Monday, March 05, 2007
Business getting busy? 3 tips to help
3 Strategies for Busier Businesses I’ve been working with a web designer, Katy Martin, on and off for the last few years. I found her on Rent-a-Coder when she was willing to do a lot and accept a little. Alas, I’m not the only one who finds hidden treasure. Now Katy’s juggling more clients than she needs. And she wants a life, too. Being busy comes from adding more clients or committing more time for intensive marketing. Either way, your “How I Work” page lets you combine time savings with client satisfaction. Your page answers 3 client questions. (1) How much advance notice do you require? Recently I asked Katy to redesign my business card for what seems like the millionth time. “Sure,” she said, “I can do this.” But when? I’m not her only client this week. How about, “3 days notice to start a card, 7 business days to schedule a website.” For phone or live consultations, 24 to 48 hours has become the standard cancellation notice for everything from massage therapists to medical services. Design and writing professionals need a kill fee – an amount that will be surrendered if your client cancels mid-project. (2) What’s your turnaround time? For my own copywriting service, I’ve learned to ask for 10 business days for a single sales letter. I used to promise 5 days or less. But now I’m busier. I have no idea how long it takes to design a website or a business card. But if the designer needs one, three or five business days, I need to know. Jill Chongva, the VA who publishes my ezine, needs a certain number of business days to create HTML and distribute the ezine through my shopping cart. Lots of variance across projects? Give a range – just let your visitors know if you’ll need hours, days, weeks or even months. (3) Getting started. As you get busy, even a get-acquainted call represents an investment of time – an opportunity cost, as accountants say. I recommend offering a paid small sample of your work. For copywriting, it’s a diagnostic project. For consulting, it’s an hourly call. My system allows clients to deduct the cost of the initial call if they move on to a bigger project. We both win if we achieve the client’s goals in an hour or two. Don’t want to charge for the first call? Give prospects a task -- a series of questions, a mini-project or a special assignment – to complete ahead of time. Bottom Line: You can always help out a favorite client or finish a project early. But clients will be happy to comply when you refer them to your page of policies. Those who don’t will go elsewhere and often that’s a happy ending, too. Please email me if you’d like contact info for Katy or Jill. My ezine gets distributed through my shopping cart – the most essential element of online business! Learn more here. |
Labels: business, entrepreneurship, time management
# posted by Cathy Goodwin @ 6:18 PM 
