Are You Likable?

I almost fell to the floor with laughter in the lobby of my building today. I was waiting on a client. While waiting, this man was on his cell phone screaming (probably at his wife or partner) that his employees hated him. I wonder why! He kept screaming and screaming, he was getting louder and louder. I started to think "how can you be so smart and yet not understand why you're not likable?"

Business is tough. You often have to be hard as nails, but you don't have to scream or be a jerk most of the time to get your point across or as a way to feel respected by employees. In fact, studies show that nice CEOs tend to have more loyal employees and better retention rates when it comes to turnover. So, what makes a CEO likable? I've come up with a few theories.

First, I think people like honest people. Even if the truth is going to hurt, people rather know where they stand with someone vs. being told one thing and not knowing the truth. Honesty tells the world that the CEO is about transparency and isn't into playing politics, which equates to success.

I also believe people want to be heard. CEOs who take the time to listen to their employees are more likable and respected. Even if you don't agree with what an employee is stating, simply listening validates that their opinion / concerns are heard and this will have a positive result internally.

Finally, work. Yes, work! CEOs who are out of the office "doing lunch" or "golfing" automatically cause resentment among many people. Sure, you need to wine and dine potential clients and business partners, but don't make a habit out of it. Instead, keep the blinds or door to your office open. Let your staff see you working. This will let your staff know that you are involved with the company and it will also keep them more accountable.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Why You're NOT A Millionaire

I was asked an interesting question over the holiday weekend. A woman told me her story about starting a business. While she had all the right tools and building blocks in place, ten years had gone by and she wasn't even close to breaking the bank - never mind reach her goal to be a millionaire. She asked me why I thought this was. I told her the same things I am sharing here. If you're not reaching your millionaire goal, keep reading....

1. All you think about is money. You can't think of money so much that you stop thinking about strategy or customer service. If you are more concerned about money than your actual product or services, you are going to have many problems.

2. You're not overly helpful. Yes, helpful. This may be the key to success in addition to the key of making yourself a millionaire. You see, the more people you help- the more people will help you. If you help your employees, they will be more loyal. They will have a sense of ownership over your company. They will forever promote it. Same with vendors, people you meet on the street, etc.

3. You're not honest about your progress. If you are unwilling to track your own progress and hear client or peer feedback (and then do something about it), then you are unwilling to make a million dollars. You have to be accountable, you have to be ready for growth. This isn't possible if you don't track your own progress.

To you first million!

Twyla N. Garrett

Productivity Killers

I wanted to spend some of today discussing productivity killer. I recently had the pleasure of helping one of my employees out. After working through the task, I realized what is taking her four hours to complete was done in 45 minutes under my watch. Astonished, I had to ask why. I saw with her to see if she did things wrong or if I had missed something, I never led on why I was asking.

My employee did everything the exact same way I did. The only difference? When she was working with me as her shadow, she completed the task in just over an hour. Where were the other three hours I was paying her for? At this point I questioned her. She explained she is answering emails and taking phone calls between actual work. While this was a possibility, I didn’t see it as a three hour difference. In fact, I was also responding to emails and taking calls on speakerphone and still completed the task in less time.

After further investigating, I found the productivity killer. Google! Yes, Google. While my employees have to use it to look things up, it turns out they get distracted by the headlines, links, etc. And then they Google things they should be looking at on their off time, get tied up in related industry news headlines, and so forth.

No, my employee didn’t get in trouble. It wasn’t a deliberate act and we created an action plan together. I also figured out a way to take my employees off line when needed to ensure productivity. The point is, I wanted to share this so you know just how distracting Google can be to any task. It is a productivity killer. So, if you need to think, brainstorm, write, plan, or just need to relax- leave your phone at home and find a place with no internet or computers!

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

The 2nd Biggest Financial Mistake!

Tonight I want to continue my blog from yesterday. On Thursday, I spoke about the secret to avoiding financial issues in life and business. In fact, I listed the number one mistake we all make. So, what is the second worst financial mistake we make? Depending on one source of income.

In business, owners are always looking to market to new money / new customers? Why? Growth and expansion. Counting on their current customers is good, but shouldn’t keep a business complacent because financial situations change and some customers simply outgrow a product or service. The same theory should be applied to your financial life from a personal perspective.

Relying on a single income thread isn’t good. If the market goes under, you lose your job, the business doesn’t take flight – whatever- your one and only income source is gone and you are forced to hit up your savings account.

The best piece of advice I can offer you tonight is to seek out diversification on how you earn and grow money. Spend this weekend looking at different investment concepts, side businesses, freelance opportunities, etc. I promise you, when one income source hits a tough period, you will thank me at a later date.

Until Monday,

Twyla Garrett

Saying ‘No’ to Clients

There is a time and a place to put customer service on the back burner and say ‘no’ to a client. For many business owners, this is a hard thing to do. It means turning down money, which we never want to do. However, sometimes you have to look the other way and ignore the cash.

