How to Get More Referrals, Attract New Clients & Decrease Costs During a Recession

By Joanne Black

Have your phones stopped ringing yet? The economy is lagging and dragging. We’ve felt the effects in the United States. Now we’re seeing global implications.

So, how do you tackle economic uncertainty?

Cut advertising, travel, training, marketing, and discretionary expense line items? Cut purchasing? Ouch!

The pipeline starts to dry up and the anxiety level goes through the roof. Many people think that since there’s nothing they can do, they should just do nothing. But “nothing” is futile thinking.

What If You Could Reach Your Market Without Incurring Any Hard Costs?

The only budget you need to worry about is simply your time…your time to ask for referrals!

You know about referrals. When a qualified prospect is referred to us, we get a new client typically between 70 and 90 percent of the time. Additionally, we are pre-sold. Our selling time decreases. Credibility increases. And, we ace out the competition.

There is no other business-development process that can claim these results. Results are the only thing that matters. And, now you’ll be able to achieve results simply by implementing the following 8 “Killer” strategies.

8 “Killer Steps” to Attracting New Business in a Lagging Economy

1. Broaden Your Perspective
   What business are you in? Redefine and reinvent yourself. Determine how you can create a leap in demand for your products and services. Build new alliances and consider alternate distribution channels. Don’t go solo. It’s important to assemble a group of advisors and get their input and creative ideas. Include people who have differing points of view from you. Not easy, but critical.
   
   
2. Be Nimble and Innovative
   You’ll never have all the facts. Make quick decisions. Be fearless and make tough choices. Create new uses for your products. Why not a new business model?
   
   
3. Dazzle Your Current Customers
   Your current customers need care and feeding. Don’t ignore them at the expense of new business, because they are your best source for new business.
   
   
4. Prioritize Wisely
   The most important activity for any salesperson is to do what’s “closest to cash” the first thing every single day—whether it’s following up with a prospect, writing a proposal, or closing a deal.
   
   
5. Become an Expert
   Companies hire experts because they can’t afford to make mistakes. Position your company as the expert with a specific product or in a specific market niche. Become an expert and people will be more likely to refer you.
   
   
6. Stay Connected
   If you want to get more referrals you have to network like crazy. Attend a minimum of one event a week. You never know who you will meet and what you will learn. Never let your network go down. Networking is an essential referral marketing activity. So go make connections and build your business. Talk to people and find out how you can help them. How is their business doing? Are they impacted by the lagging economy? How? Don’t email, call. You make connections by talking to people and by spending the time to have a robust conversation.
   
   
7. Don’t Cut Prices, Increase Value
   There’s a lot of chatter about cutting prices in a lagging economy. Many small business owners think businesses are cutting back, so prospects don’t have money for their projects. But, by cutting prices, you’re cutting your profits even further. Instead, consider how to “get in and get started.” Divide your offering into smaller chunks, get results, and create traction. Or, give more value. When you offer high-value products and services, people will refer you and you will get more sales, even in a recession economy.
   
   
8. Commit to Building Your Referral Business
   Referrals are always terrific, but they mean even more in a lagging economy. Don’t let the lagging economy trickle down on you. Take charge and make your phone ring again! Let your prospects know how much you care about them. Tell and show just how much you appreciate their business. Inform them that you’d like to help people just like them. And, don’t forget to thank your prospects and clients for their referral.
   

Follow these tips and you will get more referrals. You will attract new business. You will get more clients. You will accelerate your sales. And, you will achieve higher results without increasing your cost of sales. In fact, there’s a great chance that you will decrease your costs!

America’s leading authority on referral selling and founder of No More Cold Calling, Joanne Black helps salespeople, sales teams, and business owners get more referrals and attract more business fast without increasing costs. Now, discover how to turn prospects into clients more than 50% of the time even during a down economy with her Recession-Proof Your Business Emergency Kit at http://www.nomorecoldcalling.com/products.html.

Published Networking Today November 2008

DON'T WRITE A PROPOSAL JUST YET

By Andrew Sobel

In tough economic times, many professionals jump at the opportunity to submit a proposal to a potential client. It is a chance to book new business, and who can resist the adrenaline rush that usually goes along with the prospect of an impending sale? Proposals, however, can be huge time wasters. The problem is that some clients who are not serious buyers will ask for a written proposal. Others may prematurely ask for a proposal before the proper steps have been worked through and the right relationships established. Furthermore, your willingness to write a proposal too quickly will actually position you as a vendor rather than a thoughtful in-demand advisor who is discerning about the work you will take on.

You need to cover all the right bases during the business development process to ensure a successful sale and a fruitful relationship. Here are 8 prerequisites for submitting a proposal to a new or existing client:

1. You are certain this is the right client and issue for you and your firm. Is this an appropriate client – in terms of size, complexity, location, potential to create conflicts with other clients, etc. – given your strategy? It this issue in your "sweet spot?" Is the executive with whom you will work an effective, respected individual in his or her organization? Are there other compelling reasons to seek this work?
   
   
2. You have a thorough understanding of the issues you are being asked to address, and also a clear sense of the business goals or needs which are influencing them. This could happen in one conversation, but more likely will only unfold over two or three discussions.
   
   
3. You and the client have agreed on the specific objectives of the work – on the outcomes that are sought.
   
   
4. You understand the client's buying process. Usually, you will have to ask about this. I believe it is completely appropriate to ask questions such as:
   
   Can you walk me through your decision-making process?
   Who will approve the budget for this work?
   Who will make the final decision about selecting a firm to work with?
   Can you share with me your timeframe for making a decision?
   May I ask, what other firms you are talking to?
   
   
5. You have spoken to or met with the Economic Buyer. This is the individual who can make the decision to hire you and your firm. This could be a middle manager or it could be the CEO – it will vary from situation to situation. Often, the first person who calls you is not the economic buyer. He or she is usually a feasibility buyer (someone who is screening service providers, who can say No but not Yes) or a user-buyer (a client executive who would work with you on the engagement but cannot make the decision to hire someone). The worst mistakes made during the sales process are often around the identity and role of the economic buyer. Sometimes, people think they know who the economic buyer is when they actually do not, and on other occasions they just don't focus in on this critical buying influence, and end up wasting huge amounts of time writing a proposal that never gets a true hearing.
   
   
6. You understand what is most important to the client – in other words, what particular value they are seeking. For example: Is speed critical? How important is cost? What about quality – do they need a very comprehensive review, or a preliminary, cursory examination of the issues? If this a one-off transaction, or is the client looking for a longer-term relationship? Which aspect of your proposed approach does the client most value?
   
