Risky calls, regular postcards and the secret to success

Tags: , ,
Posted March 16th, 2012 in processes, small business, systems | 1 Comment

I heard some brilliant advice recently from my friend and former client Craig Dunn, owner of Carolina Office Solutions here in Charlotte.

He said, “Now is the time to take small risks. Make small investments in your business, in your employees, and in yourself.”

I couldn’t agree more and was delighted to hear him share such an important message so succinctly.

One of my current clients put this message into action recently. I encouraged him to take action – any action – that would begin refilling his pipeline. My suggestions included:

  • Former customers – call them up and ask how their business is doing. Ask them what they need and then help them find a resource to solve it. Or send them a card just to say, “Hi” and remind them you’re out there (Craig has started doing this again regularly and consistently – people notice and he stays top of mind)
  • Current customers – what’s ONE thing you can do to “wow” them? To go the extra mile? To delight and surprise them?
  • People “in the know” – Want to break into a new industry or work with a different batch of clients? Reach out to industry leaders and ask for advice. What does this industry need? Share your heartfelt passion and vision for helping. See if you can discover solutions with the help of these people “in the know.”

The thing is, it’s easy to give to these suggestions. It’s even easy to agree you’ll do them. The hard part is taking action. It’s risky. It’s scary. There’s the very real potential for rejection.

But what if taking action – any action – really works? What if those small risks, those small investments, are the unspoken secret for success?

With my support and encouragement, my client took action and it is paying off handsomely. His phone is ringing. He’s talking to potential clients and he even has a meeting set up with one particular person “in the know” in response to an inquiry letter he sent. How cool is that?

Are you ready to take small risks? To invest in your business? And take ACTION? Here’s a great way to do it and it’s seriously a game changer:

Out of Overwhelm

From frustrated to freedom

Tags: , , ,
Posted February 28th, 2012 in processes, small business, systems | 0 Comments

Last week, I finally moved into some office space. It’s a quiet place to work where I can write, shoot video, and meet with my local clients. It’s a keyman-type building and I’m surrounded by about six or eight other small businesses.

I happened to have my door open mid-week and here’s a conversation I overhead in the hall:

Business owner: Ok, we’re all set. The total amount is $65.

Customer: How can I pay this?

Business owner: I can take cash or check today.

Customer: You don’t take credit cards?

Business owner: No, I’m sorry, I can’t do that here.

Customer: Oh, dear. I wish I’d known that. I don’t ever carry checks with me.

An awkward silence ensued. The business owner told the customer to pay via Paypal from a certain page on her website.

The customer reminded the business owner about her coupon. Another awkward silence ensued. The business owner said,
“I don’t have that amount set up on Paypal. You’ll need to pay the full amount via credit card online today and then next time you can use the coupon.”

Really?

I have to ask – are YOU making it hard for your customers to do business with you?

Are you creating moments of uncomfortable silence for your customers?

Or are you showing up reliably and professionally, with systems and processes that work?

It’s impressive the number of business owners who are calling about my new programs. They are ready to invest in themselves, in their businesses, and to move from frustration to freedom.

Being unorganized in front of clients?

Awkward.

Again, let me ask you: how much is your disorganization costing you?

Do you schedule Valentine’s Day?

Tags: , , ,
Posted February 14th, 2012 in processes, small business | 0 Comments

Are you scheduling time for things that matter?

Things like thanking your best referral sources, reviewing your year end numbers, or even planning a great

Valentine’s dinner with your sweetie?

I do and I encourage my clients to do it, too.

One of the many things I tell my clients that changes their lives is, “Your brain is NOT for remembering.”

Seriously. It isn’t.

Brains are good for lots and lots of things, but remembering stuff (especially nowadays in our information-packed, three-phone-numbers-per-person world)? Not so much.

One of the biggies we work on in my life-changing Time Map Method (TM) is scheduling the important stuff. Maybe it only happens once or twice a year, but it’s really important for the health of your business. You must plan for it – if you can remember ahead of time that it’s coming up.

What are the costs if you don’t remember?

For one of my clients, it turns into a HUGE scramble in January to get ready for February’s tax demands. Staff isn’t prepared, they haven’t had their education updates, and paperwork doesn’t get out on time. It puts everyone behind and causes untold stress. While the quality of work doesn’t necessarily suffer, no one is better for all the rushing and hurrying it takes to pull it off.

