I was talking to a customer today about blogging. How to start, using an informal tone, linking, etc. Typical "how do I get started" stuff. I knew she got it when she commented "so it could be just like answering a question from a customer on the phone". I think that’s a perfect way to view it, for a couple of reasons. You want conversational tone of a phone call. Writing with a specific person in mind  helps you to write more clearly.

Many people are afraid to start a blog because they are afraid they will run out of things to write about. Would you have something to say if a customer called you today? Of course you would. Picture that customer and give them a quick update… on your blog. Your customers want to hear from you. And so do your future customers.

Over on the Duct Tape Marketing Blog, John has some good tips for professionals that avoid marketing because they are uncomfortable with tooting their own horn. As a CPA, I’ve had this uncomfortable feeling myself and seen it in others.

The accountants I know feel the most uncomfortable trying to begin a marketing conversation. They have no problems once the conversation gets going, if they can just get it started. Trying to start the conversation with a question the equivalent of  "did you know I can do this?" or "do you have such and such a problem in your business?" is what gives them the willies.

One key to willie-avoidance to move the focus from you to you customer (or prospect) as quickly as possible. Try starting the conversation by either 1) delivering news or 2) telling one of your customer’s success stories. For example, "Did you read about the new tax break that will allow you to write off your vacation this year?" or  "I have a customer that just landed a major contract from someone that reads his blog". This takes the focus away from you and if they aren’t interested in the news, they are not rejecting you (another fear that keeps us from marketing).

By listening and asking good follow up questions, you can learn about their needs and demonstrate your knowledge in a way that will let them get to Know, Like & Trust You.

Over on the Quick Books Community Briefing on Small Business Blog, Chloe DeVita has a post on one of my favorite small business subjects – Working IN your business versus ON your business. Chloe (Miss Enterprise – love that!) talks about the challenges of keeping your business running while being available to customers and employees and how to address those issues by being organized and practicing good time management skills. I have two other ideas I would like to add to the conversation.

The first is the idea of efficiency vs. effectiveness. I believe you want to be efficient with tasks and activities and effective with people. Being efficient is normally equated with not wasting time, getting as much done as quickly as possible.  I think this gets us accountant types (or anyone that bills by the hour) into trouble when dealing with customers, and co-workers. We tend to rush or be curt in conversation because "time is money". By being effective when dealing with people, we create value greater than the hourly rate invested in the relationship.

The second idea is the use of systems. By systems, I mean a written set of procedures for managing a process. This could be how you handle a telephone inquiry about your service, how you handle past due accounts, or the process for bringing on a new employee. Having these systems to run your business helps you to be more efficient with tasks and processes and lets you spend more time being effective with people. Having systems lets you work ON your business by monitoring the feedback from the system and making improvements. These systems will also allow you to confidently delegate as you grow, because you will have the confidence that the systems will provide you the feedback to let you know the business is running the way you want it to.

I hope that as the new year approaches, we can all find ways to work ON our business rather than IN it.

Ok, I don’t usually rant, but this is getting ridiculous! Every day for at least the last 5 days I have had to pick up someone’s advertising trash off of my driveway or front lawn. You know the kind, someone puts a piece of paper in a plastice bag, puts a rock or two for weight to keep it from blowing away and then drives through your neighborhood throwing their trash in your yard. I’m certainly not a neat yard guy (just ask my neighbors) but this annoys the hell out of me. And I like to look at advertising, but I haven’t looked at a single one of these. I just pick them up and throw them in the trash can as I go through my garage.

The newspaper is another example. A couple of weeks ago I returned home from an out of town conference and I found 4 newspapers in front of my door. I don’t buy the newspaper. Apparently, someone had been throwing them in my yard and a neighbor brought them to my door. Although they may think that littering in my yard, annoying my neighbors, and advertising that I am not home will turn me into a customer, it’s not going to happen.

If you are a small business and your best idea for finding customers is to throw crap in their yard, please, please, download and read this free marketing advice and then call me and ask for a free 30 minute consultation. I’m sure we can come up with a better approach.

I spend a lot of time talking to clients about the importance of telling their marketing story (the Ultimate Marketing System dedicates a whole module to this subject). I love to hear the stories behind small businesses. Recently, I found a great example in the dairy section of my local grocery store.

As I was picking up some milk, I was suprised to see glass bottles on the shelf. I almost passed them by because the first thing I notices was the "no hormones used". I thought I would end up paying more money for something that I don’t really care about. I did like this part of the packaging – "no one ever asks for a cold plastic of milk". I bought the milk and some Oreos (how else could I objectively test the milk?) and headed home.

The milk is delicious. There is also something very satisfying about the way the glass bottle feels in your hand. I am barely old enough to remember having milk delivered to the house by the milkman (in glass bottles), so I’m sure that was part of the connection.

The URL for the Shatto Milk Company was on the bottle (is you website address on your products?) so I went there to learn more. They do a wonderful job of telling their story, complete with pictures, on the History page and the About Us page. By sharing these stories, they allow us to really connect with them and feel like we know them.

They have a great product and do an excellent job of telling their story. As a result, I no longer go to the grocery store that is closest to my house, I go to the one that carries Shatto Milk. You can use this page to find a grocery store near you (another nice touch) that carries Shatto Milk.

Over on Legal Ease, Allison Shields gives some great advice (Holiday Networking Tips, Networking for Shy People, and Networking: What do I say?) about networking. I have two other tips that I have picked up along the way that I would like to add.

The first is to develop the mindset that networking is all about giving. I find that when I think, "what can I do to help this person?", I listen better and ask better questions. Following on some of Allison’s points, the more you know about the members of your group and the more your prepare, the more you will be able to help the people you meet.

The second point (Allison covers this as well) is to never answer the question "What do you do for a living?" with a label like "I’m an accountant". Rather, talk about who you work with and the problem you solve. Learn to ask questions to see if the person you are talking to has had that problem (or knows someone who has). For instance, if I were a chiropractor, I might say "I help people who suffer from neck pain after sitting in front of a computer all day. Have you ever gotten a crink your neck that was so bad you couldn’t focus on what someone was telling you?". If you can develop the habit of giving succinct replies to questions about yourself and then asking a follow up question about the other person’s opinion or experience, I think you will have much more interesting conversations at networking events.

If you are looking for a book to learn more about networking, you may want to check out my notes on Networking Magic in this post.

Duct Tape Marketing – The Worlds Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide is currently available for pre-order here. John is giving away lots of free bonuses to those who pre-order, particularly those who pre-order more than one copy. The materials are from the who’s who list of marketing; Joe Vitale, Bob Serline, David Frey, Bryan and Jeffery Eisenber, Bob Bly, Sean D’Souza, Dave Lakhani, Charley Cook, Sammy Hagar and Catherine Seda. Ok, Sammy Hagar didn’t really contribute, I just like to include him when I’m dropping names.

In the interest of full disclosure, Yes, I am an authorized Duct Tape Marketing coach. No, I don’t receive a commission on the sale of books, but I do earn a commission if you sign up for the special 3 call tele-seminar series which you can only purchase after you purchase the book.