|
|
|
Doin' It, Doin' It, Doin' It
Dumber than a doornail — that's what he was — one of the richest home-based businessmen I have ever had the opportunity to know personally.
For purposes of anonymity, lets call him Jack. Jack wasn't your typical sharp-as-a-tack businessman,...
Home Based Business Opportunity
The allure of a home based business opportunity is very strong these days with uncertain economic times and the pressures of working long hours for less pay. More and more people are exploring home based business opportunities to see if they are...
Managers: Paying for PR-Lite?
As a business, non-profit or association manager, your public relations expenditure may give you names in the newspaper or product plugs on radio. But what about key stakeholder behavior change – the kind that leads directly to achieving...
New Ideas For Small Business Holiday Marketing
2 seconds after Halloween it seems that all the retail stores put up their Christmas decorations - trying to capture as much of the Holiday market as possible. Typical ways that retail stores use to capitalize on the holidays include extended...
Top Ten Strategies for Boosting Small Biz Profits
No matter what stage your small business is in, one thing is for sure: money matters! If you are in a slump, the fastest way to jump-start your sales is to reach out and touch as many people as possible using your unique talents and gifts. These...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
What Do Your Clients REALLY Think of You?
Know Thyself - Socrates
***************************************
I'd like to start this article with a test …
What do you get when you cross a Northern Canadian male, a 4x4 truck and heavy rain?
You guessed it! … Mud Bogging!!!!
That is how I spent my morning. My husband's new truck was too shinny, so he felt he had to get it dirty again just so he could wash it for the fourth time this week.
Of course, I won't say no to adventure so I hung up my leather coat and pulled out my bush jacket. Put away my fashion footwear and pulled on my rubber boots.
Then we hit the trails! I bit my tongue, possibly dislocated a shoulder and lost my sunglasses, the whole time yelling, "Yahooooo!"
We made it home in one piece but I think our mechanic is going to make some real easy money in the next couple of days. :0)
What does this have to do with business you ask? It's called balance … and if you don't have balance, work and business are a whole lot tougher and a lot less fun.
This week I created a rather enlightening assignment for myself. My coach and I were discussing the importance of knowing what kind of an image we portray to the world.
How we think others see us and how we are actually perceived may be worlds apart.
Being a successful business owner, or achieving success in any endeavor, has a strong connection to how others regard us.
Building a solid, successful business is highly dependent on the relationships we build with our clients and customers.
You can provide a top quality product or service, but if a potential buyer does not feel comfortable with you or a sense of trust or caring on your part, it doesn't matter how good your product is.
In order to measure how I was portraying myself to others, I created a questionnaire and distributed it via e-mail to my family members, friends, peer coaches, clients, and acquaintances.
I asked for feedback from people I have known for only a few weeks, and some who have known me for years.
I wanted to capture a good cross-section that would cover the many different relationships over varying time periods.
I asked them to list for me the first five words or images that come to mind when they hear the name, Laurie Hayes.
The results came quick and I received close to 90 different answers. Many answers were also the same and this greatly assisted me in determining what the top five images were.
There was a tie for first place between "caring" and "funny." Actually, I collected,
"humorous," "funny," "very funny" and "funny as hell!"
This gave me great peace of mind knowing that if some day I decide to abandon entrepreneurship, I can always join the circus! ;-)
This exercise was wonderful in that it demonstrated I am on track with my purpose.
My goal is to move others to where they want to be by providing support and inspiring action while keeping it fun. And through the feedback received, I know I am on course.
This was a great (and very important) exercise. How many businesses have failed because owners have failed to solicit feedback?
Often times, people will not tell you where you are falling short. And if they do, are you listening to them?
Instead of sharing their thoughts, some may let the friendship fade, find a new supplier, or even though they continue to associate with you, not recommend you to anyone else although they have ample opportunity.
It is very important to ask for feedback so you can measure your position.
If you want to portray a certain image, ask for others' opinions. This will help you know if you're accomplishing what you set out to or to the degree that you could be.
You must let those you ask know that absolute honesty is desired and that you respect their input and candor.
You should also be willing to accept what is presented. If you don't like some responses or if you disagree with them, look at the math.
