Welcoming Customers

You’d think that every entrepreneur would consider it essential to welcome potential buyers and clients to their business, but experience shows that’s not always the case. Browse at any flea market or craft fair and you’ll see numerous vendors who are reading a book or chatting with other vendors while ignoring the crowd. And it’s not just exhibiters that do this: many business owners seem to wear a “Do Not Disturb” sign — defying anyone to ask them questions or offer them money.

Smart entrepreneurs make it their mission to let others know that they are in business to serve. Whether it’s home based, virtual or bricks and mortar, truly welcoming entrepreneurs are constantly looking for ways to draw others to their business and to make every encounter as pleasant as possible.

Here are a few welcoming ideas to include in your own repertoire.

Be ready to talk about your business with anyone at anytime, anyplace. Opportunity doesn’t always show up at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday over the telephone. It might come via a stranger sitting across from you at Starbucks. Be sure that you are prepared to provide information at all times.

At the very least, always carry a good supply of clean, unbent business cards. It amazes me how many people say, “Oh, I don’t have my cards with me.” What good is a card in your desk drawer? If you have a brochure or printed materials that are portable, carry them, too.

Get the word out in different ways. When you’re new in business, you probably will spend time monitoring the response you get to various forms of advertising. However, that often only gives a short-term picture of what is working for you. If you have a service business, for instance, an ongoing ad in your local paper and another in the Yellow Pages may only bring in customers after a lengthy period of time.

“The best advice I got about having a web site,” says Michael Kelley, who specializes in historic restoration, “was not to depend on search engines to bring traffic to my site. Part of my advertising effort is directed at telling people I have a site.” Keep experimenting. You’ll reach different prospects with each new thing you try.

Be gracious in all encounters. One day when I was at my bank, the teller asked me for some information on London hotels. I gave her a couple of ideas and then said, “If you give me a call tonight, I’ll give you a telephone number for a large hotel chain.”

When Terry called later on, I answered the phone as I always do. “Why you’re as cheerful on the phone as you are when you come into the bank,” Terry responded. Since I am not psychic, I don’t know when my phone rings if it’s a telemarketer or a big opportunity. So my policy is to always answer as if I’m thrilled to get the call. I’m amazed at the number of home based business owners who don’t seem to have such a policy.

Your telephone is probably an important part of your business. Whether you answer it yourself or your voice messaging system takes the call, be conscious of how inviting you sound. Too many answering messages sound lethargic — depressed, even. Give some thought to creating a message that is warm and welcoming. (Frankly, I am mystified why people choose a message that says, “You have reached 555-4527.” This is about
people, not numbers.) If you use the same telephone for personal and business calls, find a way to answer that is appropriate whether it’s your next big client or your daughter’s school friend on the other end.

In face-to-face encounters with your customers, be scrupulous about your manners and your personal hygiene. It’s easy to offend without realizing it. My own garlic-loving dental hygienist used to make my regular cleanings a horror. Heavy perfume (and men’s cologne) can also be offenders. Whether you have physical contact with your clients or not, be sensitive to odors and other unpleasantries. Stories are still being told about Bill Gates working around the clock in the early days of Microsoft without taking time to shower. You may not want those kinds of stories in your biography.

Slick and glossy isn’t always better. The personal touch can add charm to a small business, so don’t be too eager to look like a corporate spendthrift. Angela Adair-Hoy is a successful author and marketer of e-books. In Make Money Self-Publishing, she tells this story:

We built a new high tech and beautiful web site and put it up in the fall of 1999. Sales plummeted. We left the new site up for about three days and then ripped that sucker down. It wasn’t because of broken links or anything like that because we checked all the technical aspects of it. It was the design. We uploaded the old version and sales shot back up. The amateur part of my site gives people a feeling that they know me. They feel like they’re dealing with a nice individual rather than a corporation. That’s been a huge key to my success.

So think of yourself as a host and focus on others whenever you have the opportunity. After all, no business can exist without the support of customers. Make yours glad that they did business with you.

