Posted on Tue, Aug 31, 2010
Tips & Tools To Improve Your Small Service Business
The iPhone has become a staple of our fast paced society, and is known for its ease and accessibility. Not only is it a fun tool with which to stay connected to the world but it is proving to be a wise business investment as well. With thousands of applications out there it isn’t hard to find tools to help you with your business. Here are some places to start:
Google App
The Google application for the iPhone has several functions that any service business can utilize. Its search capability allows users to look up anything from competitors to products, and Google Maps provides street view access and directions for any service provider on the go.
Twitter App
The Twitter application for the iPhone provides an easy way for businesses to keep their social media updated. Having Twitter updates in the palm of your hand, literally, helps with networking and advertizing your business to the eager Twitter audience.
QuickBooks App
The QuickBooks application allows users to access vendor and customer lists, bank account balances and profit and loss reports. It also provides users with access to accounting information. Business owners and service providers can have access to the financial aspects of their business as well as pertinent customer information (such as balances due or refunds) with the touch of a button.
QuickOffice Connect Suite for the iPhone App
The QuickOffice Connect Suite for the iPhone allows its users to view Microsoft Office documents, as well as the option to edit and create documents. This applies to online services as well such as Google Docs, MobileMe, Box.net and Dropbox. This is great for small business personnel that want to view Word documents such as customer agreements, or even edit Excel spreadsheets that might calculate their expenses.
The iPhone makes on-the-go business easy and accessible. Smart business tools are now at our fingertips with iPhone apps. Whether you are looking up billing information for a customer, advertizing your business, or looking for the best route to a customer’s house or even to your workplace itself, these applications will help you provide great service and make your job easier.
Does your small business use iPhone applications? Which ones are your favorites?
Posted on Fri, Aug 27, 2010
Tips & Tools To Improve Your Small Service Business
By Stewart Hill
Introduction
In a perfect world, you leave with a signed contract in hand every time you perform an onsite residential or commercial estimate. Sadly, we don’t live in a perfect world, and more often than not the customer ushers you out the door with an all too familiar “I need time to think about it”, or the ever popular “I want to compare your proposal to a few others before I make a decision.” To make matters worse, you never hear from them again either.
The most effective, and often overlooked method, you can use to close your prospects during that first visit is by using their own human nature. People tend to make purchases impulsively. We’ve all purchased a gadget, souvenir, or article of clothing impulsively, and then later wondered what we were thinking. All I have to do is glance at my DVD rack filled with unopened DVDs to know that I do it all the time.
Now, how can you apply this to your service business so you can not only close more deals, but close them more efficiently? It’s easy. There are 5 impulse tactics that you can use during a customer visit to greatly increase their likelihood of signing on the dotted line before you walk out the door:
Tactics
1. Greed: People like free things, and like to think they are saving money. Offer your prospects some kind of fantastic promotion or discount like: buy 4 get 1 free.
- Example: If you run a carpet cleaning service, and usually charge $50 per room, charge $75 per room instead, but give them a “buy 2 get 1 free” deal. The customer will feel like they are saving money, but you are earning the same amount.
2.
Fear of Loss: People are more likely to buy something, if they are afraid that it will later become unavailable. Limit your appointment availability, offer limited time only promotions, etc.
- Example: If you run a pest control business, tell your prospect that you are extremely busy with appointments for the foreseeable future. You’ve only got 2 open appointment slots left for the next 3 weeks.
3.
Jones Effect: Monkey see monkey do. You know the old saying, “Keeping up with the Joneses”. Use that to close more business! Drop names, if you can. Let the customer know that all of their neighbors are signing up for your service.
- Example: When you’re talking to the customer while doing your estimate, tell them that “Amanda from up the street” just signed up for the exact same service they are looking at. Don’t lie. Make sure you use a real customer’s name, but 2 miles away is still “up the street” isn’t it? You can also offer references as a way to feed the Jones Effect.
4.
Urgency: Sometimes customers already experience a sense of urgency. If a pipe bursts and their basement is flooding, you probably won’t have much of a problem getting them to make a fast decision. More often than not, though, customers are not in a rush to make a decision. You need to create a sense of urgency in order to make them decide quicker. If done correctly, this will also get the customer excited about your product or service.
- Example: Here’s a simple way to use Urgency, Greed, and Fear of Loss all in one statement. Tell your customer that today is the last day you’re offering a 10% discount to first time buyers, and you’ve only got 2 available appointment slots left. 10% discount = Greed, Limited availability = Fear of Loss, and Today only discount = Urgency.
5.