   
7. You have discussed the essential elements of your proposal with the client. Before you submit a written proposal, you must achieve conceptual agreement about what is going to be in it. You might say, "Before I send you this proposal, I would like to meet with you to walk through our basic approach. That way I can get your reactions and input before finalizing it."
   
   
8. You have an agreement to discuss the proposal with the client after you submit it. "I'm sending the proposal over later today. If it would fit your schedule, I'd like to set up a meeting later this week so we can discuss it." You don't want to spend a lot of time writing a proposal, and then send it into a black hole. Schedule a phone call or face-to-face meeting to put the client on the hook to read the proposal and share his or her reactions with you.
   

If you haven't addressed all of these points before you submit a proposal, you may be wasting your time.

Just because business is scarce doesn't mean you should jump at every opportunity to write a proposal. On the contrary, you should focus on those opportunities that make the most sense for you and then double-down on them. Really invest to understand your clients' businesses and their key issues, treat them like they are already a client, and add significant value during the selling process.

Andrew Sobel is a leading authority on client relationships and the skills and strategies required to earn enduring client loyalty. He is a consultant and educator to major services firms worldwide. Andrew is the author of the business bestsellers Clients for Life (Simon & Schuster/Fireside) and Making Rain (John Wiley & Sons). He can be reached at andrew@andrewsobel.com (Tel: 505.982.0211). http://www.andrewsobel.com

Published Networking Today November 2008

Service Recovery - The Art of Damage Control

By Nancy Friedman, The Telephone Doctor

We all know about customer service. Those of us in this industry normally are the ones who genuinely want to help the customer. It’s sort of a "high" for us when things go right; but, what happens when it all goes wrong or downhill? When you go beyond “normal” good customer service how do you recover?

Service recovery is simply the art of damage control. And every industry has damage control Think about Hollywood. Poor Tom Cruise. He said something bad about Brittany Spears and everyone was out to get him. The PR team went into damage control big time. Consider what happens when things happen in government? Big time damage control shifts into gear.

So it must when customer service goes wrong. Think “damage control.” What can we do over and above in order to gain this customer back? To have them swearing by us and not at us?

Empowerment is the number one step of service recovery. Each and every employee needs some form of empowerment. They need to know how far they can go to help the customer. Remember our Telephone Doctor® rule: it should never take 2 people to give good customer service.

Anytime you escalate a call to a supervisor you are losing ground. The more employees a customer speaks with to get a problem resolved is a step behind the ball.

Humor will only work when you have a rational customer and normally, when it gets to service recovery, the rationale is lost. However, what we do know is most customers respond in kind to gentle humor.

One of the worse things you can say to a customer is, "I know how you feel." There is simply no way in this world anyone can know how someone else feels. That particular statement will get you in a lot of hot water. Lose it fast. (And even worse is: "I know exactly how you feel." That is so bad; I won’t even get into it.) You can say, "I can only imagine how you feel." It is best you don’t ever walk in the customer’s shoes. It won’t be a good fit, I promise you.

Service recovery is when you’ve helped the customer and you can really tell that they’re satisfied; that they’re back in the groove with your company again. That’s true service recovery. You’ll be able to tell when they go from screaming to loving you. It can be done.

You need a whole lot of empathy or sympathy. You need to listen. You need to care. These are the tools for service recovery. You need to go that “one step beyond.” You need to do something they’re totally not expecting; something that bowls them over. Each industry has their own bowl over. Sometimes it means taking a loss; but if you’re really looking to save that customer, you’re willing to take that loss. In the long run, they’ll be so happy and so smitten with your company, they’ll be singing your praises to all their friends.

Service recovery is special. You see, good customer service is expected which is nothing new or special. You’re supposed to give good customer service. What’s the big deal? Often times, it all hits the fan and that one customer is just really fired up. When someone is mad, bad, screaming, and totally out of it is when your service recovery needs to kick into gear.

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the website at www.telephonedoctor.com.

Published in Networking Today, March, 2007

7 Ways to Educate Customers in the Classroom & Simultaneously Build Brand Awareness

By Annmarie Edwards

The business world has long recognized the value of creating a recognizable and clearly defined brand. From top business executives to entrepreneurs striving every day in their communities, and from traditional corporations to the Internet, building brand awareness is the most significant marketing practice today. It always will be as consumers continue to seek out their favourite brands.

Your customers are navigating a bewildering range of channels and feverishly marketed products before making a purchase decision. We are so bombarded by product brands that we are barely conscious of them much of the time.

In order to compete in today’s cluttered marketing environment, businesses need access to America’s future customers. They need to start building brand awareness in the classroom before buying and brand loyalty patterns are set.

Here are my top seven ways to educate customers in the classroom and simultaneously build brand awareness.

1. Distribute product literature and/or give free product samples to learning institutions. Learning institutions are usually open to learn about business products that would enhance and add value to what is being taught in the classroom.
   
   
2. Establish information/demonstration booths in the classroom. The classroom information/demonstration booth will allow students to interact with your company’s product and provide ongoing information to potential customers as they develop their own buying power. Your conversion rates will be much higher due to the education that is available to the students.
   
   
3. Give free training on the use and benefits of the product. This is a perfect opportunity to give students hands on training, and teach them about your product’s value. Encourage educators to include information about your product or services in a curriculum guide. This one tip has the potential to multiply your market base nation-wide.
   
   
4. Offer a contest that empowers students to buy and use your product. Sponsor a writing contest or a Future Business Leader of American competition and make one of the rewards a gift certificate. It’s a proven fact that most consumers spend more than the value of the gift card.
   
   
5. Distribute logos to learning institutions. Instructors can use logos in the classroom to help students learn about branding and how companies use this concept to communicate their identity and market their products.
   
   
6. Offer information on production of the goods and how profit is made. Students who are inclined to develop their own products or become business managers will find this of great value.
   

Customers who are familiar with a certain brand are more likely to remain loyal regardless of inflation. By demonstrating your corporate social responsibility and promoting worthwhile educational programs that bring the needs of educators together with your business needs, you can easily distinguish your product from other brands.

Education marketing helps empower customers to become long-term buyers. Using products in the classroom allows potential customers to interact with (and become conditioned to) your goods and services. By educating customers in the classroom, you will increase your brand awareness, build loyalty, influence spending patterns, and engage in viral word of mouth marketing all at the same time.

Through her writing, speaking, training, and development services, business growth expert, Annmarie Edwards, helps individuals and companies worldwide maximize their full growth potential. To learn more on how you can simultaneously increase your brand awareness, build customer loyalty, influence spending patterns, and engage in viral word-of-mouth marketing, go to: http://www.ariaresearchgroup.com/sponsorship.