If a client is taking advantage of your good nature, and asking for extra services / products- it is time to lay down the law. ‘No’ can be an empowering word and you don’t have to be mean when you say it. There are polite ways to decline a request, such as stating “I am going to have to politely decline this time.”

The reason I bring this up is because most business owners are people pleasers. We tend to take on a lot and figure out a way to work out the overload at a later date… or worse- put ourselves at the point of financial harm.

My advice for you this Friday is to know when to say ‘no’ and then to be strong when saying it. If a client cuts off your services because you aren’t willing to 1) work for free 2) be overloaded or 3) can’t break an ethical position – that client isn’t worth having.

Until Monday,

Twyla N. Garrett

Marketing, Are You At A Standstill?

I often watch new business owners put aside 5k for a marketing budget (based on a year) and then spend most of it during the first three months. They wait, wait and wait some more and still- there is no engagement. What happened?

Well, nothing. To be blunt, marketing isn’t a magic wand and it doesn’t reap rewards quickly. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of many marketing campaigns. Months of A/B split testing, checking out editorial calendars, etc. So, you need to open your budget more, target the right audience, and use multiple venues / avenues to get your message across.

Repetition is key. Three months of advertising o the same channel isn’t going to launch your business. You will find yourself at a standstill. My best advice is to have a realistic budget and then expectations (time wise) for your layered marketing campaign.

Until next time,

Twyla N. Garrett

3 Ways to Get Your Way

I get my way often. Many people ask “how do you do it?”, easy. The key to getting what you want is simple.

Be clear. Don’t hint at what you want, ask for it and do so nicely. People who aren’t assertive will not be in charge of their destiny. The worst that can happen is someone says ‘no’, and they will. But, if you ask often enough and many people, eventually someone has to say ‘yes.’

Be concise. People don’t need a big explanation to support your request. In fact, it makes them nervous, like they are being sold a bill of goods. If you are to the point, people will appreciate it. If you are transparent and come from a good place, then you are off to a great start.

Be confident. No one trusts someone who can’t look them in the eye. Be confident when asking for something or trying to convince someone of your argument. If you believe in yourself, others will too.

I hope this helps you. Again, being honest is always the best policy so make sure you are coming from a positive place when using these three tips and tricks.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Bad People: Homeland Security

We all have to work with one another when it comes to business. Even the Homeland Security industry, which it now is an industry, collaboration is key! Poor leadership or internal employee and sub-contractor issues can mean serious consequences when it comes to business of any kind, but especially with Homeland Security matters.

I recently read, “Bad managers are manipulative and might take advantage of situations to advance their own profile. For example, a manager could use the results of high-performing employees in his department to set himself up for a promotion.” This was in an article on how bosses use their employees to advance their own careers. Well, this is a perfect example of poor human behavior on any level.

How do you combat this from happening around you? Simple, communication and a zero tolerance policy. Now, there is hard work here. You can’t promote communication from an open door open down the hall or on another floor. You have to be in the mix of everything going on in order to be effective with your communication efforts.

I have noticed the offices with the most politics, back biting, and worst in human behavior tend to be the offices that look like cube farms or have many open doors located away from the bull pin. Improve your communication and overall performance with people better by designing an office that promotes connection and communication.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Phone Calls, How NOT to Hate Them.

I met this one woman who was in sales. The problem was that she dreaded cold calling. I first questioned why she would pick such a field if she hated cold calling. Next, I tried to figure out a way to help her. I thought about her problem, my company, and what is often needed to make a cold call. Here’s what I came up with – it helped her so I’m hopeful the pointers will help you;

Like anything in life, have a plan. The more prepared you are (in any aspect of life or business) the less scary something is. If you spend time developing a plan for your phone calls, they will be easier to make.

You have to feel successful, too. Envision success. Don’t anticipate all your phone calls going poorly. Instead, visualize the calls going well and a percentage of failures. If you have a visual number of ‘no’ phone calls or hang-up calls in your head- when they happen it isn’t going to be devastating to your ego.

Finally, don’t worry about a script. You should plan an outline of what you will say but don’t be stuck like glue to it. I hate scripts because the person on the other end of the phone is unaware of the script and will not stick to what you have thought out in your head.

I truly think these three easy pointers will give you a strong start in the field of phone sales or phone calls in general.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Immigration – Driver License Appearance

I want to share a story with you that I recently read in the San Francisco Gate. In fact, covering immigration and Homeland Security issues are a staple on my Wednesday blogs. These posts are the most popular topics I cover.

