Next installment of "What on your Shelf?"

This was to be a fun project... But alas, it has turned into work! Depressing, time consuming and basically a downer. Forget the businesses that are no longer around that is a given and a numbers game. But the ones that are still around I have to wonder how?

All the still existing businesses should take a look at my Recommended Reading List for a little inspiration. Maybe they can find some words of wisdom in these books. Most business owners have a copy or two, on their shelves, but have never cracked one open...

The latest round of calls from the business card box actually resulted in some call backs. After leaving a "detailed" message as requested I get a call asking "Who am I speaking with?" First off I believe it is "whom" Any English majors wish to comment? Secondly I left a detailed message explaining who I was and why I was calling! But they never checked their messages, they just hit dial last call. Why have voicemail in the first place and why don't they use it? Again this does nothing to add to their credibility as a business owner. Yes, people do make judgments bases on things like this. I do! I ask myself, is this the way they'll treat me or my clients in the future? Do I want to share clients with this person? Some interesting questions.

Good thing we have on our "Tea" and Seminar schedule "How to use the phone to promote your Website (business)." This will be Thursday July 22nd at the offices of Lone Keep Internet in Bradley Beach, NJ.

Have you read any good business books lately? If so, which ones?

Getting the Right Word Out!

I was at a client’s shop this morning when I got a bad feeling of déjà vu!

The story starts, about a year ago, at what used to be my favorite Hobby Store. It was great going there, getting away from the day’s issues to play a few games and talk to my buddies including the owner. Then things changed! Ever time you walked into the store the owner would start to complain. Little things at first. Orders were being shipped to him late. Vendors started to raise their prices. In all still a great place to get away….

Somehow the bitching started. Taxes were too high! No one could afford to live in New Jersey. It started to get depressing listen to him but “the guys” were still great to talk to. So it was still a good place to go….

Then the real bitching began! Customers started bitching that all the owner did was bitch, so some of them stopped coming. This caused the owner to bitch about losing customers and blaming everything and everybody but himself. This caused more of his customer to go elsewhere which caused him to bitch even more and louder!

It got so bad that one time I stopped in on my way to the bank to grab a quick snack (one of the cool things about the Hobby Store) and the owner was speaking with good buddy of his. He was bitching about the states of affairs in New Jersey politics when another customer can up with an arm full of models and paints and placed them on the counter with a credit card on top. Instead of helping the customer who was trying to pay, he keep up the bitching with his buddy…. And the paying customer? Well he got tired of waiting to spend his money so he picked up his credit card and walked out the store. You guessed it! This caused the owner to get even louder in his complaining that he hates it when people to that to him… Go figure?! Well I have seen that happen to him twice. After the second time of listening to him bitch about it I stopped going to his store and now go to a Game Store 20 minutes further south to spend my money!!!!

Now the déjà vu part.

I was sitting in a little coffee shop this morning when that owner mentioned that he was under staffed and there was a large party outside. I suggested that he could serve me after everyone else as I was not in a hurry. As more customers came in his casual mentioning turned into complaining….

When those customers left he was in the back preparing an order when another lady walked in. She had her money out, for her cup of coffee, but no one was helping her. She waited a minute and even before I could mention to her that the owner was in the back she picked up her money and went down the street to the next coffee shop! Déjà vu all over.

Now what do you thing this lady mentioned to her friends later in the day? What great service she got? It was a pleasure doing business with that coffee shop?

Remember people talk!!! Make sure you get the right word out!

Why are business owners afraid of letting others know they are in business?

I've been keeping track of some of the excuses I get why people don't share! I mean share with others about their businesses or organizations. What are they afraid of? One client told me she does not mention, in conversation, anything about her business because she's afraid they might take her clients!? How does she expect to get new clients. Others hold an event and when the attendance is low they complain. Another excuse is that advertising is expensive. So don't advertise, promote your event.

Just got a message from a long lost friend on Facebook saying she does not what to go crazy letting people know she's out there.... Barb you only have one friend so far and that is me. Go crazy add another!

The Jersey Shore Community Information Bulletin (JSCIB) is still one of the best FREE means of getting the word out about you business and or event out there. It reaches over 10,000 subscribes on the Jersey Shore. Few businesses and groups take advantage of letting the readers know what events they are running, or what is new on their website, or what events they are attending or speaking at!!! What are they afraid of???

A BNI group's meeting, I attended last week, acted like their visitor's day was a secret! They had lofty goals but they basically sabotaged the event until I started asking questions. Since then one of the members has started to place the event on several Social Media sites. Hope it works out for them.

Promotion of you business/event does not have to be an ordeal. Just a little common sense and some time well spent.

Post you excuse why you don't promote your business. I'd like to hear some more great excuses....

