Know Your Value

I wish people regarded themselves in a better light sometimes. I’m in line at the grocery store recently and a man was speaking with what sounded like his boss on the phone. “OK, I understand if you want to give him the project.” He hung up and looked dejected. Why didn’t he fight harder?

The same thing happened to another woman I know. She has a great business but she fails to go after the “whale” contracts, sticking with small referral business. Why? When I asked her, she said she didn’t have a big corporate office. As a result, and before trying, she assumed the company wouldn’t want to hire a small fish….

We all have value. Assuming a big whale contract would want a big corporate office to contract with is wrong. Not fighting for the project you want is wrong. Many large companies want independent thinkers, not corporations, to contract with. Assuming you can’t or won’t get a contract, or lying down when someone says ‘no’, are bad habits that should be broken.

It’s very important to know your value and to know when to fight and when to say ‘no’. If you don’t understand the importance of these three elements, I highly encourage you to connect with me on Twitter to continue the conversation.

In the meantime, think about your value. What makes you and your service unique?

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Reasons to say ‘No’ to customers.

I’ve used this blog as a platform to help business owners not be bullied by potential business. The customer isn’t always right and you, as a business owner, retain the right to decline a request. I recently received a message asking when it is appropriate to say ‘no’ to a customer. So, I’m listing the top three reasons below. Enjoy!

1. The task is outside the contract. If the client asks you to do something outside the contract – even if they’re willing to pay for it- say no. Chances are the request isn’t something you are an expert in and the client will eventually be disappointed because of a lack of experience. Second, the service many not make sense for the company’s brand.

2. The customer is asking for something that doesn’t work to enhance their overall goal. Maybe you are designing a website and the customer wants hot pink font. Unless there is a really specific reason for this font, you would typically advise against this. It is OK in most cases to say ‘no’ to hot pink font. Stick up for your reasoning behind why saying ‘no’ means yes for their business.

3. The request is illegal. This seems obvious but some clients can be convincing. If your attorney or tax advisor would say ‘no’, then you have to decline the request.

I hope this clarifies when and why to turn a client / customer request down.

Until next time,

Twyla N. Garrett

Um...........................................

”Um” is an unfortunate part of the English language. There is no purpose for it. It should be replaced with either “I don’t know” or “I’ll find out and get back with you”, however we stall instead of admitting we don’t know everything and use “um”. Well, stop. It makes you look incompetent.

Start forgetting the “um” by allowing yourself to pause. Typically, people tend to use “um” because they either don’t want to admit they don’t know something or they need a second to rethink their response. There is no rule stating you can’t pause to think. So, pause to think and refrain from the use of “um”.

Another way to start forgetting the “um” is to tape yourself speaking about yourself. The trick is to speak for two and a half minutes. So, set up a timer and your webcamera. Speak for two and a half minutes straight and speak only about your personal life, not your professional life. Elevator pitches are practiced. Act as if you are on a late night talk show and you have to share something specifically about your personal life. When you finish filming, don’t watch the video. Instead, walk away.

Watch the video you recorded a week later. Count the “ums”, the “likes” and other words that are not needed in your speech. Then, make a weekly video where you consciously try to either pause or select other words when speaking about yourself. Repeat the same process (waiting a week to watch) and note your progress. This method does help correct the “um” problem.

Until Monday,

Twyla N. Garrett

Positive Impressions, Do You Make One?

I have met several business owners who are nice people on the inside but not so nice on the outside. Why? There is no reason to be a shark in business and a mean person personally. You can be nice but conduct your business well. In fact, it is proven being positive goes a lot further when compared to being too strict of mean.

In order to be perceived as nicer or more positive try to take care of your employees. Even when you don’t have to, care about your employees. Give away personal health or mental wellness days once in a while. Buy lunch for the office when it is least expected. Say ‘yes’ to donation opportunities within the community!

My point is that you must make an effort to change how you are perceived in the world. You can be a great business owner without being a jerk.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla Garrett

The Making of a YouTube Video -101

This week I've been discussing marketing and how to help your start-up with a little (or none) marketing budget. Today, however, I want to talk about YouTube. Now, I will say that I'm not a big video fan. Having YouTube videos will not make or break my company, but I work in a specialized field. Most companies, on the other hand, do need a YouTube video - or some type of video introduction to their company- in order to stay competitive in today's social media market.

If you are pondering making your own YouTube video, you're at the right place. I decided to do some research and put together a mini-guide (below) on the proper way to create a YouTube video for your company and marketing purposes.

How to Create a YouTube video 101.

First, consider the proper timing when sketching out the frames and script for your video. A great YouTube video should be between one and three minutes. Being concise and to the point is just as important as being timely. Videos that are too short have proven themselves to be ineffective. Videos that are over three minuets statistically bore the customer and you lose business.

Make sure you explain what your company is, who you are, and what services you provide within the first thirty seconds. Yes, timing is everything. Be upfront about who you are and what you're all about. You don't want to bank on a busy professional sitting to the end of the video to grasp an understanding of what it is you do or sell.

Do you have room for a call to action? You should! A video shouldn't just be a video about your company's products or services. It should have a call to action in the video. Make sure you are clear when presenting the call to action and stay away from sales-like verbiage. Be clever with how you word your call to action.

Remain professional. I am not kidding when I say I have watched video after video where business owners are pitching products standing outside on a windy day. I can't hear what they are saying, so why did these people put their terribly produced videos online? Don't they know this hurts their companies? You don't have to have a budget to make a professional video- as long as you use common sense. Your video has to be clear and look professional as much as it needs to be entertaining.

Still have questions? Leave me a message below and I will be happy to personally respond to all of your YouTube and video questions.

In the meantime, check out the 5 most hated YouTube videos via this link: http://gizmodo.com/5866695/the-five-most-hated-youtube-videos-in-internet-history Happy marketing,

Twyla