to them, but don’t push your lack of stepping outside your comfort zone on me or other champions out there working hard to make things happen just because you don’t see our actions necessary!

That being said, you must ask yourself every now and then; am I being realistic? The best way to check yourself on this is to take a look at the last 3 or 4 goals you set, you know the ones, where others may have said were unrealistic and ask yourself, did I hit them? Were they realistic? If they were, keep setting those stretch goals and keep hitting them!

If they weren’t, you’ll want to make some adjustments. That doesn’t mean you stop setting tougher goals, it just means you may need to adjust them so they are more reachable. Believe me, if you’re setting goals and hitting them you’re building a goal achievement muscle that not many other people have. People that think your goals are unrealistic probably don’t even know there is actually a goal setting muscle to develop! Many times people don’t want you setting and achieving goals because it makes them feel guilty that they don’t do it.

Don’t stop! Keep setting goals and achieving them even if it means being “unrealistic” in the eyes of some people. It’s that kind of goal setting and dreaming that will keep you moving forward and enjoying the journey more! Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Should I hire friends or family members to work for me?

2008-04-10T16:58:00.000-05:00

As a matter of practice, no. There are special circumstances sometimes, usually tied to confidentially or trust regarding sensitive issues or it may be a family business. If you must do it, lay things out in writing and be very clear about expectations, responsibilities, accountability, work hours, compensation, results and the time period for the job. Whether you’re sure about bringing on a family member or not, do it on a part time basis for a specified period of time and DO IT IN WRITING and both of you sign it.

If you have it in writing and you want to extend the time, you can. If you don’t put it in writing it’s going to be tough to let that person go. Even the second time around put everything in writing and do it for a specified period of time again. If it worked the first time in writing why mess with a good thing!

Keep in mind if you have job openings and you hire one friend or family member you’ll run the risk of others asking “why can’t you hire me, you hired Billy/Suzie?” That’s why it’s best to keep family personal and hire other people to work at your business. If you’re going to do it, put it in writing and make for a specified period of time! Either way you go, make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Do I need to send out thank you cards?

2008-04-04T11:47:00.005-05:00

This one is more about personal preference than anything else. Some people I know will swear by them and they send out a thank you card with each sale. Other business professionals will send out thank you emails versus cards.

If your business sends email receipts/invoices to your customers then take this time to say thank you. Not only with this will save on postage but it will eliminate the extra step of sending out an actual thank you card.

If you feel compelled to send them out something in the future, send a birthday note, reorder reminder or holiday card. Whatever you decide to do, keep consistent. Make it happen!

Should I run an ad in the newspaper for a new employee?

2008-03-26T13:34:00.001-05:00

That depends, what type of position you are trying to fill? If the position is for an employee that will not have to be internet savvy, then the answer is yes. If you’re looking for a person that will be using the internet for communication in their position you should advertise the position online.

Looking for new employees is just like looking for new customers. Get into the mindset of prospect employees and post positions where they are most likely to look. For an online service like Careerbuilder.com or Monster.com you should plan on spending between $300 & $500. These two employment websites give you a better opportunity to provide a detailed description and overview for your positions. If you decide to post in a newspaper ad, you’ll be looking at less dollars but less space to talk about your position. If you place your ad online plan on putting an email address so people can email you. If you go with an ad in the newspaper be ready to answer the phone, because the people will be calling you.

Whichever way you go, be as descriptive as possible with your position and be ready to communicate with people about your available position right away. Don’t delay in getting back to people, the best ones go fast! Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Always get the door.

2008-03-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

I don’t know about you but I’m the type of person who holds the door open for people, takes the extra second to let people in the elevator, and helps people with store their bags on airplanes. If this doesn’t sound like you, try putting yourself in check and becoming more “neighborly” with people. If not for any other reason, you should do it because the next door you hold open may be for the person you are attempting to do business with.

Recently, I was walking into large office building about 8 floors high, and stopped to hold the door for the person behind me. They were struggling to carry an armload of files, so I stood patiently holding the door open for what felt like an eternity (but probably no more than 30 seconds), because they looked like they were having a rough time and I was running early for my meeting. As they walked through the door I offered them a hand, but they replied they could manage and continued on their way.

Once, I reached my meeting there was a brief conference the clients I was aiming to work with requested I meet their CEO. As he entered the room, he looked vaguely familiar and I recognized him as the gentleman I held the door open for early that day. Case in point? Always get the door! Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

I feel like I’ve known you my whole life…

2008-03-11T22:04:00.001-05:00

Ever had someone say that to you? I have, and the last time it happened I was on a two hour flight with someone I didn’t know. I felt like talking and the person seemed interesting enough. The more I talked to them the more interesting I found them…so I just kept asking questions. Questions about where they were from, what they did for work, family, hobbies, relationships, home, vacations and a few other topics.