Indifference: Prospects are more likely to buy if they don’t feel pressured. If they feel like you don’t really care whether or not they buy, they are more likely to give you their money. You’ve got a great service, and a fantastic promotion, so you don’t need to push your customer to buy. That said, this is by far the most difficult Impulse Tactic to master. This is best used in conjunction with the other Impulse Tactics.
- Example: Here’s an easy way to use ALL FIVE Impulse Tactics together in one statement, including Indifference: “Don’t worry, it’s ok if you don’t sign up. At the rate your neighbors have been signing up for our services, especially with the Labor Day 10% discount promotion we’re offering until the end of the day, I’ll be all booked up for the next month at least!” Ok if you don’t sign up = Indifference, neighbors signing up = Jones Effect, 10% discount = Greed, limited time offer, booked up for a month = Fear of Loss, and offer only good today = Urgency.
Conclusion:
It may seem like a lot to take in at first, but incorporating all 5 Impulse Tactics into your pitch is easy, with a little practice. Try using just 1 at first. Once you feel comfortable with that, try 2, then 3, etc. Before too long it will sound and feel natural and conversational. You’ll be closing more deals in no time!
Posted on Mon, Aug 23, 2010
Tips & Tools To Improve Your Small Service Business
Tell Us Your Most Memorable Service Story
Enter To Win a GPS
ServiceTycoon proudly announces the 2010 ServiceTycoon Awards. Starting today, you can enter to win a brand new GPS for your vehicle! Tell us your most memorable customer service story to enter. Entries received between August 23rd and September 3rd, 2010 will be considered.
So… did your company have a unique experience with one of your customers? Did your service help save a customer in some way? Do you have a customer who swears by your service business?
In 200 words or less share your most memorable service story with us for a chance to win.
The winner and finalists will be announced on the ServiceTycoon blog on September 13th, 2010.
Make sure you come back and visit Sharpen Your Skills to see your story and read other submissions during the contest!
Click Here to Enter Our Contest!
Posted on Wed, Aug 18, 2010
Tips & Tools To Improve Your Small Service Business
by Simon Morris
It's no surprise that small business owners have trouble pulling themselves away from work. There is a tremendous amount of responsibility riding on the shoulders of all business owners. Service business owners deal with extra pressure of keeping customers happy at all times of day or night. In this article, Dena Patton reviews her journey of working herself into a stroke. Literally. And reassessing her work-life balance. Ms. Patton is not the only person currently focusing their soapbox on creating a healthier work-life balance. Today, with the internet, the mobile phone, the blackberry, and the availability of wifi, working can become an addiction.
In the 80’s and early 90’s the problem was staying late at the office to make sure everything was done, but as we became more mobile, the physical separation from the office no longer separates you from your work. For people who had a hard time leaving the office – well… I can only imagine how difficult it is for them to ‘unplug’ at the end of the day.
Gathered from far and wide, here are our Top 5 Tips for creating a healthy work-life balance.
- Simplify. This was a reoccurring theme among many sources. Here is what quintcareers.com says about simplifying: Get rid of the clutter and baggage in your house -- and your life.
- Create a self-care plan – Dena Patton says, “if you are unhealthy, your business will be also.”
- Maintain boundaries between work and home. CIO Magazine notes: Some obvious tactics come to mind: Turn off the cell phone during dinner. Don't plan the T-ball lineup at budget meetings. BlackBerrys stay home during family vacations. But you need mental boundaries as well. It's important to take time to reflect and regroup, even at work.
- Sign Up For A Class: SavvySugar.com recommends challenging yourself to sign up and stick to a class. If you pre-pay for a yoga or French pastry class you will be more likely to show up and detach from work for those few hours.
- Learn to say no. The Mayo Clinic says: Remember that it's OK to respectfully say no. When you quit doing the things you do only out of guilt or a false sense of obligation, you'll make more room in your life for the activities that are meaningful to you and bring you
joy.
Try implementing these five tips over the next several weeks. Start with simplifying your office, car, home office, home, and mind. Then, move on to creating a self-care plan, and so on.
What about all you small business owners out there… have you tried any of these ideas in the past? What about other strategies that have worked very well. Let us know how you’re doing finding the right work/life balance.
Posted on Tue, Aug 17, 2010
Tips & Tools To Improve Your Small Service Business
By Simon Morris
Is your business operating to the best of its ability? One of the areas many service businesses run into trouble is billing their customers. Complications with invoices, late payments, discounts, and other fees can all make getting your money a difficult process. Here are some common mistakes that many service businesses make during billing which, if avoided, can make things run much more smoothly.