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Keys to Unlocking Your Passion

Finding our passion is really learning to hear the voice of our heart. This voice is never timid, lukewarm, or insipid. It doesn’t use the word “should.” When we connect with an idea, object, or person that generates passion, the voice of our heart exclaims, “That’s for me!”

Unfortunately, that voice has many enemies that try to drown it out. Our own doubts, fears, and lack of confidence can dim it—and so can the opinions of others, a busy schedule, and lack of self-awareness. Even so, no matter how deeply it gets buried, the voice of our heart keeps trying to be heard. How can we turn up the volume?

Accept responsibility for it. Finding your passion is a do-it-yourself project, one that requires constant monitoring of your feelings, imagination, and self-image.

Make self-discovery a high priority. The more you know about yourself, the easier it is to hear your heart speak. Self-discovery is not a one-time experience. It take place over a lifetime and demands that you keep asking questions, trying new things, and staying open to new possibilities.

Follow your hunches. If your intuition is urging you to learn the tango, don’t dismiss it. Remember how you felt as a child when you came running home excited about something you had done in school and nobody would pay attention? When we ignore our hunches, we impose that same damper on ourselves.

Dump your doubts. Anytime we have an unrealized dream, there’s a good chance that we also have an excuse to explain why we haven’t done what we wanted to do. Stop treating your excuses as the voice of reason, admit that they’re the story you made up, and hit “delete.” Realize, too, that it’s possible to keep your doubts and still take action.

Understand that routine can be the enemy of passion. If you do everything in the same way at the same time day after day, you may become efficient, but you won’t become passionate. Passion comes when we shake things up, allow ourselves to be surprised, explore. You can’t do that if you’re tied to a rigid schedule.

Know that you are capable of multiple passions. Studies have shown that the more sources of passion we have, the happier we are. Passions change during different stages of our lives. Many people seem to think they’re going to find One Grand Passion, but people who live passion-filled lives are usually passionate about many things.

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Running a Tidy Ship

Albert Einstein once pointed out that everything should be made as simple as possible — but no simpler. This certainly can be applied to any business that wants to keep its equilibrium.

For most entrepreneurs, that requires constant vigilance since a business can become complicated and cumbersome in the blink of an eye. Here are some guidelines to incorporate into your business:

Make simplicity a goal. It’s not enough to say you want to simplify your business. Identify specific, measurable results that will indicate that you have made your systems, marketing, accounting, etc. as simple as possible.

Work on one profit center at a time. Give a single project your full attention by keeping papers or items related to other projects out of sight. When it’s time to move on to the next project, stash things related to the last project in a file or closet or drawer.

Avoid confusion. “Clutter and messy work areas cause confusion and irritability,” observes Alexandra Stoddard. “Give your mind a spa and take some time out to rearrange your office. Block off a few hours on your calendar and use the time to putter. Edit out the unnecessary.”

Identify spendthrift behavior and eliminate it. New gadgets and technologies can be seductive, but refuse to purchase anything for your business unless it makes a positive contribution.

Keep projects separate. If you manage several profit centers, color code the work in each of them for ease in locating and filing.

Keep a single calendar. A portable system such as Filofax is ideal. If you write appointments, deadlines, etc. in several locations, you’ll waste time transferring them from place to place.

Hire a professional organizer to help you develop the best system for you. Make certain you understand how to maintain it as easily as possible.

Clean out your computer and cabinet files at regular intervals. Make a note on your calendar every 60 or 90 days to tidy up so things don’t accumulate.

Designate space. My grandmother’s favorite saying was, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” As I’ve discovered, uncluttering is as much about creating places as it is about throwing away.

Identify your nemesis and make a special effort to deal with that. Going after the biggest problem — and solving it — often makes solving lesser problems a snap.

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Getting the Most Out of a Seminar or Class

As I was busily rearranging the hotel ballroom where my seminar was to be held, a man arrived, marched to the front seat, sat down, folded his arms over his chest and said in a demanding voice, “This better be good!” I was quite certain that he was about to be disappointed.