I found myself digging a little deeper on each topic and asking “interested type” questions. Mostly because I was interested, it was almost like I was writing a book about that person and the more I asked the more they unfolded and the more interested I became. When we got off the plane I said “I enjoyed talking to you and getting to know you, have a great week” and they said “It seems like I’ve known you my whole life.”

When I told my ride about that conversation they said; why do you think they felt that way and I said I know why. Because I have known them their whole life and the reason is….we only talked about them and their life, nothing about me. I was asking them questions and talking to them about things that they were totally comfortable with, things that they knew everything about, things they knew all the answers too. I focused on them and talking about them, not me.

What’s the point of the story? If you want people to feel comfortable with you, start out talking about them, not yourself. If they ask you about you later on that’s fine but don’t lead with you. People do business with people they feel comfortable with, people that they feel like they know. Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Do you need to train people on how to answer the phone?

2008-03-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

Yes and put it in writing. You want to create a phone presentation on exactly how you want your phones answered, your customers spoken to and how to end a phone call. Sounds simple right? Then do it. It shouldn’t matter if it’s your spouse or an employee at your company answering the phone; write down exactly how you would like it done.

Here’s an example for you: (phone rings and person answers) “eMarketing 4 Business….” Was this sufficient? No it wasn’t because it doesn’t give a name or ask how you can help someone. People are calling you because they want information about buying your products or services, customer assistance, or they want to speak to another employee. Knowing this, the best way to answer the phone would be to let the caller know who they are speaking to and recognizing they may need assistance. How about: “eMarketing 4 Business, this is Randy, How can I help you today?”

Answering this way takes little effort and makes people feel at ease when they call in. To get consistent behavior and results you must have a consistent service plan in your company, so write down how you want it done. That takes all the guesswork out of it and now you have a standard in which you can hold people accountable for. Try putting things in writing more and you will surprise yourself with the results you’ll get. Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Should I accept credit cards at my business?

2008-03-03T09:06:00.000-06:00

It’s always a good idea to provide prospective and existing customers with as many ways to pay you as possible. Accepting credit cards is a good way to accomplish this. There are many instances where it would be more convenient for a customer to pay you by credit card rather than sending a check, meaning you get paid faster. Before you run off and start accepting credit cards you’ll need to make sure you have a couple percent of your revenue to pay for this convenience.

Credit card companies usually charge between 2 – 4 percent of the total amount charged on the card as a service fee to process the transaction and deposit the money into your account. It is not unusual to also have a per-transaction fee as well. In addition many processing companies have minimum fees if your calculated fees do not exceed a certain amount each month. There may also be equipment rental costs if you need a machine to swipe credit cards at your business location. Be sure all of fees and charges are laid out in writing before you sign on the dotted line with a credit card processing company.

Lastly, since people can dispute and potentially decline credit card charges, it is a good idea to make sure your credit card terms and conditions are clear and are available to your customers. Giving customers several ways to pay is a good idea for most businesses but that’s the great thing about having your own business…You get to decide!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

How to shorten the cab line in Vegas?

2008-02-25T16:19:00.001-06:00

I just flew into Vegas and although someone picked me up, I know of a way to get in a cab faster on busy nights. All you do is go down to baggage claim and when you see one of the sky caps walking around asking people if they want help with their bags, wave one of them over. Even if you only have a small bag, once they come over ask them if they can get you in a “shorter cab line.”
When they say yes, ask them if $10 will cover it? If you have more that one person and a couple of bags it probably won’t be enough. Don’t be surprised if it takes a $20 to do it, especially on a busy night. Believe me on a busy night it’s worth it! Enjoy your trip!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Should I get a MySpace page for my company?

2008-02-22T20:41:00.002-06:00

For most businesses the answer is no. If you’re target market and current customers are all under 30 it may be a good idea but chances are most businesses will not benefit from a MySpace page.

Why not? If your business creates a MySpace page, most likely you are doing this to expose your products & services to the public and eventually obtain new customers. To generate interest in your site you’ll need to invite people to be your “friends”. As you invite people to be a part of your page any searches for your company will now start to appear with the “quotes or notes” that your new friends have left on your site.

Imagine someone searching out your company online, they enter “ACME Pluming Supply Denver, CO” and here is what comes up:

· “Acme plumbing supply…..Me and Suzy wanna party and we like staying up all night long texting our friends in Amarillo.”