Ambiguity
People like simple. Customers are much more apt to be prompt with payments if they know exactly how your policy works. One of the worst things a business can do when billing customers is to be unclear about the process. When you offer someone a service, be clear from the beginning about exactly how you expect to be paid. How often will they be billed? What type of payments do you accept? When will they be billed? What is your credit policy? Do you have late fees? All of these are questions that need to be addressed before completing a job in order to make the customer feel confident in you as a service provider. One industry where this can be an issue is landscaping. You need to decide how you are going to charge people, either monthly or per job, then explain it to them before the work is done.
Inflexibility
We know it’s easier if you treat all customers the same. There’s less confusion for you and it’s much easier to stick to your policy. However, being inflexible in your payment options can alienate customers and make them feel as if you have poor customer service. The best way to make sure you get paid is to offer different payment options for different people. Having customizable payment plans allows people to pay you in a way that is most convenient for them, while still ensuring that you get the money you worked for. Payment plans don’t have to be offered all the time, and there are several things to take into consideration such as how long the person has been a customer, how much they can afford per payment, and their credit history with you. It might be more work, but it’s better than losing a customer all-together because they feel you aren’t being understanding.
Leniency
No one wants to be the bad guy, especially with your customers. If someone is late with a payment you want to be understanding or avoid bugging them. But being too lenient is one way to cause late payments or lack of payment, and that’s not good for you. Call clients and make sure they received your invoices. Don’t be afraid to send reminders that their bill is due, and use late fees when appropriate. If you have had problems with a certain customer in the past, make sure you bill them right at the time of service so you aren’t waiting around for them to pay you. Remember, you want to make things as easy as possible on your customers, but you can’t operate at all if you aren’t getting paid!
Invoicing
Do you just print off an invoice as it appears and send it to the customer? There are ways you can tweak invoices to make customers more likely to pay you in a timely manner, rather than just sending the invoice as it comes from the software. Make sure important parts of the invoice are clear and stand out, such as the due date, invoice number, and amount due. Pick a format and stick to it so frequent customers know what to expect. Change the language a little. For example, Keith Lowe from Entrepreneur.com says to write out the discount amount for early payment rather than just saying “2% 10, net 30”. People respond more to actual dollar amounts rather than percentages. Also don’t try to do everything on paper. There are great billing software products that can simplify the whole process and integrate with your accounting software to keep clear records.
Billing doesn’t have to be a hassle, and there are ways to lessen the complications and make it more likely that you will be paid in a timely manner. Be clear with your policies and invoices to avoid customer confusion. Keep the customer’s needs in mind by being flexible, but don’t be too nice about late payments to the point that you don’t get your money. Getting you revenue is the only way to keep your business running, and having a good billing policy is the first step!
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Posted on Fri, Aug 13, 2010
Tips & Tools To Improve Your Small Service Business
By Simon Morris
Your small service business is slowly growing into a bustling little operation. You have happy customers, good reviews, some cash flow, and a growing workforce. What do you do next? You don’t need to win the lottery to start expanding your business. Here are some ideas to help you grow and reach your business dreams.
Get on the Internet! One of the best ways to expand your customer base is to network using various social media. In this technological age, being on the internet makes the world VERY SMALL for business owners. It’s a great way to get your name out there and attract customers. Need ideas on where to start? Check out our blog “4 Social Media Sites Small Service Businesses Should Utilize.”
Market your Expertise! Help your business grow by taking consulting jobs or projects for various other people in the industry. Also accept speaking engagements or invitations to other community events like tradeshows. The more well known you can become, the faster your business can grow. Establishing a trusted name in your community will increase your customer base as well as your company’s potential for grants, loans, etc.
Join the Business Community! Gaining respect among your peers is an important stepping stone to growing your business. Being active in your business community is also a great networking opportunity. Join a business or industry organization. Not only will it keep you in the know but it will also help you to keep an eye on your competition, learn about new developments in your industry, and get the word out about your company.
Find Cheap Ways to Advertize! You don’t need a lot of cash to advertize your company. Facebook banners are a great inexpensive way to advertize. Ads in local newspapers are also relatively inexpensive. Business cards can be a great advertizing tool as well. Distribute your business cards generously. Tradeshows are another inexpensive way to get the word out about your business while attracting the right customer base.
Even if you don’t think that your business is quite ready to take the next steps in expanding, there is no better time to start expanding your customer base than now. Keeping the word out there about your business will keep you on the tip of your customers’ and potential customers’ minds. This is a great place to start!
