Dream Catcher

It is an exciting time of the year. Next month Dream Catcher will be celebrating its four year anniversary. I will be launching new programs and services. I will be offering you the opportunity to purchase strategy sessions and various home study courses. I will continue to offer 1 on 1 Coaching and my Dynamic Business Owners Coaching Club.

As I end my third year in business it is exciting to announce we have continued to grow despite the economy. In 2009, my business grew by 1900%. This month we have exceeded our gross income for 2009. My clients have also had tremendous success this past year. I contribute my success to refining my follow up procedures.

When you know how you are going to follow up, when you are going to follow up and what you are going to send or say it relieves stress and saves you time. But, most importantly it shows off your professionalism and gets you a signed contract. You must follow up and ask for the sale.

I have designed a home study course that walks you through every step of following up when you get a lead. The home study course contains a checklist for following up with leads, what to do when they say “NO”, and what to do when they say “YES” and after the contract is signed. It contains sample scripts for various objections so you can prepare what you will say. It also contains a list of resources to use for following up. A phone call or email is not your only ways to follow up. The home study course will also help you examine your fear of following up. Procrastination is fear keeping you from moving forward. You will learn to change your mindset and understand the value of following up with leads. Lastly, for those of you that prefer to have something on paper there is a follow up tracker that you can use to record the leads and the dates and times you follow up and action taken. I’ve taken the guess work out of it for you. You just need to slightly modify the home study course for your particular business.

If you are ready to put more money in your bank account and design your follow up procedures I invite you to download my home study course Put More Money In Your Bank Account: Follow Up

As a business coach, my goal for you is to help you make more money. Download your home study course today to that you can turn your dreams into reality.

Dream Catcher is a Veteran Owned and Woman Owned Business providing business and life coaching services to clients nationally and internationally. Coach Jaynine retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2002 and since then has been on a quest to assist individuals in turning their dreams into wealth and success.

What do you do after you make a sale? Do you follow up with your clients or customers to ensure they received the product? Do you follow up to ensure they were satisfied? How do you know he or she is a happy consumer? Business Owners – you must follow up. Following up is part of your customer service strategy.

A few months ago, I purchased a Miche handbag for my mother in-law for Mother’s Day. The handbag did not arrive in time for Mother’s Day. When it finally arrived it was missing the inside organizer. I also had found out I had been overcharged and was due a refund. Now, almost three months later I still have not received the organizer or the refund. The handbag has not been given as the intended gift because of the missing organizer. Am I satisfied? Will I recommend this party hostess? I’m sure you can guess the answer to those two questions.

Around that same time I purchased photos from a local photographer. I wanted the photos for Father’s Day. Guess what…I still do not have them. They supposedly were put in the mail at the beginning of June. Will I recommend this photographer?

Now, I can hear you saying why I didn’t pick up the phone to ask where my products were. Well, I wanted to see whether their business was a true business or whether it was a hobby. I only recommend true businesses to my friends and fellow business owners. I did not want to recommend someone only later to have that friend or business owner disappointed or embarrassed by receiving poor service. This was a test for the business owner. The business owner flunked the test. But, in reality I should not have had to test the business owner to see if he or she offered great customer service.

Business owners you must follow up with clients and customers. Following up is one way to offer great customer service. When you don’t follow up you may never find out how unhappy or dissatisfied they really are.

These three tips will help you follow up and offer great customer service:

1. Email: Send an email letting the customer or client know that the product has been shipped and the estimated arrival date. We see this commonly used by all big name business owners and companies.

2. Phone Call: Business owners you can have your virtual assistant or intern call the customer to ensure he or she received the product. Your assistant can also ask at that time if there are any questions on how to use the product.

3. Survey: There are several free survey sites you can use to send a survey asking your customer or client if they received the product in good condition and if they have any questions or concerns regarding the product.

