Archive for February, 2009

I just returned from New Orleans (I’m still in mourning about having to come home) where I participated in PACE 2009, the annual national convention for the painting and decorating industry.  Between manning the Advisors On Target booth at the trade show and presenting an educational program on web strategies, I had the opportunity to meet and talk to hundreds of painting contractors about their online efforts and results.

Not surprisingly, I found a wide range in the general level of web competence among the business owners I talked to.  Some were pretty savvy internet marketers, looking for subtle ways to improve their already strong results online.  Others were just getting going – either starting from scratch or looking to revamp old, tired websites and strategies that aren’t up to 21st century standards.  But nearly everybody had one thing in common.  Everybody was aware that online performance is critical in today’s business and social climate – that your web presence it the most cost-effective way to promote your business, and that more and more consumers rely exclusively on the internet to find and evaluate local businesses.

I was pleased to see so much awareness and so much determination to master the tools and techniques of internet success.  But I was shocked by the number of business people who mangle their credibility by overlooking a simple thing – their email address. continue

In my quest to become a perfectly optimized business owner, I love to read books on productivity and time management that will help my clients (and me!) to operate on a level that uses our talents effectively and gives us the quality of life that we really enjoy.

David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done, has a little book called Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life, and in the first chapter he states the following:

Something is coming—probably within a few days—that’s going to change your world.  You don’t see it yet.  You don’t know what it’s about.  But it’s there, rolling inexorably forward, destined to throw you a curve that you do not expect.  It could show up sooner or later—but it will show up.  Trust me.

Write down these words exactly four weeks from today on your calendar: David Allen said a month ago that something was coming I couldn’t foresee that would affect me significantly.  Prove me wrong.

What are you doing to be ready for anything?

What would happen if you suddenly landed that big job or project that you hoped would come? continue

Have you heard this story before?  John, a small business owner, is heading into a team meeting.  The team is getting ready to email an advertisement to John’s prospective and current clients.   The ad looks great.  It is his answer to bringing in new business.  The dollar signs are running through his mind.  As the meeting begins, John quickly discovers that the wonderful process for gathering prospective and current client information has not been getting done.   The database is not ready and will not be ready for a couple weeks.   The excuses start to fly.  John’s dream of getting this ad out quickly fades.

By implementing accountability factors for each position, businesses can ensure their structure is functioning efficiently and appropriately.   These factors identify the key functions of the job and outline how they relate to the future success of the organization.  They should be tied to an employee’s performance evaluation and salary increase.   Use the following steps to design your accountability factors: continue