The short answer is yes. However, not usually in a single box. This article came about because I was browsing the web and found a small business toolkit that promised more, I am sure, than it could deliver. I found there were many tool kits for many business needs. All this begged an answer, what do I need in my toolkit as a small business owner.

I am going to narrow this article down to the three must have tools to keep you in business  while also having a life. The minimum tools you must have include: Customer Relationship Management or CRM, Invoicing or billing, and communication.

Let’s start with the communication. It is critical that you be available to answer customer and potential customer questions when they want answers. Unfortunately, you don’t likely have the resources or time to be available at all times. This is where a strong communication strategy and tools come in handy.

Your communication strategy should include three tools: Web presence, voicemail and literature. I recommend that all of your literature be provided online as well as hard copy.

Literature is still a valuable tool even with all the digital progress we’ve made in the past decade. I recommend that every piece of literature you might hand a customer or potential exist in digital format as well. The literature arsenal should include a detailed business brochure, business card, policies, product or service specific leaflets to inform and much more. Think about how you can make literature available and keep it handy at all times.  Making documents available for immediate access will impress many web savvy customers today. To make your documents available online you need a web site.

 Your web site should be simple, universally accessible, user friendly and loaded with valuable information. Online success is obtained with a two edged sword: search engine optimization and rich content.

 Some have called LinkedIn the new Yellow Pages. LinkedIn should also be a part of your web toolkit. there is no better way to make it easy for people to find you online. LinkedIn will automatically search engine optimize you and your business if you use it wisely.

Now that people are finding you online you will want to be virtually accessible. Voicemail is a great way to make yourself accessible even when you can’t answer the phone. Using voicemail can give your business a voice. You can use a tool like www.K7.net to setup multiple voicemail boxes, for free, to meet specific needs of customers and potentials. You might have a number customers can call for project status or updates. By simply updating the greeting daily the customer gets to hear your voice sharing relevant information they may want to know. Because they hear the information in your voice they feel connected with you and that you are really committed to them. Furthermore they can leave a message which makes them feel they can contribute. You get the messages by email and can manage the communication process without difficult to manage interrupting phone calls. A strong voicemail strategy can improve you customer relations and save you lots of time and stress.

I can help you build a stronger communication strategy and help you build it around cost free tools that will help you do business like the big dogs no matter what size your staff or budget. Just call,(724) 49BUILD or (724) 492-8453 to arrange a free consultation.

Now that you are talking to customers you need to get money out of them. The backbone of successful small business collections is having the tools to handle invoicing consistently and systematically. The software to do this can be very expensive. I have found two invoicing or billing tools you should consider for your small business toolkit. They are both free. The first I want to mention is www.zoho.com. Zoho offers Zoho invoice free for the first 5 invoice a month. If you offer a big ticket service or product this may fit your needs with little or no cost. Zoho remains very affordable when you need to manage more customers. I recommend Zoho first because they also offer other valuable tools you will want in your small business toolkit. And they work seamlessly together. another great Free tool for invoicing is www.billingboss.com. With both solutions you can have automated billing service that sharpens your image and handles balance due calculations, repeat billing, invoice reminders and even tracks overdue accounts.

Finally, the last tool I want to mention in this article is CRM. Big business has used CRM software for years with great success. The resources and affordability of modern technology make it practical for even the smallest business to automatically and systematically manage customers and contacts. With Zoho CRM I have a single stop resource for storing all of my contacts and documenting leads and potentials as they come to my attention. I can even document phone calls, schedule appointments, schedule emails to go out and start a web meeting with a client in a single click. There is no neater or more efficient way to manage your contacts. Best of all it is free for up to the first 500,000 contacts. So what’s holding you back, get started now.

The few tools I have suggested here will save you time, make you more thorough and create more opportunities for you. I am interested in growing your business momentum. My team and I are constantly researching better and cost effective ways for you to manage your business. Make www.charlesspeaks.com your first resource for small business guidance.

because of loss of productivity, reduced safety compliance and legal liability caused by poorly trained staff, according to Governing Magazine and the B&G Report.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out. People’s performance is based largely on personal habit, beliefs and values. When those habits, beliefs and values don’t result in top performance and acceptable results the only way to change those results is information. Because people’s habits and bias are deeply etched in the psyche they quickly return to poor habits and unacceptable behavior when performance is not directed through solid and applicable information. Not to mention to that people can be downright forgetful.

“Now why was it that we needed to use those safety pins? Oh well, it won’t matter this time.” This is the popular self dialogue that leads the well intentioned employee down the path of non compliance.

Consistent training serves to reinforce what we know to be best practices, correct poor performance standards and empowers consistency and congruency in the working environment to ensure the safest and most productive outcome.

I was conducting a communication training for a client with whom I had done the same training before. A gentleman who had already attended the seminar twice was obviously impressed with a solution offered and expressed an interest in sharing. He commented that he would like to have heard that in he last two presentations. I didn’t have the heart to inform him that I had in fact covered this point in the past two classes. Before I could move on, the department supervisor, with some disgust, replied that the same approach was shared in the past and that she had sent a copy of the audio to all staff to reinforce the ideas on two different occasions.

