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A little while back we at Emogen committed ourselves to blogging daily about topics relevant to our line of work: marketing, advertising and graphic design. We did fairly well but then…
Isn’t it funny how there’s always a but then? I was doing great on my diet, but then I went on that cruise. My portfolio was really going strong, but then the bottom fell out of the economy. The Cubs were hanging in there, but then the curse kicked in.
There’s always something to distract us and get in the way of good intentions. There’s always a but then.
Emogen’s but then was an onslaught of business, which, although awesome for us, is not so good for our intentions of daily blogging. But does breaking that commitment really even matter?
No and yes.
NO
A deli showcases its meats in a glass counter. A car dealer has that large lot out front. Those kind of display options don’t exist for a service company, so we’ve adapted our blog to work with our portfolio to showcase our “goods.” The point being, of course, to promote our expertise in order to acquire new business, so the fact that we’ve taken on several new clients as of late takes some pressure off of those efforts.
YES
However, it’s imperative to press on with a marketing initiative—whether blogging or some other form of advertising or promotion—to maintain momentum.
Rarely do you get the results you want from one ad or one single sales activity. Customers usually have to encounter your brand and message several times and ways before they even really pay attention to it much less make a purchase decision. The corollary is that it takes ample effort and resources to build up a campaign to the point of realizing the desired outcome. For that reason, you can’t hang up the towel as soon as the first phone call comes in. If you’re looking for a regular inflow of new business, you have to provide a regular outflow of information to those prospects.
So what does this mean to the fate of the Emogen blog? In lieu of our diminished time, the decision has been made to forego short daily blogs and instead post a lengthier, meatier blog once a week… at least until the next but then makes itself known.
~Sarah, Emogen marketer
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
You’re fired!
I’ve never really been a fan, but for some reason I’ve been following this season of Celebrity Apprentice. I know it’s a TV show, but I’ve been particularly fascinated by Donald Trump’s boardroom demeanor, primarily his way of taking the emotion out of decision making.
Even when the celebrities get all riled up, Trump keeps his cool, goes through the details of their performance, and then drops the “You’re fired.” bomb out of no where. No blinking. No apologies. He just does it.
As a small business owner (SBO) one of my greatest flaws is keeping the emotions out. I know I’m justified in being emotional… this enterprise is my family’s sole source of income and is the basis for all of our futures. Heavy lifting, if you get my point. But keeping decision making emotion-free is critical. Emotions cloud judgment and cause us to make poor, irrational choices.
One area that can be particularly emotional for SBOs is in customer relations.
Some customers are a dream… they are fun to work with, their expectations are reasonable, they don’t haggle on price, they pay on time, etc. etc. Others are not so wonderful. They demand more for less and quicker, and then they are slow to pay the tab. What is a SBO to do, though; we need all the customers we can get, right?
Not so. A blog I read recently said it wonderfully, “The customer is always right -- if it's the right customer.” Good customer service is a must, but you’re just not going to be able to please everyone and for plenty of perfectly normal reasons.
One of the greatest necessities in a client relationship—especially for those of us in a service industry—is chemistry. You and your customer need to like one another on a personal level in order for your professional relationship to really work.
But let’s say you’ve begun working with a client and it’s just not sparking. Or, worse, sparks are turning into flames, but not the good kind. What do you do?
Fortunately we haven’t been in that situation too many times at Emogen, but we have had to “fire ourselves” more than once. In those instances, we contacted the client and explained our decision and the basis for it. We also provided recommendations for our replacement and offered to assist with the transition (providing files, data or artwork) to their new provider.
I feel confident in saying that the times we’ve had this discussion, the client recognized the situation for what it was and was ok and maybe even a little surprised that we would direct them to a new provider and assist in establishing that relationship.
It’s really ok that you can’t work with everyone. It’s normal. Instead of becoming a slave to a bad pairing, though, take a lesson from Trump and remove the emotion from the situation. Ask yourself if the extra effort required for the relationship is going to be worth it in the long run. If not, then it’s probably wise to call it quits.
