My species (business advisor) constantly implores our clients to take advantage of the most cost effective and marketing effective method of marketing - networking.  Few of our clients really use networking to their advantage, so here are some tips…

The easiest and quickest marketing tool, and often the first impression a customer may have of you, is about 3.5" by 2", and it is probably the most often overlooked. Using your business card as a marketing tool takes a little forethought and just a few seconds of your time.

Have your card printed professionally. Avoid using "do-it-yourself’ perforated, laser or inkjet printed cards. They do not have the profession¬al edge that a printer and designer can provide. A designer and printer can help create a unique look and suggest a quality card stock.

Maximize space. It costs very little to print on both sides of a card, so consider using the back of your card as well. Include all personal contact information on the front, your logo (if you have one), and a short tagline that highlights a specialty or strength. Use the reverse side to inform cus¬tomers about what you do and why they should use your services.

Hand out two cards, or more. If you’re handing out a card to a client or future customer, why not make it two or three? Ask them to pass your card along to a friend or business acquaintance that may need your ser¬vices. Hand out cards to friends and family, business contacts and associ¬ates. The cards will do more for you in the hands of others than they will if they remain in your back pocket.

Mail it. With every letter you mail, mail one or two business cards. This keeps your name in your customer’s hands and also gets your name in the hands of future customers.

Business Card Etiquette: Did you know that it is considered impolite to write on someone’s card before asking permission, espe¬cially in Asia? Always hand someone your card, and use two hands if possible. When receiving a card, it is considered good form to take a moment to read it before putting it in a safe place.
 

Tips for Time Management

As a business coach and advisor I have found that Time Managment is one of the most difficult issues for the harried entrepreneur to master.  Here are some tips that should help. 

We all begin our days with the best of intentions to be as productive as possible, but we frequently find our¬selves "sidetracked" by the day-to¬day unforeseen circumstances that tug us in different directions. Here are some tips to help you navigate around day-to-day time "hazards."

* Set aside 15 minutes to a half hour at the end of each day to review what you’ve accomplished and to make a To-Do list for the next day. Prioritize! Either list the tasks in order of importance or assign a letter to each task "A" being urgent, "B," important, and "C," of less importance. The next day, pull out your list and take care of your priority tasks first.

* Some times it’s good to get "lost," because you can’t be found and interrupted. If possible, schedule blocks of time out of the office to complete important pro¬jects. Work at your library, your home office, or a local coffee shop. Or set time to close your office door and let employees know that time is sacred.

* Coming and going from the office to run errands can be a time¬waster. Group errands to the post office, store, and bank to make the best use of your time, or, if possible, delegate them to an employee.

* Take a break or two. Take time to breathe, relax, or stretch. Don’t skip the morning coffee break. If you work on a comput¬er for long stretches of time, be sure to stand up and stretch your arms and legs.

* Are you in control of your paperwork, or is controlling you? If you have difficulty finding important papers, hire someone to help you set up a simple filing system.

* The manner in which you organize and plan is up to you, whether your choice be a detailed planning system or simple To-Do lists. Electronic devices are great when you’re on the go and computer software calendars and organizers are useful for those who travel with a laptop. You might find a program like Microsoft Entourage, which provides project management tools, helpful. The important thing is to choose a system that works best for you.

* Technology is a godsend, and a curse. E-mail, the internet, and faxes are fantastic business tools, but they can be great time¬wasters as well. Unless you have urgent outgoing or incoming communication, check your e-mail and faxes after lunch and again later in the day. Respond to the most urgent and put the others on your agenda for the next day. As much as possible, set aside a scheduled time for e-mailing, faxing, or surfing the net. This will make it easier to set limits.

* Communication is important, but too many phone interruptions can leave you with a feeling you’ve accomplished nothing. If your days are fragmented with incoming and outgoing phone calls, and if your business allows, schedule blocks of time dur¬ing the day to return or make calls. Consider hiring a secretary to answer and screen calls, or allowing calls to go to voice mail if you’re in the middle of a project. Cell phones are a great way to keep in touch, but again, allow yourself some down time; don’t be afraid to turn your cell phone off.

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."
Carl Sandberg

You can’t create time, however, you may be able to better manage the time you have. Here’s how:

Choose a Destination - Increasing time spent on one task or project requires you spending less time on another. Take a moment to re-examine your long-term goals. What are your work and personal goals for the year? List five things you would like to accomplish, such as: cultivate clients in a different sector, boost sales of an existing product, or spend more time with family.

Prioritize them, giving as much thought to your "wants" as to your "needs." Focus first on the goals that are most important or urgent-the ones you value most and are willing to commit to.

