Are your client's needs so obvious?

I celebrated my 17th wedding anniversary on November 24. My husband had been wanting an iPod Touch for a while now. He talked about the kind he wanted. When we would be out shopping he always made a point of stopping to look at the iPods. Even though he would do anything to get his iPod, he wasn't expecting it. I surprised him with the brand new 32 GB iPod Touch. To say he was giddy is an understatement. He couldn't believe that I would do that for him. Of course I would because I knew that was what he wanted. It was easy to choose to get that for him.

Now me, I am a different story. I do not have a wish list lined up with things I desire. For my husband it is harder for him to get me gifts because me wants and needs are not so obvious. I don't have signs up saying what I want, like that kid in the commercial who leaves pictures all through his house with an ad of what he wants. My husband has to dig a little deeper to find out what to get me.

Your clients, both potential and current, will fall into one of two categories. They will either know what they want and come to you immediately or you will have to dig a little deeper to find out what it is that they want and find a way to communicate to them how you can handle those needs. Most small business owners think that if they hang their shingle out to say they are in business that the clients will flock to them. Not so true. You have to let these people know what it is that you do out loud. If you don't say anything, how do you expect them to figure out what it is that you want from them?

When you market and advertise, you need to make your message loud and clear. Tell them how they can benefit from using your services or products and then give them a call to action. Tell them the next steps that you want them to follow so that they win by getting what they want and you win by getting what you want.

Now I have to work on letting my husband know what I want so that it is easier for him to shop for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is a long list of things I am thankful for this year: a home, my two cars, my three children, my husband, food in the frig and pantry, a business that continues to operate after 10 years, the ability to see, hear, taste, touch, and feel, for all of my friends and family near and far, and God, because without him I would not be here. The list could go on and on, but you don't have all day to sit here and read it. There is turkey and yams and mashed potatoes with gravy and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie to eat.

Today take a moment to note to yourself or out loud what you are thankful for.

Join us this Wednesday!

Join us Wednesday, November 19, 2009, at 10 am PT/1 pm ET on Blog Talk Radio for our weekly radio show. This segment we will be discussing holiday promotions. With Thanksgiving just around the corner and Christmas not too far behind, you still have time to garner attention for your business and get some new clients before the start of a new year.

You can listen on the Internet at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/errandgurutalk or call in to 646-478-4999 to listen live. Our chat room will be open. Bring your questions and we will bring our answers.

What is your focus?

The last few weeks my focus has been on my family and not on my business. We were going through a family health emergency and my attention was solely on that. Does that make me a bad business owner? I don't think so. Something people have to realize is that small businesses are owned by real people who have real lives. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we need that we forget about their needs, wants, and issues.

With the holidays coming up, people are going to want to take a break from their business to enjoy life with their family and friends. We have to be understanding and realize that our world will not end if the dry cleaning is picked up for you on Thursday instead of Tuesday, unless of course you are down to your last pair of clean socks. For that I would recommend making sure you always have at least a 14 day supply so that if the washing machine gets hungry you still can make it out the door with your feet covered.

While I felt guilty at first for abandoning my circle of newsletter subscribers, clients, and networking circle, I realized that I don't have to feel guilty. As the saying goes, "If momma ain't happy then nobody is happy." Once I put my prospective in the right place, the guilt left. Now I am ready to focus on my business again and get back in the thick of things.

Just remember, life only comes around once so enjoy it while you can!

What's your business reflection look like?

I just received another notice about my domain name renewal. Can't believe that we are almost at the end of another year and that my business has continued to grow to another year. It makes me reflect back to when I first decided to start a business about 12 years ago. I was excited and scared at the same time to start this new venture. I was smart and dumb at the same time when it came to how to run a business. I have fallen down so many times, yet I have always found a way to get back up and keep going.

This year has been filled with highs and lows, but I still have managed to stay excited about being a business owner. I came back in September from an industry conference refreshed and full of ideas. Will I be able to accomplish all of them by the end of the year? Nope, but I have added many of my ideas to my list of goals for next year. Yes, I am already starting my list of 2009 goals.

We all will have our moments of reflection where we wonder why we started our business, but then we reflect on all that we have accomplished this year, we will know why we continue to run our businesses.

What do your reflections look like?

What do your words say?

With the elections right around the corner, people are buzzing over who they are going to vote for and what measures on the ballot they want to vote for. Some of their convictions are very strong. Some will vote for the next president based on who is representing their party and not on how well the person will do on the job. Some will vote on a certain person or measure because they were swayed by their friends and family at the last minute. Some will just randomly vote because they don't understand the confusing wording of the measure or the wording seems so technical.

Everyone has an opinion and yours counts just as much as. So when it comes to purchasing an item or using a service, why do some of us solely rely on what the next guy says? You need to make your own decision and this is where education comes into play. Many people know, or at least have an idea of, what an errand or concierge service is. So why is it so hard for many people who know they need extra help turn away from using the service?

When educating prospective clients, many people are just told about the features of the service. Sometimes we are so excited about what it is that we do that we ramble on and on. Sometimes we use words that our prospective clients don't understand. Sometimes we don't fully understand what we are doing and so we can't convey our message clearly to others.

Sometimes clients will just say no because they are confused by what we are saying. Sometimes clients will say no because they don't want to take the time to truly understand what it is that we do. Sometimes clients will just say yes because a friend told them they should. Sometimes clients will just say yes because everyone else is.

Is this necessarily the right way to go?

What we need to do is step back and really look at what we do from the prospective of the client. Only then can we see what they see and understand how to better get our message across so that we can truly sell them on us the right way. This way there is less confusion and more understanding.

So, what do your words say?