Now though, since my client has gone through my Time Map Method, those important things are captured on a master calendar, never to be forgotten by her already-too-full-brain again.

If you’re ready to plan those important-but-not-often-recurring events while making darn sure the important stuff gets done without relying on your brain to remind you, here’s perfect solution: Out of Overwhelm Once and For All http://yourorganizedguide.com/out-of-overwhelm

What a lost dog can teach you about business processes

Tags: , , , ,
Posted February 10th, 2012 in delegation, processes, systems | 0 Comments

My boyfriend Nelson and I lost a dog on Sunday.

And when I say “lost” I don’t mean the dog died. I mean the dog ran away. And ran away in a huge forest. Huge like 50,369 acres (78.70 sq mi or 203.84 km² if you’re not from the US). And to make matters much, much worse, it was our neighbor’s dog. A dog who, it turns out, had no identification on her collar and no microchip either.

Sigh.

So, Monday, I’m driving back to the forest, hoping the dog will be somewhere near where we were hiking.

On the way, I’m listening to NPR (National Public Radio) trying to distract myself from worrying.

And lo and behold, on the program Here and Now they start talking about business systems! An expert from MAPI, the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, was discussing how smart individuals and companies are investing in training, documenting their processes, and working on getting their operations running more efficiently.

Of course, this got me thinking. And the long and short of it is, if you want to work on making your business more efficient and getting your processes documented, the place to start is with YOU.

And here’s the perfect solution for how to do that: Out of Overwhelm Once and For All. http://yourorganizedguide.com/out-of-overwhelm

Oh! And yes, I finally found the dog. She was in an empty campsite licking the cold frying pans sitting on the campstove. Ha!

Sincerely,

Angie

P.S. Getting a handle on your time and documenting your systems gives you a jump-start on training and delegation. And seriously, effective delegation has a near-miraculous effect on your revenues, client numbers, and stress levels. The first two go UP – the third one comes DOWN!

Did You Include the Tape? (Thoughtful Business Systems Work!)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted November 28th, 2011 in processes, small business, systems | 0 Comments

Last week my boyfriend Nelson made a big decision (for a guy).

He cancelled TV at our house.

Without getting on a soapbox rant, let’s just say I’m not a big fan of television. So, his cancelling his subscription TV service is a very, very good thing from my perspective.

Now, what the heck does cancelling TV have to do with tape – and with organizing?

Well, shortly after Nelson cancelled the service, a box from the TV company arrived in  the mail. An empty box – or so I thought.

On Friday afternoon, I witnessed something very interesting indeed.

As Nelson pulled out the TV company’s three receivers from wall unit and gathered the various remotes and cords, he opened the (not empty – yet perfectly sized) box to reveal:

  1. a prepaid packing slip;
  2. pre-formed foam packs; and
  3. tape

TAPE!

To seal the box, after you’ve packed the receivers into their pre-formed foam packs and slipped them all into this perfectly sized box.

I love this! Somebody at the TV place took the time to say, “Hey, how we can make the return process so easy even a monkey could do it?” (Sorry, Nelson. I’m not implying you’re a monkey)

But still – image the attention to detail it took to realize that providing a box would go a long way towards helping customers with their returns. And image then how the company might realize the return process might be held up if people don’t have TAPE. That small little detail ensures fast, easy returns. It means the company actually took time to think about how to make process better for customers AND for themselves.

It makes me almost a little sad that Nelson is leaving such a thoughtful company. A little, but not enough to want TV back in the house. ;-)

Now, have YOU thought about what could make your processes better for you customers AND for your company? At Your Organized Guide, we look for those holes, those details, those things that make customers go, “Wow.” We love clarity, sharing of information, and creating a process that makes life easier for customers AND you alike. And we love helping our customers realize that THEIR intake process could be more clear. That they could better explain the work process with their new customers. Or how wrapping up a project could provide referrals, testimonials and all sorts of other goodies – if done well.

So, are you ready? Give us a call at Your Organized Guide: (704) 553-8082 or email angie@yourorganizedguide.com.

Excellent Systems Lead to Success – 3 Way Plumbing Leads By Example

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted November 17th, 2011 in processes, small business, systems | 0 Comments

In business, there are lessons to be learned from those who create success over the long term.  A recent conversation with Danielle Martini highlighted several important lessons for business owners – and many involved consistently adopting, communicating, and enforcing good business practices.

