We know we need to keep clients and customers happy.  But sometimes we commit to unrealistic deadlines, which can cause us to let them down. So instead of over promising and under delivering, why not build the opposite into your business practices?  Build customer delight and loyalty by under promising and over delivering.

 Here are some ideas to get you on your way.

 What’s the customer’s real deadline?

Sometimes we assume customers’ deadlines. We project when we think they’ll need our product, service or action by and cause unnecessary business stress in the process.  So ask the customer for their deadline from the outset.  You may find there’s more time available.  And if the timescale is tight for you, be honest with them. Is it possible to deliver a specific part of the project, service, action etc by then with other elements being completed at a slightly later date?  If so, make sure you do deliver as promised.

 Prioritise by deadlines 

 Can you move away from a first come/first served approach – methodically processing one customer at a time depending on when they placed their order?  One customer may not need your product or service so soon, where for another it’s vital right now.  Keep everyone happy by putting customers’ deadlines at the heart of your processes.  If some clash and cause problems for you, then talk and see if there’s any margin for moving the dates with any of them. Alternatively try sweetening things by offering a small discount or other incentive to extend the deadline.  Or quickly call in reinforcements!

Be ahead of schedule

In today’s world, deadlines are more often missed than achieved.  Customers are really impressed when you deliver slightly ahead of schedule.  So assess the time it will take to get your product/service/ action completed and then communicate a deadline a day or so afterwards (but deliver that day early). Don’t deliver too far in advance of the deadline as customers won’t trust your word. Also, don’t always expect customers to spot that you’re ahead of schedule.  Emphasise it to them, albeit subtly.

 Perfect your processes 

 Look at the current obstacles in your business operations.  What gets in the way of you delivering your promises to customers? Can more people, outsourcing, better time management, faster suppliers, project-management software or other IT applications improve your efficiency?  Ask for an external viewpoint if necessary to spot ways to fine-tune your approach.

 Do more than you said on the tin 

 Can you create added value around the product, service or action that you deliver?  For example, can your report be in a format that fits easily with the client’s house style?  Can you include samples or testers of complementary products when you dispatch the a customer’s bought?  Can you give a voucher giving a slight discount off the next purchase or if the customer recommends a friend?   A word of warning though – added value does impress, but only if the initial product or service purchased meets expectations. Get the basics right first.

 The more you understand why a customer is buying this service or product from you, the more chances you’ve got to tick their boxes and delight them.  What issue are they trying to resolve?  What need are they hoping to satisfy?  What other factors pivot around this purchase?  If you can find these out, then ways in which to under promise and over deliver will become clear. And you can look forward to a happy future built on this customer’s pleasure and loyalty.

About the Author: 

Michelle Daniels is the Managing Director of Extended Thinking. An experienced and effective business development and marketing strategist, Michelle has built a successful career increasing top line growth for service businesses and organisations. She helps her clients turn their marketing, business development and thought leadership plans into reality with her ‘hands on’ support and practical advice.    A prolific writer, Michelle also combines creative flair with business nous to produce highly effective results.  She has written (and ghost-written) for many professional and business publications and is a chartered marketer and member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Extended Thinking

Extended Thinking is a hands-on marketing and business development consultancy.  Bringing together great minds and great ‘doers’, we help our clients devise and implement plans that achieve real business growth.  Our clients come from a wide variety of backgrounds and sectors, but invariably are those who are too busy or lack the resources to action their marketing and business development plans.  We roll our sleeves up and muck in to free them up to do what they really want to do and are good at doing. 

For more visit: www.extendedthinking.com

I keep my time saved in a box
From going fast in cars
I’ve piled it up high
From saying hello to friends with a quick goodbye
~Kathryn Williams, Flicker

The world is seemingly moving at a faster pace. Everywhere you turn, the pace is quick. Deadlines are moved up, workload is increased, kid’s schedules are packed, to-do lists are long, housework never ends – it’s chaos.

At least it feels this way.

Has the world really sped up? Are there more things happening today than 50 years ago? No, and no.

Some things around us may involve more pressure and feel like it’s moving faster, but many times it only feels this way. Thanks to the Internet and cable we hear about everything that happens, immediately.

Our interconnectedness through technology has helped create the illusion of a faster paced world. It’s also created the illusion of less loneliness and isolation – but there’s nothing that can replace real life connections with other people. Physical contact and interaction is vital.

