All of the exciting opportunities of this past month have made me realize something very simple but very important - Running a business is a great deal of hard work! There are no time cards to punch, no breaks, no time to sit back and let someone else do the work for you. The success of my business is in the hands of three people - me, myself and I. Let me give you a little insight into me, myself and I.
Me is selfish and wants to enjoy the benefits of prosperity without the hard work involved. Myself would rather be out fishing or golfing instead of working on a call or contact. Mind you, he likes to golf or fish with a business associate or possible client, however he cannot find anyone that is interested in golfing or fishing when it is 10 degrees below zero. Then we come to I. If it were not for I the business would fail. I am the only one that is here everyday doing the work of three. I am the one that makes the phone calls and sends out the emails to prospective clients. I am the one that helps the other two keep on track. It is I that must make my business succeed. Well, so much for philosophy.
Week 5
I took to the streets this week. I decided to make as many personal contacts with business and civic leaders as I could. I met with 35 business owners or employees and 9 civic leaders. I wanted people in the community to know who I was. I wanted to meet them and try to understand what their perception of my business was. It has been a hard sell and, at times, very frustrating. Unfortunately, I did not make any direct sales from making all those contacts. However, I feel that it was important for me to open up a line of communication with them. Many of them have indicated that they will call when they do decide to do something on the Internet, and that's what I want - for them to associate me with their success on the Internet. I know I cannot wait for them to call, but I will have to continue to work with them and find ways to help them understand what it is that they are missing out on. Also, I let our civic leaders know how RexburgOnline.com could help them with getting information out to the public in various formats and forums.
Week 6
From time to time you need to evaluate what you are doing. I am meeting many people and making many contacts but the sales are slow. I ask myself, "why?" I believe there are many reasons. One reason may be that me, myself and I cannot get out and meet or contact everyone. I have decided that I need some additional help. Does this mean that I am not capable of doing it all? Well, yes and no. Yes, I am capable, but no, I do not have the time to accomplish all that I would like to see my business do. I need to leverage from the services of others. I came to a conclusion while reading "The E Myth" by Michael Gerber, an excellent book that explains why so many of us that go into business for ourselves struggle. I decided that I need to make some refinements to my original business plan. Nothing sensational, just a small clarification on how I do my work. It will be a vehicle for me to use to get what I desire from my business. Perhaps in a later article I can share with you some of the outcome of this vision that I have for me, myself, and I. This plan will include marketing, sales, a commission-based work force, and a way to brand and make my business identity known.
I continue to take every opportunity to tell others about my services. I went to our Chamber's Farmer / Merchant banquet. It was a fund-raiser sponsored by the chamber where they ask businesses to donate items that can be auctioned off at the event. I donated a Palm Pilot, and purchased tickets and went to the banquet. I arrived early to spend my time mingling with others and getting better acquainted with them. I wore a nametag with my business name on it. I talked to 15 to 20 individuals that night. Two of these contacts have since come into my office to receive a web consultation and gather more information about my business and the offerings of RexburgOnline.com.
Week 7
This week I received greetings from the City of Rexburg. I had not applied for nor purchased a business license, and they thought that I should if I was going to be doing business in their fair city. I purchase my license and all is well again. The good news is, it tells me that the advertising must be working!
Last week I sent out billings on my accounts. A couple of my accounts were behind on payment. I made a special effort to call them and see if there was a problem, and I discovered that they had not been receiving any statements. The problem turned out to be as simple as a misspelled name. I had a good conversation with each of my customers. It is important to stay in contact with those who are your customers so that they know you care and are willing to help them should they have concerns. Simply put, "if you do not take care of their needs when they have them, someone else will." If that happens you lose.
I have sold my second account this week. This account was a direct result of the marketing of RexburgOnline.com. This individual had many questions and was a hard sell. However, after I pointed out the many advantages of EZNetTools™, he was convinced and purchased the account.
I am still getting results from my Grand Opening event. I received a phone call this week from someone that saw the short news clip about my grand opening. It took him three weeks, but he tracked me down. I am now in the process of putting a bid together for a great web site that he can use to market his lodge in Island Park, Idaho.
Week 8
I continue to talk to business and civic leaders. On my way home from work I heard an ad on the radio about a community survey that the Chamber was trying to promote. The next day, I went to see Mr. Neibar, the chairman overseeing the survey. I proposed to him that we put the survey on RexburgOnline.com. He loved the idea and said that he would advertise the survey (and its location) in the paper and on the radio. This will work out great for me as it gets me free advertising, more traffic and exposure to RexburgOnline.com. The community will become more familiar with what we have to offer. It should also help with our name branding and sales pitch of RexburgOnline.com as our community's "Home on the Internet".
I started working on ideas for a mailing that could be sent to all the businesses in the Rexburg area. I'm trying to develop something that will let local businesses get to know us better and transmit the message to them that we can help their business grow. I am excited to see the business and marketing plan coming together.
The Rexburg downtown survey has been online for two days now, and the forms are starting to come in. It seems to be working!!
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