Should Small Business Owners Call or Email Their Customers and Prospects?
October 23, 2008
Getting through the maze of choices on a big company’s phone system can be aggravating. Sometimes you keep going in circles without an opportunity to speak to a human being.
Small business people can have a problem handling phones during busy business hours, too. But, for small business owners, the initial telephone contact can be crucial to making a sale.
Customers and prospects usually don’t call to chat. They want information and they want it now. They want to speak with someone who can help them. If the person who “just answers the phone” is the lowest-paid, least knowledgeable person in the building, customers can get frustrated.
One idea for small businesses: Put your best people on the phone and if necessary, share the duty. If that is impossible, then the receptionist should know the company terrain and staff and should not seem rushed or upset on the phone.
I often find it to be more effient to communicate with customers via email. Will email and Twitter replace phone calls in the future? Is Microblogging the future of communications?
Working Anywhere and Everywhere
October 21, 2008
Digital nomad is not a title or a profession. It represents the mindset and lifestyle of people who have chosen or allowed to break free from a cubicle and make their living working anywhere and everywhere. New technologies enable us to do so. One of my recurring nightmares now and then is a dream where I find myself working in a gray cubicle covered
with yellow sticky notes, eight pairs of eyes looking at me all at once. This dream motivates me to get back on my laptop and learn new software in addition to developing multitude of other new skills. Wikipedia states that “traditional nomadic behavior is increasingly rare in industrialized countries.” Times are changing partially driven by corporate economies
of scale and societal circumstances. I see this trend from cubicle to home based work expand in the future across national economies both in developed and emerging markets.
Read more about Digital Nomads on digitalnomads.com.
Do You Have “The Knack?” – Question To Small Business Owners
October 6, 2008
The Duct Tape Marketing Coaching Excellence Series featured Brodsky and Burlingham today.
Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham, two of Inc. magazine’s popular columnists, talked about their book “The Knack”. Their advice mixes common sense, street smarts and pragmatism. Here are some points to remember:
- Life plan should be in sync with your business plan. Be flexible enough to make changes if necessary.
- Have a set of long and short term goals for yourself and your business.
- Numbers run a business – get a handle on your finances. Understand why gross margin matters.
- Keep in mind – sale does not occur until you collect the money.
- Short term assets should always exceed short term liabilities.
- No friends in business – make decisions that are best for your business. Take emotion out of decision making process. This does not mean that you don’t care about the people you work with.
- Treat true competitors with respect. You get nowhere by badmouthing them.
- Explain why you are better/different without putting your competitors down.
- Culture drives a company. We don’t necessarily start out with a written statement that sets our company culture.
- CEO should take responsibility for your company culture, otherwise you may end up having several different cultures. Company culture is company’s soul.
- Don’t be wasteful. Have enough cash on hand to get your company through hard times.
Where Can I Get Web 2.0 for My Small Business?
October 6, 2008
Several small business owners have asked this question. Well, sometimes it’s hard to respond.
For me Web 2.0 is a mindset or a philosophy. It is a way of creating dialogs with your audiences via the world wide web. Everyone participating becomes a contributor. Finally there is a level playing field for like-minded individuals. Small business owners, hockey moms, pet lovers, etc. can become thought leaders and create their own communities if they have passion for a certain topic or field and they are willing and able to share their interest and knowledge.
We don’t have time for this knowledge sharing stuff and online networking some small business owners say. Could I just put up my website and update it once or twice a year? Yes, you can. But you may miss out.
Web 2.0 has opened new avenues for keeping up with global connections as well. I have been able to re-connect with people in different countries via social networking tools. It is amazing – they can get glimpse of my life and accomplishments by looking at my profile and I can see what they have been up to. I can see their current photographs and family life…and avoid asking embarrassing questions.
Will One Minute Treatment Help You Become A Smarter Entrepreneur?
October 2, 2008
Ken Blanchard, author of the famous One Minute Manager, got support from Don Hutson and Ethan Willis to create his book, The One Minute Entrepreneur.
Most people who start a small business fail within 10 years, say the authors. Readers find a simple map to success. Some advice is short and to-the-point, and some common sense advice they share you’ve heard before, but it still works.
The authors describe 20 key attributes of a successful entrepreneur. I find the following five they have included to be essential.
Resourceful – In my experience successful entrepreneurs find ways to get through difficult times, constantly learn new skills and improve their self-reliance. They practice patience and come up with new ways to open doors that have been slammed shut in their face.
Visionary – Vision-inspired focused small business owners WILL find success. They don’t get discouraged by numbers and inspire people around them.
Optimistic – Future may not seem so bright for some small business owners right now, but they have to show up and motivate others.
Strategic -Clarity of direction will lead to smart decisions, learning to let go and working smart.
Team oriented – That’s how smart entrepreneurs earn the commitment of their people and the loyalty of their customers. Successful leaders always help other people grow.
The goal of writing this book must have been helping people discover their entrepreneurial strengths. Entrepreneurs must learn to commit to success one step at a time.
The One Minute Entrepreneur: The Secret to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business, Currency/Doubleday, 139 pages.
