Small Office, Home Office Information

I can’t believe that it’s almost two weeks since either Toni or I posted here. That time has just flown by and I guess you can tell that if two weeks have gone by in a flash then we’ve been busy and the coming week doesn’t look much better either. Things are a little quiet for quite a few businesses around this town but that certainly isn’t the case around here.

Even though we’ve been rather busy we have still managed to get out and about and interact with some of the local businesses and yesterday we came away from one of our regular haunts thinking that we’ll probably never go back. Over the last month or so one of their key staff members seems to have had some issues with their customers and the service has really dropped off.

It only takes one employee of a small business to have a major impact on the bottom line of that business. A consistent negative attitude by that one person can turn people off an otherwise great little business … so how are your employees treating your customers?

Perhaps even more importantly, how are you treating your customers?

What attitude are your customers seeing in you and your staff?

These days when we try something new in our small business we want it to work immediately. Most of us even want our business to be a success immediately and some will go to any lengths to make that happen.

But what if that’s a guarantee of failure? What if you you burn brightly next month but by next year no one can remember who you were or what your small business was all about? What if the true secret to success is to be in it for the long haul?

Seth Godin has something interesting to say that you should read if you really do want your business to succeed … you will find it here.

And today’s a big day for one of our team at Total Website Management - Tony Brodie, our programmer and pay-per-click expert is moving his family from the UK to America and they fly out of London today. We hope all goes well for you mate. 

by Stuart Livesey

It’s so easy when you’re running a small business and times are tough to really start worrying about your competition but a little competition can be a very positive thing for your business. If you provide the best product, the best in customer service and the best value for money then all your competition is going to do is make your business look even better.

Of course if you’re not providing the best product etc. … if all you’re doing is making some other small business look even better … then the only way to compete is by lifting your game … if you know how.

It’s another early start to the day for Toni and me. We picked up several a new client last week and now we’ve got to work them into our schedule.

There’s little doubt that we’re heading into some troubled economic times and if you’re running a small business you could be thinking that these times are going to be really tough on you simply because your business is small.

Perhaps Seth Godin has a different perspective that you should consider.

I got up this morning feeling totally yuck … not physically ill, just weary and drained … but I’ve got a list of things to do that seems to be as long as my arm.

Solution - if your schedule allows it, work on some of the quick and easy jobs and make sure you cross them off your list as soon as you’ve finished the job. Soon the list doesn’t look quite so bad and the psychological effect of seeing a shortened list can encourage you to push on.

I regularly receive an interesting ezine from Robert Middleton, a marketing specialist in the US. I have to admit that there are times when there is some divergence between what he suggests and what we have found works for us but it is still interesting and challenging to read another person’s point of view and so I read Robert’s ezine.

This last week he wrote something quite interesting about interpersonal relationships and the effect they can have on your business. Here is part of what he had to say.

So what do you really want (for Christmas or any other time)?

The best I’ve been able to figure out is that people want, more
than anything else, to make a difference, to make a contribution to
others (family, friends, clients, anyone and everyone).

In other words, to give fully of ourselves. But what can we give
that will make that difference? What will make the biggest
possible contribution to others?

If you get this one, you not only get to fulfill your greatest desire
but the greatest desire of others. And the best thing about it is
that it costs nothing, takes little time, and has long-lasting
benefits. It works any time and in any place.

The funny thing is that we have a terrible time giving it.

And no, it’s not love, compassion, friendship, etc. Those are
wonderful gifts as well. But they are not the ultimate
contribution. They really pale in comparison.

And one of the saddest things is that if you fail to give this you
can trigger a lot of misery, resentment, frustration and
misunderstanding. The inability to give this causes alienation,
divorce and wars. And yet it’s so simple to give.

Are you ready for the answer?

The greatest contribution

you can make to another

is to let them contribute…

to YOU.

Since what we want most of all is to contribute, if you fully
receive that contribution (whatever it is), you’re making the
ultimate contribution to another.

When someone wants to help you - let them. When you get a
compliment - receive it graciously. When someone has an idea or
resource for you - show your thanks. Whenever a loved one tries to
share something with you - listen attentively.

When you accept a contribution, another wonderful thing happens -
you pave the way for more contributions. It can be a never-ending
upward spiral. And it feels wonderful.

Now don’t mess this up by waiting for others to accept your
contributions with open arms. They might not. Turn it around. Put
your attention on accepting their contributions in the most
expansive way you can imagine.

I hope you realize that applying this to your business could add
a whole new dimension of fun and fulfillment. It just might
transform the way you do business and enrich you in the process.

If you want to read more of what Robert has to say about marketing or to sign up for his ezine you should head over to http://www.actionplan.com

A lone eagle soars over the beach at sunset

After making several comments on another blog yesterday I managed to become embroiled in a discussion about people who claim legendary status and snake oil salesman.

In an effort to prove that he was a legend but not a snake oil salesman one particular person tried to impress me with his income, question my integrity, point out that we had experienced a cash flow problem this month and tell me that he had five children.

Maybe by bringing his children into this he was trying to imply that he was a better breeder than me but I didn’t rise to that one - penis envy is definitely not my thing - but then when you have 10 kids you don’t have to defend yourself on that point at all

But it did raise in my mind the question of just what is the measure of a successful small business person. Is it money? Is it possessions? Is it status within your community or state or country? Is it something less definable such as happiness and an ability to accept criticism without launching into a vitriolic counter-attack?

I doubt that there is a definitive answer for this but if success can be measured in happiness and being comfortable with where you are after years of hard work then maybe I’m a success after all.

If the measure of success is wealth, possessions and position then I guess I’m a miserable failure but it doesn’t seem to bother me much.

