The Insatiable Solopreneur™

Succeeding and Surviving as a Solopreneur

Archive for the tag “Tips for solopreneurs”

What Do Your Customers Want? The Same Things You Do!

Whether you’re just starting out as a solopreneur or have been running your small professional services business for a Confused manwhile, you’ve probably at some time wondered, “What do customers want?”

That will be different to some degree depending on the particular industry you’re in and your specialties, but there are some universal things that all prospective customers are looking for. And they’re not in any way mysterious or elusive. In fact, they’re the exact same things that you likely look for when choosing a professional services provider.

  • A solution – Customers choose a professional services provider to satisfy a need. They reach out to you because they’re unable to solve a problem or accomplish something on their own – either because of lack of resources or skills.

 Tip: Think about and be prepared to communicate clearly about the problems/needs that you’re able to solve.

 

  • Expertise – Expertise doesn’t always equate to years of experience – though that can give you an edge in establishing credibility. Expertise is knowing your stuff and having the capability of delivering quality to your clients.

Tip: If you’re a new solopreneur and struggling to get business because of your lack of experience, get some volunteer projects under your belt to build your portfolio and list of references.

  • Honesty – Clients expect (and rightly so) honesty in a professional services provider. They don’t want empty promises that can’t be fulfilled. They want you to do business ethically and to be honest about expected outcomes.

 Tip: Be realistic from the beginning about what you can deliver and when you can deliver it. “Pie in the sky” promises won’t earn you points when they don’t pan out.

  • Reliability – Consistent quality and performance are the keys to getting repeat business from your customers. If they know that they can depend on you to do the job well, they’ll be more inclined to give you more work.

 Tip: Repeat clients are the ultimate source of testimonials and referrals. The fact that someone has come back to you time and again stands as a testament to your reliability. Ask your repeat clients for testimonials and recommendations on Linkedin.

  • Fair rate – While some clients are 100% driven to decision based on price, the majority are willing to pay a fair rate for quality services. Most recognize that we often get what we pay for.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth. Don’t gouge your clients with excessive costs, but do be aware of your strengths and set your fees so that they’re favorable for you, yet fair to the customer.

  • A sense of caring – Customers expect you to care about the work you’re doing for them, the results that you deliver, and your relationship with them.

Tip: It’s not difficult to demonstrate caring, but you need to pay attention to the opportunities to do so. In your emails, on phone calls, and in meetings, tell clients “thank you” often and tell them that you appreciate the opportunity to work with them.

  • Responsiveness – Clients expect you to respond promptly to their questions and concerns. Responsiveness demonstrates what we talked about in the previous bullet point, caring. And it can set you apart from your competitors.

 Tip: Always try to respond to clients and prospects within 24 hours – even if just to say that you received their message, and will be getting back to them soon. In urgent situations, respond as close to immediately as possible.

 

  • No unpleasant surprises – No one likes “bait and switch” tactics, discovering hidden fees, or missed deadlines.

 Tip: Prepare and plan before proposing or starting projects for clients. Get a grip on – and communicate – the scope of what you’ll do, when you’ll do it, what you’ll need from the customer and how much it will cost them.

Pleasing customers doesn’t require a Magic 8 Ball, but it does take understanding their fundamental wants and needs. And fortunately, you have the means to do that quite easily. Simply tune into what YOU look for in a professional services provider – and deliver on those things!

Your turn! What do you look for in a professional services provider? How has your own experience as a customer shaped your approach to working with clients?

Image courtesy of grauer codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Lessons That Being a Mom Has Taught Me about Being in Business

Something that all solopreneurs come to realize while running their own solo businesses is that their “personal” and 20130330_144915“professional” lives are in many ways one. Though that’s not always a good thing – overall it brings enrichment and rewards to both sides of the coin. And being aware of that can make you appreciate the breadth of experience you’ve got in your life – and make you a more aware and effective business owner.

So with Mother’s Day upon us, I reflect on how the lessons I’ve learned from being a mom have been helpful in business as a solopreneur:

  • Clear communication is key.