This loss of contact and the perceived pace of the world produces a feeling of chronic anxiousness and a decrease in the ability to find pleasure in some of the simple things.

Honestly, when was the last time you stopped and took in the smell of fresh baked bread? Or colored with crayons? Or walked barefoot in the grass? Or took a few minutes to just breathe?

No where is the impact of our pace felt more than in marriage and family. It’s extremely difficult to move hurriedly through your day and then slow down enough to enjoy your family or your spouse in the evening.

Some of the reasons marriage and family relationships go through sour patches is the squeezing they get from our schedules, disconnection, and pace. It’s easy to get caught up in other things and have the immediate outweigh the important.

To reverse this, here’s a few ideas to try:

Start small.

No change in life is easy or comfortable. Working to let go of the pace around you and creating your own speed takes time and should be attempted in small, incremental steps. Begin by giving yourself permission to slow down. This may seem like a no brainer, but many people believe they don’t have permission to slow down. You do. Whenever life seems to move too fast, take a deep breathe. Three to five slow, deep breaths will slow everything down.

Leave the office.

And I mean leave the office. Shut off all projects, messages, emails, phone calls and conversations and leave the office at the end of the day. Most everything can wait until the next day, so leave it alone until then. As an added help, create a routine to help you disengage from the office on the way home. Walk down the stairs slowly rather than taking the elevator. Drive down tree lined streets rather than the interstate. Walk or bike home from work if possible. Listen to good music while on the train or bus. Stop by the gym for a workout. No matter which way you transition from work to home, make it intentional. Breathe. Relax. Breathe. Let work go. Then walk through the door to your home and enjoy time with those you love.

Turn off all electronic gadgets.

This one is simple. Turn off the phone. The Internet. The television. Spend time talking, playing games, take a walk outside. The point is, unplug and connect with other humans.

Be 100% present.

This is tough at times. But it also is a source of increased tension in life. When I’m with my kids and have other things on my mind, my kids become a pest and source of frustration – at least that’s the way it plays out. When I’ve got work on my mind, my son’s request to play cars is an annoyance rather than an invitation into the world of imaginative play with my child. Whatever you are doing, focus on being 100% present. Multitasking is impossible anyway. Focus on doing one thing at a time and being 100% present while doing it.

Take a walk.

Make it a priority to walk with your spouse and your kids each day. There’s tremendous benefit to being out in nature, even if it’s nature in the city. Want a sure-fire way to improve your marriage? Walk and talk with your spouse at least 30 minutes a day.

Eat outside.

There’s something great about being in nature. There’s something even greater about sharing a meal with others outside. Head to the park for a picnic, eat on the patio at home or restaurants.

Prepare for your day.

Spend a moment at the end of your day preparing for the next day. Pick out clothes, make lunches, talk with your spouse. Then in the morning, before you jump into your day, take some time a simply sit quietly. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Breathe slowly, meditate, pray. What a great way to start each day.

About the Author: Corey Allan is the editor of Simple Marriage a site filled with laid back information that will make your relationships better. You can subscribe via rss or email.

Do you want to be more productive? Maybe you do, but I’m sure you don’t want to feel stressed, overwhelmed, or unhappy – which happens to many super-productive people. But there is good news:

You can be insanely productive – and still smell the freesias, savor a Pinot Noir, or enjoy a languid hug.

A few weeks ago Leo Babauta said to me, “Mary – you’re one of the most productive people I know. And you still keep smiling and seem so relaxed. How do you do it?”

Most stuff I’ve read about productivity is about doing things differently. Like getting up at 4 a.m. each morning, or drinking eight liters of water a day, or keeping a notebook under the pillow. Sorry, folks – I don’t do any of those things.

High productivity isn’t about doing, it’s about being.

If you want to be highly productive – and still enjoy life – you need to look at how you live, and how you use your mind. Check out the following five suggestions:

Make peace within.

Most people live in a constant state of inner conflict and suffer from a barrage of negative thoughts that sabotage productivity. Here’s a scenario: Imagine that your car has landed in a ditch. A group of helpers gather, attach ropes and start to pull the car out. Unfortunately, they’re not all pulling in the same direction. Some try to pull the car toward the road, whereas others try to pull it deeper into the ditch. It’s absurd.

That’s exactly what happens when we’re divided within: everything is a struggle, nothing much happens, and it’s frustrating. But what if your mind, body, and soul are all aligned?

When our energy is aligned, we are in a state of flow.

