Continuing with my theme differentiating yourself from the competition I thought I would share with you how the Small Business Community Network (SBCN—an organization I co-founded) decided it was time to check out new technology. We needed something that would not only display we were moving with the times, but could also save us time.

Even the smallest of businesses receives hundreds of emails, a lot of them spam, but some of them are legitimate and need to be read. I know I am guilty on occasion of reading the subject line and deciding the email does not need my prompt attention, or when I do read the whole email I sometimes skip through it and not read the message properly.

We decided to offer our SBCN members and non-members the opportunity to receive reminder text messages, which would be displayed on their mobile phones (the text messages are a quick reminder that an upcoming meeting was happening). In the first few months of using this service we have found that it works for some of our members, but not all. Obviously not everyone embraces new technology at the same pace, but we find as time goes on the numbers increase, as members understand more clearly how the text messaging service works. More importantly it costs our members nothing to receive these text messages, as long as they have an existing text messaging plan.

Here is the information we posted on the SBCN website so that people could be aware of what we were offering and why, and we feel this is the important part because by making people aware they are more likely to embrace change.

We know that your day can be busy! With so many appointments, we want to help ensure you don't miss meeting that great connection at one of our networking events.

In addition to our e-mail based reminder that let's you know about upcoming meetings, we're introducing our new FREE* SBCN TXT service. This will allow you to subscribe to receive automated reminders via text message straight to your mobile device.

How It Works

To subscribe to automated reminders on your mobile phone, simply text one of the following messages to 54500:

Text the words SBCN Waterloo to receive reminders for the Waterloo Region Chapter

Text the words SBCN YN to receive reminders for the Young Networkers of Waterloo Region Chapter

You'll receive a confirmation text message back to confirm your subscription. If you wish to unsubscribe at any time, instructions are included in your welcome message.

The SBCN does have an automated reminder via email that alerts the contacts who subscribed to the list when our events are, and this works well. But for those who prefer not to receive those emails the automated text messaging service is a good substitute. Both of the options we chose to use save us time and in turn save us money. The SBCN is also seen as an organization that moves with the times and looking to the future generation of leaders, they are more likely to want text messages versus emails.

Another nice aspect to the text service is a time saver for me when networking! We have an auto responder setup that replies with my contact details (akin to a business card) when someone texts my name to our special ‘short-code’ number. They then have my number, e-mail address and web-site details directly on their mobile phone. This is a great way to save money and is quick to do, and also works well if you find yourself out and about with no business cards.

We are lucky that one of our members introduced us to the text messaging service; otherwise I am not sure we would have known to look into it. My advice would be to check out what other organizations are doing to save them time and money and you will probably find there are a lot of applications and such like out there that can be put into place.

I am not a tech savvy person but I pick a lot up from my business partner and husband Dave. If you are not lucky enough to have someone on hand like I have, just ask your connections who do know about these kinds of offerings. I find it exciting to see new and useful technology being used by small businesses in particular and it is definitely something that is growing all the time.

“Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part of the road.” - Stewart Brand

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is President of Motivational Steps and  Co-Founder of the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) based in  Waterloo Region. Find out more about Linda at www.motivationalsteps.com and www.sbcncanada.org

Did you know that being able to let go can make the difference between success and failure? Did you know that trust in an organization is vitally important to employers and employees?

If you take a second look at my last blog post, "Attracting and Retaining Top Talent" you will see in this blog post I am continuing a theme. Being able to attract and retain top talent is a challenge for large and small organizations, more so today with the Internet opening up so many new opportunities. This time I wanted to share with you how managing a team can definitely impact your team member’s decision when they are offered a chance to move to another company.

I have to admit I am a bit nervous when it comes to outsourcing some of the work I can no longer do because my business has grown. I’ve also have had challenges retaining some of the people I trusted to take on the work. My challenges have centred on the Small Business Community Network group I co-founded 8 years ago. Finding young leaders who had a vision and a desire to learn and to become Chapter Directors was not as easy as I thought it would be. Thankfully I found the middle ground and offer rewards my fantastic Chapter Directors felt they would benefit from. These young leaders were less interested in the financial rewards but knew the benefits of the training involved and the business connections they would be making relationships with. Obviously as these positions are on a part time basis this works well for them, so it’s a great outcome for everyone involved. But as we discussed in my blog last time it really is not all about the money and as you read on you will discover how managers can definitely impact whether their top talent stays or not after they have attracted them.

Managing a team in today's environment means more than telling your team what to do! I believe that there are managers out there who already know this and exhibit a leadership ethic that promotes a healthy and happy team.

Obviously there are different ways to ‘manage’, finding your comfort zone is crucial, but you are not able to do that unless you truly know ‘yourself’.

Ask yourself a few questions and this insight will help you gain an awareness of what kind of manager you might be:

• Do you trust everyone in your team
• Are you comfortable delegating to others
• Can you ‘let go’ once you have handed over a project
• Are you available to your team
• What do you know about your team
• Do you feel it is important to socialise with your team
• How often do you have one on one sessions with members of your team

Do you trust everyone in your team?