Remember, people do business with those they know, like, trust and see as the expert. You must employ a follow up procedure to aid you are offering great customer service. When you, as a business owner, do not follow up and offer outstanding customer service you are guaranteeing you will not have repeat customers.

In this article I identify three more Snatchers and Grabbers that must be stopped.

1. Tire Kickers: The tire kicker wants to try your product or service before paying for it. NO, no, no. You do not give away a product or service without payment up front and having a contract signed. Many of you have spent hours shopping for fabric swatches, designing floor plans, and making a custom item only to be told that the person changed their mind. Coaches, consultants, and mentors have spent hours designing programs and provided ecourses, audio recordings, etc. only to be told the person changed their mind (now that they have hundreds of dollars in free products etc.).  I want you to think billable hours.  Again, this is a time to revisit your system or procedure. It is ok to request a deposit that is nonrefundable if they change their mind and cancel the contract. You do have a contract signed before you begin working, right? Do not spend hours driving around hunting for the right fabric swatches only to be told the person changed their mind.

2. Dr. Jekyll & Ms. Hyde: This Snatcher and Grabber states that “money is no object”. You do everything right. You get the contract signed and you provide a proposal which is an outline of the work and when to expect the stages completed. The next thing you know they decide to become DIY clients. They have your agenda and begin doing the project themselves. I have noticed this type of Snatcher and Grabber prevalent in the home interior, home staging, and window treatment industry.

3. Bridezilla:  Another type of Snatcher and Grabber is the client that purchases one of your smaller packages but demands services in your larger package. If you allow this person one extra product or service for free he or she will continue to demand more. The client becomes the next contest on Bridezilla. Do not let your clients intimidate, boss, or push you around. Establish firm boundaries. They purchased a package and they get what is in that package. Again, revisit your procedures and have your scripts ready so you can establish boundaries.

If you need help designing your systems and procedures so that you can stop the Snatchers and Grabbers your business coach can help. You will not be in business if you give away your products and services for free. You will be a very nice person who is broke. So, Stop the Snatchers and Grabbers!

I am back from vacation. I hope you, as a business owner, have your vacation scheduled. In order to take a true vacation from your business you must have systems in place so that your business runs without you. Below are few suggestions to implement so you can enjoy your vacation.

Vacation Systems
1. Use your email auto responder to let people know you are away from your desk and when you will return. I even let people know I did not have internet access so that they did not expect a response until a certain date.

2. Set up your voice mail to let people know when to expect a return call.

3. Announce to your loyal customers in advance that you will be on vacation so that they can stock up on their favorite product etc. (This is a great way to generate income too.)

4. Use socialoomph to continue to your web presence. Since people know you are on vacation use quotes or share tips that pertain to your business. This will enable you to still be “in their face” without spamming or selling.

5. Have “people” who can do the little things that need done while you are gone so you don’t come back to more work. I recommend using ELANCE to hire people to design your newsletter, proofread your blogs or tip booklet while you are away.

I had a business owner comment that she was afraid to announce she was going on vacation because she thought it would make her customers mad or angry. She thought the customer would think she was charging too much since she was able to take a vacation. I told my clients that I was taking a vacation and not one person complained. I prepared them in advance. I ensured they had their homework assignments and that they knew when I was returning.

Do not feel guilty for taking time to vacation. We all deserve a break. When you implement my five strategies above you will be able to take a true vacation.

Yours truly…turning dreams into $$$
Coach Jaynine

P.S. Leave technology home. It was great to not have internet access for a week.

Does your email signature help you promote your expertise and tell potential clients who you are and why they should do business with you? Your email signature can act as a free tool to promote you and your business. It can begin the rapport building between you and the reader.

These are key items you will want to include in your email signature.

Name – yes, you want to have your name listed. Make sure it is spelled correctly. Don’t laugh…even I’ve typed by name wrong once or twice.

Credentials – list your highest degree conferred. If you have a license or certification that is key for your industry then list it. Let people see your expertise. Let them see you are qualified. This is often used by massage therapists. You will see their license number after their name and title.