Explaining the what, where, when, how and why is the way to gaining understanding and acceptance of your ideas, recommendations, and – in some instances – demands.

  • Assuming understanding doesn’t work – you need to check it.

This is a two-way street. Make sure that others understand what you’ve explained to them…and make sure that you understand what others have explained to you. Otherwise, expectations might be different and no one will be pleased with the end result.

  • You can’t always be the “best friend.”
    There are times when you need to stand your ground and stick to decisions – even when they aren’t popular.
  • Plan and prepare, but realize that sometimes you need to go with the flow.

Having a strategy and setting goals for your business is essential, but occasionally the unexpected will upset even your best laid plans. Learn to be nimble and flexible so the unforeseen won’t paralyze you.

  • You won’t always feel appreciated – but that doesn’t mean you aren’t.
    At times, you might find yourself working hard without much incoming acknowledgement of your efforts. Don’t take it personally. Just because people don’t always freely show their respect or gratitude, doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate you or the work you do.
  • You need to fulfill your promises to earn trust.
    When you say you’ll do something, you need to follow through.
  • The little things make it all worthwhile.
    Sometimes it’s not the big victories – but the day-to-day little perks – that bring the most happiness. Recognize and appreciate what you have to be thankful for – and let it fuel your enthusiasm for the path you’ve chosen to follow.

Happy Mother’s Day! Wishing that all of you – mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers – in business find time to celebrate your personal and professional successes.

Ways to Whack Your Inner Whiner

When running a small business, you face a lot of challenges. And as a solopreneur whose quality of work can largely No Whiningdepend on your ability to stay focused and function within the right frame of mind, dwelling on what’s not going your way will sink you quickly. To be a successful solo-professional, you can’t be whiner.

We all have those “Whoa is me” moments. I know I do, and I don’t know anyone who is immune to them. And I know some people who just don’t seem to be able to get past them. But on the flip side, I also know people who are dealing with some quite heavy, incredibly sad circumstances, but yet somehow manage to see the positive in every day and give others hope and inspiration.

As a solopreneur, it’s important to remain cognizant of – and appreciate – what’s going right even when certain things are going all wrong.

How?

Make it a habit!

A few ideas to help you keep your chin up and cop a “lemons into lemonade” attitude:

  • Write down the steps for tackling whatever’s challenging you. Creating a plan will help you see that you do have some control over the situation.
  • Every day, start the day by reminding yourself of at least three things that you should be thankful for. And it’s OK if they’re the same three things every day!
  • Think ahead to an event or activity that you have planned and are looking forward to in the near future. That can serve as a source of light at the end of the tunnel.
  • Remind yourself that our mistakes – and those made by others – can be our best friends and best learning tools.
  • Listen to music that lifts your mood.
  • Get outside for a breath of fresh air a few times every day – even if only for a minute or two at a time.
  • Make a sincere effort not to complain. In many ways, we create our own attitudes by how we choose to react to situations. I haven’t taken it to the extent of the 21-day complaint-free challenge, but I’ve experimented with it to some degree and have absolutely noticed some positive changes in my level of stress.
  • If possible, minimize your exposure to people who are consistently negative. And if you can’t avoid them, recognize that it’s not you, it’s them!

Again, mumbling and grumbling every now and then about less than ideal circumstances in business is perfectly normal, but don’t get settled into “victim mode” where the pity party never ends. Your prospects and clients need to know that you’re capable of weathering the occasional storm – and that starts with your ability to shed your inner whiner and focus on making the best of every situation.

Your turn: Know anyone in your professional circles who is an incessant whiner? What techniques help you stay positive during challenging times?

Three Sure-fire Ways to Pick Up the Slack When You Fall Behind

It can happen. And it does happen. Solopreneurs – by nature of being a one person band – sometimes fall behindID-10087370 schedule on their projects and tasks. Though it’s natural to occasionally veer off the productivity track, it’s important to find your way back to the straight and narrow as quickly as possible so you can meet commitments and fulfill responsibilities. Your reputation as a business professional depends on it!

Picking up the slack isn’t always easy, but it’s possible with some assessment, short range planning and willingness to take action.