That is a good question. What is trust? I believe trust comes from knowing the other person, believing in their integrity and knowing they trust you. Once the common theme of trust is developed the manager knows he can leave the other person to get on with the project. If there is a problem at any point knowing they will ask for help or advice gives the manager a sense of security.

Are you comfortable delegating to others?

Being able to delegate projects to others without feeling you have to baby-sit the team enables you to move on with more important matters only the manager can do. Not being comfortable delegating means that you are probably checking up on the team and making them feel uncomfortable. Leaving them to get on with the project, and knowing they will ask for guidance if needed is what the team deserves.

Can you let go once you have handed over a project?

This is where the ‘clinging process’ can hold back a good manager. Trying to cling on to the project and always have a say in it, even when you have handed the project over to someone else, can only lead to members of your team believing you do not trust their judgement. Obviously you will be asked for your opinion somewhere in the process and this is where a team collaborates and works towards a common goal.

Are you available to your team?

This is quite a basic part of being a manager. A good manager always conveys to his team that he is ‘available’. Whether it is a work challenge or a personal challenge, advice or support is a valuable asset to offer your team. Some managers make it easier for their team to know they can be approached by setting aside a special time that is allotted purely for chatting about how their week has progressed. Other managers may prefer to arrange a lunchtime event where the atmosphere permits more time and is a bit more relaxed than within the office. True leaders make it known to their team that their door is always open and this promotes a comfortable feeling, with none of the fear of being told "this is not a good time". Obviously there will be times the managers door may have to be closed, but that can be made apparent in the calendar everyone sees.

Do you feel it is important to socialise with your team?

Socialising with your team members is important in the sense that it fosters the ability to be more relaxed and open. Lunchtime events are normally the most popular choice for socialising with just the team members. After hours socialising events may, on occasions include the spouses/family members of your team. This promotes a feeling for the spouses/family members of being included and it enables everyone to get to know each other better in a less formal setting.

What do you know about your team?

True leaders realise that being part of a successful team comes from knowing each member of his team. You know their strengths, weaknesses and, if they wish to share with you, you know some things about their personal life. Some things that might be beneficial to know are:

• Does this member of your team have interests outside of work.
• If the answer to the above question is "no" you have to make sure that stress and overwork is not a conflict in the sense that "all work and no play" can prejudice judgement and health on occasion.
• What hobbies the members of your team may have outside of work. This can give you a better idea what kind of person they are and what personality traits they have.
• If the members of your team have families, do they want to share information about their families? This can give you an idea what kind of support they might have outside of the work environment. Most people like it when someone takes an interest in their life and enquires how their weekend went etc.
• What visions do your team have for the organization and for their career transitions?
• Most importantly of all, are your team members happy and if not, why not?

How often do you have one on one session with members of your team?

If you read back over the questions and answers we asked earlier, this question will be easier to answer. You will know why these sessions are important and decide if you want to implement such sessions.

True leaders are not always born to lead; some leaders had to learn the hard way. Living life's experiences and learning from their mistakes, recognizing their strengths and weaknesses and being authentic makes a true leader a visionary!

“I'm slowly becoming a convert to the principle that you can't motivate people to do things, you can only demotivate them. The primary job of the manager is not to empower but to remove obstacles.” -- Scott Adams

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is a President of Motivational Steps and Co-Founder of the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) based in  Waterloo Region. Find out more about Linda at www.motivationalsteps.com and www.sbcncanada.org

It’s LindaOJ here again today, happy to be writing another TELUS Talks Business Blog post, and I have a few questions for you today about communication.

1. Did you know how you communicate can ultimately save you time and money?
2. Did you know people judge you by the way you communicate?

Communication is an integral part of our lives, from the minute we wake up until we go to bed we are communicating with family members, friends, business colleagues and customers. Some of these people may have relationships with us that span many years so have gotten used to the way we communicate, or don’t communicate. When it comes to customers it’s another matter.

As a small business owner myself I network at a lot of different events and this is where I learn a lot about communication.

One example is the networker who has just met me, introduces themselves to me, takes about 10 minutes sharing everything they do, what they sell and all the reasons why I should buy their product or service. I tend to go very quiet when this happens, listen and observe their body language. Some things I am looking for are:

• Comfortable and at ease when chatting with others, confidence when they speak about their business, knowledge about their products and services, but more importantly, a desire to find out more about me, their prospective customer.
• Are they using my name when they converse with me, or are they offering me the typical sale spiel which fits every size, budget, location etc.
• A chance to join the conversation, share some information about myself, often as not this is not possible as the person finishes their ‘elevator speech’ offers me a business card and moves on to the next person.