So what is your measure of success?

Many small businesses start blogs these days in an effort to stay in touch with their consumers. Maintaining a blog is not easy and maintaining your focus is perhaps the hardest thing to do.

It can be very tempting to use your business blog as a platform from which you can pontificate on all manner of interesting topics. Unfortunately your readers don’t come to your blog to hear you preach, they come for other reasons and if you are not meeting those reasons your readers and customers will drift away.

This is a true story and no names have been changed to protect the innocent or the not so innocent. For those of you who come from other countries, let me tell you that Toll Ipec is a huge road and rail transport company here in Australia and among other things they operate a door to door parcel service.

December 2 (a Friday) - two expensive flat screen monitors are picked up from a distributor in Brisbane by Toll Ipec. Both monitors are in identical boxes except one is marked ‘1/2′ and has the invoice and our address firmly attached to the outside of the box and the other is marked ‘2/2′ and has the Toll Ipec consignment note attached to the outside of the box. (How do I know it was firmly attached? Because we’ve had a number of deliveries from the same supplier, the same storeman has packed and despatched each delivery and you can’t rip the packet containing our address and invoice off the box without a huge amount of effort)

December 5 (Monday) - The box marked ‘2 of 2′ is delivered. I ask the driver where the other box is and he searches his truck and can’t find it. He says he will make enquiries when he returns to the depot.

December 6 - Toni rings Toll Ipec to find out what happened to the missing box. She’s told enquiries will be made and they will call us after a search has been made in the non-deliverable section in the Brisbane depot nd also after they have contacted our local depot. No one rings back.

December 7 - Toni calls Toll Ipec again and is told that further enquiries will be made and they will call us back by lunch time. No one calls back. After lunch Toni calls again and this time gets the run-around - the person on the other end of customer service 1300 number declines to put Toni through to the section she had been talking to and gives Toni a number to call herself.

December 7 (after lunch) - I call the direct number because Toni is almost in tears and speak to someone who finds the file, with all our calls listed, in the system - reads it and then asks me if I would like to start an enquiry. I remain polite but firm - ‘Yes I defnitely would like to start an enquiry’. I’m assurred that they will call us back. Of course, no one does.

December 8 - Toni calls the direct number and finally seems to be put through to someone in charge. She explains the whole situation again and she is promised that enquiries will be made and someone from Toll Ipec will call us back by lunch time. No one does.

December 8 (after lunch) - I go looking on the Toll Ipec website for a national customer service number and can’t find one so in desperation I email their IT Help Desk and a trouble ticket is raised.

December 9 (around lunchtime) - I get a phone call from the Toll Ipec office we had been dealing with and I’m told that an ‘All Ports’ request has just been issued. The caller explains that when offices around Australia get that notice they have to quickly search their undeliverable section to see if the missing box is sitting in their depots and respond. I’m assurred that I will be notified of the result by the end of the day. No one calls back.

December 9 (throughout the day) - I get several trouble ticket updates that tell me that my original email is filtering through the system and is being sent to various people.

December 9 (around 3pm) - I get an email cc’d to me from someone at Toll Ipec who is instructing someone else to forward my complaint to the National Customer Service Manager for Toll Ipec so that he can contact me. No one calls.

So now, after a full week of farting around trying to get the other monitor that we desperately need we are still no further advanced although we have learned something very interesting about a national transport company.

Toll Ipec has absolutely no idea about customer service and they seem completely disinterested in providing even a very basic level of customer service.

Toll Ipec let me have a little rant for just a moment, after all I think we deserve it don’t you?

One dissatisfied customer will tell their story to 10 others and each of those 10 will pass it on to another 10. So eventually your inability to provide customer service is going to bite you in the bum - after all, you’re not the only transport company out there.

Edit with an Update

Around 10.30 today (Monday December 12) I received an email from the Queensland Customer Service Manager for Toll Ipec asking me to supply her with a phone number so she could contact me. I replied, gave her the details, hit send ………… and the email bounced.

My first reaction was to burst into hysterical laughter (it’s not as painful as beating your head on the desk) but I controlled myself and phoned her.

She was very helpful and very apologetic and she called me several times through the day. She was able to tell me that the first box was never scanned into the depot in Brisbane. That was enough for us to be able to contact the supplier and they will replace the missing monitor.

At the same time she was interested to look into the matter further. For her it seems to be more than just another missing parcel because she was able to identify some points where procedure may not have been followed.

So the Case of the Missing Monitor continues but is now beyond the scope of this blog. We have received customer service - at last - and basically we’re as happy as they can make us.

But in any business customer service is the responsibility of every employee and any employee who doesn’t understand that has the potential to become a major liability for your business.

That’s a question that was basically asked of us the other day and the obvious answer is a resounding NO!

I suppose that has to be qualified just a bit because there are some small businesses that are just going to be too much for anyone who is getting on in years but there are certainly plenty of opportunities for small business people whatever their age might be.

Unfortunately many young people don’t understand that and they are quick to discourage any older person who might want to launch their own small business.

Only yesterday a lady of middle age came into the computer shop where Toni rents a desk several days a week. She happened to notice that Toni had Dreamweaver open and was working on one of our projects. The lady confided in Toni that she was completing a Macromedia (they make Dreamweaver) course at tech and she really didn’t know what to do when she had finished.

She was the only mature student in a class of mostly teenagers and they had all told her that she was far to old to even think of making money on the Internet.

The lady was greatly relieved to see Toni fall about laughing when age was mentioned.

Age is no barrier to anything you might want to do in a small business that wants to use the Internet as a platform. Anyone who suggests that age might be a problem is definitely not worth listening to.