When we’re at peace within, and immersed in the task at hand – without negative thoughts sabotaging our productivity – action becomes effortless. We’re able to achieve much more in less time. And with more enjoyment.

Tip: Wear an elastic wristband. Whenever you notice negative thoughts, change your wristband to the other arm. This will help you to create and maintain peace within.

Go to your edge. Regularly.

Most people use only a fraction of their capacity and try to save personal energy. For example, we’re tempted to rest when we feel tired in order to recover our zest for life. Wrong move! The more energy you spend, the more you have. Tiredness can signal many things. If you’re healthy, it may mean that you are bored, frustrated, lack movement, or need more oxygen. Or maybe conflict within has sapped your energy. It’s important to go to your limits regularly. Take up running, martial arts, swimming, or other activities – there are many way to exercise vigorously.

Tip: If you feel exhausted or lethargic, go for a brisk walk in order to rev up your energy and restore your spirit.

Take action.

Most people aren’t productive because they don’t take action. They have dreams and even plans – but they don’t follow through. Negative thoughts can derail action. It may be that you have doubts about your ability, or that you listen to others who doubt you. Tip: Look at what you would like to achieve and ask yourself, “What is the smallest step in the direction of my dreams that I can take right now?” Then take that baby step. Now.

Do what you love.

Think about how you spend your time. Do you enjoy your work, or is it a grind? I’ve changed my life, and what I’m passionate about has now become my work: I teach my Zen students, and also work together with Leo to mentor bloggers in the A-list Blogger Club . A few days ago my partner David knocked at the door of the little cabin in the garden where I work:

“Mary,” he said, “ do you realize it’s 10 o’clock at night – and you’re still working?”
“I’m not working!” I shot back. “I’m enjoying myself!”

Yes, when the boundary between work and play gets blurred, you may actually work more – but it feels like you’re just having fun.

Tip: Follow your dreams – even if it’s only for ten minutes a day.

Love what you do.

We can’t always do what we love. But we are free to love what we do. From a Zen perspective, there is a way to turn even the dullest chore into pleasurable activity through mindfulness.When we pay tender regard to our present experience – letting go of all thoughts and judgments – even the most mundane action can become pleasurable. Mindfulness doesn’t mean watching yourself, it means being fully present, moment by moment. Tip: In order to become mindful, notice sensations of the moment. What sounds can you hear? How are your feet connected with the ground? What does your skin feel like?

Finally, a key question you need to ask …

If you want to be productive and still enjoy life, there is a key question you need to answer: why be productive?

I mean, why not just chill out on the couch, eat potato crisps, and watch TV reruns? That might be fine. But what about the oblong box we’re all going to end up in?

I remind myself every morning that life is short and mine may be over by nightfall. That gives me the the desire to taste and enjoy each moment. It also adds a measure of calm urgency because I want to leave a mark upon the world. Do you?

If so, mindful productivity will help you create a life that offers both pleasure and productivity. You’ll achieve more, and you’ll still keep smiling. That smile will light up not only your own life, but also the lives of those around you.

You don’t have to be a super-hero. Simply make peace within and live each moment fully. That’s all.

About the Author: Mary Jaksch is a Zen Master and blogger. Head over to Goodlife Zen for more of her articles. And visit the A-List Blogger Club.

Whatever the English dictionary might desribe as the literal meaning for a word, we all have our own meanings and associations that we apply to particular words and phrases. And when you are running a business there are some key words that more often than not trigger a negative reaction or emotion – words like rejection, failure, selling and possibly even success.

At the end of the day they are just words which are quite powerless by themselves and it’s actually the meaning that we give to them that gives them their power. What if we were to use our creative powers to reframe these ‘negative’ words and give them a meaning that empowers and motivates us instead?

Until a few years ago I used to see asking for help as weakness and it would always be my last resort. Then a friend of mine told me that the Masai Warriors see asking for help as a strength and a sign of courage not a weakness. As I have a high value for courage this really helped me to reframe my belief and association around asking for help and to embrace it rather than shy away from it.

Even supposedly positive words like success can have a negative association for some and it  might associated with the aggressive world of climbing the corporate ladder, putting work above all else, or achieving our goals at any cost. Success means different things for each of us and the key is to define precisely what it means for you in each area of your life. You will know you have achieved this when you can talk about success and feel excited and motivated rather than a little warning signal that says eek, I’m not quite sure about this!