Title – Are you a business owner, Chief Operating Officer, etc….

Phone Number – I have been told by several people that they do not keep a rolodex any longer. They use their emails as their rolodex. So you will want to ensure you have a phone number on your email so people can call you.

Website – drive traffic to your website so they can sign up for your free newsletter, ecourse or downloadable  PDF.

Social Networking Sites – let people know how to connect with you on a daily basis. When they follow you on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter you can begin developing a rapport and share your expertise with these people.

Email Tag Line – this is a quick way for people to know who you are and what you do and how to connect with you.

There are several free resources available to aid you in designing your email signature. Some will help you insert your signature in your own handwriting. They can add creative colors and fonts.

Another reason to list the above information on your email is that when your email is forwarded to others people love to scroll down and see who sent the email. Admit you do it too. Your email signature is a quick way to connect with these new email recipients.

I encourage you to take a few minutes and update your email signature. Don’t miss another phone call inviting you to an event because your phone number or contact information was not on your email.

Jaynine Howard is The Debt Free Business Coach. She teaches business owners the systems and strategies needed to grow their business while remaining debt free.

She invites you to join her Dynamic Business Owners Coaching Club during its spring membership drive.

I know, I know I talk about knowing your competition and being better than they are by offering more value…but do you listen? Do you take action?

Business Growth 101: Know Your Competition!

Recently several business owners were in my car and we were talking about competition. Competition is a good thing. But, when you get so full of yourself and think you have NO competition sooner or later you will be knocked off your pedestal. Don’t let this happen to you.

We all have competition. Competition is healthy and it helps us grow. My tips below will help you stay on top of your game so you do not get knocked off your pedestal.

1. Know your competition. This means staying aware of new businesses that are similar to yours in your area. There are many home based businesses that offer great products and services. Do not dismiss that people will hire them. You can learn what new businesses are opening in your area by paying attention to announcements for ribbon cuttings and watch who joins your local Chamber of Commerce. Advertisements in newspapers and newsletters can also alert you to new business in your area.

2. Review the value you provide. Reviewing the value you provide your customers or clients. Is what you provide still needed or relevant? Do you need to add more value? This does not mean cutting your fees or giving away more pencils, pens, or magnets. It means really listening to what your clients need or want. Do you deliver a product or service that is above and beyond what is expected? There are many free tools you can use to survey or poll your current customers and clients to see what they want or need from you. The extra value may be something as simple as a rack card that provides the care or cleaning instructions for the product they just purchased. No one wants to ruin their new purchase by not taking care of it properly. Maybe the value you provide is following up to see if they understand how to use the service or product they purchased or are happy with it. We all have closets full of stuff we bought that we never could figure out how to assemble or use. Business owners review what your competitors are providing and provide more value.

3. Invest. As a small business owner you must continually invest in personal growth so that you can grow your business. Investing in improving your skills will help you stay ahead of your competition because you will know the latest industry trends. Investing in your business owner skills is important too. When you invest in learning new ways to grow your business while remaining debt free you will help your business grow. You will be able to focus on providing value to your clients because you will not focused on making money to pay debts.

Business owners don’t get knocked off your pedestal because you failed to invest in you and your business. Don’t lose customers or clients because they are off chasing after the latest shiny new business in town. There are many low cost ways to promote your business, evaluate your competition and provide value to your customers and clients. Using my three tips you will not be knocked off your pedestal by your competition; you will be the competition.

*the tips in this article can also be applied to employees, independent contractors and anyone wanting to grow personally.

Jaynine Howard is the Debt Free Business Coach. She teaches business owners the systems and strategies needed to grow their business while remaining debt free.

She is a retired United States Marine, psychologist, and small business owner. She is the host of The Dynamic Business Owners Coaching Club and provides one on one coaching and array of other services that will help your business bloom.

Remember, spring is in the air…is your business blooming?