Communicating Expectations for Team Members

If there’s one thing I know about Danielle Martini, it’s that she knows what she wants. The gold in that statement is that her employees know what she wants, too! Her expectations are clearly laid out – from before she hires someone all the way to the guys who have been employees (and happily) for years.

During the hiring process, Danielle looks for attitude, personality, and clues that demonstrate the candidate is focused on providing excellent customer service beyond “just getting the job done.”

Consistency with Clients – aka Setting Expectations

The policies, procedures, and processes are a significant part of what makes 3 Way Plumbing so successful.  In the company’s radio commercial on 107.9 The Link, Danielle states, “My technicians will show up on time, in uniform, and give you options. They don’t work on commission, so they have YOUR best interest in mind.”
Danielle says she paid attention when she got poor service, encountered a service professional who wouldn’t listen, or who tried to rip her off. She knew she could provide a better service honestly.

Additionally, part of the 3 Way Plumbing promise to customers is to give options, pricing and warranty information before the technicians ever start working. Their motto is “no surprises.”

Quality through Training

At 3 Way Plumbing, Danielle makes sure that her technicians are skilled professionals. Training is a huge part of how she creates a culture of quality. Sometimes her technicians say, “Why are we training on this product or technique again? I already know this?” The point of training is repetition and consistency – so everyone is providing the same quality service in the same proven “3 Way Plumbing” process.

From the excellent sales training system all the way through the service visit, the point is to give people options and explain the benefits of each. And Danielle wants it to come across easily and naturally.   “We role play, train, and retrain,” she says emphatically. “I want sales and service from our technicians to become second nature.”

 Tracking Everything for ROI
Ultimately, Danielle makes her decision based on metrics – her “dashboard” that helps her focus on the health of the business. She tracks everything (“Probably too much,” she says with a laugh).

Wanting to know the ROI (return on investment) of everything from sales training to diagnostics to marketing helps her make financial and training decisions that are more than “gut-based.”

Additionally, spending time weekly on customer feedback helps the team come to an agreement about what can be done better or differently for customers in the future.

Knowledge sharing is key!

There’s much to learn from this successful business – and from this focused business owner.

  • As you are consistent with your policies, procedures, and expectations for your team, they will deliver on those expectations. If they cannot deliver, they might not be right member for your team.
  • As you are consistent with creating a culture within your company (remember that Danielle’s is quality work and excellent customer service), so too will your team adopt that culture.
  • And as you set a very high bar with continued training sessions for your team, they will continue to improve their work – or they will clearly show they don’t deserve to be part of the high quality team you have created.

Consistent communication of expectations for team and customers, focus on creating a positive culture, an emphasis on ongoing training, and tracking what works makes for an excellent business indeed.

Congratulations to Danielle Martini and her team at 3 Way Plumbing for providing us with an example of a company that WORKS!

We’ll be interviewing companies through the rest of 2011. If you know of a successful service-based business that we should contact – let us know!

Five Ways Disorganization is Costing You Money and Clients

Posted November 14th, 2011 in organization, processes, small business, Uncategorized | 0 Comments

Over the years, I feel like I’ve seen every way that disorganization can cost a business time and money. Nothing surprises me anymore and when I talk with business owners, I always let them know they are in a “no judgment” zone with me and my team.

So, take these examples as what they are – illustrations of the various ways that being disorganized can cost you time and money:

  1. Getting Clients: if a business owner has no system for handling potential client information, that’s money down the drain. You get a voicemail or email sayings, “I’d like to discuss…” and that info goes…nowhere. It never gets followed up on again unless you accidentally stumble over it.
  2. Doing the Work: as projects multiply in number or complexity, details get lost in the shuffle. Changes aren’t noted – or billed. Parts of projects are never completed – until the clients asks. Then the business owner goes into CYA mode or into apology mode.
  3. Getting Paid: No way to track money coming in or out. I’ve found checks stuffed in books and files years after a client paid the business owner. In the process of working together on A/P and A/R details, we’ve found evidence of vendors being paid twice – or more! And I’ve discovered instances where clients were never billed for work done (and who wants to work for free??).
  4. Running the Business: I’ve seen business owners have their companies dissolved for not filing their annual reports with the Secretary of State; or have their website shut down because they forgot to renew their domain name; or have an audit take forever because their paperwork was SO disorganized that nothing could be found quickly or easily.
  5. Owner’s Mindset: with all the details of running a business, something is bound to be forgotten without reliable systems to capture, process, and manage all the information coming in and going out. Good time management, a healthy relationship with email, and dedication to being in response rather than react mode go a LONG way in running a business that you love.

