Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Pick One Thing and Own It

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Norm and his ballI was talking to someone the other day who heard me speak recently. They mentioned one thing I said that’s been working well for them. In my 2 hour presentation I obviously covered a TON of ideas and made a variety of recommendations. But their favorite recommendation and take away?

Pick One & OWN IT

During my presentation we talked about using social media as a follow up tool instead of a sales tool (more on that soon). I made recommendations for Twitter, LinkedIn and yes, even Facebook. But my recommendation was to start with one thing. Wherever you’re active, pick one and try it. Not just once, but a few times. Play around with it to see what works.

Overwhelm gets the best of all of us. When I present a 10 page task list to a client, they’re likely to ignore it. But if we walk through and prioritize it, that’s going to help to ease the overwhelm. Start with one thing.

I just started working with a client and they asked about Google and Facebook Ads. With all the OTHER marketing efforts we’re about to implement my recommendation was to wait and save the money right now. Let’s see how this work we’re doing together fits for their business first. If it brings them in business, great. If we need to add in Google ad words or Facebook ads, then we can try those out in the future (by them hiring a qualified person to manage it, because that’s way outside my scope).

When you go to a speaking engagement and like EVERYTHING the speaker says, start by implementing just one thing. Get that down, then add another one to the mix. I know this isn’t something new or crazy, you’ve heard it before. My challenge to you this week is to actually do it. One thing.

Let me know how it goes!

18 Months

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an 18 month old puppy
Norm, at 18 months. A lot has changed, but not his energy level!

Last week I ran into a colleague at a networking event. She started a business about a year and a half ago and we had met to talk about marketing around that time. I asked how business was going and she reminded me of something I said when we had met.

It takes 18 months to get into a groove.

I may have forgotten I told her this, but she sure didn’t and said it was absolutely true. 18 months is a great milestone in a small business. Within the first year you have a few clients and you’re still getting setup and going, working out all the kinks. At around 18 months (it’s not an exact science…) you’re in a groove. You know what you’re doing and your target market (if you’re networking in the right places) knows you’ve been around and in business for more than a hot minute.

If you’re a small business just starting out, don’t get defeated. And don’t get defeated if you’re at 18 months and don’t feel this is true. But if you’re running a small business full time (IE: no day job and doing this nights and weekends) then at around 18 months, you’ll probably start to see an uptick in business. Here’s a few things that can help:

  • Network – all the time and everywhere. Meet EVERYONE. Take those coffee meetings, go to that event that your friend recommends instead of staying home and watching TV. And obviously do ALL the follow up afterwards!
  • Don’t Get Distracted – Yes at some point you’ll need a marketing consultant and CPA and a business coach and a new website. But in your first few months your budget is tight and you need to figure out what your priorities are. Don’t get distracted by shiny ($2000 conferences anyone?) objects.
  • Talk to Others Doing It – The best thing I did when I started my business was talk to my friends who had their own companies. What do I need to do? Do I need to hire a lawyer to file a LLC or can I fill out the paperwork to be a sole proprietor right now? What do I need to know that I don’t know?  What tax and financial stuff should I be thinking about? What list building?
  • Take Amazing Care of Your Clients –  When you’re starting out you’ll make mistakes. But make sure that those first few clients, even if you’re working out the kinks, you’re talking to them right away if you do drop the ball. Don’t sweep anything under the rug, take great care of your clients. They’ll be your biggest referral sources if you do it right. And oh so loyal…

I know I’m missing other tips for starting a business – what advice have you received that’s been helpful to keep the momentum going as you’re launching? If you’re near the 18 month mark, where are you stuck and in need of help?

Starting your own business is the hardest and BEST decision I ever made, and it wouldn’t be possible without great support along the way!

I Followed Up, Now It’s Your Turn

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Norm is Waiting for Your responseI got an email from a friend the other day:

If you ever need a topic, I think you should do a courtesy of business email. Close the loop. How to decline services. That kind of thing. I’ve had so many people just drop off the face of the planet lately for whatever reason. It’s so rude.

This is one of the more frustrating aspects of running a small business. I’ve followed up and done my part, why do you have to be so Pacific Northwest Passive Aggressive and ignore me? Plus, if you tell me no I probably won’t come around nagging you every couple of weeks which is driving you crazy. But what do you say?

Be HONEST

  1. “Thanks Elizabeth, we’ve found someone who’s a better fit for our needs right now. I appreciate your time.”
    • I’ve received this email before and I was totally fine with it. They wanted someone who also does stuff I don’t. I get it.
  2. “Thanks Elizabeth, after reviewing your proposal this isn’t in our budget right now.” You’re super expensive and I can’t believe anyone would ever hire you.
    • If budget is the issue know that they’ll probably respond with recommendations to make it work. But if you’re coming in at their lowest price point then they may realize you aren’t ready for them yet.
  3. “Thanks Elizabeth, I’ve looked at my goals and need to wait a few months before getting going. I’ll contact you when I’m ready”
    • Use this response if you mean it. If you get a proposal and realize it’s not in the budget, OR if something happens and your goals have changed and you truly do need to push this off, then say so. And either offer to follow up with them, or ask them to follow up with you in a few months. “If you want to check back in 3 months, that’d be great.” This also puts the responsibility on them – which is one of my favorite ways to get things off my plate and make people work to earn my money!

Be honest and straight forward. I don’t need your excuses. If it’s not in your budget right now, that’s okay. If after talking you realized you can do it yourself (or someone on your team can) that’s okay. If we didn’t hit it off and you aren’t sold on me, that’s okay. But as a business owner this falls into that treat others as you’d like to be treated category.