During the break, another man rushed up to me, eyes glowing, and said, “I can’t believe what’s happening. I wasn’t even supposed to be here tonight. I came to take notes for a friend who was called out of town. Already I have thought of three businesses I can start!”

Every seminar I teach has a variation of this theme. While the information is the same, some people leave with nothing and others leave with more than they expected. How can you get even more out of the classes and seminars you attend?

Having spent a lot of time on both sides of the desk, here are a few tips I’ve garnered as a participant and a teacher:

Be responsible for what happens in the classroom. Do you realize, for instance, that you can help the leader do a better job? By nodding, smiling, responding, you can encourage — or discourage — the person leading the seminar. Nonverbal communication is strong in a classroom and good teachers are paying attention to the signals their students send. If you frown or appear indifferent, you may have a negative impact on the person leading the course. By supporting the teacher, you will get a better class. No kidding.

Come ready to learn. Leave your problems and worries outside the room and let your sense of adventure take over. For a few hours, suspend your resistance and be open to the ideas and information you’re receiving. Treat your learning experiences like a mini-vacation and be willing to encounter the unexpected.

Pick the best seat in the house. Arrive a bit early and select the best vantage point you can get. Make sure you can see and hear what’s going on. The farther to the front that you place yourself, the fewer the distractions.

Take two sets of notes. Make one set factual (i.e., important points given in the lecture, etc.) and another of ideas that you get during the course of the lecture. In other words, begin applying ideas to yourself immediately.

Be a regular student. Of course, expanding your knowledge can be fun and interesting, but there are larger benefits. Seminars and classes can strengthen your self-confidence, motivate you, awaken ideas and thoughts that have been dormant. You can even transform your life. Only Cinderella changed hers with a magic wand; modern versions of the story such as My Fair Lady and Educating Rita rely on education to perform such miracles.

Take your self-education seriously. And while not all seminars will be equally powerful, you’ll still receive the benefits that come from keeping your curiosity alive.

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5 Great Perks for Self-Bossers

Here at Winning Ways, we don’t use the word “should” too often, but here are five things you really should consider giving yourself:

A massage therapist who makes house calls. Having your massage at home eliminates the stress of driving when it’s over and saves you time, too. Besides that, it’s a little bit of luxury to have your own in-home therapist. A friend of mine schedules hers late in the evening and can count on an especially good night’s sleep to follow.

A medical savings account. Although they’ve been around for a while, MSAs have not been well publicized, but if you’re self-employed you’ll want to find one for yourself (unless you live in a more civilized place where health insurance isn’t an issue). Essentially, an MSA allows you to put money into a special account to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses. This money is not taxed, however. One carrier that offers medical savings accounts is Blue Cross.

A techie friend who knows more than you do. Actually, I have two such friends. (To be honest, almost all my friends know more than I do about technology.) Blair Hornbuckle and Peter Vogt are two gentle giants who patiently coax me into learning new things. And on a recent afternoon when I thought I had erased my hard drive, Peter dropped everything and came to my office to restore order. Everyone needs such a willing friend.

An accountant who understands small business. It might seem sexy to hire a large accounting firm (although big firms aren’t as prestigious since the Enron scandal) but don’t do it if you’re a one-person business. People trained to handle corporate affairs won’t understand what you’re up to. So find an accountant who works from home or from a very small office — one who is self-employed.

A diary. Journals are great for exploring thoughts and ideas, but a diary is a factual running record of your life. If you can find an old-fashioned five-year diary and write in it faithfully, you’ll have an ongoing account of your growth. As you jot down the events of your day, it’s fun to look back at the same date a year or two ago to see what you were doing.

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Banishing the Money Dragon

Every so often I am asked some variation of the question, “Do you ever worry about money?” The truthful answer to that is, “Not anymore,” but getting free of the Money Dragon had little to do with earning more money and everything to do with challenging my belief system about money. Allowing the Money Dragon to rule your world is a surefire invitation to sleepless nights and perpetual poverty. Banishing that monster starts by answering some important questions.

