Setting Your Business Apart in the "Thank You Economy"

Gary Vaynerchuk's 2011 book "The Thank You Economy" showed business owners that the rise of the Internet and rapid fire social media has given customers their voices back.  Their opinions, positive or negative, are communicated immediately and vastly on places like facebook and Yelp.  This new paradigm requires that businesses project authenticity, originality, creativity, honesty, and good intent in order to created loyal customers.  Loyal customers refer more business by word of mouth, spend more money with you, forgive mistakes, and offer real suggestions for improvement.  An easy way to start building that relationship is by expressing appreciation to those customers with thank you notes.

Saying "thank you for your business" sounds obvious, but think about this: when is the last time you received a thank you card from someone you do business with?  Or really any communication that wasn't about your bill being due?  The simple strategy of sending a hand-written thank you note will make a huge impact with your customers and lets them know how much you really value their business.  While this seems like a no-brainer for new business, don't forget about your existing customers.  Those long-term buyers need to be given the VIP treatment as well because we all know it is cheaper to keep customers than it is to try and bring in new ones.

In this high-speed, electronic world, there is something special about a hand-written note.  It makes your customer (or vendor, employee, excellent sales person, etc.) feel like they matter to you and your business.  Keep short notes on customers you've interacted with or vendors you've recently met with.  Then you can go back once a week and write out those notes to be mailed.  You can also email that information to a virtual administrative assistant service such as Administrative Business Consulting to have the cards written and mailed.  Services such as ABC will provide cards, hand writing, and mailing for a per card fee.

Once you have thank you cards down pat, consider personal birthday or other seasonal cards for your top clients.  Try to touch customers at least once a quarter with a message that is not just a mechanism for selling products or services.  You will set yourself apart from your competition and your customers will think about your business in a whole new way.

Work/Life Balance Hacks from Liz Pearce

This is officially the first weekend of summer in my book, and that means I'm thinking about ways to achieve that ever elusive work/life balance.  As a business owner, parent, spouse, etc. that can sometimes be a struggle.  Geek Wire writer Liz Pearce has compiled this list of great hacks for reaching that holy grail of all busy people.

1. Invest in your relationships the way you invest in your 401(k) - Make small, regularly scheduled investments with your spouse, friends, and family.  Have weekly date nights, monthly girls night out, and specific activities with your kids.  Use the same rule of thumb that you use with your dentist or hairdresser: never leave one social appointment without scheduling the next.
2. Pay for services, not stuff - I don't have much of a handbag budget, but I do have a budget for someone to help me with the yard.  You might only have one pair of boots, but you have your administrative tasks contracted out every month with Administrative Business Consulting.  As a rule, try to spend your resources on things that free up time instead of take up space.
3. Treat your home like you do your inbox: get rid of everything you don't truly value - Trying to save every birthday party goody bag toy, outdated magazine, old t-shirt, and random piece of paper adds a small amount of friction to tasks you try to accomplish at home.  And that can add up to a significant emotional burden of guilt when you're trying to spend quality time at home.  Try to get rid of 15 things every single day.  They could be pieces of junk mail or old leftovers in the fridge.  Each little, frequent act of de-cluttering will also lower your stress levels.
4. When it comes to parenting, comparison is the root of all unhappiness - The constant deluge of advice and product recommendations from email lists, blogs, and books can add to your anxiety.  Try to shut most of them out and focus your energy on what is actually going on within your own house.  You can pick puzzles together over more costly lessons, drawing pictures at the kitchen table over elaborate trips to Disneyland, and bowls of warm popcorn while watching a family movie over dinners out.  Quantity time is just as valuable as quality time.
5. Conquer meal planning and you can conquer the world - That question of "what am I going to make for dinner" is a huge stress point in the lives of most working parents.  You may have to run to the store or you just end up picking up fast food.  To cut down on this issue, take one day and and plan your meals for the week.  You can download many helpful one-page planning sheets that then turn in to your shopping list.  This will allow you to go to the store once and not have to think about what you're making for dinner each night.
6. Allow yourself at least one vice - Remember that no one is perfect and allow yourself at least one indulgence for whenever the stress gets to you.  Mine is watching Dr. Who, put it could be chocolate, reading, taking a bath, or whatever makes you feel better and gives you time to recover and get back to your to-do list.

Now that you're armed with some great tips on getting a little calmness back in your life, go out and enjoy the summer!!