So, if those are the ways that businesses lose clients and money through disorganization, why don’t all business owners just buckle down and get their act in gear?

The truth is, many business owners would rather have their toenails pulled out than do the work required to get organized.

Why?

Because they don’t know what they don’t know and it can *feel* overwhelming.

Mostly, business owners don’t know:

  • Where to start
  • Whom to call
  • If they can “find the time”
  • How to overcome their embarrassment or inertia
  • If they can afford help
  • How long it might actually take
  • If they are ready to commit to making the necessary changes – in their businesses OR in themselves

The beauty of working with a company like mine here at Your Organized Guide is that we as a team can help a business owner with all of these questions.

We love disorganization – because 9 times out of 10, we have a simple solution to what seems like an overwhelming problem. We LIKE getting our arms around chaos and creating order. Give us a messy office and a frazzled business owner – by the time we’re done, everyone is feeling calm and peaceful. Found an area of your business that isn’t working or is causing tremendous frustration? We love to get everyone in a room to hash out the details, put logical order to it, and get agreement from everyone involved that “this is how we’ll do it going forward.”

We love accountability, clarity, and order – AND we love creativity.

If you’d love that too, call us. From office organization, to filing systems, to email management, to getting business systems and processes written down, we’re here to help small businesses get out of overwhelm! Call us at (704) 553-8082 or email us: angie@yourorganizedguide.com.

Delegation Matters (Part 2 of 4)

Posted August 25th, 2011 in delegation, processes, small business | 0 Comments

The Situation

“Carol, come in here for a second. I’ve got about two dozen things I need you to take care of,” says Ms. Boss.

Carol dutifully comes in, notepad in hand, and writes down the details of the tasks her boss is asking her to do.

Back at her desk, Carol she works through them. A couple of them have pieces she’s unsure about. Carol completes what she can and schedules a few minutes with Ms. Boss to discuss her questions on the remaining work.

As Carol hands over her completed work, Ms. boss gets a funny look in her face. Carol asks what’s wrong and the boss says, “Why are you giving me this?”

Equally confused, Carol says, “Well, in our meeting on Monday, you asked me to do five things. This is one of them, which is done. I’ve got questions about two of the other tasks.”

Visibly frustrated, Ms. Boss replies, “I don’t remember asking you to do this. I need you to spend your time on…” and launches into a rant about other more important work.

And with that, Carol goes into shut down mode, tremendously frustrated because she’d spent time and energy on tasks she is sure her boss asked her to do (afterall, she took notes!). Evidently these tasks weren’t really important – and Carol thinks she must not be important if the boss doesn’t remember the tasks, or that she even asked Carol to do them.

“How does this keep happening?” Carol shakes her head in frustration and starts to think about finding a new job.
Delegation as a Skill

A business owner or manager has a lot going on. It can be a pleasure to have a team to delegate tasks to – but it also involves responsibility.

Creating systems to manage those tasks, make sure they’re being worked on, and that they are completed on time, on budget, and with a level of competence you’d expect.

Just as you would expect your assistant or team member to take notes as you assign a task, so too should you. The mutual agreement of the scope of work to be done, the milestones and deadlines, plus the details of what the finished product will be are crucial.

Documenting these details, asking an assistant or team member to follow up on the milestones, and expressing gratitude when the work is done are all important parts of the delegation process.

Need help creating a system for delegation? Working with the business owner, assistant, and/or team is a specialty for us at MBS, Inc. Call us to help clear the delegation fog and let’s get some great work done! (704) 553-8082 or angie@mattsonbusiness.com

Everybody Calm Down

Posted July 20th, 2011 in Mindset, processes, small business | 0 Comments

Holy carps. It’s hot right now. People seem exceedingly cranky, easily irritated, and kind of frantic.

Or maybe it’s just me. ;-)

I’m talking with a lot of small business owners and solopreneurs these days. They (we?) all seem a bit frantic about the amount of work we have in front of us, plus the work we know we “should” be doing.