If several people have indicated, "uninterested," take this seriously. Do not allow your judgment to step in and decide that they are wrong.
Think about what role you play in creating this feeling for them, and then decide what you will do about it.
If this response has been generated by several of those questioned, how many others may not have felt comfortable enough to offer you the same feedback even though they share it?
How do you think you portray yourself to others?
How are you really portraying yourself?
Measure and remain open to the results.
If you want to achieve success, you need strong, healthy relationships and you play a pivotal role in creating and maintaining them.
About the Author
As a Life Strategy/Small Business Coach, Laurie works with small and home-based business owners who face the distinct challenges presented to small business. She is the author of numerous articles and a bi-weekly newsletter, "The Heart of Living."
To subscribe to her free newsletter and learn more about coaching, visit www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com
|
|
|
|
|
| United States Small Business Administration |
| An electronic gateway of procurement information for and about small businesses. Search engine for contracting officers, marketing tool for small firms, ... |
| www.sba.gov |
|
| SBA |
| The Small Business Planner includes information and resources that will help you at any stage of the business lifecycle. ... |
| www.sba.gov |
|
| Main Page - SmallBusiness.com - Small Business Resources |
| Find Small Business plans, advice, tutorials about organization, corporations, entrepreneurship, and smallbusiness. |
| www.smallbusiness.com |
|
| Yahoo! Small Business: Domain Names, Web Hosting, E-commerce ... |
| Yahoo! Small Business provides products and services that enable you to establish and grow your business on the Internet. Services include domain name ... |
| smallbusiness.yahoo.com |
|
| Small business advice business start up small business finance ... |
| business start up small business finance start up advice. |
| www.smallbusiness.co.uk |
|
| Smallbusiness.gov.au redirect to business.gov.au |
| Business Entry Point - Helping small business in big ways. An Australian Government initiative. The content from this website has now been consolidated into ... |
| www.smallbusiness.gov.au |
|
| Business & Small Business |
| Online and print small business publication. Information to help start, grow or manage a small business. |
| www.entrepreneur.com |
|
| Microsoft Small Business Center |
| Your home for information about Microsoft's small-business products and services, tailored business advice, technology tools, and more. |
| www.microsoft.com |
|
| The Small Business Advisor - advice for starting and operating a ... |
| Advice and assistance for starting and operating a small or home based business. |
| www.isquare.com |
|
| SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" |
| A nonprofit association dedicated to encouraging the formation, growth, and success of small business nationwide through counseling and mentor programs. |
| www.score.org |
|
| Small Business and Self-Employed One-Stop Resource |
| IR-2006-2, January 3, 2006 - Temporary and proposed regulations will significantly reduce tax filing burden for nearly 950000 small business owners. ... |
| www.irs.gov |
|
| Welcome to Small Business BC your business resource in British ... |
| BC Business Services offers assistance and resources for those running or starting a business in British Columbia and Vancouver. |
| www.smallbusinessbc.ca |
|
| Small Business Service | Home |
| Provides information and advice to help small businesses realise their potential. |
| www.sbs.gov.uk |
|
| NSW Small Business |
| A site developed by the NSW Department of State and Regional Development for small businesses. Topics include management, resources, current issues and ... |
| www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au |
|
| Business Management & Advice: Small Business Resources & Information |
| Looking for business management and advice? Our website includes small business resources and information that can help you. Visit the small business ... |
| www.businessweek.com |
|
| Small Business Lawyer, Attorney, Law, Legal Help - FindLaw for ... |
| Information and legal sites relevant to small business. |
| smallbusiness.findlaw.com |
|
| Small Business Funding Opportunities (SBIR and STTR) |
| Links to Small Business Funding Opportunities and SBIR / STTR Applications. |
| grants.nih.gov |
|
| Microsoft bCentral Small Business Directory |
| Directory categorized by industry with company business card feature. |
| sbd.bcentral.com |
|
| Our site has moved! Please update your bookmarks! |
| Facilitates the sharing and exchange of information among small business development centers, the small business administration and other business-oriented ... |
| sbdcnet.utsa.edu |
|
| Small Business Development Corporation |
| Our business information services provides guidance to improve business skills and knowledge on advice on starting, buying, selling and expanding a small ... |
| www.sbdc.com.au |
|
|