Old Brick Building in Boston

I am using this analogy because it is something that a plumbing contractor can relate to in real terms. However what I am referring to is your phone system. I have written about this several times before, but unlike a drain-clog, leaking water pipe, this type of pipe problem is hard to detect and if left un-checked it could severely impact your business in a negative manner.

Here are a few simple tests that will inidicate if you’ve got a clogged phone:

Call your number and see how long it takes to get answered.

If the call is not answered after 4 or 5 rings, the caller will probably hang up.

What happens if it is not answered?

What happens if more than 1 call is placed simultaneously?

What happens when there is no one available to answer the phone?

There are simple and cost effective solutions to any one of these clogs. I call them clogs because in the service business every call should be treated as a job that will generate revenue and keep the business profitable.

Any call that is not answered is lost business that will go to another company. I am amazed at the number of companies I call that have clogged phone lines.

With the current technology available a customer should never get a busy signal and they should never experience a call that is not answered.
The simple solution is Voice Mail. Voice Mail turns a simple 1 line phone into a business phone!

If you add call waiting, then you will have the capability to switch between 2 live calls and then a 3rd call would be sent directly in to voice mail.

Even if you have all these things, it is a great idea to call your office at least once a month and make sure everything is working the way it was programmed. Also, do your employees answer the phone pleasantly and professionally? Is the business clearly identified so the caller has no question that they called the right place?

If you don’t have any idea how to set this up, call your local phone company or hire someone to get rid of your phone system clog. When you get more advanced with this, consider adding “message on hold”. It is a great feature that takes the “dead air” out of a caller on hold and turns them into a captive audience for your custom commercial. Its all about great customer service and insuring your customer that they are dealing with the right company.

Here is another article that addresses telephone issues in the service industry

So for the right company I may be able to build a relationship that is mutually beneficial.

Today, one of those telemarketers called. Yes it was one of the telemarketers that gives telemarketers a bad name. He started out real bubbly like we were old friends, then I politely told him that we are not a plumbing company. At that point in the conversation he said, “well then what the H… do you do? Do you just sit at a desk and push pencils all day?”

I told him that I would be happy to speak with anyone that is nice, but to people like him this is what I do, CLICK.

Now this is just one of the rude calls I have gotten. I just don’t understand how people expect to do business by being rude, offensive, obnoxious, or just plain mean. You would think in this economy that people would start to realize that it makes sense to be nice to everybody, but I guess some of these phone sales people just don’t get it.

I remember reading something about Abraham Lincoln that before his mom passed away she told the kids to “be nice to each other” I think this is some of the best advice that anyone can give. Relationships whether they are business or personal will work much better with kindness, courtesy, politeness, etc. than mean nasty and vindictive actions.

Now what if that telemarketer asked me about my business and used his brain a little, he might have thought: “gee this guy has a bunch of customers that I may be able to sell my widgets to.” Lets see if there is an opportunity here. He could have made one call and gotten 20 – 30 potential new clients. But since he was disrespectful and mean all he got was the CLICK!

To quote one of my succesful licensees “I treat my customers the way I would treat my mother and I have all the calls I want”

It was on one of these steep climbs that I got my inspiration. Sometimes I hike early in the morning before I start my work day. When I have a schedule, I will limit my hike to a particular time, so I go out for say 45 minutes, turn around and come back. Sometimes we set goals and if we don’t reach that goal within a particular time frame, we give up. It is ok to set a time limit on a goal as a general guideline, but what I think is the key to a major breakthrough in business and in life is to keep going in the direction of your goal irregardless of whether you achieve it in the given time frame. As long as you see that you are getting closer to the summit, then keep your effort up and a positive attitude and you will reach your goal. If you turn around too soon, you could be wasting all that effort and you will never reach the goal. Have you ever seen someone who gets excited about something for a while, they give it a try, then the next time you see them they are doing something else. The difference with a successful person is that they have the perseverance to continue towards their goal even in the face of extreme adversity. One of my favorite quotes: “Don’t quit before the miracle” Also, just liking hiking a trail, you really do have to take just one step at a time.

I talk to many plumbers on a regular basis and over and over I hear how bad the economy is, how slow business is, etc…. Maybe some business owners are focusing too much on negative things and they don’t realize that if they change their focus and perspective that it will be a completely different picture. I believe that the first step to turning around a business is strongly related to the attitude of the person in control of that business. Whether you are a sole proprietor or run a company with a dozen or more employees, your attitude affects all the people around you that work for you and also the perception that your customers have of your business.

Some people reading this may think this is ridiculous. Well, think about this… It will cost you nothing to change your attitude. You will feel better about yourself, your business, and life in general. If it doesn’t work, you haven’t lost anything and if it does you have so much to gain.

All I am saying is that I think it is important to review how you think about your business, your success, and yourself and see if it may need a bit of a “mental tuneup” Then make an effort for at least one week, preferably a 21 day test because that is how long it takes to create a new habit.

Try waking up every morning for the next 21 days and thinking with gratitude for everything that you have in your life. When you have an attitude of gratitude for that which you do have, I believe that you are opening yourself up to receive more abundance.

My previous blog was about building a web both online and offline, but today I would like to focus on the social networking that we can do online to make the connections that will help to grow your businesses. LinkedIn allows you to have a profile and add contacts, recommend people, etc. Just a few moments ago, I was asked for a recommendation from one of the vendors that I use. Then there is Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and many more. I searched and found a great list in Wikpedia of some of the top social networking sites and it became obvious that hundreds of millions of people use social networking sites to communicate.

It is not just to keep in touch with friends. People are online looking for products and services. You have probably heard the saying: “word of mouth is the best form of advertising”. Well, social networking on the internet has taken word of mouth advertising one more step. Consumers like to see testimonials, recommendations, etc. When they see positive comments about the experience a customer had with your business they are far more likely to pick up the phone and call you or book an appointment online.

It took me a while to get on the band wagon when it came to social networking. I thought it would take up too much time and I couldn’t keep up with it, however, I learned that if I spend a little time every day that it adds up. So, on a regular basis I am on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Those are the main sites that I use. I have tried some advertising on Facebook and LinkedIn and gotten inquiries Social networking has gotten to the point that it is an integral part of building a structured web online.

When you do something consistently on a regular basis, it becomes a habit. I have gotten my social networking to the point where it is a habit. In the future, as print advertisements diminish, I see social networking sites becomming even more valuable for a consumer who is shopping for a product or service. In conclusion, social networking sites can be an effective tool to promote goods and services and the cost of entry can be as little as investing an hour or two to get something started.