And at the same time, I hear, “We need to stabilize our cashflow. We need more clients. We need more jobs.”

Is this confusing to you, too?

This morning, I sat down with a list of 3 things I absolutely HAD to get done. I knew these were priorities (that fall in the IMPORTANT but not URGENT quadrant of decision-making) and activities that were guaranteed to move my business (and my cashflow) forward.

Have I done them? Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad, right?

I, too, suffer from “bright shiny object syndrome” coupled with procrastination and bit of overwhelm with all the stuff I “can” do or feel like I “should do.” Instead, I vacuumed, I read some blogs, and I caught up on some teleclasses. I got 2 of the 3 things done. Meh.

As the day draws to a close and I’ve got that one thing left to do, I realized why I hadn’t gotten that one thing done.

Thankfully, I know *exactly* the three things to do that will guarantee my success with getting this last thing done. It’s my secret formula to avoid procrastination…

  1. Commit to the project – seems like common sense, doesn’t it? BUT, if I don’t commit to getting it done, I give myself an “out” for doing it later, tomorrow, or never
  2. Set a timer. Seriously. It WORKS because it gives you focus.
  3. Sit and get started – again, common sense, no? But if I use every excuse under the sun for not sitting and BEGINNING, then the house gets cleaned, I read a bunch of non-important crap, and I procrastinate the day away.

So, what activities are YOU avoiding? Those IMPORTANT tasks that aren’t urgent, but dang, if you did them – you might actually see an increase in clients, cashflow, or even in your energy?

Hmmm…I took my own medicine. I wrote this article. And the timer hasn’t even gone off yet. Yay, me!  Now, I’m done for the day – and all three of my crucial to-do’s are done.

Wouldn’t you like to be able to say the same thing?

Do them – do them NOW!

Are you feeling frustrated because those important activities keep falling to end of the line? Do you even really know what the important tasks and activities are?

If you feel like you’d do better with an accountability partner – someone who is committed to you and will hold you in a place of committing to your success – it’s time to reach out and invest in your success. Let’s get your priorities straight and get you working your priorities. Give me a call: (704) 553-8082 or angie@mattsonbusiness.com.

Do It Now or Do It Later

Posted January 28th, 2011 in delegation, organization, processes, small business | 2 Comments

Egads!  This entire month I’ve talked with probably a dozen or more business owners about getting organized, writing down their systems and processes, and/or using an assistant more (also known as DELEGATING).

As I talk about finding more time and comparing their hourly rate and expertise to an assistant’s time and expertise, I see their heads nodding. Many times I see the light bulbs go off. The wheels in their head start turning as they think about the possibilities of having a business that runs like a machine whether they are there or not.

But…

Want to know what almost every single one of them has said to me?

They said…

“I don’t have time!”

And frankly, that gets me into a little bit of a lather. It makes me cranky. And it makes me more than a little frustrated.

Because, see, the truth is, if you need to get organized, document your systems, or delegate more – with need being the key word here – then how can you afford NOT to do it?

First, let’s define NEED.  You need to think about a better system if you are:

•    losing client information
•    failing to follow up more than once (or not at all) with prospects
•    a business owner and you’re still doing all the data entry for Quickbooks, business cards, etc.
•    working in an office full of people and you’re the one still changing the toner in the copier, running to get office supplies, and picking up birthday cards and cakes
•    the only one who knows the codes, account logins, and passwords for your payroll, bank accounts, website, and CRM
•    failing to deliver to clients what you promise, when you promise it
•    finding yourself without crucial information, product, or props for special events, trade shows, or client presentations (the “Crap, I forgot to grab the…” syndrome)

So, now that we understand some true needs in business, what’s the solution?

Find time to go slow NOW so you can go fast (read: GROW) with some semblance of sanity later.

Or to put this conversation another way – have we discussed the HBB scenario?

No?

What happens to your business if you get Hit By a Bus? Does your business come to a screeching halt because you – or a critical team member – is suddenly gone, unavailable, sick, or…worse?

You can start the process now – or you can scramble, panic, and freak out later.

The glorious thing is the choice is yours!

Happy Organizing!

Angie Mattson, Chief Efficiency Officer, Mattson Business Services, Inc. (704) 553-8082 or angie@mattsonbusiness.com

Page 1 of 3123