ReferralsA substantial part of your business can come from referrals. The key is to provide extraordinary customer service and educate your clients and influencers to this fact. You must actively cultivate referrals; otherwise you're just leaving it to chance.Referrals Start with Great ServiceThe foundation of great referrals is great customer service. A large part of your business can be generated through referrals. Make an investment in your...more
Client satisfaction starts with meeting or beating the contractual obligations of the relationship. There are also some intangibles that can help you to over deliver to a client. MeetingsIn most organizations it's easy to deliver additional value around meetings, because statistically, most companies run meetings poorly. Capture important notes during your meetings and then deliver your neatly typed notes consistently with your client's format....more
Most consultants I've talked to don't spend any time trying to recover inactive clients and it's a big mistake. We tend to magnify the problem we had or just want to move on, but sometimes a simple apology and offering to make things right will bring you back a client worth thousands of dollars in billing.Clients can quit contacting you for a number of reasons: They had a bad experience. They no longer need your product or service. As their needs evolved, they believed your company no longer could offer what they need. They just got busy and forgot about you. You can see how important it is to have a communication process to stay in contact with clients as some quit calling for the sole reason of "out of sight, out of mind." Think about all the vendors that you've stopped buying from for no real reason. It happens to everyone.There are clients that you have consciously let go because they are bad clients. I recommend consistently "firing" the bottom 5-10 percent of your client base as a regular practice. But most consultants have an attrition rate higher than that.Make a Target ListGo through your database making a careful list of clients you have done business with in the past but...more
There is a saying that goes, "The best offense is a great defense". Nowhere is that applied better in the corporate world than in the intelligent use of email. In this age of technology, E-mail is a multi-purpose tool that can be adapted into each user's organizational patterns. Firstly, we will get the basic do's and don'ts out of the way. Do not...more
Good credit is everyone's dream. A wise use of credit can go a long way. It certainly makes certain goals in life (like acquiring business loan from bank) easily attainable.But the key question remains: "What does it take to achieve 'Triple A' credit?"First and foremost, it is important it is critical to point out where most people go wrong when it...more
When I look around at all of my friends, and a lot of my family, I see a lot of people living from pay check to pay check, under monetary stress. These same people watch the Calendar for payday like a hawk. Pay their bills, and then open up the spending flood gates, before they know it, they are itching for their next pay check. These same people are the people who don't think they make enough money to build future wealth. They are wrong.The way I save money, is by paying myself first. I have automatic deductions come out of my bank account on the 15th and 30th of every month, which I put directly into a mutual fund for safe keeping. I take a small portion of my pay check, roughly 10% and put it away. This may not seem like much, but over time it adds up. In addition, with mutual funds you will have the benefit of compound interest on your side. You should EASILY be able to achieve 8% interest on average in a good a mutual fund, often times more. That's $800 a year on $10000! Once you start, you will be addicted. Watching your funds grow is incredibly addictive and will inspire you to invest a larger percentage as your income rises. If you have debt, put a portion of...more
With the advancement of computer simulators, anybody can repeat all the business routines before he goes to the real world, and have the opportunity of relaxing from the tedious work with numbers. The businessman can concentrate more on the human...more
Got stacks of audio tapes that need to be converted to a more user-friendly format? Professional transcription services may be the answer. Professional transcriptionists can take standard or micro cassette tapes and produce a typed version of the...more
"Who is that hot babe in the picture?" isn't the type of reply an interviewer expects to hear when he or she invites you to ask questions near the end of an interview. In fact, the way you approach the Q&A session will have a direct impact on the...more
Growing up, we all had a mental picture of the perfect life partner The person we thought would be our happily-ever-after -- a person with a perfect smile, beautiful eyes, and an adorable button nose. Fast forward to reality and who did you wind up...more
Business, non-profit and association managers are in a stronger position to succeed when they use their public relations resources in a way that alters individual perception leading to changed external stakeholder behavior. A mouthful, but true....more
Everyone dreams of working at home. No sitting in traffic breathing car exhaust. Wake up and start work when ever you choose. Work in your pajamas. Do only interesting tasks that you enjoy. Take a break whenever you feel like it. Sounds too good to...more