But what about the obvious and very common ‘fear of failure’? What does it mean to actually fail? Some people might say that if you’re not failing often then you must be in a coma! Failure is a critical part of our learning and discovery process and we often learn most when things don’t go exactly to plan or even disastrously wrong! What if we were to define failure as the perfect opportunity for learning and growth? Perhaps even the ideal opportunity to ask for help and connect with supportive and inspirational people. Or even the opportunity to succeed! What’s your definition of failure?

If you haven’t worked in sales before then this particular part of running your business can be pretty scary and a big learning curve and the fear of rejection can really hold you back. Shed Simove in his book Ideas Man, spent years pitching his ideas and products to potential suppliers and he says “when your ideas are knocked it’s not really a personal slight, even though it may be natural to view it as one …. There are a million reasons, both rational and irrational why someone might reject your idea and those are rarely related to the fact that you came up with it or pitched it”.

For me when I don’t win a particular client or piece of business, I take one or more of the following approaches:

• What can I learn from the experience and what could I do differently or better next time?
• Great, I now have space to attract an even better client!
• This client is obviously not a perfect match for me and I can put my energy to attracting my ideal clients.

 How can you deal positively with rejection?

If you have attached a negative meaning to words or phrases that are holding you back in your business or in your life, try reframing their meaning to something that motivates and inspires you rather than something that brings you down.

About Jenny

Jenny is passionate about giving small business owners the confidence and knowledge to market their businesses with courage, flair and creativity. As both a business coach and marketer, Jenny loves helping people to do the things they previously thought were too complex, scary or totally out of their comfort zones. www.bigstrides4business.co.uk

Your customers and clients rarely buy what it is that you offer, especially if you are a service based business.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a coach, photographer or website designer – people don’t actually buy the coaching, photos or websites.

And this is why most service-based businesses fail.  The life coach who is trying hard to sell coaching sessions for working mothers gives up after 3 months of networking.

The photographer who is desperately trying to sell wedding photography at every wedding fair he goes to begins to wonder whether he made the right choice leaving his corporate job.

The website designer who offers a bargain basement offer for building a 5 page website starts to discount her fees even further as she panics about next month’s cashflow.

What do all these small business owners have in common?  They are trying to sell what it is that they do.  A common, yet costly mistake to make.

What your clients buy are the end results.  They buy the benefits and rewards to the product or service you deliver.

People don’t buy coaching – they buy the business idea or new career path they get from going through the coaching process. 

People don’t buy photos – they buy a gorgeous collection of memories, beautifully presented in leather-bound book that they just know the children they plan to have together will cherish sometime in the future. 

People don’t buy websites – they want to found on Page One of Google and have email enquiries flooding in to their inboxes.

It was Heather Gillam of FitBizTraining who inspired this article and it was her that I give credit to one of the best names given to a fitness programme I have come across.

10 days ago I was feeling rather desperate. My mummy tummy muffin-roll had gone beyond cute and cuddly as even my “fat” jeans where uncomfortably tight and the thought of getting in to a bikini on my summer hols was filling me with dread.

Then in popped an email in to my inbox from Heather Gillam.  “Would you be interested in a joining my “guaranteed drop-a-clothes-size-in-a-month bootcamp” starting in 2 weeks?”

What me – be able to guarantee to drop a dress size in a month? Absolutely yes!!

Now, let’s go back to the context of this article.  What response do you think I would have had if Heather sent me an email on that same day and asked if I fancied joining her on a fitness programe?  I probably would have gone away and considered it.  But by packaging up her progamme as a “guaranteed drop-a-dress-size-in-a-month” programme, there was absolutely no room for any doubt on whether I should do this or not.  I even re-scheduled client appointments so I can make the twice weekly sessions.

So, how does this relate to you and your business?  Take a long hard look at what it is you are selling (and coaches – you are the worst culprits in this!).  Are you selling your service and products?  Or you are selling a dream?  A feeling?  A guaranteed result? 

Because if you are not selling a dream, a feeling or a guaranteed result, then you need to re-proposition your offer right now. 

Give your clients the results they want – and not what it is that you do!  

About the Author:  Karen Skidmore helps small business owners work smarter and use the right marketing tools so they can attract more of the right clients to their business. To subscribe to her free email newsletter and get access to practical advice and marketing ideas that will move your business forward, visit www.CanDoCanBe.com

Once an entrepreneur has taken the bull by the horns and started his or her own home based business, the time has begun to tackle all of the little tasks that go along with it. One of these- and one that some people seem to fear more than many others – is copywriting.