Do you live in a world of scarcity or surplus? Las Vegas legend Wayne Newton lives on a 52-acre ranch where he raises prize-winning Arabian horses. He’s also signed a multimillion-dollar deal to continue performing. Things weren’t always so rosy. In 1991, he faced bankruptcy. Throughout the ordeal, he continued to remind himself that he had created his wealth and could create it again if he lost it. Four years later he was back on firm financial ground.

Many people create scarcity by focusing on everything they don’t have. Author Sondra Ray points out that if you have any money anywhere — even a few coins — you actually have a surplus. How many people give themselves credit for that?

Thinking abundantly comes from a healthy self-image, knowing you have options, and an understanding of the role that attitude plays in creating wealth. Most of us arrive at that state through conscious work, eliminating thoughts and words of poverty. Books such as Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Creating Money can help us get rid of our own blocks and limiting thoughts.

What has goal setting got to do with it? Although more people are coming to understand the importance of the goal-setting process, many fail to make the connection between setting goals and generating cash flow. “I’d like to travel,” they sigh, without giving any thought to making it happen.

A great way to build your goal-setting muscle is to invent a small project — one that really excites you — and create the funding for it in a totally new way. Then work up to a slightly larger project. Not only will you realize more of your dreams, you’ll build a larger Option Bank for yourself as well.

Is it a debt or is it an investment? The media love to remind us that credit card spending is out of control. Accumulated debts can lead to shame and take a toll on self-esteem, of course.

An entrepreneur needs to understand the difference between debt and investment. As Jerry Gilles points out in his classic book Moneylove, debt can be a sign of trust and belief in your dreams. The trick here is to know when spending is actually an investment in your future and when it’s just frivolous. Which leads us to the next question.

Is it ego or is it essential? People who leave corporate life often take with them a spendthrift attitude. Doing things to create a successful image may seem like a good idea, but you need to consider whether it’s the seductive siren song of your ego urging you to buy that luxury car or spend thousands for a fabulous brochure or whether it’s essential to running your business. Yes, it’s wonderful to have great toys and a successful image. It’s even better if you’ve earned them.

If it’s essential, it’s an investment; if it’s ego, it’s just debt.

Is it anybody’s business? Several months ago, I was introduced to a man who is working frenetically to launch a business that’s based on a terrific product he’s designed. At our first meeting — and in every conversation since — he’s told me, “I’m absolutely broke.” In fact, he seems to be wearing his impoverished state as a badge of honor.

Your finances are really not appropriate public knowledge. Besides your spouse and your accountant, nobody needs to know the contents of your bank account. This is also true, incidentally, when you’ve hit the jackpot.

What have you given lately? Financial guru Suze Orman tells the story about reaching the lowest point in her life after having her business wiped out by an unscrupulous partner. Orman spent weeks at home licking her wounds, not knowing how she’d recover. One day she turned on public television during their fund drive. Despite having limited funds herself, she decided to make a contribution. She credits that simple act of giving with turning her life around. Today, Orman’s seminars are often featured during fund drive week on public television.

Money is energy and needs to flow out as well as in. Make your own acts of generosity count by giving money to causes that you truly care about. Selfless giving benefits the giver by adding to feelings of abundance. Money Dragons can’t exist in that environment.

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Cheap Tricks: Marketing at Fairs, Flea Markets, and Special Events

Community fairs and markets are becoming increasingly popular, providing a nice environment for many artisans to market their wares. To maximize the potential of these short-term venues, consider the following tips.

Look like you want to do business. Too many exhibiters at flea markets, craft shows, fairs and conventions seem to think the merchandise speaks for itself. Yes, it’s hard work to stand on your feet and greet passers-by, but doing so will let people know you’re proud of what you have to offer.

It’s astonishing how many sellers seem to have missed this basic part of marketing, preferring to curl up with a book or chat with other sellers while ignoring the people that they’re there to serve. Nobody wants to do business with someone who is wearing a “do not disturb” sign.