Instead of cutting training, cut training cost. Here are four things you can do that will drastically reduce the cost of your training.

1. Hire trainers who can deliver training via webinar and multimedia. You can save bi because you aren’t paying for travel and accommodations. You can deliver highly targeted training in smaller segments that have been proven to increase the benefiting results of training. Media rich training if more favorably completed and is proven to produce higher results.

2. Avoid over priced brokers who subcontract with experts to deliver training. Any of the trainers they may provide for you can be found EASILY online in minutes. These broker slash training companies can charge upwards of 3 to 5 thousand dollars for a training day and subcontract the training to a trainer they might pay $300. There is no chance you’re getting the best possible training for the dollar with that arrangement.

To find a trainer fast use Google. In example, if you need project management training you might search for, “hire a project management speaker.” Check the web sites of a few results that are not paid advertisers. Here is what you should look for on the site:

• Sample video and Audio – If it isn’t there move on fast
• Testimonies and references
• Samples of writing and other qualifications

3. Train trainers within. I have had several clients hire me to develop training and then train a few of the staff to deliver the training on an ongoing basis.

4. Supplement your training with resources. Books, ebooks, audio and video can be used to reinforce and refresh. I had one client who suggests never hiring a trainer that does not offer such supplemental resources.

Keep your team as sharp as possible. Failing to do so will cost you. You can learn more about effective and budget friendly training at www.charlesspeaks.com and my blog www.charlesspeaks.com/billthebuilder
To book training call 937-935-6789

In every economy there are four catalysts that leading businesses understand. They have never changed and never will. Some of the world’s most OUTSTANDING business leaders took advantage of these catalysts in tough times to launch their businesses. Some Icons that remain include Hyatt, Burger King and FedEx.

Burger King, with its flame-broiled burgers, is an OUTSTANDING recession startup. The company began in 1954 when James McLamore and David Edgerton opened a Burger King restaurant in Miami, Fla. During yet another recession in 1957, the company introduced its signature burger, the Whopper. Today Burger King is OUTSTANDING in 65 countries.

Hyatt opened its first hotel’s doors at Los Angeles International Airport during the Eisenhower recession. The chain rose to worldwide fame in the following decades and now operates more than 365 hotels in 25 countries.

FedEx began operations on April 17, 1973 as Federal Express. Founder Frederick W. Smith had hoped to get a contract with the Federal Reserve, when he didn’t he set and ambitious goal and challenged his team. The company delivered 186 packages to 25 cities on its first night of operations and now manages more than 7.5 million shipments everyday worldwide.

All three of these companies capitalize on the 4 momentum catalysts we will explore here.

Efficiency

The key to sustainable profitability is lean productive operations. One of the biggest roadblocks to sustainable business momentum is wasted effort. Systems support good habits and good habits make us consistently effective. When you have discovered activities that produce results it is critical that you implement systems and processes that accommodate those activities.

We recently discovered a niche group with a need for our keynote and event services. To our surprise these groups proved highly profitable. Unfortunately we had not made effort to reach these groups. We immediately began brainstorming ways to connect with them and began the process of building this group into our marketing campaigns. Reaching these groups required no greater effort, just differently focused effort.

I often hear people say, “marketing doesn’t work.” This usually means they aren’t using effective methods or are not focused in their efforts. I may be aggressively growing my network and contact list by thousands. But if my efforts are not targeted I may never see much ROI. In example, imagine I am in the business of low glycemic snacks. My list of thousands of contacts contains 40 percent between the ages of 18 and 28; these are clearly not my target audience. Effort is being made. The right efforts are being made. But when results aren’t produced we assume the system is broken.

Here are three efforts that will sharpen your efforts and improve your results.

Sharpen your skills.

Make sure you know how to use your software and resources. The better you know your tools and resources the more you can accomplish in less time. Familiarity with tools and resources reduces errors and makes you appear more polished when dealing with customers as well.

Prioritize and schedule your day’s activities by priority.

A good rule is to identify your “in stone” appointments first thing. These would include scheduled meetings, conference calls, client appointments or any event that is planned. Once you have identified those, determine which ones need preparation and how much time is needed to prepare; plan preparation into the day’s calendar. One last tip is to plan for known necessary duties. You know you will have email to tend to, so plan for it. A great plan for me has been as follows:

1. At the start of the day I check my inbox

• Make quick responses if possible (I follow a 30 second rule)
• Delete obvious spam and update my spam filters and rules to reduce it in the future. (avoid spending too much time on the spam control, but it is worth a little effort)
• Mark or flag important emails for immediate attention
• Move any mail you can to appropriate folders for organization and latter review

2. I watch my incoming mail notifications throughout the day. Be wary against non-productive interruptions.

3. I spend a few minutes on email at lunch time.

4. I do a mid-afternoon sweep of email to keep it under control

5. Before ending the day I clean up email with the following:

• Forward anything I can to another responsible party
• Deal with any 30 second responses
• Organize messages into appropriate folders where possible
• Determine if new rules and auto responses can handle some of my email and set those rules when practical.
• Consider forwarding qualified emails to a remote email for after hour response when possible.