The reason I am reposting the article is because I had a Tweeter say I’m not sharing both sides of the story. Well, that simply isn’t true. I write a Homeland Security blog. My vested interest is Homeland Security in relation to the issues at hand. I often mention the other side of the coin and that there is never going to be a perfect scenario for either party as an actionable item. I am, however, open to hosting a conversation. So, if you continue to agree to disagree, I don’t mind. Keep reading, keep responding and let’s see if we can come up with a comprise on illegal workers, immigration and Homeland Security.

Twyla Garrett

It was a long and difficult battle to win state approval for immigrants' driver's licenses. Now, California finds itself in contention with the federal government over what the licenses can look like.

The Department of Homeland Security has decided that California's proposal to distinguish the licenses for drivers who have not achieved legal immigration status from regular driver's licenses doesn't go far enough. It demanded in a letter to the state that the new licenses "must clearly state on the face and in the machine readable zone that it may not be accepted for official federal purposes and use a unique design or color to alert federal agency personnel that it is not acceptable for official purposes."

The state had proposed distinguishing the licenses by placing a simple "DP" instead of "DL" on the front of the card (right before the license number), in compliance with AB60, the license bill that was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. There's a wide variety of reasons why California legislators want the licenses to be discreet, but the most important one is also the simplest: Assigning undocumented immigrants licenses that scream "undocumented" would leave them open to unnecessary harassment and exploitation.

It's should not be all that hard for a trained federal employee to read a driver's license and quickly assess immigration status under the California plan. As 19 members of California's congressional delegation reminded the Obama administration in a letter, the purpose of the license is about public safety - not stigmatization.

Are You Shy? How to Network.

If you are shy, don’t fret. People who are introverts tend to hate networking events and not because they don’t like people- they just are not comfortable with communicating in-person. Well, I’ve decided to put together a few networking tips to help shy people network.

The first thing you need to know is how to plan. Don’t show up to a networking even ill-prepared. Have an idea of how you are going to introduce yourself and be armed with a politically correct joke to help fill up any awkward silences.

Go to the event with a time limit. If the event is an hour, plan on only staying twenty minutes. You can use the time limit as an excuse to merge slowly into networking events. For example, state “I have to leave in a few. I’m meeting a client, but it was nice meeting you and I will email you later.”

Finally, bring goodies. Nothing serves as a better ice-breaker if you show up with gifts. I use to buy a hundred dollars worth of Starbucks gift cards in five dollar increments. I would go up to someone I would like to meet, hand them the gift card and introduce myself. Trust me, you can not talk at all and still make a great impression with this trick. The downside is this tactic can get expensive.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

3 Life Lessons that Grow Business

There are life basics that many of us have been taught. Growing up, you probably thought why do you have to clean your room, stand up straight, or share. I mean, when you get older no one really is going to check to see if your bedroom is clean, no one truly is going to make you stand up straight, and you don’t have to share. Well, the truth is these life lessons will help you in business.

Standing up straight sends an unsaid cue to other people about how you regard yourself. Great posture helps people respect you more. If you are slumped over, you seem unsure. So, standing up straight is a good lessons to keep with you throughout life.

Cleaning your room teaches you to be organized and neat, an essential in business. If your office looks like you don’t know where anything is- you probably don’t know where anything is. Be messy at home if you have to (try not to), but keep your professional life as organized and tidy as possible.

Finally, share. How many tasks do you perform a day where you are required to interact with your peers? Chances are you have to share a common goal, meetings, work space, etc. If you don’t know how to share in life then how will you share at work? Cooperation is essential when working or employing others.

Until next time,

Twyla N. Garrett

How to Quit A Job

I normally gear my blog to business owners. Today I want to talk with aspiring business owners who are still employed by someone else. There will be a point when you will quit your job to launch your company. However, don’t think this a moment to brag, boast or be rude to your employer. There are some rules to live by when quitting job. I’ve listed them below:

1. Make sure you have customers already lined up. If not, you haven’t properly researched your company and the right resources / elements are not in place.

2. Always give a two week notice, or more, when leaving your job. You don’t want to burn any bridges. Not only can your boss write a bad letter of reference should you need it in the future, he or she may be able to refer business to you.

3. Be humble. Don’t boast about your ability to quit your job to other employees. Instead, invite them to try your services / products for free as they can be your best advocates, especially starting out.

Until Monday,

Twyla N. Garrett

Customer Retention 101

I want to use today’s blog to talk about customer retention. What happens when customers look somewhere else? Are you trying to keep your customers or are you more interested in the next big contract?

Customer retention is important. In fact, it is vital to your business regardless if you sell products or services.

To employ true customer retention practices, you first need to empower your employees. Don’t make them get the manager in order to fix simple problems. If an employee encounters a problem first then he or she should be able to start immediately rectifying the situation. Saying “ I can’t do that” or “I have to get my manager” adds fuel to the fire. Teach employees to take ownership of negative situations and let them know how much gratis or corrective tools they have.