Published in Networking Today, February, 2007

Negotiating in a Three-Dimensional World

By David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius

Chances are you have found yourself—or expect to find yourself—involved in some sort of bargaining process. Maybe you’ve just been through a tough negotiation, and you have a sense that you could have done better. Maybe you are looking down the road, in your professional or personal life, and see important negotiations looming ahead. Most likely, you’re someone who’s involved in negotiations on a fairly regular basis, and you're simply on the lookout for new and better ideas. Consider the following thoughts.

Most negotiators focus on a single dimension of the bargaining process. They are “one-dimensional,” in our terminology, and the single dimension that they embrace is tactics. One-dimensional bargainers believe that negotiation is mainly what happens at the table. To them, preparation and execution is mainly about process and tactics.

All too often, this one-dimensional approach leaves money on the table. It is inadequate in the tough negotiations in which the other side seems to hold all the cards. It isn’t well-suited to common deal-making challenges such as multiple parties, tricky internal and external negotiations, and shifting agendas. It leads to suboptimal deals, creates needless impasses, and fosters conflicts that could have been avoided.

We have a better approach—one that encourages you to negotiate in three dimensions, not one. We’ve coined the phrase 3-D Negotiation™ to describe our approach, and to distinguish it from most of the negotiations that happen out there.

Tactics, our first dimension, are the persuasive moves you make and the back-and-forth process you choose for dealing directly with the other side at the table. Good tactics can make a deal; bad ones can break it.

Deal Design, our second dimension, includes more than the obvious face-to-face aspects of negotiation. Deal designers know how to probe below this surface to uncover the sources of economic and non-economic value. To unlock that value for the parties, they have a systematic approach to envision and structure creative agreements.

Setup, our third dimension, extends to actions away from the table that shape and re-shape the situation for advantage. In deal after deal, we’ve seen the same result: once the parties and issues are fixed, and once the negotiating table has otherwise been set, much of the game has already been played. Therefore, before showing up at the conference room, 3-D Negotiators take the initiative. They act away from the table to set up the most promising possible situation, ready for tactical interplay.

This means ensuring that:

• the right parties have been approached
  
• in the right sequence to deal
  
• with the right issues
  
• that engage the right set of interests
  
• at the right table or tables
  
• at the right time
  
• under the right expectations
  
• and facing the right consequences of walking away if there is no deal
  

If the setup at the table isn’t promising, this calls for moves to re-set it more favorably. A superior setup plus the right tactics can yield remarkable results that would be unattainable by purely tactical means, however skillful.

The 3-D Negotiation approach requires a different set of insights and skills about setup and deal design, as well as tactics. This new approach can help you in your next set of negotiations.

David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius are the authors of 3D Negotiation – Powerful Tools to Change the Game in Your Most Important Deals (Harvard Business School Press, September 2006). For more information see their book website www.3dnegotiation.com and their business website www.negotiate.com.

Published in Networking Today, February, 2007

POP – How to Make Your Business Stand Out in a Crowded Market

By Barbara Bartlein

There’s an old saying, “be anything but boring.” Boring means not memorable, which translates into NO repeat business. Customers and colleagues must see your business as the premier resource in your field. Your business needs to be notable from competitors by product, brand, and customer service. If you are one of many, you will always be competing with others for business.

In a fascinating new book, “POP-Stand Out In Any Crowd,” author and award winning speaker, Sam Horn, shows you new ways to brainstorm, communicate ideas, and connect with customers, clients, and colleagues. It’s packed with concrete ideas to break away from the pack and stand out in your field. A great tool for entrepreneurs, business people, and authors, it delivers fresh ideas, new inspiration, and techniques that work.

Horn describes the W9 Form: nine key questions to clarify your purpose; The Eureka Moment: why people love to discover the Next New Thing; and the Jerry Maguire Test: five secrets to crafting a message that gets people at hello. She shows you how to coin original phrases so you are the expert and sole “go-to” resource in your field. Some other ideas from Horn:

• Think POP – Purposeful, Original, and Pithy messages. People today are BB – they’re busy and bored. They have a hundred things competing for their attention and they have seen and heard it all – or at least, they think they have. Your message has to resonate in the first few seconds with people or they will tune you out. POP messages pleasantly surprise people and capture their favorable attention in 15 seconds or less.
  
  
• The best way to corner a niche is to create a niche. And the best way to create a niche is to coin a word that belongs to you and you alone. That’s what Horn did with her book, Tongue Fu! (The verbal form of Kung Fu!) When you produce a trade-markable term, you don’t just have a clever title or phrase, you have the potential for a business empire.
  
  
• Identify what stops you in your tracks. Keep your antennae up for what grabs your attention. If it stops you in your tracks, it will be noticed by others, which sets you apart from the pack. Example? A book on punctuation became an international bestseller last year because author Lynn Truss didn’t give it a yawn-inducing name. She titled it after the punch line of a joke – Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.
  
  
• Don’t repeat cliché’s, re-arrange cliché’s. Trotting out tired expressions (such as, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice”) sends the message that we don’t have anything new to add to the discussion. They elicit a “so what?” response and many people will roll their eyes and tune out. Rearrange cliché’s to give them a fresh look. For example, a dog walking service called their business, DogOn Fitness: “We’re more than just a walk around the block!”
  
  
• Aflac your business so they see what you’re saying. The Aflac insurance company had a difficult task, how to make people remember their name when it is basically just a string of letters. More importantly, why would people want to give their money to a firm when they don’t even know what the name means? Some brilliant marketing folks came up with the idea to equate Aflac with a duck. Now, because of their TV commercials and print ads featuring a duck quacking “Aflac,” the public associates that abstract business name with an adorable animal. Another insurance company did the same thing with similar success. What do you think of when you see the letters GEICO?
  
  
• Put your slogan in a beat that is easy to repeat. Craft your slogan or tagline to a distinctive rhythm that makes it stick in people’s brains, or even better, becomes a part of the popular culture. Remember the fast food commercials with the lady saying, “Where’s the beef?” It had a distinctive cadence that became very popular. Most people still remember that phrase. Think of a more recent example with Verizon’s “Can you hear me now?” This trademark slogan has made its way into the popular culture. Do people remember your tagline?
  

For more ideas to make your business POP, check out www.SamHorn.com. Remember, if you are not the lead dog, all the scenery looks the same.

Barbara Bartlein, CSP is The People Pro and president of Great Lakes Consulting Group which helps businesses sell more goods and services by developing people. She can be reached at 888-747-9953 or by email at barb@thepeoplepro.com. Visit her Web site at www.ThePeoplePro.com.

