If They Don’t Do It Right, I Can Just Do It Myself

Link to Small Business News, Tips, Advice - Small Business Trends

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 11:30 AM PDT

"If they don't do it right, then I can just do it myself." I've said and heard that phrase a hundred times (at least). But I'm convinced that replacing a low performing team member with yourself (the owner of the business) is a bad idea in the long run.

wearing many hats

You need a team — a team that gets it. And that starts with you.

In a recent survey by eVoice, 90% of the 400 small business participants say they fill more than 3 roles within their company. Even though that's a small survey audience, the results make sense to me. When it's your company you do whatever you have to do to make it work.

As small business owners it's easy to wear too many hats. But how much is too much? When it comes to building a business that has the potential to outlast you, the less hats you wear the better. But that's easier said than done. The goal is to replace yourself on as many aspects of the daily grind as you can, so that you have more time for the strategy work (and a life). Maybe the real statement is:

"If they don't do it right, then I can find a better team member—if I have to."

If your computer breaks down, you don't go back to strictly pen and paper. You go through a process:

you bang on the keys to see if that makes it work
you call tech support to see if they can fix it
you buy a new upgraded version of your computer

When it comes to your team, do the same thing:

talk to them to see if you can fix the relationship
call in other key team members and get feedback on how it's going and how to move forward
if the relationship doesn't improve (i.e. the employee doesn't perform well on your team or the contractor doesn't deliver) then it's time to make an upgrade

As small business owners, you need help. The more successful you are, the more help you will need. As you build a team, here's a few quick things to keep in mind.

Get Clear About What You Want

Every team member has a job to do. Get crystal clear about what that job is and what the expectations and the time frames are.

Gather A Team To Help You Accomplish Those Goals

Look for passion and ability, because angry and indifferent people with skills are a challenge to work with.

Grade Their Impact

Find a way to measure the work your team does for you. This way you can hold them accountable and remember their value to your business. When you hire a Virtual Assistant (or traditional assistant), decide what you want. Will they post all your online articles, manage your WordPress website and send out your press releases? If so, how many press releases do you want created and distributed each quarter and how many articles do you want posted each month?

If it's a marketing person, then define your goals. Do you expect more twitter followers or Facebook fans? Do you expect more traffic to your website? Do you expect to better convert the traffic that you already get?

Standards give you a way of measuring the relationship so that you can tell what works and what doesn't.

In the eVoice survey, 95% of the participants say that they would pay at least $100 for one more productive hour in their work day. That $100 can buy products, software or time including a consultation session to help you gain a new perspective and some hours from a virtual assistant to help you manage old and new ideas.

Get help – now.

Wearing Many Hats Photo via Shutterstock

From Small Business Trends

If They Don't Do It Right, I Can Just Do It Myself

Do You Have Welcomers Working for You?

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 05:30 AM PDT

The Welcomer Edge We’ve all got horror stories about bad customer service. But what about good stories… of cashiers, call center reps and salespeople who made us feel welcome while we shopped in their stores or called their customer service lines? Unfortunately, there are a lot fewer of those stories. But when we find a “Welcomer,” as author Richard Shapiro calls them, we build a relationship of trust with that business.

In The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business, Shapiro (@RichardRShapiro) explains what makes a Welcomer, and provides tips on how any business — regardless of type — can hire a stable of Welcomers to build customer relations.

An Expert on Client Retention

Shapiro knows what it takes to keep customers around. He’s the Founder and President of The Center For Client Retention (TCFCR), which provides research, training and consulting services to Fortune 500 corporations for improving the customer experience. He frequently speaks about client retention to audiences around the world, and he has been interviewed as an industry expert by The New York Times, the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and others.

Do You Hire Welcomers?

Shapiro outlines what makes a good Welcomer, or “Doctor of First Impressions.” It’s someone who:

“. . .makes you feel important, appreciated, and valued as a customer and as a person; he or she makes you feel comfortable enough to make a connection, share your thoughts, and seek them out again for that personal touch and sincere concern.”

We’ve all interacted with Welcomers, albeit not frequently. The woman at your local pharmacy who always makes a point to ask about your kids is a Welcomer. The customer service rep you call who asks how the weather is in your neck of the woods is a Welcomer. Shapiro explains the benefit of having Welcomers on your staff. They put customers at ease, and keep them coming back.

Do You Run a Team of Robots?

The converse to the Welcomer is the Robot. You know the types: they can’t be bothered to smile, and they don’t really want to help you. They say “thank you” because they are trained to do so, but it’s clear they’d rather be elsewhere. Robots are detrimental to your brand.

And while real Welcomers are born, not made, Shapiro provides some tips for “Welcomer Wannabees” to get on the right track:

The Greet: Start with a genuine smile. Make that first moment of contact positive, and treat each customer like a long lost friend.
The Assist: Helping a customer shouldn’t be a rote transaction. Ask the customer for their name, and use it. Be a good listener and be useful.
The Leave-Behind: When the transaction is done, give a return invitation to the customer. Encourage them to come back, and ask for you personally. Mean it.

What I Liked About the Book

The Welcomer Edge has many great examples of both good and bad customer service, which go a long way to illustrate Shapiro’s point about what types of actions increase repeat business. Now whenever I go to a store, I’m identifying people as Welcomers or Robots!

Who Should Read This

Even if you’re in business services, or don’t see customers face-to-face, you should read The Welcomer Edge. Anywhere we interact with customers gives us the opportunity to have Welcomers represent our brands. Even if you’re the business owner, and the only one who speaks with customers, you’ll learn how to use Welcomer techniques with them.

From Small Business Trends

Do You Have Welcomers Working for You?