 Prioritize, plan and polish your efforts every day to stay on the cutting edge.

 Innovation

FedEx is known for its commitment to efficiency and performance. Innovation is the key to staying on the cutting edge. By constantly analyzing our efforts and improving ensures we stay fresh and productive. Innovation is also a great way to stay relevant and trustworthy for our client base. I hold monthly meetings with my team and accountability partners to address 3 questions that keep us relevant and sharp.

 Are there new or better resources or tools that might help improve our customer relations, productivity or profit margin? These may be improved tools, lower cost tools or simply trends that position us as cutting edge when used.

 Are there processes that are unneeded or not returning a higher return than investment? Trimming the fat is critical in this economy. Trimming the fat may mean reducing the effort, eliminating the effort or refocusing the effort.

 What new information or ideas should be explored? I make note of new ideas, problems or observations made that might prove of interest to our business. Exploring these gives us the opportunity to innovate and lies to rest the bad ideas.

 Marketing

It is absolutely critical that we do the marketing regardless of the economy. It is equally important that we use the best and most practical techniques. I have noticed a revival of social networking across every business group. This is in part due to social media, but the reality is that when times are tough buyers are tougher. Customers want to know who they are doing business with. Networking gives us the opportunity to see, hear and touch. When done right networking allows you to connect with lots of people and be seen by even more. When I go to networking events I hand out full color mini brochures instead of business cards. They are information packed and interesting. I have observed others showing my little brochure to others in the group. I have had people approach me to ask for one.

The bottom line in marketing is impression. Make as many impressions as you can and the more impressive the impression he greater the results.

 Engagement

Perhaps the greatest weakness shared by the majority of business professionals is follow-up. We connect with people and then fail to follow-up with them. I know from experience, dropped balls and failure to follow-up is the single greatest deficit in any marketing strategy.

 Here are three ways to follow up and profitize your relationships.

 Add value

Once you have made a connection or have someone’s contact information immediately start making them glad they know you. Share your secrets, tips and tricks that will prove valuable to them. One of the greatest ways to create value for another business is to give referrals and leads. However, to do this you need to know and trust the provider you are referring.

 Inform

Make sure every contact knows everything they need to know to do business with you. What services do you offer? How are they provided? What payment options exist? Who else do you do business with? Why should any of this matter to your new contact? How can they contact you?

 Understand

This is a powerful follow-up technique. Send an email asking questions about the new contact’s business. Let them tell you about themselves. Read reviews and find out who they do business with. Ask yourself, why should all of this matter to me?

If you immediately start sharpening your momentum catalyst you will quickly start standing out.

Subscribe to our momentum news list to learn about events and gain FREE access to momentum building resources including videos, audios and ebooks. Simpy visit www.charlesspeaks.com and enter your name and email on the right side of the page for immediate access to the download vault and hundreds of dollars in business momentum resources.

So what do these numbers mean for you as a business owner or leader? These numbers mean that in order for your business to succeed you will need cutting edge support and guidance that will make you OUTSTANDING. Buzz words, trends and fads aren’t going to take your business to the next level. charlesspeaks.com has observed the top performing 29% of start-ups over the last two decades to identify the qualities of OUTSTANDING businesses. 

 Here are the top 4 qualities of thriving businesses:

 Innovative

These businesses live on the edge. They are using best business practices sitting on ready for any improvements and willing to try new things. They watch trends to identify the evolution of mainstream. At some point every trend becomes nostalgic or mainstream. Innovative businesses know how to identify the trends that will survive early enough to capitalize on them. Having an effective yet flexible project management methodology in place is critical in today’s culture of rapid change.

Relevant

Remaining relevant in these times requires the quality of innovation. In these changing times what was relevant yesterday is not always relevant tomorrow. OUTSTANDING businesses are constantly evolving to better meet customer needs and expectations. Relevant businesses listen to there customers and watch their competitors attentively. They know how to capitalize on trends whether they become mainstream or not.

 Efficient

OUTSTANDING business are there, they are approachable and follow-through on their commitments. In times when customers are more demanding and competition is fierce it is critical that you have access to the tools and resources needed to do business well and turn on a dime when trends demand. Your marketing, customer relations, processes and products or services need to scream that you understand the first two qualities covered here. If your business card is dated so is your service. Outstanding businesses can’t afford to use dated techniques, strategies or tools. Moving at the speed of innovation requires efficient processes and solutions.

 Outstanding

They are doing the marketing to promote themselves and they aren’t afraid to sell. They are networking and touching people. They have a well defined brand and they build it through creative marketing and social interaction. The top survivors are seen in the public; they are involved in the community and have a hero or celebrity status.

Bill The Builder helps you build on these qualities through branding and marketing efforts that are proven to create celebrity status and profits. Bill will help you develop an OUTSTANDING brand profile, winning customer profile and product and services resources that will cause customers to perceive you as a celebrity they can know and love.

 Bill helps entrepreneurs and established business leaders make themselves and their business more attractive so customers want to do business with you.

 http://www.charlesspeaks.com

charles@charlesspeaks.com

937-935-6789

443 North Main Street Suite 101

West Mansfield, Oh 43358 

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