Reminds me of an old adage...

So, today it happened again & I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes. Red Adair said, "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."

What happened, you ask? Yet another example of "I can pick your brains & then do it myself for free."

I just visited the new website of someone I know. He has a small business & had needed a website. After spending time speaking w/ him, giving him advice & then sending a proposal to which I never received a response (nor the courtesy of a call/email as to why) I just found out he did it himself using some pre-packaged DIY website program.

Well, to say it is worthless is putting it mildly. He left most of the pre-filled brackets untouched (you know "List your products and services here") so it is very obvious he didn't finish yet let the site go live anyway. The website program company is located in California. How do I know? Their own address is pre-filled in the brackets in which the business owner is supposed to insert their information.

The funniest of all is the testimonials page...they're all greeked out with John Doe in a made up CA company - yes, ALL of them!

In his feeble attempt to try his hand at programming, turns out you cannot get from one page to another without going back to the home page. I ran the stats & the site gets a "D". I also Googled his company name - up to page 6 in the rankings all I got was another company with the same name located in the Midwest.

His copy is filled with sayings such as "quality work" and the like in several places. Sadly, no one will take him seriously.

I should have guessed this would happen. He had all the signs. Too bad he completely ignored all of my advice because had he applied at least some of it, it may have been at least somewhat useful to him. Now it's simply an embarrasment.

While I have nothing against DIY folks, after all I just redid several rooms in my house myself, I did hire an electrician to do the dangerous work (Ms. Sparky, anyone?); an interior designer to create a plan for me to follow; and a plumber - and I PAID them.

Someone once told me they won't pay for ideas...but the best companies/products/services all began with an idea. They're worth paying for. Unless of course, you WANT to fail.

No wonder why retail stores are hurting...

Yikes! Today I was running errands in an area of town I'm not frequently in during business hours so I took the opportunity to stop into a jewelry store I'd been in before & remember now that it wasn't such a great experience.

So today I'm in there with 2 service items to take care - 1 a quick fix the other a less quick one. I was "greeted" (sort of) by a woman who looked like she'd rather be eating her lunch. She started to take care of the quick fix item for me when she said "Oh here's the guy who does the appraisals, talk to him."

I explained what I needed & he actually said these words to me "You'll have to make an appointment, I have more pressing items to take care of right now." Huh!?!?! What's more pressing than a customer who came into your store? Even if that were true (like, I don't know, an A-list celebrity just placed a million dollar order that you have to fulfill immediately because they're paying you cash but only if it's done by 3PM!!!) that's absolutely NO way to speak to a potential customer. I can think of at least a dozen other ways that should have been handled - all far better than what he did.

I looked at him astounded, turned around & walked out. Now, this is a family owned store not some corporate location which is why I went there as I always try to give my business to a small business owner whenever possible.

This is why retail stores are losing business to the internet. In fact, just the other day I ordered something online & even with a few dollars in shipping was still less than half price of the same exact item I saw in a local store. Yes, I preach supporting small businesses; yes, I believe it's the right thing to do; and yes, I always seek that out as a first option, but guys - work with me, OK?

For front line personnel training, please contact me. I promise I can help you stay in business for the long haul.

Sometimes, you just gotta pick up that phone

Today I was presented with a potential advertising opportunity to sell my book. I checked it out, seemed like it might be something I should try & so I do - try, that is. I was all the way at the check out credit card in hand when I keep getting an error page. Tried again ... & again - then gave up when my phone rang.

I called the company & left a voice mail & then emailed as well (OK, so my mistake I shouldn't have done that). I receive a curt email reply which doesn't really answer the question. I email back & yet again receive a half-assed answer. So now I refer to my voice mail & still no return phone call.

This went on several more times during the day & I just gave up & emailed the guy to say this was too hard but could have been made much easier had he returned my call.

This guy spent a fair amount of money for his ad to let a very large list of subscribers know about his offer. When someone tries to buy from you they're THIS close (picture a thumb & forefinger just about touching) & you let them get away? Not very smart.

Most every small business owner I've had the pleasure of dealing with would have known better. He should have picked up the phone & taken my order himself, or he could have simply returned my call & answered my question a day sooner. We're all busy, you don't have to send me a long email telling me how busy you are & how many meetings you've been in today. By the time he wrote all that, he could have just called!! Now, he's lost all credibility, some revenue & any opportunity for referrals or repeat business.