  • Look at your to do list and prioritize – Carefully review everything that you need to do and decide which tasks should get your immediate attention. Among the things that should receive top honors:
    • Work that’s revenue producing
    • Something that you’ve promised and is overdue or almost overdue
    • Anything related to compliance with rules and regulations
    • Responding to clients’ and prospective clients’ messages that are nearing 24-hours old

 Organize and number your list from most important to least important starting with the high priority items and ending with the less urgent stuff.

  • Look at your calendar to see where you can shift and shuffle – With your list in front of you, take a good hard look at your calendar and schedule time for each and every task and responsibility. Move lower-priority items to later dates and schedule the “must do now” tasks as soon as possible. If you’ve got appointments or projects scheduled that can wait – make them wait. Move them out on your schedule so you can make room for the things that need your attention ASAP. Above all, get all of your “on deck” work on your calendar! If you have your projects and tasks planned, you’ll be better able to offer realistic timelines to clients and be less likely to miss deadlines.
  • Do administrative tasks on your off hours – Rather than take up your valuable work day with administrative stuff that requires less brain power than the work you do for clients, do it on your off hours instead. Yeah, it does suck to work evenings and weekends. But when you need to get caught up on your work, it’s often the best option. Things like adding new Twitter followers to lists or G+ connections to your circles, deleting electronic files that you no longer need, organizing your email, etc. All are things you can do via a laptop or tablet while sitting in the living room with your family. No, it won’t be quality time with your loved ones, but at least you’ll be there and can interact.

And please, when you do fall behind, don’t be too hard on yourself. It happens to ALL of us! But do realize that the more attention you give to staying organized, the less often you’ll find yourself going into emergency pick up the slack mode.

How do you keep organized and manage things when you’re falling behind schedule? Share your secrets here!

 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Business Networking 101: Tips for Making Small Talk Less of a Big Deal

Unless you’re a natural born socialite, walking into a room full of professionals at a networking event when you know ID-10067400very few people can be unnerving. In fact, it can be outright frightening for solopreneurs. But solopreneurs have to at times step outside of their comfort zones and step into uncomfortable environments to make connections and grow their base of business prospects.

That doesn’t mean networking has to be a painful experience though. By learning how to hold your own in the art of “small talk,” you can feel more calm, cool and collected and exude confidence as you meet and greet.

Small talk is that ice-breaking chit chat that opens up the door to more substantive conversations. And it’s not all that easy. I can attest to that! But the more you do it, the more second nature it becomes.

Not quite sure what to talk about? Here are some ideas for making conversation – and making small talk less of a big deal – at your next networking function:

  • Offer something notable about the host organization – Do a little research in advance so you can share some tidbit of info about your host when talking with others. Your host is the common denominator between you and other attendees, so focusing on them when starting your conversation will seem natural.
  • Remark about the venue – Pay attention to your surroundings and make positive, observant comments. Just like the host, the venue is common ground shared by you and others. Talking about it will instantly put you on the same page with whoever you’re chatting with.
  • Ask questions – One of the most effective ways to ease the unease that comes with trying to think of clever things to talk about is to simply ask questions and let someone else do the talking. If you’ve just met someone, keep your inquiries centered on the company they work for and what they do professionally. As your conversation progresses, you’ll probably find yourself talking about non-business topics like family, sports, and hobbies. But don’t get too personal right out of the gate.
  • Talk about news and current events – Look online, read the paper or watch the news so you’re in the know about what’s happening in your community, the nation, the world. Just steer clear of sensitive subject areas like politics and religion.

But small talk isn’t all about your topic of conversation. It’s bigger than that! Your success at small talk also depends on your persona and demeanor. It requires an open, positive attitude that’s welcoming to others. Get in the right frame of mind before networking events and make up your mind to:

  • Be warm and friendly – Smile and be personable.
  • Be inclusive – Don’t leave people out who obviously want to engage in conversation.
  • Make good eye contact when talking with someone - And make eye contact with everyone in the conversation, not just one person.
  • Not monopolize any one person’s time – Mingle – and let others do the same.