-Sarah, Emogen marketer
Even when the celebrities get all riled up, Trump keeps his cool, goes through the details of their performance, and then drops the “You’re fired.” bomb out of no where. No blinking. No apologies. He just does it.
As a small business owner (SBO) one of my greatest flaws is keeping the emotions out. I know I’m justified in being emotional… this enterprise is my family’s sole source of income and is the basis for all of our futures. Heavy lifting, if you get my point. But keeping decision making emotion-free is critical. Emotions cloud judgment and cause us to make poor, irrational choices.
One area that can be particularly emotional for SBOs is in customer relations.
Some customers are a dream… they are fun to work with, their expectations are reasonable, they don’t haggle on price, they pay on time, etc. etc. Others are not so wonderful. They demand more for less and quicker, and then they are slow to pay the tab. What is a SBO to do, though; we need all the customers we can get, right?
Not so. A blog I read recently said it wonderfully, “The customer is always right -- if it's the right customer.” Good customer service is a must, but you’re just not going to be able to please everyone and for plenty of perfectly normal reasons.
One of the greatest necessities in a client relationship—especially for those of us in a service industry—is chemistry. You and your customer need to like one another on a personal level in order for your professional relationship to really work.
But let’s say you’ve begun working with a client and it’s just not sparking. Or, worse, sparks are turning into flames, but not the good kind. What do you do?
Fortunately we haven’t been in that situation too many times at Emogen, but we have had to “fire ourselves” more than once. In those instances, we contacted the client and explained our decision and the basis for it. We also provided recommendations for our replacement and offered to assist with the transition (providing files, data or artwork) to their new provider.
I feel confident in saying that the times we’ve had this discussion, the client recognized the situation for what it was and was ok and maybe even a little surprised that we would direct them to a new provider and assist in establishing that relationship.
It’s really ok that you can’t work with everyone. It’s normal. Instead of becoming a slave to a bad pairing, though, take a lesson from Trump and remove the emotion from the situation. Ask yourself if the extra effort required for the relationship is going to be worth it in the long run. If not, then it’s probably wise to call it quits.
-Sarah, Emogen marketer
Thursday, May 6, 2010
How Are You Bent?
We had a fun discussion at the office this morning about things we did or said as kids that hinted at the occupation we’ve found ourselves in today.
Jake, our head graphic designer, recently found something he wrote as a youngster in which he claimed he would either become “an attorney or an artist, but probably an artist because he likes to draw more.”
In the early days of our marriage some 12 years ago, Brian and I habitually concocted entrepreneurial schemes. Looking back, we tended to focus heavily on branding and promoting our imaginary endeavors. Go figure.
Because of that inclination, I stand amazed sometimes at how oblivious some people are to sales and marketing techniques. I mean, it’s so simple… right?
A proclivity toward marketing is how Brian and I came to be where we are today, but if we’re not vigilant our bent could potentially hinder communication with clients who think differently.
Today, I challenge you to take a stab at determining your bent, and then make an effort to figure out how your customers bend differently. Altering your communication to accommodate a client’s perspective could make a world of difference in the relationship.
-Sarah, Emogen marketer
Jake, our head graphic designer, recently found something he wrote as a youngster in which he claimed he would either become “an attorney or an artist, but probably an artist because he likes to draw more.”
In the early days of our marriage some 12 years ago, Brian and I habitually concocted entrepreneurial schemes. Looking back, we tended to focus heavily on branding and promoting our imaginary endeavors. Go figure.
Because of that inclination, I stand amazed sometimes at how oblivious some people are to sales and marketing techniques. I mean, it’s so simple… right?
A proclivity toward marketing is how Brian and I came to be where we are today, but if we’re not vigilant our bent could potentially hinder communication with clients who think differently.
Today, I challenge you to take a stab at determining your bent, and then make an effort to figure out how your customers bend differently. Altering your communication to accommodate a client’s perspective could make a world of difference in the relationship.
-Sarah, Emogen marketer
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