Published in Networking Today, December, 2006

Training: Rounding Up the Usual Suspects

By Abhay Padgaonkar

“I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It's not. Mine had me trained in two days.” – Bill Dana, Comedian

At the end of the famous movie, Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart’s character, Rick, shoots Maj. Strasser as he tries to intervene. When the police arrive, Capt. Renault (played by Claude Rains) saves Rick’s life by telling the police to "round up the usual suspects.”

As business leaders look to cut costs, the training department has become one of the “usual suspects,” an unfortunate and short-sighted occurrence. With literally billions of dollars spent on training, why is it not more effective in changing organizations’ practices?

Running the Gauntlet

Trainers should consider the following ten tips when invited to the head table:

1. Front-end alignment: Training needs to translate broad strategies into desired outcomes and needed changes in skills and behaviors. Training content and delivery needs to be geared toward delivering a tangible value.
   
   
2. Training ain’t learning: When something is said, it doesn’t mean it is heard. Trainers need to find out how much people have actually learned and retained.
   
   
3. Learning ain’t knowing: Training needs to be careful in ensuring that what is taught is real and that it doesn’t end when the class is over.
   
   
4. Knowing ain’t doing: Training needs to challenge the very basic assumption that “doing” happens through “knowing.” The new motto training needs to adopt is: “Hear it, write it, talk it, do it!”
   
   
5. Be careful what you wish for: If training is going to result in process improvements that will, in turn, result in job losses, what is the incentive to learn?
   
   
6. Cognitive dissonance: Training needs to be mindful of the reinforcement processes in place. Many times, what the organization says it wants people to do is not necessarily what is rewarded.
   
   
7. We’re all in it together: If there are contradictory goals among various departments such as sales, implementation, client management, service delivery, and information management no amount of training will put them on the same path.
   
   
8. One size doesn’t fit all: Adult learning research has shown that different people learn differently. Training needs to incorporate the needs of all different learning styles so everyone can track along.
   
   
9. Haves and have-nots: Beware of management training with the hope of a “trickle-down” effect. Training that involves removing employees from their revenue-generating activities is actually used against employees with the expectation someone else can share what they learned.
   
   
10. What’s measured is treasured: Training needs to develop, measure, report, and hold itself accountable for metrics at each level. Judge for Yourself

Whether you are a business leader or a training professional, it is important to ask if any of these obstacles apply to your organization, to what extent, and how best to overcome them. Unfortunately, most of the burden for figuring this out falls on training. Although the list of obstacles is long, a simple first step for training would be to examine the assumptions that are going into every aspect of the training activity.

Perhaps it's time for training to learn a new trick not remain a "usual suspect?"

A management consultant, author, and speaker, Abhay Padgaonkar is the founder and president of Innovative Solutions Consulting, LLC (www.innovativesolutions.org), which provides advice on turning strategy into action to major clients such as American Express. He was the recipient of ASTD’s Excellence in Practice award in the Workplace Learning and Development category for his work in the area of employee retention. © 2006 Abhay Padgaonkar

Published in Networking Today, November, 2006

Is it Time to Leave Self-Employment Behind?

By Maria Marsala

Weigh the differences. Did you really go into business to be self-employed? If you're reading this, I doubt it. But that's exactly where you might be.

Kick Self-Employment to the Curb!

Here's the thing. If you started your company to have a little extra money and work a "little" weekly, this article isn't for you. If you started your company or became an independent agent to work 70-hour weeks and make just enough money to live by, this article isn't for you. However, if you're in either situation and Uncle Sam is letting you deduct business expenses from your taxes, then you're self-employed, not a business owner.

Let me explain.

The self-employed have done one thing for themselves – created a job with a pay cheque, a job with the burden of a lot of extra jobs and taxes.

On the plus side, they've created a system that includes tax deductions – whoopee! But what they've done is go from working for a company to creating a job for themselves AND added the stress of being the boss!

Face it – the self-employed are slaves to their businesses, because no one is working for or with them. Many go from one client to another, or they have only one big client and a few little ones. As they work, they keep reinventing the wheel because they don't have long-term plans or systems in place.

They can't take days off, let alone take a vacation! The words they use – often, and to anyone who will listen – are "overwhelmed," "tired," and "have no time for that."

Go All the Way – to Business Owner!

Business owners, on the other hand, give themselves the gifts of time and self-value, while they give others one of the most important gifts they can give – paychecks for doing what they love! And when the business is situated like they have dreamed of, they're then able to give the gift of philanthropy.

Business owners learn the importance of strategic, tactical, and operational planning. They monitor their marketing activities. They know exactly what is unique about their business and what they bring to it that adds to its uniqueness, and they know who their ideal client is. They run their business like the "big corporate boys," but without all the hassle – or lawsuits!

If you've been in business a while, you might think you're no longer self-employed or running a hobby. Beware. Over the years, only 2 out of more than 100 of my clients were really "running" a business. The rest had businesses stuck in "infancy."

And the amount of money you make doesn't determine whether it's a business. I remember Angela (not her real name), owner of a company with 19 employees, and making $8 million. After an hour's consultation, she asked me what I thought was keeping her company from making as much money as she knew it could. My answer: she was running a hobby. That didn't go over well, and I asked her to read "The E-Myth Revisited." Two weeks later, Angela called to start working on her first system – her company's business and marketing plans. Eventually, 4 others in her company created plans for their departments, and 9 months later Angela was working 1 day a month (yes, per month), and the income for her company was $14 million. So, just because you're making money doesn't mean you're running a well-oiled business machine!

Those who "shift" to the business owner's frame of mind take steps to start doing what successful and practical business owners do:

• They create plans for business, marketing, and finances. And they use them to monitor everything important about their business.
  
  
• They find alliances to bring in extra income.
  
  
• They network at least twice a week.
  
  
• They create their ideal client profile and market only to their ideal clients.
  
  
• They package their knowledge – turning it into classes, articles, CDs, etc., that bring extra income and recognition.
  
  
• They know their "rack rate" and stop giving away time and business.
  

And they hire employees, contractors, or consultants to do what they don't enjoy doing, eventually handing over even the tasks they do enjoy. Why? Because they want the time to pursue other goals. So, if necessary, they barter to get the process started. Why do they hire help? Take a really good look at the list below. You will see that there is NO WAY you can do everything yourself. Who in their right minds (or left ones, for that matter) could do ALL these jobs correctly and accurately – day in and day out? But most people who call themselves business owners sure do try! Which of these are you doing that you need to find someone else to do?