Tips for creating effective copy for your company’s Internet presence can only help you to manage a better and more effective interface with clients and other businesses.

After all, let’s face it, in the modern business world it is most often the copy on your website that is read first.

Create Copy That Interacts With People

The first task in writing good copy for your website is to make the content seem interesting and lively. So much of what people read on the Internet can be dry as melba toast, and it can actually help your cause to make your information just a little bit blustery, just to keep things lively.

Using hyperbole to make a point is not a bad decision- in fact, it can add to the readability of your text. In addition, you will want the reader to feel that he or she is being spoken with, directly. The best way to manage this is to use the word “YOU” as opposed to referring to things in the third person (they, he, she, etc.). Once the potential client feels directly addressed in your content, he or she may be less likely to click away from the information before completing it.

Start (And Deliver) With A Bang

Any copy that needs to reach the clientele will need to have a hook, so it is a good idea to never underestimate the power of a good headline. Yes, it is the shortest part of your copy… but it is also the segment that will determine whether most potential clients ever even decide to look at the rest of the content.

Find the most important part of what you are trying to tell the customer, and LEAD them into it with the headline. From that point, once you have their attention, you can use your interactive writing to keep them occupied. Most experts agree that copy on your website should generally be written at about an 8th grade reading level, so as to make the content accessible to a wide variety of potential customers.

Don’t Stop Writing!

Some people feel very uncomfortable with writing their own copy, while others have a definite knack for it. Even if it doesn’t seem to come as easily, one of the best things that you can do for the sake of your company’s website is to keep writing copy for it.

You may not even use all of it, and you may only use your own copy for certain elements of the business, but it will help to give you ownership of your company… and it will definitely lead you to become a better copywriter at the same time. Most importantly, it places the stamp of your written personality there for the client to interact with.

About the Author: Are you ready to learn how to grow your own business and receive some outstanding copywriting tips?  Take a moment and visit my website at www.meetscottewart.com to see how I can help you create the copy that will take your business to the next level.

Meeting new people in person is still one of the best ways to market your services. If you do a good job at this, you will quickly end up with a desk drawer filled with business cards. But then what do you do with them?

 Timely and consistent follow-up is the key to successful marketing. Meeting someone once is rarely enough to bring you business – repeated contacts are what do the trick. You always want to follow up with prospective customers, of course, but you should also follow up with potential referral sources.

A good referral source is someone who interacts with your desired customers on a regular basis. For example, as a business coach who works with many start-ups, I look for referrals from career counselors and people who teach small business classes.

There are three avenues you might choose to follow up with people you have met: by phone, by mail, or in person. Let’s look at the uses of each one.

With prospective customers, you can phone them to see how interested they are in what you do and try to set up a meeting. The meeting might be in person or by phone, depending on the nature of your business. You can mail them a marketing letter, or a brochure with a personal note. You could also call or write to refer them to your web site or invite them to your next presentation.

The most effective way to contact prospects is usually call-mail-call. Call first to develop interest, and if you can’t reach them to set up a meeting on the first try, send them something by mail or e-mail. Then call again to see if they are ready to take the next step.

If someone is a potential referral source rather than a prospect, your best approach is to establish a reciprocal relationship. You might call to begin getting acquainted, exchange information about yourselves by mail, or arrange to meet in person to find out more about each other’s work.

It is completely appropriate to call another business person you have met and say, “I think we might be serving the same type of customers; could we get to know each other better so maybe we could exchange referrals?” Another easy and friendly way to follow up with anyone you meet is to send a handwritten “nice to meet you” note with only your card enclosed.

Be careful when making contact by fax or e-mail. Many people are offended by faxes or e-mail messages that are essentially generic marketing letters. It’s more advisable to use these media as tools to communicate more personally with people you have already opened a dialogue with.

After your initial contact, think of ways to keep in touch on a regular basis. Call to see how people are doing, or to tell them what’s new with you. Send a note with a clipping or cartoon, or email a link to an interesting web site. Don’t forward email jokes or inspirational stories, though, unless you know for sure the recipient will appreciate them.

To follow up in person, schedule lunch or coffee, or invite your contacts to an upcoming event you plan to attend. Once you have a large follow-up list, consider a regular newsletter, ezine, or postcard mailing.