Tips for Public Speaking

When asked what their biggest fear is, a majority will say that they are more scared of public speaking than they are of dying.  That means that at a funeral, they'd rather be in the coffin than delivering the eulogy.  I used to be in that same boat, but after four years as a member of the Untwisted Tongues Toastmasters club, I've learned to embrace the opportunity to speak in public.

Most people would define public speaking fairly narrowly as giving a presentation or speech in front of colleagues or other large group of people.  But public speaking comes in to play whenever we have an interaction with another person.  It includes situations like answering a question during a weekly staff meeting, talking to a potential client about your business, or meeting a new person during a social gathering.  Toastmasters International has compiled a list of helpful tips to control nervousness and give more effective presentations.

Know Your Material
Having an in depth grasp of your material adds to your confidence level when speaking.  This will help you get back on track if you lose your place during the speech and will add a level of authority with your audience.  A comfort with the material will also allow you to use a conversational tone while interjecting personal stories and humor.

Practice. Practice. Practice.
Rehearse your speech out loud, using any visual aids and equipment that will be part of the presentation.  Practice with a timer and revise as necessary to fit in to your time allotted. 

Visualize Yourself Giving the Speech
While you are practicing the mechanics of your speech, visualize yourself delivering it in a successful way.  Imagine yourself using a clear, confident voice and the audience responding in a positive manner.  This will put your thoughts in a comforting place and will boost your confidence.

Know the Audience
Make sure you know who will be making up your audience.  Depending on your topic, you may need to alter your message or technical information to fit the people in attendance.  Knowing who you'll be speaking to will also go a long way towards building your confidence.

Know the Room
If you are speaking in an unfamiliar place, give yourself time to look at the room and its set-up.  Try to arrive early so that you know where you will be standing in relation to the audience and how your visual aids will be seen.  Also test any equipment you will be using during the rehearsal time.

Realize That People Want you to Succeed
Like I previously said, most people are afraid to speak in public and therefore understand all too well how nervous you are.  They want you to succeed at giving a great presentation.  The audience knows how you feel and are already on your side.

Don't Apologize During the Presentation
Most of the mistakes and stumbles that you perceive as glaring during the presentation usually are not even noticed by the audience.  If you make a mistake during the speech, just move on without mentioning it.  Often they audience won't even notice that anything was wrong unless you draw attention to it.

Use Your Visual Aids Effectively
Make sure the visual aids are not taking away from your spoken message.  Slides should be concise and easy to follow.  If you need help creating an effective presentation, you can hire a service such as Administrative Business Consulting to build the show.  Remenber, don't turn your back to the audience and read from the slides or flip chart.

Tips for Planning a Successful Meeting

In business life, we are often called upon to put together a meeting.  It could be a department level one day event or even a multi-day event that requires hotel rooms and dining options.  If you've never been in charge of planning and executing an event, don't panic!  There are some simple steps to follow that will help you come out looking like a star.

Ask Questions
The very worst thing you can do when planning a meeting is assume that you know what is expected.  You will need to ask questions, lots of questions, in order to put on a successful event.  Some basics that need to be established are:

• Budget of event
• Date(s) and time(s) of event
• Preferred location and second choice
• Theme of meeting or event
• Number of attendees and guests
• Meals that will be provided
• Any special entertainment or decorating needs
• AV needs for presenters
• Materials needed for participants
• Meeting room set-up
• Hotel rooms needed

This will give you an excellent starting point for planning, but do not stop asking questions.  The event will continue to evolve as planning goes on, so always be clarifying the details.

Set Up Agenda and Get RSVPs
One of the most difficult things to manage when putting on an event is keeping track of attendees.  It is best to get the agenda set up and sent out to the proposed attendees as soon as possible.  You should plan on having to send this out at least twice, and possibly more, in order to get the most accurate head counts for meals, seating, and hoteling.  It is also very effective to get it out in more than one way.  Send it via email, snail mail, and even by phone in order to reach the most people.

Track Budget and Attendees
Once you have the basics figured out and have made contact with your location, then you will need to start tracking the budget and attendees.  Administrative Business Consulting has put together a great budget and rooming list template that automatically calculates your meeting budget.



Double Check Everything Before the Event
The final tip is to always double check your plans at least a week before the meeting and once more a day or two before.  This will help you get a handle on what items are still unsettled and need to be finalized.  Make sure you know who your site contact will be and meet with that person before the meeting begins.  And last but not least, take a deep breath and enjoy yourself.