• President/CEO
• Salesperson
  
• Purchasing Manager
  
• Office Manager
  
• Technology Specialist
  
• Internet Guru
  
• Human Services Manager
  
• Marketing Director
  
• Accounting/Finance Manager
  
• Compliance/Legal Manager
  
• Desktop Publisher/Designer
  
• Customer Service Rep
  
• Inventory Person
  
• Quality Control Manager
  
• Insurance Manager
  
• R & D Team
  
• Unbiased Business Advisor
  
• Organizer
  
• Trainer
  
• Writer
  
• Janitor
  
• CEO Assistant
  

If you think that you can't yet afford to hire consultants or employees to help you, consider this. What is your usual hourly rate? Let's say it's $100. What tasks are you currently doing where you can hire someone at less than $50 per hour. Bookkeeping? Filing? House cleaning? Database management? What else? Well those are the tasks that you could be outsourcing.

Still think you're unable to hire help? Chances are that you're unfocused. Look at the critical initiatives that will help your business grow. Seriously consider creating your one-year business and marketing plan now so you'll be able to hire some much needed help soon.

© 2006 From Get Paid What You Deserve by Maria Marsala, nationally known author, strategist, trainer and owner of Elevating Your Business. If you know that you’re underpaid or if you find yourself Boundary Challenged, visit www.ElevatingYourBusinessU.com Published in Networking Today, October 2006.

New Promotion, New Clients – Now What? Building a New Client Base

By Andrew Sobel

A client called me recently to tell me he had been promoted. That was the good news. The bad news was that his phone had stopped ringing and his calendar was emptying out.

Prior to his promotion, he had worked extensively with a senior professional in his firm, and had led most of the execution of the actual work, which his colleague had sold. His firm had reshuffled relationship responsibilities, and he was now being asked to develop business with a group of new clients, most of whom did not know him from Adam. He was, in effect, leaving behind some very senior-level client relationships – albeit as the number two from his firm – and facing the challenge of building new ones.

This is not an untypical situation as we progress in our careers, especially in a large firm. Let's look at the various strategies you have at your disposal to face my client's challenge. With a systematic approach, success here is nearly assured.

1. Leverage your current relationships to create new ones.

The most powerful introduction to a client who does not know you comes from one who does know you and the quality of your work. You need to make a list of every current or past client whom you believe could provide a referral and who may have a connection into one of the new clients you would like to meet with. After all, you've done great work for these clients at a very senior level – they should be quite comfortable connecting you to someone they already know. Systematically contact each one of them, and set up a meeting.

Spontaneous word-of-mouth referrals do happen, but if you ask you'll get five times as many as you will just waiting and doing nothing. (Professionals who excel at getting referrals often mention this at the start of the relationship: e.g., "My practice is based mostly on word-of-mouth, and in a year – assuming you’re are as delighted with our work as my other clients are – I will probably ask you for an introduction to someone who could similarly benefit from our approach...")

2. Offer your clients a fresh perspective on your sector or practice area.

Take a deep dive and invest some serious time on this. Interview key internal and external players to build a fresh perspective that you can use to create demand for meetings and provide you with interesting talking points. Don't send out some big document or research report – clients get more written reports than they can handle. Give them a teaser in an email, phone call, or letter and then use the point of view you've developed to create a dynamic face-to-face meeting.

One of the fundamental principles of effective salesmanship is curiosity. You need something that is evocative or controversial that will evoke your clients' interest in having a meeting in the first place. Surveys can be an excellent way to gather this type of data, and the sample size doesn't have to be as large as you think to be credible – quite a few business books have been written based on just 25 or 30 executive interviews.

3. Use your firm's network to get both advice and introductions.

If you work for a firm that has multiple offices, practices, industry groups, or product areas you have an untapped resource at your disposal. It is highly likely that someone else at your firm knows the executives you would like to build a relationship with – or at least they may know someone at the company who can be a coach to you and/or make other subsequent introductions.

Identify others whose own networks encompass one or more of the clients you want to get to know. Also, get advice, selectively, from your senior people. If they don't have a direct contact themselves, they may know another client who does.

Be focused in your approach, and make it clear you've done your homework both about the companies and potential messages you might bring them: Go to a few of your most experienced, senior, client-facing executives, and ask: "There are two particular companies that I'm trying to build a relationship with...I've looked at several potential entry strategies, but hit a dead end. Any thoughts? What's worked for you in this type of situation? Who in our network do you think could help me?"

4. Find a coach.

You many not be able to reach, on your first try, the executive you want to meet. A coach can help introduce you to the right people, enable you to understand who's who in the organization, and generally advise you in developing and growing a relationship. A coach could be a lower-level professional, a former executive of the company, a board member who has had a good experience with your firm in the past or (as in 3) a colleague in your firm who already knows the organization. Always find yourself a coach.

5. Identify your prospects' "watering holes."

This is a classic although somewhat longer-term strategy. Where do these clients congregate? What do they read? How do they spend their time outside of work? Nowadays, there are so many specialized media and forums that it may well be possible to narrowly target some conferences, events, and publications that will allow you to meet these prospective clients.

6. Segment and prioritize.

You cannot go after 10 or 20 clients at once, so you need to set priorities.

Do some of them have strong, pre-existing relationships with one or more of your competitors, making it difficult or impossible to break in? Is there a conflict or dissatisfaction that will give you an entry? Would it make sense to first talk to the mid- or smaller-capitalization companies on your list, versus the largest ones? Which ones are geographically close to you? Which ones are going through turmoil caused by declining profits, competitive incursions, price competition, reorganization, or other events? Which of these clients is most ideal for you and your firm, given what you can offer?

You might want to identify three groups, and go after them in phases.

7. Be different and memorable in your approach to these clients.

A plain-vanilla letter asking for a meeting to become acquainted with you and your firm is not likely to get a lot of attention or interest from a busy top executive or CEO. Nor will sending a brochure – clients receive hundreds of these each year, and they all look similar. The same goes for a letter which says you "just got promoted and wanted to meet"...or that your boss is in town and you would like to get together with him.

If you send a letter, it needs to have a strong "hook" – something that will get the recipient's attention. I prefer leading with solid content, the offer of value-added ideas – but novelty approaches, if used judiciously, can work as well. A client of mine got the attention of Southwest Airlines former CEO and founder, Herb Kelleher, by having one of their associates run around in front of Southwest's headquarters building wearing a wild turkey suit (Kelleher's favorite bourbon, apparently). Others have sent letters in a box also containing a waste can with their company's logo on the side, and a line in the letter which read, "I know you probably put most unsolicited correspondence like this in the trash, so just in case, this letter comes with its own waste bin. That said, we believe that a brief meeting to discuss..."