So, here's the lesson: just pick up the phone (you know, that shiny device that you take pictures with!!) & sort it out. I don't care how techie you are - there's nothing better than a two-way discussion to "meet" someone, make a connection, finalize a sale, or sort through an issue.

A 5 minute call is all it takes.

The irony of it all...

So, imagine you just took part in a lead generation seminar. In addition to needing the particular niche service yourself, you were also on the hunt for a subcontractor for your clients.

Now, imagine you (as one of their brand new leads) are treated dismissively & unprofessionally on both the phone & through email by this 'leader in lead generation'. Well, imagine no longer. This just happened to me. Literally, 10 minutes ago.

To say that I am flabbergasted (or as Tabatha would say, "gob smacked") is to put it mildly. I'm almost at a loss for words (well, almost!) but I just had one of those "I feel a blog coming on" moments & had to let you all know that:

1. If you don't practice what you preach then you're kinda useless.
2. Anyone can say anything just about anywhere online these days, but the proof is in the pudding & when it comes time to prove yourself you either sink or swim.
3. If you have all kinds of restrictions, qualifications, minimums, etc. then they ought to be on your website, blog, social media, etc.
4. If you say you serve 'Fortune 500's to start ups' then you ought not blow off a small business who has raised their hand to you.
5. If you can't talk, then let your call go to voice mail. It is so very off-putting & utterly disrespectful to give someone (aka 'your brand new lead') the bum's rush on the phone.
6. If you're not 'on' during your business day, I guarantee you that your competitors are & will be very happy when they get the business you just dissed.

Ugh! So, I guess I'm back to square one but the good news is that I will NOT be put in a position to embarrass myself with a client. It really is better that I was treated this way, then to have had this company treat a client of mine this way & make ME look bad in the process.

A friend of mine always says, "if you are not your word, then what are you?"

I completely agree.

Why isn't loyalty appreciated anymore?

So many marketing industry articles, blogs & newsletter "how to's" focus on customer loyalty issues - also known as CRM. How to get customers to keep coming back to you - the tips & techniques (including expensive solutions such as database tracking, incentives, coupons, freebies & the like.) But what happens when customer loyalty is given freely & from the heart without cost to a business, then is dismissed or disrespected? I'll tell you - the customer finds someone else to do business with - that's what happens!

Earlier this week I called my dermatologist to make an appointment where I've been a patient/client/customer for more than 10 years. As is usually the case, the phone was answered in a terse "I'd rather be somewhere else" tone & I was told I had to wait 3 weeks for an appointment. (This is after I expressed some concern that I had an itchy rash on my hand that was getting worse by the minute.) Now, there are other doctors in that office & I shouldn't even have had to ask for another doctor - it should have been offered to me. But, I asked & was given a hard time about not being available when they were. And, to boot, I now live 25 miles away for the last 3 years but have STILL been going back there, so, yes...my availability is spotty but work with me, OK?

Apparently not. So I take what was offered (still 2 weeks away) & hung up.

My guess is that most medical patients cannot control when their emergencies happen. So if you have to close at exactly 4:30 & cannot open a few minutes early to accommodate a long time patient (who has given you referrals), then perhaps you are in the wrong business, no?

[As a side note: I have on several occasions told my Dr that her staff could use some customer service training & even offered to do it myself.]

A few minutes later I thought "Am I nuts?" so I went online & found a dermatologist less than 5 minutes away from where I now live & made an appointment - FOR THE VERY NEXT MORNING!! I called back the old Dr & cancelled the appointment with the same cranky office person who proceeded to hang up on me.

My new Dr & her staff were lovely & took very good care of me. Turns out there was a good possibility that had I not been put on medication quickly, the rash could have caused some other nasty problems.

In fact, they accepted my insurance & will bill me any residual on the back end. Unlike the first office who demands full payment up front (by check only, of course)then reimburses the residual for any paid amount by the insurance company.

I can recall countless examples of my loyalty given freely & without coupons, gimmicks or other bribes & then being stomped on. This has happened at various businesses including dry cleaners, restaurants, etc.

So, all I can say is that whether you use incentive programs to create loyalty or get it for free (even better, no?) you'd better realize that we live in a capitalist society where EVERYONE has competition. If you want to keep your customers you should treat them as if they were important to you because they ARE.

Or, they will become important to your competitor.

Want marketing/customer service training to boost your employees' effectiveness to your bottom line? Call me. I'm happy to help.

Do the right thing

Every once in a while I'm taken by surprise when a business owner does the right thing proactively.