With just a little preparation and the right mindset, you’ll more easily and agilely start conversations when networking. Although you might find that it takes some time to find your groove, with practice and repeat exposure you’ll be a savvy small talker ready to take on any crowded room of professionals.

What are your tips for making small talk at networking events? How do you break the ice with people you don’t know?

Image courtesy of David Castillo / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

4 Things Even the Thriftiest Solopreneurs Should Spend Money On

Solopreneurs by nature – and sometimes by necessity – tend to be a thrifty lot. I resemble that remark. But make no Moneymistake, “thrifty” should not be synonymous with “cheap.” Thriftiness is a quality that leads to smart business, but it shouldn’t get in your way of investing some of your hard-earned cash to move your business forward.

Sometimes in our quest to keep expenses in check and maximize revenue, we overlook – or ignore – functions and foundations of our business that really do deserve some investment beyond our time and the “freemium” options that are out there.

To grow a solopreneurial  business and run it more effectively, there are certain administrative and operational elements that are well worth throwing some dollars and cents at. Some will give you a more credible, professional presence. Some will ensure that you’re maximizing your productivity. Some will ensure that making smart decisions.

Your Website
It’s relatively easy to pick out websites that were “home grown” using a freemium platform. Unless you’re a website designer, my advice is to invest in a professional to create yours so you make the right online impression.

Your Accounting
From tax preparation to bookkeeping, consider getting professional help with these to some degree. Unless you’re in the field or have some serious business accounting background, you don’t know it all. And that can cost you in the long run. Note that you don’t have to go all or nothing, either. For example, you could contract someone to help you set up and train you on Quickbooks, but then manage your entries and reconciliations yourself.

Your Networking
I think a lot of solopreneurs miss out on opportunities because they don’t want to fork out the dough to join local business organizations like Chambers of Commerce. No, the investment doesn’t pay for itself after one or two mixers. But with repeat, regular attendance at events, you’ll build familiarity and trust. And THAT will lead to project opportunities and referrals.

Your Social Media Tools
If you’re active – or want to be active – on a variety of social networking platforms, efficiency and planning is the key to being able to maintain consistency. There are tools out there that offer free versions, but those often have limitations in terms of number of posts you can schedule or accounts that you can manage. If your social media success is hindered by a tool that’s not giving you as much flexibility and capacity as you need, check into upgrading to a premium version that offers more. Personally, I use Hootsuite and upgraded to their Pro version about a year ago. At $5.99 per month, it has paid for itself and then some in the amount of time it saves me.

If you’re just starting out as a solopreneur or are cash-strapped at the moment (it happens to all of us!), be judicious about what you spend your money on. But do keep an open mind – and wallet – and consider investing in things that will help you get your business off the ground and lay a foundation for success.

Your turn! What investments have you made in professional services and tools for your business?

Image courtesy of jannoon028 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Why Your Solopreneur Business Needs “Wiggle Room” – and How to Fit It Into Every Day

If you’re a professional services solopreneur, there’s great satisfaction in having a full plate of billable projects. After all,

Leaving "wiggle room" between projects & appointments lets you "plan" for the unexpected.

Leaving “wiggle room” between projects & appointments lets you “plan” for the unexpected.

that’s what you’ve been aiming for, right? To fill your calendar with billable, revenue-generating work. But don’t forget that you have only a limited number of hours in every day!

As you build your client base – and the list of projects that need your time an attention – make sure that you build some “wiggle room” into your schedule, too.

Wiggle room involves setting aside time every day for the unexpected.

It’s a simple idea. Yet I suspect a lot of small business owners and solopreneurs don’t embrace it. I hadn’t until recently…but the busier I get, the more I recognize how important it is. If I don’t set time aside for those little things that seem to pop up out of nowhere, I risk falling behind on my commitments.

Get organized first!
Of course, scheduling wiggle room assumes that you already schedule your work. If you haven’t made it a habit, I urge you to start blocking out time on your calendar for the different projects you’re working on and your administrative tasks. Paying attention to deadlines is great, but how do you know you’re capable of handling your workload unless you can see that you have the available hours to get things done? And planning your project work in that way will help you give realistic deadlines to clients.