For even more tips on expanding your small service business check out: http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol5/10ways.htm
Posted on Thu, Aug 12, 2010
Tips & Tools To Improve Your Small Service Business
By Simon Morris
Internet shopping - everybody does it, right? It's simple and means you avoid those long queues at the store, right? You may even save a little money, right? But what about the delivery? I'd like to share with you my "horror" story. It started out with an email from a friend mentioning a special discount code on first orders placed on Very - a new online department store.
With the English Premier League season about to get underway, I decided to purchase the new Arsenal home shirt. Priced at £45, the discount voucher would mean me getting it for £20 - what a bargain! I went to the site. It looked impressive, it sold all the top brands and it looked like a genuine online retailer. I easily found the item I was looking for, added it to my basket and went to checkout. I added in my special discount code and it worked. My final bill was £20 as expected. So far so good. I was enjoying this experience. It asked me for my delivery address and it wasn't convenient for the goods to be sent to my home address (because, strangely enough, I work). I put in the postcode of my work address and the only option to select was 'Priory Cottage'. Now, my work address is 'The Priory' so I started to think that this may cause some issues. Anyhow, I placed the order and assumed it would all work out. In fact, I was so impressed with the process I recommended the site to other people in my office. Now, here comes the fun part...
The delivery date was August 5th so on that day, I checked the status of my order and there was a message which said I need to call them. The message wasn't proactively pushed to me, I had to log in to the site to discover this message.
Wonderful, I get to call the Call Centre. Now picture a room full of Call Centre agents properly staffed to deal with the anticipated customer demand. Now forget that picture because it's not real. Instead, I got "Ha, ha, we don't value your business and you deserve to stay in a queue with rubbish 80's music until we feel ready to answer". That's a lie but I did get "All our advisors are busy with other calls at the moment...". Eventually, I spoke to a human being but the list of frustrations over the next few days included:
- Advisors not being able to help so transfering me to another department
- Having to consistently repeat my account number, name and date of birth because, clearly, their systems did not share information
- The system is unable to cope with customer requests slightly outside the typical process i.e having the goods delivered to a work address as opposed to my home
- Advisors speaking to me as if it was all my fault that the postcode did not match the automated address system details on their system
- The shirt not being delivered to my work address despite reassurances that it would be
- The shirt arriving at my home address
- It was the wrong shirt!!!
- Ordering the shirt again over the phone with an advisor but not able to apply the discount as I had already placed an order on the system
- The shirt not arriving when it was promised to arrive (yesterday)
I called again (today) to ask where the shirt was and they told me that I needed to call the courier company. They gave me a 15-digit reference number. I called the company and the automated system asked me for my 8-digit reference number! I guess the courier isn't using scheduling software. I was finding this all quite amusing now while telling anyone I could never to shop at this company.
I eventually spoke to an agent and they informed me that the item had not been delivered because 'the customer has moved home'. I have no idea where that came from but I persisted with this agent. She confirmed the address of Priory Cottage (I corrected her) and she also confirmed that three packages would be delivered tomorrow. Where they got '3' packages from, I have no idea! Wow, I feel so much better for sharing that with you all! Thanks for listening and feel free to show some empathy or share similar online delivery 'horror' stories with us...
Posted on Thu, Aug 05, 2010
Tips & Tools To Improve Your Small Service Business
By Allison Shimp
With the economy being what it is today, many people are finding that a good alternative to looking for a new place to work is to simply create their own. But of course, starting your own business involves costs, and service businesses are no exception. What are the best ways to create an efficient small service business, while still keeping your initial costs low?
Find a low cost space
One of the most expensive aspects of starting any business is the operating space. No matter where you locate your business you are going to encounter overhead costs, so one of the best ways to save money in the beginning is to keep these as low as possible. Service businesses in particular spend a great deal of time in the field, so why pay a lot for a space you aren’t utilizing all the time? An easy way to do this is to work from home. Using a home base for your service allows you to save time and money on commuting, and can create tax benefits through deductions. However, keep in mind that some service industries have specific regulations about the space and equipment you use, and your house might not pass all the codes. For example, any type of construction or equipment repair can be done in a home shop, but you must make sure that all equipment is safe and the space passes all fire and safety codes. Also any machinery that you or employees use at your home has to be in good condition and should be used only by people who have received sufficient training. If you have customers visiting your home you have to provide necessary signs and notifications such as “no smoking” signs. In some cases, the cost of possible renovations and upgrades to comply with safety regulations might offset the money you are saving by working from home. This would be a situation where networking can come in handy. Find a friend or past colleague with available space that you could rent for a good price.