To manage your follow-up activities, you need a contact management system.When your list is short, you can use contact sheets in a notebook, or 3 x 5 cards. You will quickly outgrow a manual system, however. By the time you reach 200 contacts or so, you’ll be ready to graduate to a computerized system designed for contact management.

However you choose to keep track of your contacts, the important thing is to stay organized. Always have one central place where you record who you meet, what contact you have had so far, and when it will be time to follow up next.

If a business card you have collected doesn’t belong to a prospective customer or referral source, throw it away. There’s no point in keeping the card of someone you don’t plan to follow up with.

 About the Author: C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients Now!™ Thousands of business owners and independent professionals have used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their income. Get a free copy of “Five Secrets to Finding All the Clients You’ll Ever Need” at www.getclientsnow.com.

A desperate entrepreneur contacted me recently. “I need to get clients immediately,” she said. “I’ve been trying for months with no success, and I’m almost out of money.” When I asked her how she had been marketing herself all this time, she gave me the following list of what she had been doing:

• Attending networking events where she met people, introduced herself, and exchanged business cards
• Launched a brochure-style website describing her services      
• Purchased ads in several directories where businesses like hers were featured
• Printed some flyers and posted them on bulletins around town                                                                                                                        

 Now here’s some of what she hadn’t been doing:

• Never asked any of the people she met at networking events to have coffee, get better acquainted, or find out more about their needs
• Never looked around her community to see who might be a good referral source and ask them to consider referring business to her
• Never told her friends and former co-workers about her new business and asked them to let others know about it
• Never asked anyone else in her profession where they found their clients

In other words, she had never asked anyone for help, even though she was drowning.

I’ve heard sad stories like this many times over the 18 years that I’ve been helping entrepreneurs find clients. It seems there is a persistent myth that the “right” way to get clients is to do it all on your own. Yes, many entrepreneurs do tend to be Lone Rangers and enjoy their independence, but this determined avoidance of asking for help goes beyond ordinary self-reliance. It’s almost as if these business owners had been told getting help was illegal.

Because of this pervasive do-it-all-yourself attitude, I hear from many entrepreneurs that they are embarrassed or ashamed to ask for any assistance. One business owner told me, “I was really struggling, but I couldn’t ask anyone to help me, because then they would think I was a failure.” Tragically, by refusing to ask for help, he was actually causing himself to fail.

Let’s bust this myth wide open, here and now. Successful people ask for help all the time. It’s how they become successful. That is how the business world works. Entrepreneurs do not build successful businesses all on their own. They build them with the help of their family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, networking contacts, customers, and fans.

Here are five approaches to get started with asking for help to build your business right now.

1. Ask and ye shall receive.

If you’ve been feeling held back by believing that asking for help is somehow weak, presumptuous, or taking unfair advantage, let those feelings go. Give yourself permission to ask for help, recognizing that all around you, people more successful than you are doing exactly that in order to succeed.

The people already in your life — family, friends, colleagues — truly want to give you their support. They just need to be asked, and shown how. If you have not yet told every single person you know about your business, now is the time. Tell them what services you offer, the type of clients you are seeking, and ask them to please spread the word about how you can help the people they know.

2. Make your requests specific.

First, make sure you are actually asking, and not just hinting. Direct requests are much more likely to produce results. Say, “Would you introduce me to your friend?” instead of, “It would be good to meet your friend sometime, but I know you’re awfully busy.”

Second, be specific about what you’re asking. Saying, “Please refer me some clients,” is nowhere near as effective a request as, “The best clients for me are people who care about their health and are suffering from back, neck, or joint pain. Do you know anyone like that?”

3. Offer something in return.

People are more likely to respond to your requests — and you’ll feel better about making them — when you offer something in return. When speaking with entrepreneurs, ask who would be a good client for them, and how you can best refer likely prospects. When speaking with others, just ask them: “What can I do for you?” Simply showing your willingness to make the relationship reciprocal is often enough for both of you to feel comfortable about your request.

4. Make your request appropriate to the relationship.

You’d be amazed how often I get emails like the following: “I’m brand new in business, and I do exactly what you do. I imagine you get more inquiries from prospective clients than you can handle. Would you refer some of those to me?” I applaud these folks for taking the initiative to ask, but a request like this isn’t appropriate to make of a complete stranger.