How to fit it in
Now back to wiggle room! As you plan your projects, ALSO ADD WIGGLE ROOM into your day! You don’t have to add hours at a time, but schedule short bursts of a half hour to an hour every few hours between your planned meetings and projects.

What’s it good for?
So, what types of activities might you use your wiggle time for? Here’s the short list of the activities that typically tap into my wiggle room…

  • Responding to a quote request
  • Returning a phone call to a client
  • Tweaking work that requires minor changes
  • Meeting with a client or lead on short notice
  • Providing advice and guidance to business colleagues who have asked for direction
  • Refreshing my brain with a quick wog (walk/jog) on our treadmill

Other less common uses of wiggle room…

  • Cashing it in if I’m feeling run down
  • Driving my daughter’s forgotten packed lunch to her school
  • Medical appointments
  • Grocery store run

Really, you can use your wiggle room for anything that you haven’t otherwise planned for. Again, the essential element to making wiggle room work is to be well-organized in the first place. That may take some practice and discipline at first, but your efforts to plan your work – and your wiggle room – each and every day will make you a more effective, more efficient business professional.

What would you use your wiggle room for? Already doing this? How do you use your wiggle room?

No Brainer Ways to Facilitate a Stellar Customer Experience

Though following through with quality stands at the cornerstone of an exceptional customer experience, solopreneurs need to consistently Happy Smiley Customer Faceincorporate other facets of customer service and communication to stand out and make themselves the number 1 provider who clients want to do business with.

Some strategies take time, analysis and expense to implement, but there are others that are (or should be!) “no brainers” that you can do right now with very little extra effort.

Do these things for every project and for every client and you’ll be on your way to building trust and solid professional relationships that will lead to repeat business and referrals…

  • Demonstrate that you care – beyond the work. This is so very easy, yet it’s amazing how often people neglect to do it. (That’s why you’ll stand out when you do!) In your emails and phone calls, add some friendly small talk before getting down to business. Ask your client how his weekend with the family was. If she was out sick for a few days, ask how she’s feeling. Inquire if you’ll see him at the next Chamber mixer. Inject appreciation of the opportunity to work with them. Crack a joke about the unseasonably cold weather in early spring (Given our uncooperative PA springtime temperatures, I’ve got a few I can loan you!). Seriously though, it doesn’t take much energy to simply be nice and not all business.
  • Communicate often and clearly. Especially when you’re working on a project that has a bunch of moving parts and a deadline that’s more than a few weeks out, make sure that you give clients regular updates on your progress. Once a week is a good interval for updates (unless the client requests something different). That will give them the peace of mind that you’re getting things done and that you’ll be delivering what’s promised on time. Besides the frequency of updates, the clarity of them matters, too. Make sure that you organize your thoughts into a logical order so there’s no confusion about what you’ve been doing and what’s left to be done. Demonstrating your powers of organization and attention to detail will definitely win points and garner trust. And when clients send you emails and phone messages, get back to them promptly (don’t wait longer than 24 hours EVER – unless on vacation or over the weekend), even if only to let them know that you received their message and will get back to them soon.
  • Share something that they’ll find interesting or find helpful. Whether they’re directly related to trends in your customer’s industry or applicable to doing business in general, share blog posts, videos or websites that might benefit your clients. Productivity tools and marketing tips are often appreciated and appropriate for just about any type of business. Of course, knowing something about your clients’ particular challenges and goals will help you identify resources that will provide value to them.
  • Support them on their social networks. Actively seek your clients out where they exist on social media – and follow them on those that you have in common. Like their Facebook page. Follow them on Twitter, Pinterest or YouTube. Add them to your Google+ circles. Connect on Linkedin and follow their company page. And then occasionally interact via liking and sharing their posts – especially when they make big announcements or share achievements.

Not rocket science for sure, but all of the above can serve as the launching ground for a stellar customer experience that will keep clients satisfied – and keep them coming back.

Your turn! What are the little things that you do to make your customers’ experience one that stands out from the competition?