Go out of your way to greet people as they pass. Offer a sample or brochure, even a piece of candy. Make your stand a standout by your cheerfulness. Remember, too, that special events have a holiday spirit about them, so potential customers are usually more relaxed and friendly.

Good manners matter in dealing with a wide range of people. Some time ago, I was putting together a slide show about entrepreneurship and decided to take pictures of people selling at a flea market in California. One man offered to do a product demonstration for me. When I finished snapping my pictures, I thanked him and began walking away. He hurled an insult at me for not purchasing—despite the fact that his demonstration had drawn a crowd of spectators. That’s a classic case of turning opportunity into adversity. I’m sure his nasty attitude cost him sales.

Arouse curiosity. Marketing is easier when someone asks you about your business, so find a way to bring people to your booth with a question on their mind. It will provide a perfect opening for you to talk about what you have to offer. If you market antique tools, for instance, you could display an unusual implement and ask passers-by to guess what it is. Or have a contest to guess how many dog biscuits or jelly beans are in a container. Anything that makes people stop and take a closer look increases your odds of making a sale.

Depending on your product, you might create an ongoing event by working as you exhibit. One man who travels around the country selling his popular twig furniture always attracts people to his display by working on pieces and answering questions from the crowd about his technique.

Make your booth look different from the others. Look around any convention hall or flea market and you’ll notice that most displays are almost indistinguishable from one another. While many events have stringent rules about what you can and cannot do with your rented space, you still have plenty of leeway in using color or graphics or, even, costumes to help you stand out from the crowd. Find out how much creative opportunity is permitted and take advantage of it. Simple things like soft music or a catchy theme can make your display memorable.

Plant seeds for future business. We’ve all seen those conventioneers with their plastic bags stuffed full of brochures that get tossed away once they’re home. You, of course, want to be remembered, so adding another brochure for the trash makes no sense.

Get creative. Come up with something useful, like a how-to tip sheet of information aimed at the interests of your audience. If you’re selling dried floral wreaths, for instance, you could give visitors a tip sheet with ideas for keeping their wreaths and dried flowers fresh longer. They’ll appreciate the helpful hints and be more apt to hang on to your piece. Be sure, also, that anything you give away has your name and address on it so people can find you again if they want more of your product.

Whether selling through flea markets and special events is your main business or a sideline, keep attention-getting ideas in mind, and experiment until you find the ones that help you stand out. Not only will it attract new customers, but it will also help you become a familiar presence, bringing repeat customers back time and again because you made a good impression the first time.

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A Habitat Guide for Lifelong Learners

Sometimes it’s fun to learn something new just for the sake of learning; at other times, that learning leads to a new profit center. Wherever your learning path takes you, the important thing to remember is that learning is one of the best uses of time ever invented.

Where do you begin? Here are a few possibilities, many of them gleaned from The Independent Scholar’s Handbook by Ronald Gross.

Adult and continuing education. Available in almost every community except the smallest. Colleges and universities, as well as independent programs, public school systems and even libraries offer opportunities.

Networks. You can plug into one of the many invisible networks of people learning from one another on a regular basis via mail, phone, computers and newsletters.

Home improvement and craft stores. Places like Home Depot and Michael’s offer many free or inexpensive useful classes.

Conferences. A good place to meet others in your field and to take in the most up-to-date issues, ideas and technologies.

Learning groups. Convening your own group of co-learners is easier than you think.

Specialized bookstores. Whether you visit them in person or via catalog or correspondence, you will find not merely books but also people who share your interests. Don’t overlook the free author talks at full-service bookstores, either.

Television. Making creative choices in your television viewing and following up on what you’ve seen can add a new dimension to your learning life.

Libraries. Libraries are an entrepreneur’s best friend. Beyond offering books, they can serve learners in unexpected and useful ways that most people have not heard of — and such help is available for the asking. Make friends with a reference librarian. Many libraries also host speakers.

Churches. These are beehives of free or inexpensive learning options. Many New Thought churches offer wonderful workshops.

Magazines and newspapers. Get the most out of them; challenge yourself to read other points of view.