Last weekend I showed up for a haircut appointment at my new salon only to find out that the stylist who had been cutting my hair was no longer there. I was very surprised, but I guess I knew something was up when I didn't get the requisite 'reminder' call the day before.

So, now I've scheduled my day around this appointment and there is no one there to cut my hair. They did not make any arrangements for me. I was told that someone had left several messages for me, but I did not receive any of them. Besides, isn't this more of a converstation (would you like us to book you with someone else?), than a message (so & so has left the salon)?

I left the salon thinking "what just happened?" & went about my day.

The next morning I leave a message for the owner & when we spoke shortly after, he apologized, admitted it had not been handled correctly, took full responsibility & offered me a cut at no charge with him (a higher priced cut). I took him up on his offer.

What prompted this post is not just what happened, but how I found the salon - through a local cable TV commercial. And, several weeks later the salon had a billboard right by a very popular train station. This stuff is NOT cheap!!

Bottom line, yes all business owners must always be in acquisition mode as there is some level of attritiion no matter how good your business is, but the retention & 'treat your customers' right portion is where most fall down. He only tripped, but did not fall.

I look forward to a great new haircut later this week.

If you invest in marketing keep in mind:

-Track its effectiveness
-Treat your newly acquired customers right
-Realize that employee training is critical to your success
-Everyone has competition & your customers know it, so....

Do the right thing. It will pay off.

Happy Marketing!

I'll do whatever you want...

Sound good? Don't fall for it. The 'professionals' who tell you they'll do whatever you want will be the deathknell of your business. I call these folks "order takers" & you should run as far away as fast as possible as soon as you can with the ultimate goal of finding business partners/suppliers who will coach/advise you on the right things to do & share their expertise with you to help you reach your business goals.

Here are just a few examples:

1. I had a meeting the other day & was reviewing the client's website. It was not tagged in any way, had no SEO as part of its construction, & when I ran the stats, the SEO score was 0%. Huh? Turns out that the client never asked for tagging or any SEO. So the "web designer" didn't do it. Are you kidding me? That's like getting your clothes dry cleaned but they didn't put it on hangers beacause you didn't specifically ask for them. So now, they have a site that looks pretty but isn't functioning at all. Worse yet, they've lost time & money achieving their goals.

2. The other day I called a few list brokers to get pricing for a list on behalf of a client. I spoke with 3 different companies. All are relatively well known & reputable in the industry. 2 of them simply ran counts for me without asking any questions of how the list was to be used & what the ultimate goal was. So, sure enough the next day I received excel spreadsheets with counts popped into cells. No background info offered at all (when was the last time the list was updated? what is the source of the list?). The 3rd company however, picked up the phone to call me to discuss "the campaign" in its totality & gave me some great advice. She ran counts & even gave me alternate counts for other list uses. Guess who I chose to do business with? And, the kicker? Her list was the most expensive. Lesson here? Price doesn't always drive buying decisions.

3. In yet another meeting with a client & their supplier, the supplier came to the meeting & not once during the entire hour did she take out a pen, offer up any solutions or advice. She just sat there on the couch with her briefcase closed beside her (& her mind just as closed) looking at her watch periodically. Saying "I'll do whatever you want" every few minutes. Well, OK but we're looking to YOU as the expert in your field to tell us what we SHOULD be doing to get the results we desire. If we have to tell you how to do your business, then we don't really need you, do we? No wonder I was asked by my client to help them vet other suppliers so this one can be replaced.

4. A client mentioned that he'd read something about a new service that a company he'd been doing business with was now offering. I hadn't heard about this so I called the supplier who initially set up the project to ask if this is something we should be doing. "Oh, yes" he said. Well, OK. But shouldn't YOU have picked up the phone to call your client to let them know? If he had been proactive the client would not have done the updating on their own & would have happily given you the task (& money) to provide the service for them. Now, you appear to be behind the 8 ball as opposed to the expert & you lost revenue to boot. And, now I (as a 3rd party) know it too!

Bottom line, if you're on client side it's not always easy to ask the right questions because sometimes we don't even know what we don't know. But...if a potential supplier isn't asking you enough questions, or offering up advice then politely say, 'no thanks' & walk away. Then, call colleagues & friends to get recommendations of expert professionals to work with so that your business will thrive.

If you're on supplier side don't do this to your clients. While it sounds great to offer to do whatever they want (they are paying you, after all) this is a huge cop out. Offer advice, give them choices, talk with them about the bigger picture so that you see how your service fits in.

If you don't, it's highly likely they'll be calling me as soon as you're out the door.