How are you personally performing in your company, really?

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.

© 2011 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Getting business cards and developing relationships

You already know how important it is to have your own business cards handy at all times. Now that you have your own small business, you want to network with as many people as possible, so get as many peoples' business cards as you can. When you get these business cards, you'll want to utilize them in a way that is more than just filling your pocket. Don’t let them go into a desk drawer and sit for a month.

After you meet the person and get their card, give them a call to spark both your interests and prove your ability to communicate. If you get a hold of them great; if not, send them an email to make sure they see your interest. Then, the most effective way to spark a relationship is to do another follow-up call. Tip: be sure to keep track of these business cards in another place. Create a working document that stores all of these contacts. Business cards are easy to lose, and you want to be able to look at all of your contacts at once. Keep your contacts organized!

You want to network with potential clients and partners on a regular basis, so they see that you will be available when they want your services. Put yourself in the shoes of the person you are calling. Wouldn’t you like to see that they are attentive to your needs and interests? Of course you would, and subsequently you are interested in doing business with them. Make other businesses want to do business with you. Get their business card, give them a call. It is that easy. If the relationship doesn’t work out, you've only spent a few hours of your day trying to make it work. Even if it doesn’t work, you have made an impression and they will remember your name and company for a possible referral. You never want to miss out on a partner or client that will help to drive more business.

© 2011 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Do you take responsibility for the service your company provides?

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!

© 2010 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

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

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.

© 2010 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Should I join a networking group?

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!

© 2010 eMarketing 4 Business LLC