Be Available for Your Clients
December 7, 2006
My clients have grown to love the fact that I’m available quickly. If they e-mail me, chances are great that I’ll be sitting at my PC ready for their e-mail and in most cases; I have an e-mail back to them within five-ten minutes. My clients have always commented on this ability of mine and how much they appreciate my responsiveness and timeliness. So, how can you achieve this for your own business? It’s easy!
Be Available.
Okay, I know you are probably thinking “Duh, you just said that†but I wanted to be sure you really got it. If you want your clients to appreciate your responsiveness, be available at your computer at various intervals during the day and have your e-mail open – ready to accept new inbound mail. Set yourself up a schedule if you have other priorities and try to check in with your e-mail once an hour. If time does not allow that, set your own goal – maybe you want to respond within 24 hours or 48 hours. State this turn around time on your website and stick to it!
Setting Goals for Your Business
December 5, 2006
Goal setting isn’t just for large companies, it’s for all companies. Goal setting allows you to see the bigger picture that is your business and allows you to determine the direction you want to lead your business.
When goal setting, you want to keep a few important things in mind:
1. Make your goal reasonable.
Too many times I have seen a business owner say – “My goal is to make one million dollars this year.†Okay, so I haven’t seen it that often but I know it exists out there. Setting a goal such as earning a million dollars in one year is unrealistic for most small business owners. I’m not saying that it doesn’t exist but it’s just not all that realistic in the grand scheme of things. Instead, you might want to set a goal such as – “I want to increase my revenue by 10%.†Something like that may be much more attainable and you will avoid possible disappointment if you do not reach your goal.
Learning How to Say No
December 3, 2006
We’ve all suffered from this before: the inability to just say no. It happens in our professional lives and in our personal lives. Most times, this inability to use two letters from the standard alphabet causes unwanted stress, a to do list that is longer than the Great Wall of China and can eventually lead to *gasp* insanity!
Saying no can be easy when you know HOW to say no. Let’s look at a very common scenario that happens every day in the workplace:
A client e-mails you and says, “I’ve got a project I need you to do today, do you have time†and you have work piled up to your eyeballs.
Website Design Mistakes - How to Avoid Them
December 1, 2006
I find myself browsing through approximately 50-75 sites per day. The reason I spend so much time browsing is to keep up with what is hot, what is popular and which websites are ranking high in the search engines according to specific keywords. I also browse through this many sites so that I can check to see who is out there that I may want to form a partnership, link exchange, joint venture, etc. with.
When I spend my time going through these websites, I’m sometimes speechless at what I come across. I often ask myself, “Do these people have 20/20 vision? Are they seeing something I don’t? Is this a new trend in website marketing?” I wanted to share with you some of the things I’ve come across in hopes that you can use this list as a checklist for what you DO NOT want to do on your own site.