Communication is vital when networking, but the above examples are a great way to determine if you, the possible customer wants to take the next step and find out more about the products/service being offered you, or if you walk away. Ultimately when people communicate in a way that demonstrates it is all about them and the sale they want to make, their communication skills are not up to scratch and they lose more than they gain.

Emails are another great example of our how communication may lead to misunderstandings or no replies. It is very easy to fire off an email and fail to add the call to action. We might think that the reader knows what we want, but are they mind readers? If you don’t ask for a reply by return more often than not you will not receive a reply at all.

"We're at the point now where the challenge isn't how to communicate effectively with e-mail, it's ensuring that you spend your time on the  e-mail that matters most." - Bill Gates.

More of a concern for me with communication today is Twitter. I think 140 characters is a great idea and if you keep it simple you can communicate very well with fewer words. But, the problem arises for the people who do not understand Twitter and constantly want to sell, they take the short cut and communicate via direct message. So many businesses lose out because they cut to the chase with no run up communication and I find this rude. Twitter is a great way to build a relationship and take it from there.

I think I am a good communicator, but even I get it wrong. A few years ago I had left a message with the Mayor of Toronto and was I surprised when he phoned me back, or so I thought. This is how a telephone call ended up in a state of utter confusion and caused a lot of laughter from my family. The phone rang; I picked it up and stated who I was. The person speaking had an accent (as do I) and I asked who he was. My brain heard “It’s the Mayor”. I promptly went on to explain why I had contacted him, and I talk fast when I am excited. I told him how happy I was he had phoned me back and then I paused for breath. The guy sounded confused and kept on saying “It’s the Mayor” or so I thought. Eventually it came to light what he was saying was “It’s Damere” who was actually a friend of one of my sons. I think if my brainset had not been in the mode of “The Mayor” I might have thought twice before making an assumption, especially as I knew in the back of my mind that the Mayor of Toronto had a Canadian accent, which the person at the end of the phone obviously did not have.  I believe my thought process was so caught up on the challenge I wanted to share with the Mayor my listening skills disappeared and my communication suffered.

From Wikipedia:

Communication is the activity of conveying information. Communication has been derived from the Latin word "communis", meaning to share. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender. Feedback is critical to effective communication between parties.

From the above meaning of the word Communication you will see the last line states “Feedback is critical to effective communication between parties”, if this does not happen challenges can arise.

Have you ever noticed how in a heated debate someone’s attitude might change, they could become aggressive or even feel threatened, this can alter the image someone has of a person. If you are in the business world you could be seen to be unfriendly, or untrustworthy, judged by your actions that follow communication.

Whether you are communicating by the written word or spoken word you should take time to think out the message you want to convey. It has been said that if you smile when you are speaking to someone via the phone they can tell you are in a happy frame of mind.

Texting is a popular way to communicate; some texts are sent with typos in them and spell something different than the intended message. Most of the time this is funny, but there have been occasions when this could cause problems.

Richard Branson, a man I admire very much is very much into communicating with people he works with. His monthly newsletter to employees offers details for Virgins future plans, plus how to contact Richard if they feel they need to. I believe this kind of communication stems from trust, and the trust offered from Richard to his employees encourages loyalty which is a wonderful asset in any organization.

I am a good communicator, but have had to tailor how much I communicate depending on the individual person I am dealing with at the moment in time. Not everyone needs, or wants, all the information. I still have challenges when I am dealing with lack of communication, but tend to deal with each person differently. Where my business is concerned I do have my list of how I want employees to communicate with me and what kind of time frame. Knowing my expectations leads to less confusion and challenges long term. When I feel communication is not forthcoming and it should be I have to step back and review the situation, rather than act on my emotions. Again the situation is determined on the person I am communicating with, and it took me a long time to learn this.

"We never listen when we are eager to speak."
- François de La Rochefoucauld

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is a President of Motivational Steps and Co-Founder of the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) based in Waterloo Region. Find out more about Linda at www.motivationalsteps.com and www.sbcncanada.org

LindaOJ here and I am excited to be here again this year, and because I have experienced some of the challenges SMB’s face during the first years I am here to share with you some of the strategies I found worked for me.

In my early years of building Motivational Steps I often thought it would be easier to move forward if I had a pot of gold handy. That way I could spend more money on marketing; I could purchase a new computer, and I could attend all the conferences so that I would meet the people I needed to meet.

How wrong was I? And you know what, we don’t know what we don’t know! I had no idea back then that money is a useful tool but if you don’t build strong foundations for your business the money disappears down the drain, just like rainwater without a rain barrel.

I have to admit my instincts are one of my biggest assets, so my first tip is use your instincts: trust in yourself. Even though you will be offered a lot of advice, take only what you think will work for you otherwise you might veer off in the wrong direction for no good reason.