While these more outlandish approaches may not appeal to you, the basic principle is the same: Evoke your prospective client's curiosity and get his or her attention. Of course, if you employ points one and three above, you won't need to be quite so creative – you'll already have a warmed up introduction.


Andrew Sobel is the leading authority on client relationships and the skills and strategies required to earn enduring client and customer loyalty. He is coauthor of Clients for Life: How Great Professionals Development Breakthrough Relationships (Simon & Schuster). He can be reached at (505) 982-0211 or by e-mail at andrew@andrewsobel.com www.andrewsobel.com

Published in Networking Today, June 2006.

No More Root Canals

By Michael W. McLaughlin

You don’t need to be around the consulting business long before you’ll hear a client refer to a consultant (or an entire firm) as difficult, arrogant, condescending, or just plain snooty. Not all projects go exactly as planned, so it’s not surprising that some clients grouse about their consultants. Such barbs come with the territory.

And some projects call for consultants to “break glass” to achieve the client’s desired outcome, in which case, a certain amount of pain is expected. But what if, as one client put it, working with consultants is like having a root canal? No firm in its right mind wants a reputation for being that hard to work with.

Do you even know what your clients experience in working with you?

Too many consultants measure a client’s satisfaction postmortem, based on the effectiveness of the transaction. If the project delivers the desired outcome, on time, on budget, and the client pays the bill, the project is deemed a winner. Rarely does the client’s experience enter into the satisfaction equation.

Now is the time for consultants to make the client’s experience an integral part of the business. In their 1999 book, The Experience Economy, Joseph Pine and James Gilmore advise executives to battle the onslaught of commoditized goods and services by managing the customer’s total experience: "Businesses that relegate themselves to the diminishing world of goods and services will be rendered irrelevant. To avoid this fate, you must learn to stage a rich, compelling experience."

Every consultant/client interaction evokes emotions, whether it’s a presentation, a meeting, or even a voicemail message. Consultants can encourage a positive response by adding experiential elements to traditional, transaction-based consulting processes. The resulting emotional reaction will help establish a connection between you and the client that helps build the relationship.

What do I mean by adding experiential elements to the consulting process? Think Southwest Airlines, Las Vegas, or Disneyland. Okay, maybe it’s over the top to think a consulting project could be “the happiest place on earth.” But you get the idea. Those businesses attempt to create memorable, emotional, and positive encounters for their customers. The experience is a big part of the service.

This idea isn’t a stretch for most consultants. After all, delivering top-flight client service is in the mission statement of every consulting firm on the planet. Of course, consultants aren’t in the entertainment business, like Disney or the Las Vegas casinos. But why not tear a page from their book and apply it to the marketing, selling, and delivery of consulting services?

Some consultants already focus on the client’s emotional experience. Ask Doug Hall, author, consultant, and founder of the Eureka Ranch. The “ranch” is a colorful, energetic environment where clients attend facilitated sessions to experience the “Aha!” of new ideas, whether that’s imagining new products or breathing new life into old ones.

Hall’s team never loses sight of its objective, which is to deliver extraordinary value. But they use an intense, challenging, creative process to shake loose their clients’ best ideas. This isn’t a style-over-substance approach to consulting. The consulting team conducts rigorous fact-gathering, analysis, and solution development—just like every other consulting firm.

This trend is picking up steam among other consulting firms, as they apply experiential elements to their visual identity, marketing communication, business development, and consulting offerings. Suzanne Lowe, author of Marketplace Masters, believes that creating a positive emotional experience for clients can be a real market differentiator. That’s because your client’s specific experience is very hard for competitors to copy.

The opportunities for experiential consulting are enormous. Dump the stuffy status meetings, staid group sessions, and boring presentations. Take a look at your own consulting approach and products. You’ll find specific areas where you can tweak your consulting services to create memorable experiences for your clients. And there’s no reason why you can’t adopt a systematic, experiential approach to marketing and selling, too.

Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson, in his unpublished manuscript, Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management, makes this observation about human nature: “You remember 1/3 of what you read, 1/2 of what people tell you, but 100 percent of what you feel.” What clients are most likely to remember about you is their emotional reaction to working with you.

Consulting is a high-touch business, and one bad experience can pull the roof in on a client relationship. As one consultant said to me, “If you mess up a client’s experience with your firm—even just a little—it takes a lot of white paint to cover that black mark.” Fortunately, the converse is also true. One great experience can cement a relationship for the long-term. Consultants who bring a cold-fish, know-it-all approach to the table, even if they have talent and skill, may find success in the short-term but will stumble eventually. There are simply too many great choices out there. Clients will turn their backs on “root canal” consultants, and go with the firms that deliver results and a great personal experience.

Michael W. McLaughlin is the coauthor, with Jay Conrad Levinson, of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants. Michael is a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP, and the editor of Management Consulting News and The Guerrilla Consultant. Find out more at www.guerrillaconsulting.com and www.managementconsultingnews.com.

Published in Networking Today, February 2006.

Resign the Account: Renewing Your Key Client Relationships

By Andrew Sobel

No doubt about it, complacency is the enemy of the educated professional. Most of you have good clients, are sought after for your expertise and experience, and are well remunerated. And sometimes, you get complacent – you don¹t push quite as hard as you did at the beginning of the relationship. You no longer treat your clients, well, like newlyweds (at least metaphorically!).

A good friend of mine, who is a global account director for a leading advertising agency, has a creative and bold solution to this problem: He resigns each of his client accounts at the end of the year. Literally, resigns.

Hold on – he¹s nuts, you say! Not as crazy as you think. Let’s seize on this idea as a metaphor for how you can renew your client relationships each year. It will soon be a new year, and the fourth quarter is an excellent time to have these discussions with your clients. Let’s catalogue a few of the practical things you can do to avoid complacency and sustain your most precious commodity as a professional – your key client relationships.

Resign the account.

My friend really does sit down with each client and do this. In his case, he is backed by a large organization, and there is indeed the possibility of bringing in a new account executive or relationship manager (I realize that not every reader will have this luxury, but bear with me!).

Obviously, this is a delicate discussion and you need to use your own unique language and phrasing in the conversation. For example: “I’m giving you my resignation, as it were, as your account executive/relationship manager. I want to discuss what your needs look like going into next year, and whether or not it makes sense for me to still play that role”; or, “I may no longer be the right person to head this team, and I want to give you the opportunity to consider having someone else take my place”; or, “I want you to have the right person, for you, as the relationship executive from my firm, so let’s discuss whether it still makes sense for me to play this role.” And so on.

