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Why my own father doesn’t like me

HiRoad Communications recently launched a Facebook page. And yes, it’s true. My own father doesn’t like me, but you can.By clicking on the Facebook logo, you can join the conversation about what’s going on at HiRoad Communications. That can be the Word of the Day, a business tip, a link to a previous blog post or Changing Lanes, or just something I stumbled across that tickled my fancy.

As for Dad, don’t worry about him. He eventually embraced the fax machine, cell phone and e-mail. Social media won’t be too far behind and he’ll be “Liking” his only son someday soon.

 

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Listen up, small business owners

Perhaps it’s the very description of our lot in life–the small business owner– that gives us a bit of a chip on our shoulder and the need to get in every last syllable. You know what I’m talking about if you have ever been to a BNI meeting or some other networking event. For whatever the reason, small business owners are, in Seinfeld terms, interrupters.

In other words, we are guilty of not always letting the other person in the conversation finish their thought before interjecting ours. Kind of like the business version of the former Big Show on WEEI.

Of course, yours truly is guilty as charged as a serial abuser. No more. Starting now, whether it’s a phone call or face-to-face, you will no longer hear my thoughts or opinions until the other person’s verbal thought has finished of its own volition, a sort of imaginary talking stick. When the person is done, I can imagine them passing it on to me and then it’s my turn.

There, I’m feeling better already. And you can join me on this mission to incorporate a critical element to all small business communication: listening. We’ll call it a Listener’s Club. Here are the rules.

Rule 1: Before you speak, make sure the other person in your conversation has stopped speaking for more than a count of three. Up until that point, LISTEN.

Rule 2: Learn Rule 1.

Rule 3: Be really sure you learn Rule 1.

Being a small business owner is not an easy task these days and, in many cases, it is dog-eat-dog out there. Yet our best hope in building our own business rests more on our ability to listen than it does blurting out our elevator speech. If we all listen, we can all win.

Sounds simple, but it sure makes a lot more sense when nobody interrupts.

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The best thing I did for my business in 2010

What’s the best thing I did for my business in 2010? You’re reading it.

That’s right. This little old monthly e-newsletter that shows up around the middle to end of every month. Why? The obvious answer is it led to work with two or three people from my network and another two or three referrals that also led to new projects. All from a 300-word e-mail sent once a month.

Yet it would be easy to say the same thing if not one dime of work came from this e-newsletter. Why? Because it kept me connected to folks I want to stay connected to.

The old school folks out there believe you have to pick up the phone or meet with somebody face-to-face. That scenario is ideal. From a time and travel perspective, it’s also unrealistic. People just don’t always have the time to gab on the phone or get together for a cup of joe and discuss business. But if your network has a general sense of what you bring to the table and, every so often, you figuratively tap on the glass to say “hey, I’m still out here, how about you”, that’s worth its weight in gold.

On a personal level, it can sustain business relationships that are more like friendships. And at this time of year, friendship and family are really what it’s all about.

So, if you would like to stay connected or reconnect to your network, I can think of no better way than a regular e-newsletter to reach the greatest number of people. I encourage you to take Constant Contact out for a free 60-day trial. What have you got to lose?

To help you get your e-newsletter started, I’ve attached an old white paper of mine, Why Nobody Reads Your Newsletter…And How To Fix It. This white paper can help you find ways to consistently generate content for your newsletter and avoid some of the common traps many small business owners fall into when creating their newsletters.