Let’s take a look at some of the basic needs we have when we first decide to start our own business:

• Somewhere to work: either an office space, or a building from which to sell our products and services.
• Office equipment: computer, server, phone system, cell phone, printer, fax machine, desk, filing cabinet… to name a few items you would find in any office.
• A vehicle to transport us to and from work, to deliver orders, or visit our customers.
• A bank account, cheques, credit card etc.
• Internet, somewhere to host our website, advertising etc.
• Uniform, business attire.
• Business Networking

Wow, that’s quite a list I came up with, and to be fair, I know I did not have half of the items listed—so fear not… where there is a will there is a way! I will share that there is something called a barter system, quite simply if you are a graphic designer and you want some printing done, you might offer your services for free to the printer and they do your graphic design work. Again this works with some businesses but not all.

If we take a look at Motivational Steps (my consulting business, which by the way started off purely as a platform to launch my professional speaking) we still operate from a home office. Here are some of the reasons why I don’t need office space and save a lot of money which can be spent better elsewhere in my business.

Office Space

• My clients connect with me through a third party, we may chat over the phone or meet in person if applicable. I travel to various locations around the world to offer keynotes/workshops and have not yet found a need for a corporate office.
• We have a mail box with a really nice business address to which all of our business mail is delivered. This offers a corporate look and feel, without the expense of leasing/rent expenses each month.
• Eventually my husband and I moved to a larger house so that we could have our home offices built specifically to our needs.
• Clients can purchase my books, training, web-seminars online via my website, so there is no need for me to pay for a store in which to sell my products.

Office Equipment

• My first cell phone was a necessity not a luxury item: a basic very large black phone, which I coincidentally purchased from a local TELUS store. It was affordable and did the job. Smart phones are wonderful and I have an iPhone myself, but in my early days of starting out I could not justify the expense when I needed so many other more important items.
• On the advice of my business partner and husband, I did invest in a desktop computer, but we had it built specifically for my needs. It did not have all the bells and whistles included, mainly because of the cost, but I really did not need them in those days. That desktop lasted me a good      amount of years and was worth every penny I invested in it. Some companies lease their office equipment, and this could be a good way to gain a tax break.
• I already had an office desk that had been used mainly for myself and my children; when the time came to use a spare bedroom as my office space I felt quite happy using the desk, it was great for the job in hand and it meant I did not have to splash out any money on a new one.
• As for the business phone, I decided to go for something called a distinctive ring, which meant my home phone and my business phone were the same, apart from the fact they had different numbers and the distinctive ring meant I knew when it was for business versus a family call. This eliminated the risk that a business call might be answered by a member of my family in not quite the right way I would have liked. Once my business was up and running we invested in a business phone which has all the bells and whistles and lots of great things that help my business continue to be productive and professional.

Transportation

I do not have to deliver items to any of my clients, but obviously I need to drive from one place to another. After a couple of years using the family vehicle for my business I decided to lease a car for my own use. This can be a great investment from a tax perspective but be sure to check with your accountant because all businesses have different rules and regulations. I did learn a harsh lesson though, and I will share this with you in the hope you think before you leap. My goal was to eventually lease a Mini Cooper because my first car in the UK was the original Mini. My dream came true in 2009; I immediately rushed and paid to have my logo and business information put onto the outside of my Mini. Unfortunately after almost a year my Mini had to go back to the dealer due to some quite serious challenges, but BMW Mini were fantastic and replaced it with a brand new model. Unfortunately they would not cover the cost of the logo etc., so I lost out financially and decided not to go the same route the second time around. I would suggest you look at alternative ways to advertise your business via your vehicle before jumping in and making the investment.

Financials

• A business bank account is a necessity, but check around with your financial institutions to get the best deal for your small business; any money saved can be invested elsewhere. You might find if you don’t use the teller services and use the bank machine for your transactions you can save money that way.
• In the early years, some small businesses prefer to do their own basic bookkeeping to save money. There are several accounting packages available for the computer that can be mastered in just a few hours.
• Money does not grow on trees, contrary to urban legend!

Business Networking

• We all need to network to connect with possible clients, people who will refer us and to keep up with new trends etc. Unfortunately we may not have the money in the early days to pay for membership or even guest fees to network. This is where the social media platforms are valuable because we can build new connections online and it is free (unless we decide to upgrade and pay for premium services on LinkedIn as an example.) Obviously the sooner you can network face-to-face also does mean you have a better chance of building your exposure and credibility, but one step at a time worked for me.
• The Internet is a necessity, more so today than ever. But you still need to shop around for the best deals. Look at your Internet provider to see if they can offer you a package for your cell and landline along with your Internet and chose the best deal for you. You will need to host your website somewhere and once again I suggest you shop around, ask your connections for their recommendations.
• Last but not least your work attire. Depending on your business you may well have a uniform of sorts. You might be a Limo driver, a cleaner, or a catering company, so a uniform would suit you well for many reasons. In some cases you may be able to claim expenses for a uniform and the maintenance of that uniform. Ask your accountant they will know. Most people tend to wear a business suit. In my case my clothes are a big part of my brand, so this is an important expense that I make sure I have money for.

