I’m a member of an organization that supports women entrepreneurs and encourages us to do business together. So, when I started looking for a new widgetizer, I checked out the membership directory and decided to call one that sounded like the right fit.

I linked to their website to check them out further. The look of the site was decent but the pages loaded reeeaaallly slowly as I clicked through. I tried to send an email through the website explaining what I was looking for in specifics. After typing up my scenario, the email function froze and the content I inputted was lost. Annoying, yes, but it happens.

I instead called the organization and was greeted by a monotone “Hello.” Since I was calling a business phone number, it obviously threw me off. I asked if I had the right phone number and was told “yes” (monotone again) and then silence.

I have to admit that I was ready to hang up right then and there but decided to give them a chance. I explained that their web email wasn’t working and they said “okay.” I then asked what size businesses they served and asked if they provided the type of services I was looking for. Instead of boring you with the whole painful conversation, suffice it to say that it kept getting worse. And suffice it to say, I did not choose this person for my widgetizing!

Professionalism is job one when you run a business – no matter what its size! You should always answer your phone in a welcoming manner, identifying the business and yourself by name as part of the greeting. You should also be certain that the tools you use to brand your business are working.

You can go through the motions of promoting your business, but you actually have to back up the quality of your brand once you hook a potential customer. This person’s inability to understand this will eventually be the downfall of her business.
Lots of people I know have marketable skills. Not all of them could run a business. Before you hang that shingle, know yourself. Knowing your strengths is essential. But it’s as important to know your shortcomings and work to improve those.
And no matter what, be professional. Or at least learn to give good phone!

At the October Women TIES Retreat (www.womenties.com), nationally syndicated columnist, Amy Dickinson addressed the audience on this very subject, telling us not to be afraid to ask for what we want. She said, in part: “I have discovered three out of 10 requests I ask for are usually granted. Knowing the percentage of success helps me plan for the outcome whether it’s positive or negative and inspires me to ask big.”

Tracy Higginbotham, President, Women TIES, took Amy’s message to heart. In fact, shortly after the Retreat, Tracy approached Amy about being a business advice contributor for her new national blog, Ask Amy Daily (www.askamydaily.com). And guess what? Tracy asked and she received.

Don’t wait for things to come to you. Make them happen. Ask for what you want. Because Just Ask, just works.

Click on the link above to see my favorite tagline this week. This place just got added to my TAG To-Dos list!

It made me laugh first, then take pause.

She said in part:

“Unfortunately, (my editor) edits and changes some of my words.  Not much, but enough to annoy me.  The fact is, I am a much better writer than even what this fine article portrays. He should follow Paul McCarthy’s advice and just “let it be.””

The funny part is the  unintended oops in the note (see if you can find it).  But the note also made me stop and think.

Proofreading and editing are big parts of my job. Do I sometimes edit for editing’s sake? Do I sometimes fail to read something through before I start modifying?

Guilty. And guilty. So I hereby vow – at least until I fall back into bad habits again and whenever it’s grammatically possible - to follow Paul McCARTNEY’s words of wisdom.

I spend a lot of time learning about what’s hot and what’s not.

This week, I’m hot on HeyTell – an iPhone app with which you can send short voice messages real-time to other iPhone users. Think walkie talkie.

Not only is it fun with your friends but I have been using it with two of my clients who I knew would appreciate it. Little things like this reinforce to clients that I am tuned in and want them to be too.

I always smile politely and agree.

It gets tricky though when folks ask to meet with you because they are thinking of starting their own business. Should I be honest with them? Let them learn for themselves what the real deal is? Or tell them what they want to hear? Hold my laughter when they tell me what they need to earn starting from Day 1?

Entrepreneurs are a weird bunch. And an interesting bunch. I’m proud to count myself among them. We are comfortable with risk, will do whatever it takes to run our own show and love the thrill of the chase for customers, growth, etc.

Its not for everyone though. My sister, in fact, told me recently that she will not date anyone who does not have a “real” job. In other words, someone who owns their own business. I respect that. She is adverse to the crap shoot of it all and is at a point in her life where she wants more security. That has always been her personality and she knows what she wants – and what she does not.

I, on the other hand, am the opposite. Always have been. Never really accepted that rules were rules, was one of the founders of the Jump Club (parachuting) at my college and have always looked for more creative ways to do things.

I frankly do not believe that the people who are contacting people to try to get feedback on whether or not to start a business are cut out for business ownership. Its something you just know you want to do and don’t need positive reinforcement from others.

