Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Is Your Inefficiency Costing You Business?

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Is your inYes, it is.

Last week I signed up for a webinar for a training I needed to complete. The signup form was a Google Form which is okay, but there was no confirmation email or a link for the webinar. So, I figured they’d just send an email to confirm the day before with the login details.

Then the evening before I get a link that says I have signed up for the webinar but I actually just signed up to sign up for the webinar. “Please click here and sign up AGAIN.”

Dude. This is not awesome. Even better? There was only a start time on the webinar originally. And it’s not an hour it’s 90 minutes (WHHHYYYYY???) and I have a client call at the 1 hour mark so I missed the last half hour of the webinar.

And then of COURSE the webinar starts late (Side rant: when you are late for an event or webinar do you expect that everyone will wait for you? I sure don’t, if I’m late I’ll just jump in and catch up – so WHY OH WHY do people do this?!?!)

If you are running a webinar or ANYTHING you need people to sign up for in advance – do yourself a favor and don’t annoy them before you start. Here’s what I recommend:

  • Include the start AND end time of your event.
  • START ON TIME. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. I budgeted the 30/60/90 minutes for your event and we were all told when it starts. I arrived on time and it’s not my fault that someone else had a call go long. They knew they were late and expect to catch up – your lack of planning doesn’t constitute an emergency on my end.
  • END on time – yes you can stick around for questions but be respectful of people’s time and what you PROMISED them.
  • Don’t be redundant. There was ZERO reason for me to have to register twice for the webinar. And my guess is that about 50% of the people who first registered will not re-register or attend the webinar. You’re losing people when you do this.

We all know I thrive on efficiency and streamlined processes so this rant shouldn’t come as a surprise. This was just a good reminder to me to ensure that I have the most efficient processes in place in my business so that I’m not wasting clients (or prospects) time with redundancies.

What redundancies in your business do you need to review?

5 Ways to Maximize Your Membership Benefits

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When I first start to work with a client, we will often talk about what organizations they’re a member of. If I am helping with their online presence I’ll review their online profiles and make sure that they are fully filled out and maximizing the benefits of their membership. I am SHOCKED at how frequently small business owners don’t maximize their benefits. You paid a lot of money to join this group, make sure you get EVERYTHING out of it! Here’s 5 Ways to Maximize Your Membership Benefits…

  1. Fill Our Your Profile – Why is this such a challenge? Right now, schedule 30 minutes in the next week to review all organizations you’re a member of and fill out your profiles. Maybe they just need to be updated. Make sure you have your headshot and logo (if an option). DO THIS. It’s the easiest way for other members to find you!
  2. Get That List! Many organizations include access to their membership lists. If it’s a physical mailing list then create a postcard or offering to send them. If you get email addresses then send an introductory email (through an email program like Mail Chimp) or maybe a drip campaign depending on the rules (some organizations say you can contact members ONCE). Sometimes the organization will send something on your behalf – make sure to do this!
  3. Freebies- Some organizations, like OEN (where I’m a member) give you free passes to try out different types of events they offer. This is a GREAT idea and a good way to check out some different kinds of events you may not otherwise think were the right fit.
  4. Create a Specific Offer – It may be something you promote in your profile or when you attend events. It may just be something you offer when you are meeting with individual members. For organizations where I’m a member I have created discount codes for my Kick Ass Follow Up Templates.
  5. NETWORK – I am SHOCKED at how many of my clients pay a LOT of money for memberships to organizations and then never attend events. Your profile alone isn’t going to bring you business. People will hire you, refer to you and respond to you better if they have a face to go with the name in their inbox or from that profile. You have to go to the events. Why would you join the organization if you never intended to go meet the members? The more time I spend engaged in an organization the more referrals and connections I receive. I can account for multiple clients because we networked at the same organizations before they hired me.

What other member benefits do you always make sure to take advantage of?

Hear Me Speak in May!

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If you’re a business owner in the greater Portland area, you’re in luck! This month I am speaking at not one but TWO events in town, join us!

On May 11th I will be speaking at the Portland Conscious Women Entrepreneurs group led by my friend and fabulous business coach, Mary Ann McNulty. The topic is: Plant Seeds Now For Fall Harvest: Understanding Seasons & Cycles in Business. I will be talking about Follow up (big surprise!), it will be a fun and interactive event!

On May 18th I am speaking during International Coaches Week for the Oregon ICF Chapter. This event is open to the public – don’t be shy, it’ll be a lot of fun! I’ll be speaking on 3 Guaranteed Ways to Grow Your Business With Follow Up a topic I think we all know I enjoy speaking on!

It will be a fun month of speaking around Portland! And if you’re a solo practice attorney in Oregon, I’ll be speaking to a group in June for CLE credits, oh boy!

If you can’t make these events, you’ll find me at OEN’s Pub Talk and at eWomenNetwork this month as well. Where are you networking this month?