So what have we discovered by looking at Motivational Steps and what did I decide was a necessity for my business, and what did I deem a luxury?

I believe that we all have to do more with little, not just in the early days but sometimes even in a well advanced business. It could be that our clients do not pay in a timely manner, or that we did not get a business loan to help us through the early years. In some cases you may need a smart phone because of the type of work you do and you might be on the road a lot. This is a genuine business need versus a want, to different things. Once your business is up and running you may well have more financial freedom to splurge, but no business can ever be successful if you are constantly in debt, stressing over where the next client is coming from and you cannot afford to do something as basic as networking to move your business forward.

I would advise reaching out and seeking experts, such as TELUS, or another organization of your choice that can help you with your questions and concerns. Why reinvent the wheel and do all the work yourself when you have enough to do building your business?

“Never spend your money before you have earned it.” - Thomas Jefferson

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is a President of Motivational Steps and Co-Founder of the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) based in Waterloo Region. Find out more about Linda at www.motivationalsteps.com and www.sbcncanada.org

Did you know children have to be at least 13 years of age before they can create their own personal Facebook Page? As someone who sees Facebook in many different guises I think this is an excellent age for someone to get started, but I would like to know the children’s parents monitor their activity and offer themselves as mentors until they feel they know their children are ‘street proofed’ as they say. I think some children age 13 can see early on, the benefits of networking and building relationships and I began to wonder where they network offline.

Have you heard of Thomas Suarez, a 12 year-old who has his own company CarrotCorp? They are an iPhone application development company who has presented at TEDx, an idea sharing conference in Manhattan Beach, California. This young man who is slated to be the next Steve Jobs would probably fit comfortably into a networking scenario online and at an organized event. He has started his own club at school to instruct classmates on how to design apps. This club could be deemed a networking club.

12 year-old iPhone App Developer, Thomas Suarez

My own daughter, Melissa had no idea when she volunteered to work for my company (the Small Business Community Network) as part of her High School Volunteer programme that she would benefit from meeting SMB’s. Even though her role as treasurer meant she looked after the financial side of things, she learned how to greet people when they came to the meetings. Relationships between Melissa and our meeting attendees were formed and when she needed help or sponsorship from the people she had connected to, they were more than willing to work with her or offer her help. As an adult she now enjoys a great career and her background in networking has definitely made a different to her life.

When I was a high school student in the UK I had no idea what networking was, let alone how building connections could better my chances of getting a job. The world has changed so much over the past decade and the youth of today have so many opportunities offered to them, but often fail to recognize these opportunities or know how to use them.

We all need a nudge in the direction of motivation and before social media online came into being I firmly believe that a lot of young people looked to their idols on the TV to inspire them. Many people wanted to become pop stars, or famous film stars, and as time progressed even geeks as the Internet was so new everyone wanted to be a part of it. I don’t feel though that mentors, as such, could be gained from these influences as easily as they can be today both online and offline. Obviously some of the above shaped the lives of many a young entrepreneur but I would think it was more difficult than it is now.

I discovered over the past couple of months when I attended networking events that some of the younger networkers were not feeling comfortable being thrown into the lion’s den of business networking. Some of them even came to me and asked if I could show them the ropes and also if they could attend some of the Small Business Community Network’s regular monthly meetings.

Junior Achievement Waterloo Region provides a valuable business learning experience for over 13,000 students. I became involved in a small way and invited students to experience business networking. The winning team from our region came along to one of the SBCN’s monthly networking events and were thrilled to connect with successful SMB’s and found many mentors amongst the attendees.

Junior Achievement participants from Waterloo Region

Recently the ‘Summer Company’ students from the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre came along to one of the SBCN’s networking meetings and were also happy to network amongst the established SMB’s and collect business cards so they could keep in touch.

Participants from the Summer Company program at Waterloo Region Small Business Centre

I realised that there was a gap in the area of business networking at organized events for the age group 15 – 30. Even though the local Chamber of Commerce offered a Young Professionals network event and the local Rotary Clubs provided something similar, I saw a need for a grass roots networking group that catered to early adopters. The SBCN Young Networkers was born and it will offer a chance for the attendees to discover:

1. Why – Why network? What could this lead to, what benefits could be gained long and short term?
2. Where – Where to network? What suited their personality, budget and time?
3. When – When to network? What time of day suited them?
4. How – How to build relationships with connections and where this could lead

Young people today are offered many choices in life and some of them take the opportunities offered at a very early age and by creating a safe environment for this demographic (future leaders) we are also enabling them to grow and thrive and look to their future.  We all learn from someone, so why not start early enough in the area of business networking and attending organized events, especially when the events are designed specifically for a certain age group.

Four young leaders, who have either graduated from College or University or who are still attending those educational institutions, will run the SBCN Young Networkers. They will decide on the format of the meetings, the speakers, and the education offered. This will allow them to grow and to learn, as leaders, the difficulties associated with running an organized business-networking event. This experience will be invaluable to the leaders of the SBCN Young Networkers and the attendees, their peers.