So from now on, when someone calls me to discuss starting their own business, I will send then the attached article first. And if they still are excited about venturing out on their own in pursuit of a dream, then I will be there for them.  I will let them know though that they may very well have a screw loose. And if that comment ignites that competitive spark in their eyes and makes them smile, then I know there is great hope for them.

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/crazy-entrepreneurs-1532/

I have kept it on my desk for more than 15 years and it could probably only be appreciated by those of us who are English freaks and/or are newspaper reporters or writers by trade. It’s my former boss’s very own dog-eared, yellowed copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style.

Inside, there is a scraggly scrap of paper directing me to page 45 on which she wrote: “To keep you on the affective side of effect.” To this day I hear those words in my head every time I need to discern when to use which word.  And one day, I will pass this same book on to someone on my staff who is a promising young writer who will understand the significance of the gesture.

I credit our commitment to keeping company with positive people as a big contributing factor to the quality of life that I and my employees are able to enjoy.

At TAG we get a front seat to some of the coolest things going on in the community, get to meet and work with amazing people and we are constantly provided with new experiences with Nice People. No two days are ever the same.

Right now we are working with two local surgeons who for the past 25 years have been traveling annually to one of the poorest villages in Honduras to provide invaluable health services. The pair is now planning to build a permanent health center there to ensure ongoing access to care.

We just completed work on an event that seeks to bring people of all races and religions together for a stronger community.

We orchestrated a press event to announce the first LEED Platinum building in Central New York and one of the highest performing Green buildings in the nation.

We interviewed an elite bike racing team that works in partnership with one of our healthcare clients to spread a fitness
message and a window to the power of the human spirit. And we are promoting sports clinics with lacrosse great Gary Gait for that same wellness-minded client.

We are working with a couple from Morocco that is launching a skin care line and have been able to be involved from the business plan stage to designing the labels and picking what the containers will look like to creating a high-end PR/Advertising campaign.

We are also working with a local baseball team to throw a big party for the clients and friends of one of our clients that
benefits a local charity that grants wishes to sick kids.

And these are just a few examples of things we have done or are in the works – in the past month alone!

If we were bogged down in the minutiae and negativity of Mean People all of this and the many many other things we are working on would be less likely. We would instead be up at night stressed out and channeling our energy to situations that will not change.

Conflict will arise in relationships but sometimes it’s better for everyone involved to cut the cord.

As you go about your business day remember, you cannot change people. You can change how you react to them – and you can change whether it’s worth dealing with them or not.

You decide which road is best for you. But here at TAG, we have chosen the positive path, sometimes at a sacrifice, and our lives have been enriched as a result.

We all get stuck in a rut sometimes. And when you own/operate a small business, it can sometimes be especially overwhelming. You are responsible for identifying and bringing in the customers, keeping them happy, managing
employees, paying the bills, sending invoices, and all the other things that fall on the administrative end.

Then there is the real work of developing and implementing creative, meaningful programming to support clients’ business goals and growth.

So every now and then, you get so caught up in the day-to-day that you do not see – or tend to ignore – a growing problem. And sometimes that problem can result in a lost customer or one that is in jeopardy.

Sure, you are going to come out on the losing end sometimes. That’s just a fact of life. But more often than not you can turn things around with the right attitude.

So, I want to share a few of the ways that I turn my frown upside down:

1.) I put the problem in perspective. I do that by thinking of people in the news who are suffering because of natural disasters or health problems, those who do not have the opportunities to make a good living like I do, and those who work in jobs they absolutely hate. In other words, people with REAL problems. This keeps me from losing heart.

2.) I up my game. Every problem is an opportunity. At TAG, we use roadblocks and setbacks as a catalyst for reviewing our services and seeing how we can improve them.

3.) I get out more and talk to lots of people in the business community. You would be amazed how each encounter can give you that little boost. And I rarely fail to hear about an opportunity to take advantage of or get some information that I can use to my benefit.

4.) I listen to my employees. They have great ideas for turning things around and there is strength in numbers. Bonding together to address a challenge is powerful.

5.) I pay closer attention to my personal habits. I eat better, get more exercise and try to correct bad habits I may have fallen into. If you feel good you simply are a better, more effective you.

6.) I approach the situation much like an athlete would in winning that all-important game. I believe with all my heart that I will accomplish my goals and focus all my energy on reaching those. You would be amazed at how well this works. People attract to confidence backed up by know-how and I use both of these to win new clients and/or turn bad situations around.

Business is never easy and you can never rest on your laurels or take anything for granted or fail to innovate. But if you slip, let your competitive side take over. Go after what you want. And I bet you get it!