Make Each Mile Count - Choose one or two goals to accomplish over the next few months, moving on to other goals on your list as the year proceeds. The majority of your time should be spent in completing goal-directed tasks.

Create a list of objectives, or "steps" towards each goal. If your goal is to expand your business a new sector, schedule time to research potential areas of profitability or identify and meet new clients.

Schedule tasks such as soliciting a number of clients each month or attending a networking event to help you keep moving forward. You’ll stay on target if you ask yourself daily, "Am I doing what I’m supposed to be doing in order to reach my goals?"

Take What You Need - Consider the equipment or services you need in order to reach your goals. Use of accounting software such as QuickBooks or Peachtree, could allow you to spend more time soliciting clients and less time going over the books. Minding the store could be delegated to a capable employee. Hiring an expert to update your website or help with other areas could free up more time to concentrate on goal-oriented items.

Pack Well - Everybody has their own organiza¬tional style; some offices are cluttered and others pristine. As a general rule of thumb, organize the tools of your trade in such a way that they are always at hand when you need them. Don’t lose a half-hour searching for the "one thing" you need in order to complete a simple five-minute task. If clut¬ter bums up excess time, bring in a file clerk or professional organizer for a "tune-up."

Always Look Ahead - Keep your calendar handy and with you at all times. If you make an appointment, get some news, or have an idea, jot it down immediately. Set aside some time at the end of each day and week to assess your progress and to strategize for the following day and week. Schedule tasks, meetings, and, most importantly, blocks of uninterrupted time to work on your short- and long-term goals. If you have work due for a client, allot enough time for completion. Don’t forget to factor in important personal and social obligations!

Fuel Up - You can’t run on fumes forever, and you can’t run on empty at all. Be sure not to drain yourself by overbooking, over-committing, skipping breakfast, or sacrificing exercise or family time on a regular basis.

Plan quality time with family and friends. If exercise is important to you, schedule it. Allow yourself substantial time to complete tasks. After work on a big project, take a break. Meet a friend for lunch, take a walk or shift to work that requires less thought or energy. Put yourself and your needs "on the agenda."

As a business coach I advise every business owner I work with that their business can benefit from a leader’s laser focus and passionate attention to detail. However, when passion turns to obsession, productivity and morale are at risk.

Passion or micro-management? When owners can’t let go, companies fail to grow. Opportunities stall at the feet of an owner who insists on know¬ing every trivial thing, attending every routine meeting, meddling in the everyday tasks of competent staff, calling each and every shot. If you want your business to expand, you need to curb the urge to micro-manage.

You are not a Super Hero, and you cannot do it all. Trying to do it all, in fact, can be a recipe for failure. Taking everything upon yourself could eventually lead to an inability to meet a customers needs and frustrate capable employees who are eager to expand their skills and grow with your business. Learning to delegate, train, and trust key employees will ensure that you keep valued customers and retain qualified employees.

A desire for perfection can be trouble. Working to provide your cus¬tomers with the best service or product possible makes good sense. But beware thinking that no one else can do anything as well as you, nobody cares as much about customers, no one puts in as many dedicated or pro¬ductive hours. Recognize that nobody, including you, is perfect. You need a clear assessment of your own strengths and weaknesses, space for con¬tribution of good ideas, and a plan to develop additional talent to fuel growth. Some people out there have skills you may not have, and some of them may be your employees!

Let go in stages. Delegate thoughtfully and incrementally. Suddenly shift¬ing your responsibilities all at once won’t work. It should be done gradu¬ally, so both you and your employees can grow into new roles. Your employees will better represent you if you train them gradually and reward them with increased responsibility.

Get help from specialists. Tapping the objective insights of outsiders car help you figure out where to hold on and where to let go. Regular meet¬ings with an informal board of advisers can help, whether they’re paid or not. Also consider working with a professional business coach, or rely on close friends or professional associates.

As a business advisor when I’m working with clients who are having communications issues with their clients, vendors, employees or other stake holders, I educate them on listening and negotiating skills.  First they need to get to the root cause of the dispute and second they need to negotiate in (good faith) a reasonable result for all concerned.  Today I’ll review some communications skills and methods to employ.

Your ability to listen may be the difference between keeping or losing a valued customer, engaging or alienating an employee, or capturing or losing new business. Here are a few tips on how you can become a better listener.

Focus on the Speaker.
Stop what you’re doing, face the speaker, and make eye contact. When you acknowledge your customer, business contact, or employee, you show the speaker that you’re interested in hearing what she or he has to say. Don’t interrupt; hold that really good point you want to make until the speaker is finished.

Empathize and Accept.
"Walk a mile" in the speaker’s shoes. Make an effort to understand the speaker’s feelings as well as the facts. Avoid verbal and non-verbal expres¬sions of disagreement. Too many ques¬tions may lead the speaker to feel bad¬gered, while restating what’s been said can affirm you hear and understand the speaker.