“The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible — and achieve it, generation after generation.” - Pearl S. Buck, Author

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is the Social Sweetheart. She is President of Motivational Steps and Co-Founder of the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) based in Waterloo Region. Find out more about Linda at www.motivationalsteps.com and www.sbcncanada.org

It all started about 18 years ago when I was shopping in a store and was quite unhappy with the customer service. I complained to the manager and after telling me he was very sorry he asked for my name and address, which I presumed was because he wanted to follow up with an apology. Much to my surprise a bouquet of flowers was delivered to my home from the manager apologizing for the lack of customer service at his store. I phoned him up and said that the flowers were nice but all I wanted was for the experience in his store to be better for myself and other customers, not a gift to help ease my pain.

At the years passed it soon became apparent I could make quite a living out of complaining: I have been offered gift cards, free meals, a free holiday, and much more but it’s not what I want! How on earth can freebies make me feel better when I buy a product or use a service that is so sub-standard that I have to take the time to complain—and wasting time means wasting money.  Every time a customer walks away without letting the business know why, it means the next customer will suffer the same fate as the last one and nothing gets better.

Recently the BlackBerry has been in the news because of a problem, which meant many users were unable to use certain features of their phones for about four days. The makers of this very clever smart phone, RIM, decided to make a video where the CEO apologised to all the customers. As well as promising to fix the problem they also offered a freebie: $100 worth of free apps. It was interesting reading the mixed tweets on Twitter, as some of the customers were really pleased with this peace offering and others were saying, just fix the problem once and for all.

Another example is Microsoft when they launched a Valentine’s Day edition of the Zune, which was red. Due to popular demand they were unable to deliver to all their customers on time so gave away free Zunes to the customers who had to wait.

The late, great Steve Jobs offered a free iPhone case to Apple’s customers who were unhappy about the iPhone 4’s signal issues. What is important here is that the iPhone 4S that followed had a new antenna system, which fixed the original problem. Apple obviously listened to its customers and made sure the problem was not ongoing. While everyone was talking about this supposed issue, only 1.7% of iPhone 4’s had been returned, and just 0.55% of buyers had called Apple to complain, Jobs said.

One size does not fit all!

Toyota had a serious problem with their gas pedals which meant recalling millions of vehicles in the US and Europe. An apology was forthcoming but no apparent repair procedure was put in place at that time. This gave a message to the customers that Toyota did not care and ignored the customer complaints for the problem to be fixed.

The message, I think, is that whether you are a large or small business you are gambling with your reputation and customer loyalty when you make decisions that they do not understand or feel are best for them. You might get away with it if they are really passionate, as in the case of Apple and RIM, but generally customers will not come back.

Some tips below on how businesses can better their chances of keeping their customers happy and loyal:

• Be honest with your customers. If there is a problem with a product admit it. If you receive a complaint about customer service ensure procedures are put in place and that your employees are trained efficiently.
• Making empty promises does not make loyal customers.
• Ignoring customer complaints does not mean there are no complaints—it makes the problem worse.
• Be transparent, if you do not have solutions to fix a problem let your customers know and assure them this is a work in progress.
• If you offer freebies without dealing with the issue at hand you will lose customer loyalty eventually.

Customers want great customer service not a pay off. Get it right the first time and ensure your customers see value for money. Today more than ever when a customer is not happy a gift card is offered, a discount on their next purchase or a free item of sorts.

I would love your comments on my thoughts, whether you think giving freebies is a good way to apologise to customers for not coming up to their expectations or if you think like me and just want things to work from day one!

As Donald Porter, V.P. British Airways says, “Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.”

"Let them eat cake."

- Marie Antionnette

(You cant solve anyones problems if you don’t know what they are)

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is the Social Sweetheart. She is President of Motivational Steps and Co-Founder of the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) based in Waterloo Region. Find out more about Linda at www.motivationalsteps.com and www.sbcncanada.org

LindaOJ here again and the question I have for you in this blog post is: do you have enough time to do everything you want to?

First of all, would you like to know who invented the clock? Maybe then we can moan at them (from afar) because too many of us today are clock watchers!

Nobody actually knows the reason why the day was split into 12 hours and each hour split into 60 minutes and then each minute into 60 seconds. The best guess is that it was the Babylonians who worked out that there were 12 full moons in a year which gave them a 360 day year. They also knew the relationship between the radius of a circle and its circumference, which split the circle into six segments. Dividing this by two gave them 12 segments, which also fitted well with their religious beliefs that the number 12 had some kind of special significance. Evidently the Egyptians discovered the Meridian Line, a line joining North and South, by observing that the shortest shadow cast by the obelisk would always point in the same direction, regardless of the season.

