Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Don’t Go Out of Your Way

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Make sure not to over imbibe like Rudy...
Make sure not to over imbibe like Rudy…

I had a great call this morning with a client. He mentioned he’s heading to a regional event this weekend where he will probably run into a few contacts. So, instead of just going to the event and saying hi when he sees folks, he’s sending out an email to his network before the event:

I’m heading to XYZ event on Saturday- if you see me, say hi and I’ll buy you a drink!

SERIOUSLY- how easy is that? You’re already out at an event where you’ll possibly run into prospects and clients, why not maximize the event experience? I love this idea and may be using it myself in the future…

Here’s the thing– don’t go out of your way to engage clients and prospects, but engage them in what you’re already doing. I let you know where you can find me each month with my networking calendar. What can you do to engage your network without having to do much more than you were already doing?

Leverage Baby

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IMG_6888On July 1st I was doing what I always do on the first of the month, invoices and expense reports. It’s not the most glamorous part of being an entrepreneur but it’s the one that keeps the doors open, and kibble in the bowl. After 2 hours of math and spreadsheets and getting all my clients squared away, I emailed my good friend Debbie Whitlock and said “that’s it, I need a virtual assistant to handle my monthly invoices.” And because she’s Debbie, she responded in 5 minutes with an intro to her fabulous virtual assistant to get us all setup.

Starting in August, I get 2-3 hours of my life back, and pay someone else to take the crap off my plate that drives me to day drink. I’m a huge fan of outsourcing, and I’m also a bit of a control freak (and yeah, I hear my husband laughing) so the idea of outsourcing my invoicing seemed like too much to give up. BUT, in the amount of time that someone else can do this for me, and I can do a quick review and call it good? I’m all for that. So, we’ll see how it goes on August 1st with my clients. I’m guessing it’ll be just as smooth as always and I’ll be kicking myself I didn’t do it years ago.

What needs to come off your plate that someone else can do in half the time and give you a half days worth of energy back?

Friendly Reminder: Show up for Calls

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IMG_6798I’m writing this blog post while getting paid to work for a client. Why? Because I charge for appointments that aren’t cancelled by 5 the day before.
So it seemed like a good time to remind you that sending reminder emails the day before to confirm appointments, or if you THINK you want to cancel that appointment, do it the day before, not the day of (unless you-or the dog- wake up sick, which does totally happen).
My afternoon got away from me yesterday so I didn’t send a reminder email till this morning, and evidently that was too late- someone’s day was already off and running.
Do you have a process in place with clients to charge for time that’s ignored? It was one of the smarter things I did in my business. And now my clients (almost always) show up, or cancel on time!