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Monday Morning Motivators – February 26, 2007
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Espresso business tips are designed to "caffeinate" your mind while your java gets you going. Subscribing and Unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com
“Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.”
--George Washington
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Table of Contents
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1. Don’t forget: Profit = Price – Cost – Linda Fayerweather
2. Two Quick Survey Tips - Rebecca Booth
3. Leads vs. Referrals - John Meyer
4. To do this Week
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1. Don’t forget: Profit = Price – Cost
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Some business math is pretty simple. Sell your product or service for more than all your costs and you should be profitable. It really is that simple and surprisingly many small businesses forget to monitor their profitability regularly. Both Price and Cost can creep. Price can be eroded by frequent discounts to the point some customers will only purchase with a coupon - think pizza. Costs have a tendency to climb over time and sometimes the vendor counts on you not questioning the subtle increases – think communication costs. Reviewing your profit position monthly will help keep the creeps out of your business.
Copyright 2007 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
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2. Two Quick Survey Tips
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Asking your clients to take a survey about your work is a wonderful way to improve your business. Here are two tips to keep in mind when writing your next survey:
• Limit the number of fill-in questions. You’ll increase your response if these are left to a minimum – two at the most. Remember you are asking this person to do you a favor by responding, so keep the survey short, simple and to the point.
• When surveying about a product or service, ask the respondent what they liked most about the product or service. This will help you discover the true advantages of what you sell.
Copyright 2007 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com
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3. Leads vs. Referrals
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One of the main concepts we try to convey to our members in BNI is the difference between Leads and Referrals. Leads are more like tips. A lead is passing along information to someone in your networking group for someone you may be doing business with, but you never pass your fellow networkers name to that person. You just say "use my name when you call". A lead tends to be more like a cold call for both parties. A referral is when you make the initial contact and then you tell your fellow networker that your customer is expecting their call. Referrals are a win/win/win situation. You win for referring business and helping your customer as well. Your customer wins because you personally recommended someone to help with their problem. Your fellow networker wins because you have opened the door for them to your customer. It's not a guaranteed sale, but at least they are in the door. What would you rather receive?
Copyright 2007 John R. Meyer
District Director, BNI Ohio
http://www.bni-ohio.com
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4. To Do This Week
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Review your phone service for cost creep.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
Deserved Tolerations
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Monday Morning Motivators – February 12, 2007
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Espresso business tips are designed to "caffeinate" your mind while your java gets you going. Subscribing and Unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com
“What you permit, you promote”
-Liz Jazwick
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Table of Contents
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1. Deserved Tolerations – Linda Fayerweather
2. To Blog or Not to Blog That is the Question - Rebecca Booth
3. How Well Do You Know Your Contacts
- John Meyer
4. Fine Print
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1. Deserved Tolerations
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In the workplace, we deserve what we tolerate. If our employees don’t wear their safety glasses (management tolerates non-compliance) then when an accident happens, we will deserve to be scrutinized by our leadership and government. Tolerations come in all shapes and sizes, drain energy and are usually something that needs to be done, fixed, removed or changed. Typically, the energy to correct is less than the time and energy spent tolerating. Translating these energy drainers to the workplace often means the business is in danger of losing customers, causing stress or breaking laws. Zap tolerations when you find them because by permitting errors we are promoting those very errors.
Copyright 2007 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
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2. To Blog or Not to Blog That is the Question
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Blogging has been around for over 10 years, but it’s never been as popular as it is today. So-called experts think that every businessperson needs a blog. But I don’t agree. While blogs do allow you to provide fresh information on a regular basis, I just don’t see people flocking to every-day musings of a small business owner. And others agree. Last month, USA Today stated that blog use has peaked and that over 50% of online blogs will go away this year. Those left will be written by professional writers. BusinessWeek’s SmallBiz states, “…You can’t just slap up a blog and expect people to get excited….” Right now there are over 106,875,000 websites online and 60 million blogs. You have to market your website and blog as aggressively as you market your business.
To finalize my two cents about blogging and the small business owner:
1. Update your website on a weekly or monthly basis and
2. Market your business on a daily basis.
Time spent doing these two things will work better for you in the long run than investing your precious time and energy in keeping a blog up to date every day.
Copyright 2007 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com
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3. How Well Do You Know Your Contacts
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Think for a moment about your closed contact networking group, organizations that you belong to that only allow one person per profession and they meet weekly to exchange referrals. Can you write down on a piece of paper, without any information in front of you, each members’ full name (first and last), company name, and what profession they are in? If you cannot, how can you expect to refer them business? If you want people to pass you business, they have to know you and vice versa!
Copyright 2007 John R. Meyer
District Director, BNI Ohio
http://www.bni-ohio.com
Monday Morning Motivators – February 12, 2007
============================================================
Espresso business tips are designed to "caffeinate" your mind while your java gets you going. Subscribing and Unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com
“What you permit, you promote”
-Liz Jazwick
============================================================
Table of Contents
============================================================
1. Deserved Tolerations – Linda Fayerweather
2. To Blog or Not to Blog That is the Question - Rebecca Booth
3. How Well Do You Know Your Contacts
- John Meyer
4. Fine Print
============================================================
1. Deserved Tolerations
============================================================
In the workplace, we deserve what we tolerate. If our employees don’t wear their safety glasses (management tolerates non-compliance) then when an accident happens, we will deserve to be scrutinized by our leadership and government. Tolerations come in all shapes and sizes, drain energy and are usually something that needs to be done, fixed, removed or changed. Typically, the energy to correct is less than the time and energy spent tolerating. Translating these energy drainers to the workplace often means the business is in danger of losing customers, causing stress or breaking laws. Zap tolerations when you find them because by permitting errors we are promoting those very errors.