(source)

Interesting facts and as we come back into the 21^st Century we realise that we are not the first people to spend too much time worrying about what time it is and if there is enough time left in the day to complete all of our tasks.

When I am approached for tips on how to manage all of the activities involved in being the owner of a small business, I always ask: “do you have a planner on the wall?” You might remember the blog post when I mentioned this pertaining to having a home office. So, imagine you have a planner on your office wall and you mark every appointment & task you have to complete on there, an example might be:

• Emails
• Market Research
• Meeting Clients
• Lunch
• Shopping for office supplies
• Dentist
• Conference Call
• Supper
• Family time
• Movies
• Read a book

Notice there are a few gaps left just in one day, and there is no time allotted for networking or laundry, so these should be added to your wall planner. The purpose of this exercise if you fill out one whole month is to see where you might plan your time better, or if you are on track.

I believe if you can see something (as well as being told) you have a better chance of remembering, so an alarm on your phone works well, the wall planner just compliments it.

Back to my question: Do you have enough time in the day to do everything you want to do? If your answer is yes, I am hoping you will comment on this blog post and offer us some tips! If your answer is no then when you have read my blog you might have gained a few tips to help you.

I love the quote: “work smarter, not harder”. For me, that has been a work in progress. Some days I manage to work smarter and other days I work harder; I am not perfect and neither is anyone else. But we can improve on anything if we really want to so I am still trying different ways to get better at my time management.

We tend to lose track of time for many reasons and I really like this quote because it sounds a bit like me and many other people I know:

“Anyone who has lost track of time when using a computer knows the propensity to dream, the urge to make dreams come true and the tendency to miss lunch.”
- Tim Berners-Lee

I enjoy my time browsing the Internet, whether I am reading the news, checking out information for my new book or even saying hi on the social media sites, and obviously replying and sending emails. There are times though when I get lost along the way. It could be I am working on something I am so interested in or has a tight schedule that I forget to check the clock and when I do I am amazed a couple of hours have gone by. This is when the challenges pop up. If I have spent too much time on a project that I enjoy and, in the back of my mind I know I should have been working on something else (maybe something I don’t look forward to) then I am behind in my schedule. But, for me, the joy of being the decision maker in my own business does mean I can modify my schedules to a certain degree and I manage my time in that area very well.

If I tell you how much time I spend on social media and you reply you do not have the time to do the same that is quite OK. On the other hand if you want to successfully navigate even just one social media platform you do need to invest some time in it. The trick is to spend a little bit more time in the beginning getting to know all about the task in hand, and for an example let’s use Twitter. Finding out how to use Twitter and not jumping straight in with tweets that may damage your credibility is money well spent! Remember time is money. Make time on your wall planner to build your foundations on Twitter and within a few weeks (and the time frame depends on your ability to learn) you will know how much time you need to dedicate to your tweets and it could be as little as 5 minutes or as much as half an hour.

But wall planners, alarms and calendars will not help you with your time challenges if you are not passionate about your work and dedicated to keeping your work up to date. We all get tired, lack motivation or feel we are not moving forward as fast as we would like. This is when we tend to moan and groan and can be heard to say, “there is just not enough time in the day!” We know this is not true, but it is an excuse for our inability to find the time to finish work that we find boring or are just not enjoying.

Another tip I found early on is to finish the so called boring tasks early in my day so that I feel at my best and refreshed from a good night’s sleep. The anticipation I feel knowing that once I have completed the mundane jobs then I can move on to my passion, which for me could be writing or speaking. If we put off these jobs unfortunately we will feel tired and lethargic and, once again, use the excuse there is not enough time in the day.

Watching the clock is another dangerous move. I know that feeling, when I am looking forward to lunch with someone and the morning is going so slow, looking at the clock and the hands are moving really slow and then you check your computer clock and that is exactly the same time as the clock on your wall. I don’t have a clock anywhere in sight when I am working, other than on my laptop. If I fall into the trap of clock watching I know it’s time to get up, walk around, have a coffee or juice and then I find the discipline to finish the task in hand, knowing my reward is lunch with someone whose company I enjoy.

What happens if we are working on a project and for some reason we are a few days overdue, maybe it is our clients fault, they kept on changing their mind about what they wanted us to do? This is a difficult one, but I would hope that somewhere in your plan for that particular workweek you had put aside some time for such a contingency as this. It may mean that you can’t go to the gym until later that evening, or you have to postpone some less urgent work for the next day. But in the great scheme of things you still have the same amount of time in your day, you are juggling around a bit to accommodate a client or other such work project.

We can all blame lack of time, not enough hours in the day, and we can work more hours, but then we find we are doing even more work and needing even more hours in the day! Maybe it’s about control, being unable to control time?

Another great quote which offers great food for thought:

“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.”

Time is precious. It is a gift—why not look at time as our friend, not blame it for going fast or going slow, but work with it as a partner and we might even feel less stressed. We all have the same amount of time in our days, it’s what we do with that time that counts.