Tourism to help get the word out

I recently attended a seminar on Jersey Shore Tourism and heard Bob Hilton, Executive Director for the Jersey Shore Convention & Visitors Bureau, speak about how it affects all businesses.

He asked the question “Are you part of the Jersey Shore Tourism industry?” Most like myself answered “No” but we soon found out how wrong we were. He went on to explain that tourism is a unique industry that permeates many industries not typically associated with travel. The internationally accepted model for analyzing tourism’s economic impact splits the industry into two sectors:

- Core Tourism: Industries that “touch” the visitor and benefit directly from their spending (e.g. hotels, restaurants, museums etc.)

- Non-Core Tourism: Industries that supply those that touch the visitors (Website developers, PR and Ad companies, linen/food suppliers, janitorial services, construction, lawyers to name a few)

He enlightened us with these facts:

What do Visitors mean to the Jersey Shore?

- Each visitor brings in about $548 in expenditures

- $0.72 of each dollar spent by visitors in kept within New Jersey

- Every 160 visitors create a new NJ job

- Each visitor creates about $109 in tax receipts, $64 of which goes to the state and local authorities

- Every 204 visitors pay for one New Jersey public school student for one year

What an eye opener! Never thought about Lone Keep Internet as being in the Tourism business but I guess it is. Needless to say we became a Marketing Partner. For more information visit their website www.visitthejerseyshore.com

Do people listen to themselves when they speak?

I mean really! Just got back from a monthly business breakfast. Sitting next to me was a photographer. A nice guy, so I asked how he got new clients? He replied he only does work by referral. Nice! So I invited him to my referral group and he replies "Referrals don't work for me." Shaking my head I just walked away at that point.

Am I nuts???? Or....

Let me know what you think and have found when speaking with people in general.

Love it when a plan comes together!

Let’s review some of the topics I have been spouting on about:

1. It’s Spring! Time to leave the Cave
2. What on your Shelf?
3. Social Networking is about being Socialable
4. What’s new with the New Year?

Well as most of you know today was a beautiful day. The sun was shinning and all was good with the world! How right that was…. Let me walk you thru it. First thing this morning I got up and did my exercises (Thank you Dr. Wells). Got the blood pumping and ready for my 1 mile walk to visit a client in Ocean Grove (Just the best Coffee Shop in Ocean Grove, The Barbaric Bean). I also scheduled a meeting there with a business associate so we can plan some additional upcoming seminars. While there one of the other Bean patrons overheard our conversation and started asking questions and now I have a new prospect. (I left the cave and got out to meet some new people.) After the meeting I walked back to my office and passed several business owners who were also out enjoying the sun.

Back in my office I continued my calls (a scheduled item on my calendar everyday) I started to empty my box of 1000 business cards (see sidebar for latest results). Today’s topic was “what’s new?” Once I got the standard answer of “nothing” I told them about my new “Tea” later this month. Bob Hilton, the new Executive Director of Jersey Shore Convention &Visitors Bureau, will be the guest speaker. Being socialable I inquired if they were on FaceBook or Linked In and got several new connections for both. I even gave out a several invites to my BNI group that meets Thursday mornings in Ocean Grove.

Having done all that, now I getting ready to go and really workout at A. Kastner’s Family Tae Kwon Do…

Overall, a very busy and profitable day. Working on having more of then. Anyone want to join me?

Project: What's on your shelf – Phone Courtesy

I’ve been making these calls from a number of Business Cards I’ve collected and again the one thing that stands out, besides 50% being out of business, is that most business owners don’t know how to answer the phone.

Looking up it up in the ‘net… I found “QUICK TIPS FOR PHONE COURTESY” and one of the first tips is “Identify yourself as soon as possible in the call.” Besides just good manners it’s part of Networking. Don’t make the caller guess if they reached the right person or company. If you put your company phone number on your business card don’t hide!!! Get out of the Cave!!!

To help your business, remember the acronym VCP. Visibility, Credibility, Profitability. This is networking! Working on getting the Word Out Not hiding it so people don’t feel comfortable calling you.

The Business Card should be a tool for your Networking. A very valuable tool if used properly! But I find most business owners don’t know how to network. They think showing up to an event and handing out a few cards is networking. They hope for the quick sale not realizing that it takes time to build up relationships.

To that end, this month’s Tea (FREE seminar Thursday, March 25th) will be on Networking. The title is “It’s Spring! Time to leave the Cave” and will be at the offices of Lone Keep Internet in Bradley Beach. We will cover all aspects of Networking including what organizations should be looked at and how to schedule the time needed!

If you are in the Jersey Shore area and would like to attend this Seminar, training session, give me a call at 732-988-4044. Upcoming Seminars will include: using Meetup, using the tools available from Google and even a “How to” on using the phone to promote your website.