Taking a Break Without Breaking Business Momentum – Tips for Making the Best Use of Time on a Road Trip

Thrilled about taking a holiday break, but stressed at the thought of projects falling behind and work piling up? If you’ll On the roadbe one of the many small biz pros on the road (literally) to an extended weekend over Easter, relax! There are ways to get away from it all and manage to stay on top of things.

Consider these ideas for taking care of business without officially punching the clock while you’re road-tripping it…

  • Take note – Traveling gives you uninterrupted time to think about things and brainstorm – take full advantage of it! Bring a notebook to capture ideas. If you’ll be behind the wheel; ask someone else to take notes for you.
  • Load up on apps – Before you leave for your journey, make sure your smart phone has got essential apps loaded and ready for action. A few I wouldn’t leave home without: WordPress, LinkedIn, Evernote, Facebook Pages Manager, Google+, Twitter, Hootsuite. If you haven’t use any of them recently, do a quick check to confirm that they’re not asking for updated usernames or passwords…things that you probably won’t have on hand after you leave your local environs.
  • Read up! – I’m guessing you’ve got a list of “do business better” books that have caught your attention, but that you haven’t found time to consume. During a road trip, take advantage of your status of captive audience and read (or listen to in e-book form) one from your hit list.

Remember, the point isn’t to work a lot while you’re taking time away – but keeping up with a few little tasks and taking care of some to dos can help make your return to business as usual a much more smooth  and less-harrowing transition.

Enjoy your weekend! And I welcome your thoughts on ways to make productive use of road trips!

Image courtesy of seaskylab / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Small Efforts to Move You Closer to the Big Picture in Your Solo-Business

Whether you’re laying the groundwork or are already up and running as a solopreneur, long-term goals and aspirations Big Pictureare probably at the very core of many of the decisions that you make and actions that you take. Those objectives serve as guide posts to keep you on track, but they can also lead to paralysis if you overthink every little move that you make and put too much constant thought into and emphasis on accomplishing big initiatives. To stay nimble and make progress in building your brand, there are lots of little things you can do in the here and now to make a big difference when getting to where you’re ultimately going.

To name just a few…

Give Linkedin a tad more effort

You can gain so very much by doing just a little bit more on Linkedin.

  • Update your photo – or add one if you’re one of those folks with the shadowy silhouette representing you.
  • Grab the business cards that you collected at recent networking events and send at least 5 professionals (personalized!) invitations to connect.
  • If you’ve got invitations from others waiting for you in your in box, accept them and send messages in return to thank them for asking you to join their network.
  • Post a link to a particularly helpful article and share as a discussion on one or more of the Linkedin group pages that you belong to.

All of these will help people put a face with your name, build your network and make you more top of mind with both your online and offline connections.

Get your bookkeeping crap in order

OK, so you’ve got a sea of receipts piled on your desk or stuffed in a drawer…maybe it seems like too much work to dig through them right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be more organized from this moment forward. Make it a point to document, categorize and file receipts AS YOU RECEIVE THEM. Seriously, it takes just seconds if you deal with one or two at a time as opposed to saving them for one monumental moment when you’ll be stuck with the nearly impossible task of total recall. As with any other business task, procrastinating with financial records keeping will just make it harder in the long run.

 

Check in with a client about something other than work

It will only take you a few minutes at most, but it can generate goodwill that lasts. Simply send an email to a client (ideally one whom you haven’t had much contact with recently) to check in and say “Hello.” If it seems awkward to reach out only to say something along the order of “Hi, how are you?” then consider finding and sharing an article or blog they might find interesting or telling them about an upcoming event or webinar that looks right up their alley. Going the extra mile to show that you care or to be helpful in some (non-billable) way can put you way up there on the likeability meter.

In the interest of space and time, I’ve listed three here, but I’ll follow up with another post soon to share more small steps that can move solopreneurs closer to checking off their big picture business plan to dos.

And I’d love your help! Please either comment here or email me at dawnmentz@gmail.com with the little actions you’ve discovered can make a big impact when working toward achieving overarching business goals.

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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