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is the Social Sweetheart. She is President of Motivational Steps and Co-Founder of the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) based in Waterloo Region. Find out more about Linda at www.motivationalsteps.com and www.sbcncanada.org

LindaOJ here again and I have been thinking a lot lately about business coaches, gurus, and experts. I have to admit to being a couple of those things myself, but I will let you make your own mind up on that one! I don’t like to blow my own trumpet as they say.

There is a place in everyone’s life I believe, for coaches—whether they are personal or business related, or even both. I had no idea coaches existed before I entered the world of business. In the early days of me struggling to build my first business (Motivational Steps) I was bombarded with coaches suggesting I hire them because I needed their help. There was a big problem with me hiring them though: I had no budget at all for a coach! I had started my business with nothing, not a penny in the bank and this was because I knew I wanted to build a better life for myself after two cancer diagnoses and working three dead-end jobs.

I managed to find wonderful mentors who coached me in my early days, mainly because they liked me and also because they knew I was passionate about helping others and would give back in time. When it was suggested I diversify slightly and become a business/personal development coach during my slow times I made a deal with myself. I would never charge over-the-top rates because I knew the people I was going to work with would be new small business owners or people who really and truly could not afford to pay, like me those years ago. I would offer short-term mentorship and set them on their way. We all know that old proverb: Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you’ve fed him for a lifetime. My point here is that there are a lot of different ways to teach someone something. We have to know that ‘our way’ does not always work for everyone.

Since the popularity of social media platforms has grown there is no shortage of coaches, gurus and experts offering us the chance to learn from them. This is OK but what really confuses a lot of people, including me, are the ‘experts’ who become successful by doing something in a certain way, insist we should all follow suit and when we do they decide on an even better way! I realise change is good but a lot of these people want to stand out, for themselves, and keep finding ways to be different so they won’t be forgotten. Change for the sake of change is as useless as no change at all. For the complete newbies this can take away their confidence and sometimes the desire to carry on. Then we have the coaches who offer a crumb and when that’s gone they reel us in by telling us without paying them a certain fee there is no way we will be successful, and we have to do it their way.

So… How do we find a coach, guru, or expert who is on our wavelength? Who we trust and respect and isn’t just into making money? Who is really passionate about helping their clients?

• Ask a trusted connection who has used a coach if they could refer someone to you.
• Check out the coaches you are interested in online, check for references and ask around before you decide to use anyone.

Set the guidelines before you sign on the dotted line. Ensure that whomever you are engaging to act as your coach knows what your expectations are. Spend some time with them to ensure your personalities work well together. Know your own mind, be open to listening, but in the end what works for them might not work for you. An example of this might be: you are a shy and quiet person and the coach you are thinking of hiring is a social butterfly and very much likes being in the spotlight. They tell you that you have to act like them, learn how to step out of the shadows and take over centre stage. This might be a disaster if you really are the shy and quiet person you always have been and if you truly feel that you are not comfortable doing that.

We all have instincts and an idea what works for us. A great coach knows us well enough to work with us and not against us. I invited a member of the Small Business Community Network - Christine McIver of Inspired Choices Inc., who is a coach herself to answer a few questions for me and offer some tips that might help us when we are thinking of hiring a coach:

How do you know your client is right for YOU?

In many cases a new client comes as a recommendation from a current/previous client so they already have an idea of the areas I coach in. Once we meet, share the challenges or goals we begin to see if there is a “fit”. This involves many areas; personalities, determination, openness and desire. A coaching client needs to be willing and eager to move forward with their life, either personally or professionally. They are not hiring someone else to do all the work, such as a lawyer or advisor. I work as a co-creator with them sharing new perspectives and possibilities. They need to do be ready to do the work of self-discovering and evolution.

What happens if the client feels your coaching is not working for THEM?

Firstly I encourage them to share all their feelings about what is and is not working for them. We will discuss the challenges to see if we can move forward. My desire is to see people get their desired results. If they cannot get it working with me then I encourage them to find someone who is a better “fit” for them. There are all sorts of great coaches in the field and not everyone is going to be a match. This is normal and expected.

Do you ask your clients to find themselves or do you offer them all the way you do things so ideally your way should work for them?

When coaching with a client, a coach brings their own personal experiences with them but also brings many other resources in order to find what best works for the client. Hiring a coach who has been professionally trained within the standards of the ICF (International Coaching Federation) standards is a great start, but also a coach who is continually growing themselves and evolving their abilities, I believe, is a must.

In the end if we stay true to ourselves and know who we are, we can't go wrong. As always, I welome your comments and would love to hear your thoughts on today's blog.

"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."

- Chinese Proverb

Linda Ockwell-Jenner is the Social Sweetheart. She is President of Motivational Steps and Co-Founder of the Small Business Community Network (SBCN) based in Waterloo Region. Find out more about Linda at www.motivationalsteps.com and www.sbcncanada.org