· “Acme plumbing …..Party at Pure Saturday night and bring all the fine women you can find!!!!

You get the picture. When you have a MySpace page the crawlers from search engines pick up your company name and you have no control what else they pick up with it. Be very clear who your audience is and who you are trying to get as customers before you decide to get a MySpace page. Whichever way you decide to go, Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Do you take responsibility for the service your company provides?

2008-02-19T09:17:00.001-06:00

We’ve all had it happen; your airline seat has changed from the original you booked without any logical reason, so you question the people behind the counter. Their response is that they can’t do anything and you’ll have to check at the gate, unfortunately their hands are tied. You proceed to the gate and now those people are saying they can’t make a change because it is “beyond their control.” Every now and then you’ll get an employee that says “Sure I can take care of that, there is no reason that should have happened to you”.

The funny thing is you’re so happy someone is finally helping you that you forgot how poor the service was with the other two reps, this occurrence is called contrast. Initially, the customer service was so bad that when you finally received decent service (that you should have received from the beginning) it seemed superior. But it really wasn’t…

How is the service at your company? Is it just average or is it something you would like to receive and feel comfortable paying money for? Have you ever made an excuse for the service your company provided? If so, nobody wants to hear it, just like you don’t want to hear it when you get poor service.
Step up and provide service through your company that you would want to receive, not settle for. Service separates the successful company’s and the excuse makers. Excuse makers that offer poor service eventually go out of business.

We all know companies that give great service that we continue to support, and refer to our personal contacts, because of this, these companies will experience continued success. Be one of those companies and strive for excellent service. Make it happen!

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Should I join a networking group?

2008-02-15T16:52:00.003-06:00

Networking is a vital activity for all businesses. Becoming a member in a networking group is a great way to expose your company to the public and other business advocates. The organizations available have standards and procedures in place that will assist you in becoming successful. With that said, each organization is tailored in its direction and not all may be great fits for you. But how do you know which ones are best to join? You’ll have to get proactive.

The only way to get an accurate sense is to attend different networking groups and base your decision off of these ‘trial meetings’. While you are there, talk to the members. It doesn’t cost anything to ask questions so start up conversations with multiple individuals. Try to get business cards from people you didn’t get a chance to speak with and give them a call later on that week.

Before you call, create an outline of questions that are important to you because like you, these individuals are busy and you don’t want to waste too much of their time. Here are some good sample questions to start off with:

What do you like best about the meetings?
What do you like least?
What kind of advice would you give a new person like me that is joining the group?
What’s the biggest benefit of being a member of the group from your perspective?
Are there other groups you think might be a good idea for me in my business?
How would I go about exchanging referrals with someone like you in the group?

After speaking with other members it will easier to decide if that group is good fit and positive use of your time. Talk to at least 5 people from the group before you decide to participate. If you decide to join one, participate fully. Step up or step aside. Make it happen!

How are you personally performing in your company, really?

2008-02-11T15:22:00.001-06:00

Judging and reflecting on your own personal performance is the hardest job of being an entrepreneur. It’s easy to criticize others’ performance but what your own? Are you really doing everything you can to grow your company or do you find yourself “thinking” about doing more?

Try this exercise, point your finger straight out like you are pointing at someone, now count how many fingers are pointing forward? Your index finger and your thumb, right? Now stop and look where your other three fingers are pointing? Yes, at you. So, one or two are pointing towards others, but the majority of them are pointing right back at you! I know, I know, you’re starting to get cranky because there are more fingers pointing back at you than at others.

In a normal eight hour day there are about 480 minutes (8 hours x 60 minutes) of working time. Most entrepreneurs that are starting to build their company work closer to 10 or 12 hours or 600 to 720 minutes per day. How much work are you really getting done in that time? Could you be doing more? Will you do more?

If you were work at an 80% efficiency rate, you can still accomplish a great deal each day. If you were making calls and each call took 5 minutes, you could make 12 calls an hour or approximately 100 calls in an 8 hour work period. Breaking it down to a simpler level lets you see just how much you can get done each day.

Now, think about getting paid by the minute instead of the hour. Do you think someone would take 35 cents a minute over $15 an hour? If they did they would end up making $43,680 a year instead of $31,200. If you had a goal of making a $1.00 per minute you would make $124,800 a year for a normal 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and 52 weeks a year.

Value your time and your results by the minute instead of the hour and start adding real value to your business and your income! Make it happen!

Click here to read a great article about efficiency ratings for employees and yourself.

© 2008 eMarketing 4 Business LLC