You also need to measure retention and not satisfaction quarterly. No, these are not the same thing. Think about it. I’ve gone to McDonald’s on three occasions during my life where orders were messed up, the food wasn’t good, etc. I can’t tell you the number of occasions I’ve gone to McDonald’s and had a great experience. The company isn’t interested in my satisfaction , they are interested in my retention. I don’t let small mistakes ruin the brand for me. This scenario should be your goal when it comes to retention, not satisfaction.

Have more questions? Connect with me on Twitter via the links.

Until next time,
Twyla Garrett

When You Yell At Employees.

It happens. We, as leaders, tend to get passionate about our companies. We will snap on our employees from time to time. Regardless if it is warranted or not, it isn’t nice. If you want to recover from being mean, stressed or really upset about a failure on your staff’s part- consider the following steps;

1. Walk away. It sounds simple, it’s not. If you are upset the hardest thing you can do is teach yourself to calmly walk away after saying something you may have regretted. Make sure you work at this as it will save you from embarrassment and a lawsuit.

2. Listen to your mentors. If you explode on employees, call a friend in your industry right away. This will help you obtain a fresh perspective on not only your reaction but why you reacted in such away. The insight you will gain will help you realize the root of your anger and how to proactively move forward.

3. Don’t bring up the issue again at work. Let sleeping dogs lay in place and move forward. Revisiting the issue is embarrassing and will not accomplish anything. Instead, you move forward and be the example of how to move on from a bad day at the office.

Until next time,

Twyla N. Garrett

To work on the weekends or to not work on the weekends – that is the question!

There are many schools of thought when it comes to working on the weekend. Some people don't even have a choice, it is just a matter of fact. However, if you are a business owner for an executive you are prone to work on the weekend. The question becomes is it effective.

Why when it working on the weekends fee effective? Many studies suggest not being able to unplug and relax from your work can cause you to become spread too thin, stressed out, and eventually ineffective. While it is good to take vacation days and mental health days, business owners and executives feel that this is time lost and not spent effectively. Not working, for many business owners, is the equivalent to losing profit. We become obsessed with work.

It is my suggestion business owners strive to find a happy – medium when it comes to working on the weekend. You will have to work weekends, there is no getting around this fact. I don't suggest you work every weekend. It will wear you out, stress you out, and cause you to be ineffective.

It is my suggestion that you pick and choose the opportunities for working on the weekend when you can, and I understand this will not always be a point of choice. So, if you can't take it day here or there – regardless if it is a Saturday or Sunday – do so. It is beneficial to unplug when you are not at risk of losing profit or clients.

Until Monday,

Twyla Garrett

Breaking Up with Your Bank 101

There are some occasions where I tell business owners to break up with their banks. Yes, like all things related to business, if your bank doesn’t appreciate your commitment as a customer- break up with it. Inspired by a friend’s recent experience, I’m listing three signs that may help you decide if it is time to ditch your bank for another one.

1. Your bank’s representative never has an answer. If you don’t have a personal relationship with your bank’s staff as a business owner, it is a bad thing. If your point of contact at the bank can’t answer questions and has to check with someone higher at another brand, it is a bad thing. Why? Well, business owners often have “grey areas” and personal relationships can help push people through these areas and get things accomplished. A yes or no, black or white answer from a representative who doesn’t know you means your business truly doesn’t matter to the bank.

2. Understand your representative hasn’t ever signed a paycheck for someone else. Thus, he isn’t going to be as invested in your business as you. However, he or she should care. They are there to help you and they’re not the IRS – thus they are paid to guide and consult on what works for your business. If the bank isn’t helping guide you when needed, it is break up time.

3. The bank is connected with the right people. Your bank / banker should have a list of recommendations from CPAs, attorneys and more. They act as the hub of all things financial and business. If the banker doesn’t have recommendations then how involved in your business – or business in general- can he or she be?

Until Monday,

Twyla Garrett

Is Your Website Competitive?

People can try to sell me on SEO, PPC and other three-lettered acronyms all day long. I don't buy any of it. And, I'm not alone. Many marketing firms are now focusing on content versus SEO or PPC campaigns. Why? Well, more people buy something based on a company's about page, not because it is ranked high. Sure, a highly-ranked website can attract visitors. But, are these visitors being converted to clients? If more than 70% of your website's visitors are clicking on and then tuning out- you have a problem.

A company's about page is the most important part of your website. It is more important than your price sheet, service descriptions or former client reviews. People want to know about you and what makes your company special. It is your time to sell yourself and talk about how you are going to fulfill their needs when they sign with you or buy from you.

When writing your about page remain objective. Sure, you may want to sign your praises but do so tastefully. List your accolades, education and the basics about you and your company. Using too many big words to define who you are and not how you can help will be an immediate turn off.

I'm hopeful some of you will share your websites with me. I would love to review them, provide some insight and share the really great ones! Find me on Twitter and let's discuss!

Twyla