Spend some time getting acquainted before asking for a referral. Entrepreneurs who share your target market, but don’t do the same work, are ideal candidates to become referral partners. When you encounter successful people who are essentially your competitors, ask them to share their wisdom about where to find good clients. You’ll find that most other entrepreneurs will be happy to help you when you approach them with reciprocity and respect.

5. Don’t wait until you’ve made it.

If you wait until your business takes off to let friends and colleagues know about it, you will lose out on the most likely source of referrals most new businesses have. If you wait for clients to send you referrals instead of reaching out to likely referral partners, you may never have enough clients to make those referrals. If you wait for people you meet while networking to contact you instead of contacting them to ask how you can help, you may be waiting a very long time.

Asking for help is not cheating. It’s how anything important ever gets done. Stop struggling all alone! Start asking for help, and you’ll also start building your business.

About the Author: C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients Now!™ Thousands of business owners and independent professionals have used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their income. Get a free copy of “Five Secrets to Finding All the Clients You’ll Ever Need” at www.getclientsnow.com.

Every business should have a website, right?

True. Every business, big or small, should have some sort of web presence. The internet is part of every day life and, as you don’t need thousands of pounds to get a business online now, there really is little excuse for a business not to a have a website created at some point.

But my question to you today is whether your website is a help or a hindrance?

Just because you’re online, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s doing anything for you. And worse case scenario is that your website could actually be working against you.

Let’s look at how the average person uses the web. Did you know that the average time it takes for someone to “read” a website is 3 seconds?

Think back to the last time you used Google to find something. You may have been looking for the best place to buy toner cartridges for your printer. It could have been that you were trying to find a villa or cottage to rent for your holiday this summer.

Do you remember how long you took to make the decision to hit that back button and go on to the next website on the search results listings? I am pretty sure it took you less than that average of 3 seconds on the websites that didn’t grab you.

How long would it take for a visitor landing on your home page to make a decision to stay or go? 1 minute? 10 seconds? Or less than the average 3 seconds?

And imagine if they were on hold to their bank at the time. Or waiting for a file to download on to their laptop, whilst they click through to your website. How is your website grabbing their attention?

It could be that your website is being more of a hindrance, than a help!

Here are some of the common “hindrances” that I see every day on websites that don’t generate any leads or new clients for a business.

1. A website that talks about the company and not the potential customer.

Look at your home page and for every “We”, “I” and your company name, exchange it for the words “You”, “You” and “You”. People are only interested in themselves when they are looking for someone to help them. It’s all very well that you are the market leaders in what you do, but how is that going to benefit your clients?

2. A website that is so obviously “home-made”.

You may have gone on a HTML programming course to save yourself a few pennies. You may have even used your next door neighbour’s son who is studying IT at Uni. But saving money on your website to end up with a site that doesn’t work in a particular browser or doesn’t display on a mobile phone will only push clients away. There is really little excuse not to have a nicely designed website. Using blog platforms such as wordpress.org, for example, mean that you can have a simple, professional looking site that works, set up for as little as £500.

3. A website that has a fussy design, clashing colours and is more concerned with how pretty or trendy it looks.

Internet users want to find their information quickly, rather than hunt for it in cleverly worded menus or images. Flash introductions just annoy – remember the 3 second time limit. Unless your clients expect to watch a dancing cartoon or slideshow, they will be gone before it’s finished playing!

4. A website with no obvious purpose.

Static brochure style websites just don’t “do” anything. They may look pretty and give lots of information, but what is that website visitor meant to do? Picking up the phone and making an enquiry may just be too big a leap to make. They will more than likely leave and move on to the next site on their search lists.

This last point has to be the one that I rant about the most. A website with no obvious purpose is a waste of time. It just floats around in hyperspace, gathering pixel dust and being ignored by by anyone who happens to stumble upon it.

For the majority of small businesses, the most effective purpose to give your website is to help build a database of potential customers.

The competition to be found through search engines is so fierce, you can’t afford to trust that your website visitors will bookmark your site and come back another day. They will have found what they are looking for by then and you’ll have lost a client.

Having a website whose primary purpose is to invite visitors to leave their name and email address has been proved to be one of the most successful online marketing strategies to have for the majority of small businesses.

It creates the opportunity for you to build a relationship with that visitor so, over time, they trust you enough to become a paying customer.

How do you do this?

Capturing names and email addresses by offering something in return is something so simple and yet so many small business owners don’t do this. And the easiest way of offering something in return is to offer a free newsletter, a free e-course or free report. The options available to you are limitless.