Teleclasses. This hot new learning system lets you gather new ideas and information from the comfort of your home.

Arts centers. The arts, an ideal way to learn and grow, are burgeoning nationwide, especially at a grassroots level.

Teaching. It will increase and extend your command of your subject, prompting you to take a fresh overview and forcing you to make sure your knowledge is up-to-date.

Audiocassettes and CDs. There are recordings that cover an entire range of subjects and you can listen at your own speed.

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Great Things To Do With a Gift of Time

Every business has times that are less busy than others. You can use this time to fret and worry that your entrepreneurial life has come to an end—or you can view it as a gift of time to do some of those things you’ve been telling yourself you’ll do when you have time. It just makes sense, it seems to me, to spend this time wisely and well. Here are a few possibilities.

Review and Revise Your Support System.  Is it time to hire a virtual assistant? Find a new tax accountant? Get expert advice? Unless you’re  willing to settle for the first person that comes along (and we all have had times when we’ve done that and regretted it later), this is a perfect  opportunity to clarify what you need from various service providers and make  certain that you’re getting it. If you are ready to add to your support  team, start interviewing potential sources of support.

Simplify, Simplify.  Been meaning to clean out your closets and pass things along to a charity shop? Get your office in shipshape? These are time-consuming tasks that aren’t very glamorous, but the psychic rewards are huge.

Get out some trash bags, put on some upbeat music and have at it. Get rid of the junk in the junk drawer. Weed your library. Update your filing system. Clean out your e-mailbox. It’s as liberating as losing twenty pounds.

Up Your Wellness. Use this extra time to walk or workout. Get a massage or facial. Read up on nutrition. Experiment with new healthier foods that  take time to prepare. Start meditating again. Plan a stress reduction program. Work these things into your schedule now and you’re more apt  to keep up with them when your busier times return.

Volunteer. Pass your gift of time along to someone else by helping out. If you live in a major metro area in the US and are needing ideas, go to www.VolunteerMatch.com which lists a wide variety of projects in search of  help. Why not volunteer at your kids’ school or at a local foodbank or shelter? You could even instigate a project of your own and get your friends involved.

Learn Something New. Build some brain cells with a class or seminar. Add to your computer skills, start learning a new language, take up salsa dancing. Use this time to saturate yourself in a new subject that catches your fancy.

Finish Things. Okay, not everyone has unfinished projects gathering dust, but chances are there’s an article you started writing or a home improvement project that got bogged down and abandoned because it didn’t seem urgent.  Imagine if all these loose ends were tied up before you plunge back into your business. It would feel great, wouldn’t it?

Take a Mini-Sabbatical. Got a stack of books you’ve been wanting to read? For years, Bill Gates has gone away on a reading retreat. You don’t have to be a billionaire to borrow this idea.

Been meaning to visit a historic site in a nearby state?  Need to refresh your creative spirit? Plan some purposeful time away. Borrow a friend’s cottage. Rent a motorhome. Don’t check your messages. A change of scenery may be just what you need to recharge your batteries and come up with some fresh insights.

Invest Sweat Equity in a Longterm Project. Been putting something off because it will require lots of hours to get to completion? This could be the time to start putting in those hours to get it launched.  Since most of us flourish when working on new projects, getting started has the added bonus of re-energizing other more familiar things.

Host an Idea Night Potluck. Invite four or five other positive self-bossers to share food and ideas with each other. Make sure that everyone gets equal time and that all ideas get a hearing. Idea Parties are more successful if you lay down the ground rule that arguing or discounting ideas is strictly forbidden. Guests go home with an inventory of potential  ideas which they can evaluate later.

Expand Your Visibility. Write a press release. Have a new photo taken. Start an ezine. Get yourself interviewed on a local radio show. Revamp your Web site. All this seed planting takes time and is easy to overlook when you’re busy. Why not do it now and see what doors might open?

Whenever you find yourself with a gift of time, think of ways to spend it wisely and creatively. It’s a worthwhile investment.

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