Word Search

Since you are in business for yourself, you no doubt have a product that addresses a need that people have.  One of the challenges that you might have is getting in front of those people that looking for the solution that you provide.  One popular avenue to address that problem is Google AdWords.  Google helps your message appear in front of those people who are looking for what you have.

This helpful video from the folks at Digital Marketer explains just how Google AdWords can help you get directly in front of people who are ready to buy:

Google AdWords advertising can be customized to target local searches or global searches.  It is one of the best ways to present your company as a provider of solutions for your customers.

One Idea Can Change Everything

Do you have a great idea?

Go for it.

The idea will accomplish nothing if it stays only in your head.

The graveyards are filled with ideas that never came to life.  They never got a chance to change the world.  Or even change the lives of the people that they died with.

Fear will inevitably come up with new ideas.  Ideas represent change, an attack on the status quo.  Naturally we will be afraid of what can rise up against us if we try to implement the idea.  All the "What if something goes wrong?" questions start popping up, and the weight of possible failure pushes many ideas back into non-existence.  But ask yourself, "What if it works?"  Picture the success that your idea can bring.

Don't let your idea die.  Develop it, refine it.  If it can help people, then it's worth going for.

Businesses are built on solving people's problems.  If you have an idea that can help others, look at it as your duty as a human being to share it.  This will quench some of that fear, and help propel you forward.

Check out this nice video from General Electric about ideas.

Do you need a fresh idea to help grow your business?  Instant Buzz might be what you're looking for.  Click on the link for more information.

The Right Stuff

What if you were trying to bake a chocolate cake and the only ingredients you had in your kitchen were vanilla frosting and baking soda?

Would you be able to make that chocolate cake?

No, of course not.

You simply can't get the desired results without the correct ingredients.

The same can be said of trying to build a successful business.  You need the right ingredients.  In this post we will feature one of the most important parts of your business: Your Front Line.

This is applicable to all businesses, but we'll use restaurants as an example.  If you own a restaurant, the people who greet and serve your customers will make or break your business, so it is imperative that you hire the most high quality persons you can find.  DO NOT SETTLE for just a friendly face. Your people should display outstanding qualities that will attract customers back into your restaurant.  The persons you hire should already know how to pay close attention to the customer, know how to make the customer feel good about themselves, and understand that they represent your business and that your goal is to give the customers the best experience possible.

People who are of this quality are hard to find, they are usually already working.  I recommend you go to other restaurants and find someone who is already great at winning customers and make them an offer to come work for you.  Be prepared to offer more than they are already making, and don't be afraid to.  The value that a great service person brings far exceeds the cost of having them on your team.  Imagine if you had a staff that just "did their job" of bringing food to the table, and didn't have the skills to engage and emotionally uplift their customers, that type of staff would not be able to motivate the customer to come back to your restaurant, and you lose out on an untold amount of potential profits.  That type of staff will likely have no investment in the success of your business, as their primary concern is just to collect a paycheck.  You want all of your staff, especially the ones meeting and greeting your customers to be aligned with your vision of success for your business.

If you have staff that's already pretty good at keeping customers happy, take some time to invest in their development as a service person.  Tell them that it will help them increase their income, and will serve them well in their future careers.  This will benefit all parties involved, the staff, the customer, and your business.  Remember that the only way you can really create raving customers is to make an emotional connection with them.  If your dishes are delicious, but your service is terrible, it won't be long before you have to close your doors.  If your food is good, but not really better than most, you can still have people raving about you based on the experience that you are able to give them.  A staff that is loved by your customers can buy you time to fix inefficiencies in your business as the customers are more likely to tolerate inconvenient situations for the simple fact that they like the staff.

The staff that serves your customer is the most important ingredient in making sure that your customers are having a great time, and the customer's experience is the main ingredient in your success.  Take the time and resources to invest in your staff.

Listen, Obey, Succeed: Words of Wisdom from Billionaires

Here's a great video of soundbites that contain great wisdom from some of the world's self-made billionaires.  They are far more intelligent than I am, so I'll let them do the talking.  Below are just some of the quotes found in the video.

"Don't allow anyone to tell you that what you're dreaming about is not possible...IT IS POSSIBLE." - Howard Schultz, Starbucks

"I'm going to put the vast majority of my energy, attention, and dollars into building a great product or service, and a smaller amount into shouting about it, marketing it.  Because I know that if I build a great product or service, my customers will tell each other about it." - Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com

"Just do things other people don't do.  Change the status quo." - Sheldon Adelson, Venetian

"If you're going to be doing something, do it BIG." - Donald Trump, Trump

"Be who you are.  People will root for you.  If you know your product is great, you don't have to apologize." - Sara Blakely, Spanx

Success awaits.

Learn Success in Business from Pumpkin Farmers

There's a right way to do things, and a wrong way.  The "right way" seems to always have it's foundation from age-old principles that seem to always pop-up whenever you're talking about success.

A few years ago I read a very helpful book called The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz.  In the book the author tells the story of how some farmers grow Prize-Winning Pumpkins.  He takes the principles, and applies it to business.  The gist of it is to FOCUS.  Focus on what it is you're great at, and just become the BEST at that.  Don't try to do everything, just become the best at what you do well.  After you have become the best at what you do, you can charge anything you want because you will have established yourself as the best in the business.  Makes sense right?  Simple enough, yet most entrepreneurs seem to be caught up in never-ending work weeks, that lead to far more stress and headaches than enjoyment and freedom.

Mike Michalowicz gets into how you can overcome the tendency to try and do it all, and why you shouldn't even want to.  I am in no way affiliated with Mike, but I thought the book has great content and value and I highly recommend it if you're feeling overworked and not seeing the results that you want in your business.

Also, you may want to check out his other book "The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur," a hilarious motivational piece designed to push you past your excuses and go make it happen!

Social Media Success for Restaurants

Confused about how social media can help your restaurant?  Did you know that Facebook's market share of social media traffic is 34%, and that the number two site is Twitter, at 4%?  Are you spending your time or marketing money in the wrong place?  Check out this informative video from Jerome Chiaro that includes strategies on email list building, promotions, and gameplans that can help your restaurant's success.

Need social media help? I recommend you check out Instant Buzz, a simple to implement Facebook marketing program that can transform the way you retain and attract customers! Send an email to visna.keat@facebook.com for more information or visit my website.

"Good Artists Borrow. Great Artists Steal."

"Good artists borrow.  Great artists steal." - Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs helped build Apple's amazing customer experience culture by stealing from a totally different industry.  The Ritz-Carlton is known for its superior customer experience, and Steve Jobs decided to emulate what they did for their customers.

Carmine Gallo, a contributor to Forbes.com, chronicles 3 different points that Apple borrowed from the Ritz-Carlton.  These simple additions to your company's processes can completely change your customers' experience.

1.  Use a warm greeting with the customer's name whenever possible.
2.  Empower your employees to do the right thing for the customer.
3.  Use a warm farewell with the customer's name.

This short video explains those points and if you incorporate them into your customer's experience, you will be sure to make a valuable impression.