Be Observant and Be Aware.
Remember that not all information is verbal. Watch the speaker’s expressions, gestures and other non¬verbal cues. Be aware of your body posture as well - remember that crossed arms may feel comfortable to you, but may look like you are putting up defenses from another’s point of view. On the other hand, nodding your head can be a great way to say, "I’m listening."

Be Candid.
Often, the easiest way you can get oth¬ers to open up is to be honest and open yourself. Throwing your sword and shield away can lead to a more open, problem-solving dialogue. Talk about your observations, perceptions, and feelings in a direct, concrete, non¬-threatening manner.

Tailor Your Response to the Situation.
When in doubt, listen. When asked to respond, respond thoughtfully. The more you listen, the more you’ll actually hear, and the more effective your conversation will be. Taking the time to listen can go a long way towards handling irate customers or frustrated employees and may help you to avoid those stressful situations in the first place.

In business it is unavoidable not to have conflicts. You can have conflicts with clients, vendors, partners, employees, regulatory agencies. When you do have conflicts there are methods to resolve the conflict.

One I’ve found and as a business advisor I recommend to my clients is from the Seton Hall University website; they recommend that we remember the four “C’s”

Communicate – Don’t sulk or hide. Talk out the problem

Cooperation – Work together to figure out exactly where you’re at odds. You can’t solve what you can’t identify.

Compromise – Each of you should prioritize what’s important to you. Once you know what you must keep, you will know what you’re will to give up.

Consolidation – Avoid future misunderstandings by formalizing your agreement in writing.

Try this method the next you need to resolve a conflict.
 

As a business advisor and coach I frequently run into businesses that have no consistency in their business approach. That could their marketing, advertising, planning, problem solving, delegation and so on.

I advise them to get a systematic approach to all their endeavors, when you systemize processes they become stable, consistent, repeatable and duplicatable.

I found the following list while reading Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson. While reviewing the list it struck me that many (most) could and should be applied to every aspect of your business.

The Thirteen Most Important Marketing Secrets
1. You must have commitment to your program.
2. Think of the program as an investment.
3. See to it that your program is consistent.
4. Make your prospects confident in your firm.
5. You must be patient to keep a commitment.
6. You must see that marketing is an assortment of weapons.
7. You must know that profits come subsequent to the sale.
8. You must aim to run your firm in a way that makes it convenient for your customers.
9. Put an element of amazement in your marketing.
10. Use measurement to judge the effectiveness of your weapons.
11. Establish a situation of involvement between you and your customers.
12. Listen to become dependent on other businesses and they upon you.
13. You must be skilled with the armament of guerrillas, which means technology.

You must…
Have commitment
Be consistent in your approach and processes
Be patient at all times
Be confident in your outlook
Have an assortment of tactics and strategies
Make it convenient for all stakeholders
Measure your progress
Be involved in internal and external forces
Be dependent on others (and visa-versa)
Be a master in your skills

It doesn’t matter what your working on, most of the list will apply.
 

Advertising, as well as prospecting new clients, is not a one-and-done kind of thing. You have to break through the daily clutter to get noticed and then you have to reinforce it again and again. If you don’t, you are just wasting your time.

As a business advisor I recommend that when you decide on a campaign, be a prospecting campaign or a marketing campaign, make sure you understand that it is for the “long haul”.

I have had this list for many years (I think it is from the 1930’s, but it holds true today) and I recently saw it on the internet somewhere so I dug it out of my archives and wanted to share it with you.

ADVERTISING
1. The first time a man looks at an ad, he doesn’t see it.

2. The second time, he doesn’t notice it.

3. The third time, he is conscious of its existence.

4. The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it.

5. The fifth time, he reads the ad.

6. The sixth time, he turns up his nose at it.

7. The seventh time, he reads it through and says, "Oh brother!"

8. The eighth time, he says, "Here’s that confounded thing again!"

9. The ninth time, he wonders if it amounts to anything.

10. The tenth time, he will ask his neighbor if he has tried it.

11. The eleventh time, he wonders how the advertiser makes it.

12. The twelfth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.

13. The thirteenth time, he thinks it might be worth something.

14. The fourteenth time, he remembers that he wanted such a thing for a long time.

15. The fifteenth time, he is tantalized because he cannot afford to buy it.

16. The sixteenth time, he thinks he will buy it someday.

17. The seventeenth time, he makes a memorandum of it.

18. The eighteenth time, he swears at his poverty.

19. The nineteenth time, he counts his money carefully.

20. The twentieth time he sees the ad, he buys the article or instructs his wife to do so.