In most cases, as you might imagine, the reaction of the client is, “But I really want you to continue to advise us!” The point is not to elicit praise – although that will probably be forthcoming in many cases – but to provoke a deeper discussion about the client’s needs and preferences. It also demonstrates what I call “Selfless Independence” – that uncommon blend of devotion and detachment. To offer to step aside – in a relaxed, confident tone of voice – can be a powerful display of the very objectivity that clients seek in a trusted advisor.

Short of “resigning” your role with the client, what else can you do to reinvigorate the relationship and have a fresh discussion about your client’s needs?

Review the past year with your client.

Schedule a formal appointment to discuss how things have gone during this past year. Be specific when you schedule this time – say something simple like, “I’d like get your feedback on our relationship and the work we’ve (I’ve) done over the last year, and also talk about your needs going forward.”

In that meeting, ask a few, well thought-out questions. Start with some open-ended questions, and then get more specific. Depending on your situation, you’ll use either “I” or “We.” For example:

“From your perspective, how has our work with you gone this year?”
“What have we done that has been most valuable to you?”
“Have there been some things that have been less valuable or had less impact than was hoped for?”
“Do we listen well? Are we sufficiently responsive?”
“Is there anything that comes to mind that would make our relationship easier and more effective for you?”
“What could we do to be more valuable to you and your organization?”
“What are your priorities for the coming year?”
“Looking ahead, are there particular issues that you¹d like us to reflect on or to engage around for you?”

Go deep into a topic of interest to your client.

What is on your clients’ professional and personal agenda? What particular goals do they have? Are there topics of special interest to them? Invest some time (do some research and reading) and plan a session with your client around the topic.
I recall one CFO who said to me, “You know, we're very return-on-capital focused in this company, but none of our bankers ever really picked up on that. One particular bank took a very deep dive into this subject. They prepared, and they came up and ran a session with us where they dug deeply into all the various issues around return-on-capital. That was the catalyst that really took their relationship with us to another level.”

How often do outside professionals take the time to do this? Not very often, I am told by clients themselves. On the contrary: One CEO said to me “A lot of consultants and other professionals will come to talk with me, and they basically ask me, “What are you working on that we could help you with?” Not exactly inspiring, shall we say. Remember, you don’t have to earn your PhD in a subject to bring it up with your client. A bit of reflection on your part, possibly some interesting data, and good questions can go a long, long way toward a discussion that will be valuable for both of you.

Introduce a colleague.

Our own real and perceived (by the client) expertise will always gate or limit the breadth of a given relationship. What other people and resources from your firm can you productively introduce to your client? Clients tell me that they are usually quite open to learning about a given firm’s broader capabilities, but that what brings this to life is meeting an individual who embodies that expertise or experience. You can talk all you want about what great capabilities your company has, but it usually doesn’t resonate with clients until they have made a personal connection with someone.

Create face time together in an entirely new setting.

A lot of the most effective advising takes place outside the office, and for some of your client relationships, it may be the right time to organize face time in a completely different locale than you are accustomed to.

I cannot tell you exactly where this should be, since it depends on the client’s interests and preferences, and also what your relationship is like. Possibilities could include a meal together at a restaurant, a sporting or cultural event, going out for coffee for a change of scenery, creating a family event together, going skiing (I’ve done this with several of my clients who share a love for skiing), attending a charity event that you are both interested in, going to a lecture or seminar, and so on.

Plan next year together.

Some people are afraid of doing this because it seems “salesy” or overly commercial. But the truth is, to sit down with a client with the express purpose of planning your agenda for next year shows interest, dedication, and also self-confidence. The conversation could be highly specific and operational; e.g., you talk about specific matters or programs you’re going to work on, or it could stay at an “issues” level; e.g., you identify key issues of interest to your client that the two of you agree you and your firm will spend some time on.

Explore an area of your client’s life and personality that you aren't familiar with.

How much do you really know about your client, on a professional and personal level? Where did he grow up? Who were her role models? How many siblings does he have, and what do they do? What abiding personal interests does she have? What non-profits are dear to his heart?

Remember, mutual disclosure is a key part of empathy. By sharing a new aspect of your own life with a client, chances are he or she will reciprocate. As this year comes to a close, think about getting to know your client on a new level.

Resigning the account is a bold move, and it may only be appropriate for a few, well-chosen relationships. But short of that, there are clearly many ways you can renew a relationship and bring it to the next level.

Andrew Sobel is the leading authority on client relationships and the skills and strategies required to earn enduring client and customer loyalty. He is coauthor of Clients for Life: How Great Professionals Development Breakthrough Relationships (Simon & Schuster). He can be reached at (505) 982-0211 or by e-mail at andrew@andrewsobel.com www.andrewsobel.com

Published in Networking Today, December 2005.

9 Ways to Gain the Competitive Edge

By Nancy Friedman

Tight economy! Reduced staff! Demanding customers!

These days it’s extra challenging to satisfy and keep customers. It’s even more important than ever because customer loyalty is generally considered the primary engine today to retain sales levels and gain an advantage over the competition. It’s been this way for a long time; it’s just getting more attention now.

There are hundreds of ways to do better. Here are nine we like.

1. Know your product and services…inside and out.
   Not being knowledgeable frustrates customers. An uneducated employee is semi useless to a customer. Job knowledge is key in any position. If for any reason your company doesn’t offer job knowledge training, make it your own priority to find out as much as you can. Job knowledge is a key ingredient to serving customers.
   
   
2. Believe in your product and services 150%.
   We know of a salesperson who has never had any formal sales training. However, based on the belief in the product, services, and contagious enthusiasm this person is a top seller. People LOVE to buy from people who get excited about their product. Customer service reps are sales people!
   
   
3. Walk the walk, talk the talk.
   Practice what you preach. A Ford dealer would not drive a GM car. Employees need to support their company’s product or services before they can expect their customers to have confidence in them.
   
   
4. Keep your word.
   Companies spend thousands, sometimes millions of dollars advertising their services and products. They tell the customer they are THE BEST, THE ONLY, they are NUMBER ONE. "WE GUARANTEE OUR WORK" isn’t enough. Customers need to know that you’ll do what you and your advertising says you will. If you claim to provide the “best of anything,” make sure you keep your word. And be sure all employees keep their word. Telling a customer something will be to them in seven working days, and then having it NOT show up is a creditability buster.
   
   
5. Return all calls and emails.
   It boggles my mind when a call or an email is not returned. There’s not an excuse in the world I could buy when that happens. Sure, some of us get way too many calls and aren’t able to return them in a timely manner. Well, then have the call returned on your behalf. Not returning an email? How much work does that take? DUH?
   
