Many industries suffer from invisibility. People working jobs that are very important, without anyone really knowing what it is that they do or what service they’re providing. And like H.G. Wells tells us in his science fiction novel, it’s tough to be invisible. Ever wonder what it is an actuary does? How about a sonographer? And what about an industrial …
Smashing the Piggybank
If you’re like me, and grew up in a much simpler time, you’re probably familiar with the piggybank. As kids, we all had a piggybank sitting on top our dresser or desk, and we would faithfully put money into the piggybank every time we came across a windfall. Birthday card from Grandma; money in the piggybank. Allowance for cleaning up …
The Value of Providing Value
While I’m certainly not an attorney, it’s fairly easy for the average person to learn almost everything they need to know about the law from a small amount of quality internet research. While doing a bit of investigation to see if there were any ways that I could improve my current home inspection contract, I came across a site where …
It’s Up to You to Let Them Know It’s Important
I’m not sure if it’s real or imagined on my part, but it seems like almost every time I engage in a conversation on a home inspection forum or discussion board, the topic inevitably turns to pricing. What we charge for what we do seems to always be a topic that’s top of everybody’s mind; it’s always on the radar. …
3 Simple Principles to Growing Your Business
Running your own business ranks up there as one of the most challenging things most people will ever do in their lifetime. It’s unfortunate, but the majority of those small businesses will end in failure. In the U.S., only about 25% of small business startups make it past their two-year anniversary. While the odds are stacked against new business owners, …
Emotional Rescue. Caring About Your Clients Can Work Miracles
Think about the last time you shared a dinner with friends at a nice restaurant. Was it an enjoyable experience? Can you remember all the details? How carefully was the food presented? How professional was the service? How clean and comfortable was the restaurant? Was the noise level acceptable, enhancing the meal? Overall, did you have a pleasant experience, and …
Wiggle room. A little extra can go a long way.
Give the people what they want. It’s an often-repeated business mantra. It seems like a simple-enough way to run a successful business. Find out what your client is looking for and give it to them. You would think that every businessperson already knows that this is the key to running a business. But you’d be wrong. Just by doing this …
Guidelines for Dating Your Clients
Before we begin, let me explain that, no, this post is not about how to get dates with your clients. Unless you are running some sort of escort agency, for the vast majority of business owners, dating your clients is always a bad idea. In this post we will examine the similarities between how we learned the ropes when we …
Stick To Your Guns. How to Better Your Business by Not Giving Away the Farm
If you have been in business for any length of time, you have certainly had customers try to get you to discount your price. Haggling over price is something that is customary and expected in many cultures cross the world. However, it is typically not a widespread practice in the U.S.; except when it comes to the products offered by …
The Power of Trust. How Consistent Business Practices Can Lead to Success.
“The toughest thing about the power of trust is that it’s very difficult to build and very easy to destroy. The essence of trust building is to emphasize the similarities between you and the customer.” This quote is from Thomas J. Watson, an American businessman and Chairman and CEO of IBM for over 44 years. This quote can be used …