You may be keen to start your own email newsletter but feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information out there. I know I get enough emails asking me about them so if you haven’t started one or in the early stages of creating a database, then do check out my “How To Do Email Newsletters” programme starting this month.

In the meanwhile, start by checking out your website right now. Ask yourself – is yours a help or a hindrance?

And what are you going to do about it?

About the Author: Karen Skidmore helps small business owners work smarter and use the right marketing tools so they can attract more of the right clients to their business. To subscribe to her free email newsletter and get access to practical advice and marketing ideas that will move your business forward, visit www.CanDoCanBe.com

If your goal is to start a small online business that replaces and exceeds your current income this may be the most important article you read this year.

Brash, huh?

Here’s the deal: I’ve been working online full time for almost 10 years, since age 19. I’ve had a lot of failures and a lot of successes.

There is no better way to learn how to succeed than to learn from someone who has already done it.

Tip 1: Focus On What’s Important

What’s important? Action.

In the beginning, just get started. Don’t get too caught up in details that don’t matter.

Dealing with the paperwork, business cards, and other ancillaries isn’t absolutely necessary.

It’s an online business for a reason. Save the time, paper, and money and don’t get business cards.

If you happen to meet someone who wants to know more about you or wants to visit your site ask for their e-mail address and actively follow up with them.

Handing out business cards is passive, and even more than that, ineffective. (Unless your name is Johnny B Truant and you do something really unique that gets people talking.)

Other paperwork a lot of people get caught up in is registering a corporation or other business entity. That will be important eventually. But you can start a business in your own name with very minimal paperwork (a simple Doing Business As form) and cost.

Consult a tax advisor for specific insights.

Tip 2: Invest In Education

Whatever business you want to start, be it blogging, eBay sales, information product selling, affiliate marketing, or any one of the countless other ways to make money online, there are hords of people who have done it before you.

Sometimes those people will have written about what they did to succeed. In those cases, if their business aligns with what you want to do, don’t be afraid to invest money into their products.

Personally, I have easily spent upwards of £26,000 on non-University education. That includes buying eBooks, print books, seminars, coaching, membership sites, you name it.

As a general rule, the most important skill you can learn, no matter what business you’re starting, is marketing. I don’t make a distinction between online and offline marketing. Once you learn marketing you can use it anywhere, with a few tweaks of course.

I liken it to learning computer programming. The language you learn isn’t as important as the logic behind it. You can adapt to any language.

Tip 3: Ask For Help

If you’re a bit introverted like me you might be shy about asking for help.

Don’t let that be a barrier to your success.

In other words, feel the fear and do it anyway.

You will deal with rejection. Many people won’t respond to your e-mails, phone calls, or tweets.

But you know what? It doesn’t matter.

Starting a business isn’t supposed to be easy. That’s the filter.

I promise you, if you talk to enough people, you will get the help you need. I’ve been quite surprised by just how accessible some people I was initially afraid to contact are.

Bonus hint: I’ve had greater success connecting with ultra successful people than those who are just ultra successful in their heads.

The key to getting a response is to send very short, very succinct e-mails. Practice the http://five.sentenc.es rule. Keep your e-mail to five sentences and make it clear what you’re asking.

Tip 4: Participate In The Community

Whatever niche you’re in there is a community.

For example, back in the days when I used to sell on eBay, I hung out on a few eBay message boards. I helped people where I could and I got help where I needed.

As an added bonus, when I decided to start selling eBay how to products (I haven’t sold them for over 5 years), guess who helped me launch that business? The same community that I had participated in freely for over a year.

These days, whichever community you should be a part of is larger and more easily accessible. Take advantage of that.

Tip 5: Don’t Quit Your Day Job

Coming from a guy who wrote 21 Reasons You Should Quit Your Day Job and Travel The World, this might seem shocking.

Your ultimate goal may be to quit your job, but don’t jump the gun.

You will find tons of stories of people who quit their jobs before they had their businesses going, but there’s a reason for that.

People who failed furiously because they didn’t have an income to support themselves in the lean business startup phase don’t usually write about it. And because they don’t write about their failures, you never hear about them.

I want you to quit your job as much as you want to quit your job, but I don’t want you to do it before it’s time.

About the Author: Karol Gajda is a lifelong entrepreneur who blogs about Freedom, Health, Travel, and Life at RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com. Today he launches his excellent guide, How To Live Anywhere.