   
6. Don’t ever forget "who brought you to the dance."
   In other words, there are always customers who were with you from the start. They helped make your business a success. They believed in you. A nice simple note once in a while is an ego booster to them and you'll feel good about it, too.
   
   
7. Make NO ULTERIOR MOTIVE CALLS or NOTES.
   Every once in a while, drop a note or make a phone call to customers (and prospective customers) without trying to “sell” them something. Telephone Doctor labels those "no ulterior motive" calls. They're "just because" calls…and very welcomed. When was the last time you heard from a sales person or a company just to say HI? (See what I mean?)
   
   
8. Be in a good mood.
   All the time! Be the person that when the customer leaves or hangs up the phone, they think to themselves, "That was a great call/visit." Not in a good mood? Learn how to be. Remember one of our Telephone Doctor mottos: "A phony smile is better than a real frown." Do you really think the first runner up of the Ms. America contest is as "thrilled for the winner" as she says or shows she is? Talk about a great big phony smile!
   
   
9. Participate in customer service training programs at your company.
   Sure you know how to be a good CSR. But everyone could use a refresher. And if there are no programs in place on customer service, ask for them. At best, you’ll be ahead of the competition, and at worst, you’ll at least be even with them. Customer Service is not a department. It is a philosophy. And it’s for the entire company. Everyone needs to embrace it – or it doesn’t work.
   

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the website at www.telephonedoctor.com.

Published in Networking Today, September 2005.

Survey Finds Workers Average Only Three Productive Days Per Week

By Barbara Bartlein

Ineffective meetings, unclear objectives and lack of team communication are some of the top time wasters that workers say make them feel unproductive for as much as a third of the workweek. According to a new online survey by Microsoft, respondents also said that they struggle with the need to work longer hours while seeking better balance in their lives. They found that they rely on technology tools to assist in personal and professional productivity.

With responses from more than 38,000 people in 200 countries, the Microsoft Office Personal Productivity Challenge, rated workers productivity based on responses to 18 statements about their workplace. Some of the U.S. findings:

• Employees work an average of 45 hours a week; 16 hours are considered unproductive.
  
• Approximately 16% of participants relate their productivity directly to their software.
  
• Over 66% said that they don’t have work-life balance.
  
• Only 31% said they are using proven scheduling tools and techniques.
  
• Women had an average productivity score of 70% while men were at 68%.
  
• Workers said they receive an average of 56 email messages per day.
  
• The most common productivity problems are procrastination, 42%; lack of team communication, 39%; and ineffective meetings, 34%.
  

The results of the survey come as no surprise to many employees. Procrastination occurs when information is not clear, or the employee does not feel comfortable with the task. Workers frequently complain that objectives are muddy and information is not communicated effectively.

“Runaway meetings” are identified as the biggest time waster by more than a quarter (27 percent) of workers polled in a recent survey by Office Team, a staffing service specializing in skilled administrative professionals. Many companies continue to conduct meetings in the same format as years ago; inviting large groups of people, allowing excessive time, and often with no clear leadership of the meeting. With today’s lean staffing levels, there is a need to restructure meetings for greater efficiency.

Workers in Microsoft’s survey reported that they rely on technology tools to stay on task. Here are some things you can do in your workplace for better efficiency:

• Train staff how to proactively use technology instead of reactively responding. One reason that “time saving” devices often don’t save time is that we react to them rather than structuring their use. Plan your day with specific times to answer phone calls, check messages, and read emails. You lose efficiency when you rapidly move from one task to another.
  
  
• Use a system to find electronic documents quickly and efficiently. Use folders to organize your documents and important files. Make sure that the document names are descriptive and easy to find.
  
  
• Make sure all computer users back up important documents and programs. Don’t forget to back up programs on a regular basis. Back up on the hard drive as well as an external storage (CD’s, floppy’s) for extra safety. Nothing will slow you down quicker than a crashed system.
  
  
• Staff should be trained in basic computer maintenance such as cleaning up disk space and defragmenting to increase computer efficiency. These routine tasks do not need to be done by IT personnel or a tech person. Each user can easily be trained to program and monitor these routine operations.
  
  
• Establish spam filters and sorters to help manage email more effectively. There are increasingly sophisticated programs to filter emails and protect machines. Initiate a company wide filter and add one for your home computer.
  
  
• Set company guidelines on how email is to be used. One of the most common complaints of employees these days is “too much email.” Set procedures on who needs to be copied and on what. Train staff on email protocol including appropriate length, content, and tone.
  
  
• Train all staff in time management including a priority system. While employees may have had some training in time management, it needs to be refreshed on a regular basis to be effective. Make sure that employees at all levels know how to establish a priority system and time accountabilities.
  

Remember, time is the one non-renewable resource.

Sign up for Barbara's FREE email newsletter at www.barbbartlein.com.

Barbara Bartlein is the PeoplePro™. She helps businesses sell more goods and services by developing people. She can be reached at 888-747-9953, by email at: barb@barbbartlein.com or visit her Web site at www.ThePeoplePro.com.

Published in Networking Today, August 2005.

Should You Fire a Client?

By Michael W. McLaughlin

In the early 1900s, Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, concluded that 20% of the people controlled 80% of the wealth. Since then, his now-famous 80:20 rule has been applied to everything from advertising and time management to identifying product defects.

One application of Pareto’s Principle is that 20% of your customers or clients will generate 80% of your headaches. It stands to reason that you’ll boost the vibrancy of your business by pruning that disruptive 20% every year or so. Few things damage the long-term health of a business more than client saboteurs—and there are more than a few out there.

Consider Firing a Client if…

• It takes days or weeks to get on your client’s calendar.
  

• Your client wants to approve or attend all your meetings with decision makers.

• You have stopped developing new skills.

• Invoices are nitpicked to death or payments are consistently late.

• The client fails to review critical documents in a timely manner.

• Your profit margin is eroding with no end in sight.

• Your work no longer seems to have a substantive impact on the client’s business.
  

It may sound crazy to fire your clients, but doing so is one of the best strategic actions you can take. Clients define the culture of your business, and serving tiresome ones erodes that culture and poisons the environment. Problem clients create more work and needless stress. They kill your profits and your productivity, and that negativity can seep into your personal life.

It takes courage to walk away from a paying client, no matter what the circumstances. But don’t worry; if you excel at what you do, more desirable clients will find their way to your doorstep.

Michael W. McLaughlin is the coauthor, with Jay Conrad Levinson, of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants. Michael is a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP, and the editor of Management Consulting News and The Guerrilla Consultant. Find out more at www.guerrillaconsulting.com and www.managementconsultingnews.com.

Published in Networking Today, June 2005.