Copyright 2007 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
============================================================
2. To Blog or Not to Blog That is the Question
============================================================
Blogging has been around for over 10 years, but it’s never been as popular as it is today. So-called experts think that every businessperson needs a blog. But I don’t agree. While blogs do allow you to provide fresh information on a regular basis, I just don’t see people flocking to every-day musings of a small business owner. And others agree. Last month, USA Today stated that blog use has peaked and that over 50% of online blogs will go away this year. Those left will be written by professional writers. BusinessWeek’s SmallBiz states, “…You can’t just slap up a blog and expect people to get excited….” Right now there are over 106,875,000 websites online and 60 million blogs. You have to market your website and blog as aggressively as you market your business.
To finalize my two cents about blogging and the small business owner:
1. Update your website on a weekly or monthly basis and
2. Market your business on a daily basis.
Time spent doing these two things will work better for you in the long run than investing your precious time and energy in keeping a blog up to date every day.
Copyright 2007 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com
===========================================================
3. How Well Do You Know Your Contacts
===========================================================
Think for a moment about your closed contact networking group, organizations that you belong to that only allow one person per profession and they meet weekly to exchange referrals. Can you write down on a piece of paper, without any information in front of you, each members’ full name (first and last), company name, and what profession they are in? If you cannot, how can you expect to refer them business? If you want people to pass you business, they have to know you and vice versa!
Copyright 2007 John R. Meyer
District Director, BNI Ohio
http://www.bni-ohio.com
Monday, February 05, 2007
Customer's Eyes
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Monday Morning Motivators – February 5, 2007
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Espresso business tips are designed to "caffeinate" your mind while your java gets you going. Subscribing and Unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com
"The secret of success is the consistency to pursue."
-Harry F. Banks
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Table of Contents
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1. Customers Eyes – Linda Fayerweather
2. Two Quick Survey Tips - Rebecca Booth
3. Do Business with People Who do Business with You - John Meyer
4. To Do this Week
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1. Customers Eyes
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Customers view 99% of office activity as non-value added, especially when we ask customers to do the same form at each visit. In this day and age of identity theft and computer databases, we will do our customers a great service if we collect the data the first time and then verify it with them at subsequent visits eliminating duplicating the private information on a piece of paper that will likely end up in the trash. The interaction of asking the customer to review their data with you is friendlier and builds a relationship. The waste eliminated is the customer’s time and wasted paper in your office. Being lean always goes back to eliminating waste and satisfying customers.
Copyright 2007 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
============================================================
2. Two Quick Survey Tips
============================================================
Asking your clients to take a survey your work is a wonderful way to improve your business. Here are two tips to keep in mind when writing your next survey:
• Limit the number of fill-in questions. You’ll increase your response if these are left to a minimum – two at the most. Remember you are asking this person to do you a favor by responding, so keep the survey short, simple and to the point.
• When surveying about a product or service, ask the respondent what they liked most about the product or service. This will help you discover the true advantages of what you sell.
• Above and Beyond – Give your clients better service, more information or even a higher-quality product that they expected and you’ll find yourself serving them time and again.
Copyright 2007 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com
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3. Do Business with People Who do Business with You
===========================================================
Pull out your checkbook or your last charge card statement. Who did you give business to last month? Did they give you any business? If not, invite them out to lunch and let them know how to give you referrals. Tell them you like to do business with people who do business with you. If they are not willing to give you any business because they already have a source for their referrals, maybe it's time for you to find someone else to give your business to.
Copyright 2007 John R. Meyer
District Director, BNI Ohio
http://www.bni-ohio.com
Monday Morning Motivators – February 5, 2007
============================================================
Espresso business tips are designed to "caffeinate" your mind while your java gets you going. Subscribing and Unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com
"The secret of success is the consistency to pursue."
-Harry F. Banks
============================================================
Table of Contents
============================================================
1. Customers Eyes – Linda Fayerweather
2. Two Quick Survey Tips - Rebecca Booth
3. Do Business with People Who do Business with You - John Meyer
4. To Do this Week
============================================================
1. Customers Eyes
============================================================
Customers view 99% of office activity as non-value added, especially when we ask customers to do the same form at each visit. In this day and age of identity theft and computer databases, we will do our customers a great service if we collect the data the first time and then verify it with them at subsequent visits eliminating duplicating the private information on a piece of paper that will likely end up in the trash. The interaction of asking the customer to review their data with you is friendlier and builds a relationship. The waste eliminated is the customer’s time and wasted paper in your office. Being lean always goes back to eliminating waste and satisfying customers.
Copyright 2007 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
============================================================
2. Two Quick Survey Tips
============================================================
Asking your clients to take a survey your work is a wonderful way to improve your business. Here are two tips to keep in mind when writing your next survey:
• Limit the number of fill-in questions. You’ll increase your response if these are left to a minimum – two at the most. Remember you are asking this person to do you a favor by responding, so keep the survey short, simple and to the point.
• When surveying about a product or service, ask the respondent what they liked most about the product or service. This will help you discover the true advantages of what you sell.
• Above and Beyond – Give your clients better service, more information or even a higher-quality product that they expected and you’ll find yourself serving them time and again.
Copyright 2007 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com
===========================================================
3. Do Business with People Who do Business with You
===========================================================
Pull out your checkbook or your last charge card statement. Who did you give business to last month? Did they give you any business? If not, invite them out to lunch and let them know how to give you referrals. Tell them you like to do business with people who do business with you. If they are not willing to give you any business because they already have a source for their referrals, maybe it's time for you to find someone else to give your business to.
Copyright 2007 John R. Meyer
District Director, BNI Ohio
http://www.bni-ohio.com
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