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Archive for July, 2010

Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow – Or So They Say

July 28th, 2010

Maria Helm

“Do what you love and the money will follow.” ~ Marsha Sinetar

I love the optimism of this quotation, and for the most part, I believe it’s true. If you’ve not read Marsha Sinetar’s book (by the same title), she can make a believer out of you as well. Her book is a practical and inspirational primer on getting your passion to pay off.

Marsha Sinetar is not the first to advise us along these lines. One of Buddha’s main steps for achieving enlightenment, for example, is discovering your right livelihood. And at the other end of the spectrum, John D. Rockefeller believed that the power to make money was a gift from God, which is simply another way of saying, “Do what you love and the money will follow.”

But still we ask: Does it really?

Yes. But not the way you’re used to getting it. First, unless you win the lottery, the money usually doesn’t come all at once, especially in the beginning. Second, the money will come from unexpected sources. But it will come and here’s why. When you start following your true path and passion, you’re finally using your talents and skills that are more natural to you. Imagine doing something that is forced and unenjoyable. Do you think you’ll put your best efforts into it? Trust me, doing what you love does eventually lead to the ATM. But you might have a few detours before you get there.

Posted in Motivation

Tags: Attitude, Do what you love, Money

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Valuable Gifts for New Entrepreneurs, Part 2

July 20th, 2010

Maria Helm

I posted Valuable Gifts For New Entrepreneurs just before the holidays last year. Well, I’m posting a Part 2, just in case you’re already thinking of starting your holiday list early. I know, we’re in the middle of summer and Christmas is not exactly what we think of especially if it’s 103 degrees outside. But, hey, you don’t have to wait for the holidays to give someone special who just started his/her small biz. Here are more ideas on what to give a new entrepreneur:

1. Pocket HD Camcorder

Pocket HD, USB-enabled video cameras are at the top of a lot of people’s lists. Some uses for them are video blogging, recording presentations or simply adding some personality to your website by addressing things on camera rather than text. Whatever it’s for, no entrepreneur should be without one to capture all of the fun, excitement and ideas that happen daily. There are a bunch of options these days. Flip Video basically invented the under $200 video camera, and of the five versions now offered, the original Flip Ultra (affiliate link) is still my favorite, thanks to its low price, intuitive controls, and easy uploading.

2. Air Card

Not a must but still a fun gift. They work great and it’s not something a bootstrapping entrepreneur will probably invest in on their own so that makes it a really cool gift.

Posted in Motivation

Tags: Gifts for entrepreneur, holidays, small biz gifts

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7 Tips for Exceptional Customer Service

July 14th, 2010

Maria Helm

In the business world, good customer service often isn’t good enough anymore. Customers are becoming increasingly disenchanted with the merely adequate. For them, exceptional service is the rule. Anything less, and they’re happy to vote with their feet and their wallets. That makes exceptional service necessary, not just desirable. And that, in turn, mandates a strategy to help ensure that your business matches that standout service standard on a daily basis.

Here are seven ideas and tips to help your business establish and maintain an ongoing climate of service excellence.

1. Know what exceptional really means.

It’s an easy term to toss about, but knowing what exceptional service entails is essential to establishing the procedures and the mindset with which to achieve it. So, delineate what exceptional means — keeping appointments on time or making certain that telephone service reps always say “please” and “thank you”? By knowing precisely what is merely good enough — and what takes your business beyond that — you get a firm handle on what you need to do to hit that goal on a consistent basis.

2. Ask if you’re not sure.

Many companies may find it understandably difficult to genuinely pinpoint what exceptional service really entails. So, do some legwork. Conduct focus groups with customers to see what they really value. Ask your complaint department, if you have one, to identify topics that are frequent targets of dissatisfaction. Often, you may find exceptional translates to a holistic grouping of issues, not just one product or service. “Often, being extraordinary means offering someone a truly exceptional experience,” says Dr. Noelle Nelson, author of “The Power of Appreciation in Business.” “The quality of something may be good, but it’s the overall experience that will really define customer loyalty.”

Posted in Customer Service

Tags: Customer Service, Customers, Exceptional Customer Service, Exceptional Service

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5 Steps to Convert Contacts Into Contracts

July 6th, 2010

Maria Helm

Following is a list of tips to help you, fellow entrepreneurs, best position your company to landing contracts and growing your business.

1. Understand the company’s needs or pain point so you can ease, if not eliminate, their pain. So, who likes pain? No one. Find out a company’s pain points externally through researching via the Internet, news articles, trends within the industry, and government or industry mandates. Internally, you may want to have multiple contacts inside the organization because if you’re connecting with someone in the IT department, for example, you may find out that a pain point is in technology – a need that you can provide as a service. Through your external and internal research there may be something of value that you can offer to that particular client through innovation or cost-saving mechanism. Make sure to include that information in your request for proposal (RFP) process.

2. Sell the value of your company to the appropriate audiences you are approaching. As an entrepreneur, you’re always selling your products and services through phone conversations, Websites, e-mails, social media and marketing materials, but it’s key to know your audience. Know that your pitch to a law firm will be different from your pitch to a fashion boutique owner. If you are selling to different audiences within the organization, the same rule applies. If you’re talking to someone in the Purchasing Department, understand the key objective of any purchasing group – to save the company money. Sell the value of how your company’s product and services can help save the company’s bottom line.

Posted in Marketing, Sales

Tags: brand, contacts to contracts, Entrepreneurs, landing contracts, pain points

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