Idea Exchange - September 2011
 Boost Customer Perception
From Dennis & Luana Mitchell, owners of The Fish Shack in Maui
We work with many hotels. When submitting quotes for waterlilies, I always add in up to three months of “free pruning and fertilizing visits”. This costs us only an hour of our time a month and some fertilizer tablets. The perception of a high-end, customized service, however, wins over the hotels every time.
Open Houses Promote Sales
From Carolyn Weise with Ecological Laboratories Inc.
Many small businesses report success from holding annual Open House events to commemorate the grand opening of their stores or the move to a new location. This is a great way to promote business and let shoppers know you still are in business.
Send a postcard invitation for the big event to previous customers. Invite them to bring a guest or two.
Your Open House can include hourly raffles, small give-aways and the friendly atmosphere offered by cheese and crackers.
When people meet in this fashion, they are amenable to new items, innovations and suggestions. They more openly share with other patrons their experiences with the products they see around them. Though most come for the camaraderie, they often will not go home empty-handed. Word of mouth is your best advertisement for such events and for repeat visits.
Stock for Newbies, Hobbyisits
From Curt Dawson with Droll Yankees
Some retailers say they cannot sell a $50 or more birdfeeder in their stores. My first response is to ask if they have a hobby. The typical response is, “Yes.”
As with any hobby, most people start out small, and then as interest, skill and results build they invest in better equipment to enhance and enjoy their experiences.
The average beginner golfer does not start out using an $800 driver to play the game. In fact, most golfers start out renting, borrowing or purchasing a used set to get their game on.
In the same way, beginner birders might start out at any mass merchant. When they are ready to take their birding to the next level, they are not going to shop the mass merchants because those locations typically do not carry the next level of equipment. When independent retailers only carry the same inventory as the mass merchants, they miss out on the advanced sales as well.
To ensure your success, stock your store for the beginner birder as well as the hobbyist birder. Being prepared to take the beginner birder to the next level will ensure that you get the hobbyist’s business.
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| When you plan your work and then work your plan, you can ensure that your thoughts, conversations and activities produce the professional results you want. | Manage Your Time Wisely
From an article by Joe Matthews, Don Debolt and Deb Percival that appeared on Entrepreneur.com
Are you working on clock time or “real” time? In clock time, there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. All time passes equally.
In real time, all time is relative. Time flies or drags depending on what you’re doing. Most time-management gadgets and systems do not work because they are designed to manage clock time and you live in real time. Thankfully real time is mental; you create it, therefore you can manage it.
There are three ways to spend time: thoughts, conversations and actions. Regardless of the type of business you own, your work is composed of those three items.
Practice the following techniques to master your time:
- Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, conversations and activities for a week. You will discover how much you can get done in a day, how much time is spent producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations and actions.
- Assign a time to any activity or conversation that is important to your success. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations and actions. Have the discipline to keep these appointments.
- Spend at least 50 percent of your time engaged in the thoughts, activities and conversations that produce most of your results.
- Schedule time for interruptions. Plan time, such as “office hours,” to be pulled away from what you’re doing.
- Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don’t start your day until you complete your time plan.
- Take five minutes before every call and task to decide what result you want to attain. This slow time down and will help you know what success looks like before you start. Take five minutes after each call and activity to determine whether you achieved your desired result. If not, what was missing? How do you put what’s missing in your next call or activity?
- Put up a “Do not disturb” sign when you absolutely must to get work done.
- Practice not answering the phone just because rings and emails just because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging. Do not instantly give people your attention unless it is crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response. Instead, schedule a time to answer emails and return phone calls.
- Block out other distractions, such as Facebook and other forms of social media, unless you use these tools to generate business.
- Get everything done. Most likely, 20 percent of your thoughts, conversations and activities produce 80 percent of your results.
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Idea Exchange - September 2011
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