Learn to do things yourself
Another big decision for any new service business is what tasks you can do on your own, and what things you need to hire someone else to do for you. One of the issues with a service business is that you actually need to be present where the service is being performed. As much as we would like to be in several places at once, we all know that’s not really possible. It may be necessary to hire service employees to get jobs done in the field. Particularly in the landscaping or cleaning industries, if you are taking on big jobs you are going to need workers to complete multiple tasks at multiple sites throughout the day. Still, there are many tasks that get assigned to employees in larger businesses which you can learn to do yourself, saving you money. Doing your own book-keeping is a great way to cut down on costs. For those things you really need help on, finding cheap labor through part-time students or temp agencies can keep employee costs low. But be aware, the more things you pile on your own plate, the better organized you need to be to keep your business running efficiently!
Become Internet Savvy
There are so many ways nowadays to use technology and software to help you save money. Whether it allows you to manage complicated tasks yourself, or simply helps you stay organized, using technology to increase your productivity is saving you money in the long-run. The options here are endless. You can use online services to create and manage a website, handle your shipping, keep track of your customers through a CRM, analyze and forecast your business trends, and market to your customers. Another great way to use the internet to your advantage is to get familiar with different forms of social media. The better you are at using applications like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and blogs, the more you can use them as a marketing tool. There are also many free online tools available through Google to help you manage your business. Utilizing these is a great way to save you money simply by keeping you on top of your business so you can make decisions that will increase profitability.
Conclusion
The best ways to save money during start-up of a small, service business are to focus on the big things. Where you operate can be a huge expense, so if you can cut some of that out of your budget you give yourself the opportunity to put more funding to other areas of your operation. Becoming independent will also save you money. Take the time to learn how to run the different aspects of your business, and chances are you will be able to do them just as well as anyone you would hire. Lastly, make the internet your friend! Learn what resources are available to you and how you can utilize them in cheap ways to get your business off on the right foot. By doing these three things, you will improve your business practices and see better results.
Posted on Wed, Aug 04, 2010
Tips & Tools To Improve Your Small Service Business
By Kristina Challenner
Why it works and tips for navigating its vast expanses.
What is social media?
According to Wikipedia: “Social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media use web-based technologies to transform and broadcast media monologues into social media dialogues. They support the democratization of knowledge and information and transform people from content consumers to content producers.”
Here are some examples:
Communication
Collaboration
Reviews and opinions
Is social media useful for small businesses?
The world of social media has exploded right in front of our very eyes. It can often be overwhelming, and it is hard sometimes to know where to begin. Some small businesses ask what the point is. Although experts argue on the subject, one thing is clear. Social media IS useful. To quote Samir Balwani, a technology strategist at Morpheus Media; “By taking advantage of social media, businesses can make themselves more accessible, more personable, and maintain long term connections. For a small business looking to increase referrals, social media can be a powerful tool.”
Get out there; explore the mass marketing tools social media has to offer!
Social Media allows small service businesses to attract different consumers, create loyalty, market their company to a broad audience, and keep track of competition. While the technological world can sometimes be overwhelming, especially for a mom and pop business, or one that was started at home, but these technological tools with help your business to flourish and grow. It is definitely worth checking out what’s out there and becoming part of the medium!
Posted on Tue, Aug 03, 2010
Tips & Tools To Improve Your Small Service Business
By Kristina Challenner 
- Facebook Fan Page
Facebook is a great tool for small businesses, especially service businesses that aren’t looking to spend a lot of money on advertising or other social media outlets. A Business Fan page allows fans or customers of a small business to be added as “fans,” expanding the reach of your business. A small business can build their page to enhance their presence, through links, posts, and information. Local ads can also be purchased on Facebook for very reasonable prices. If you haven’t already signed up for Facebook, you should do so, by either creating a Business Account or Business Fan Page. Sign up at www.facebook.com.
2. Twitter 
Twitter is the fastest growing communication tool between businesses in history. It provides a great marketing tool for small businesses by spreading the word, creating a following, and generating conversation about your company, expertise, etc. Any business can benefit from a Twitter account, especially service businesses. Twitter is full of companies that specialize HVAC, home cleaning, carpentry, painting, landscaping and tons of other service companies looking to spread the word about their business. If you don’t already have a Twitter account, create one today at www.twitter.com
3. Company Blog 
A blog generates discussion between a company and its customers. The blog can provide information about the company, showcase the company’s knowledge on certain subjects, and create an understanding of the needs of the customer. Although a blog may be time consuming, it builds your company’s reputation in the media world and gives a unique perspective of your company. Blogs help to generate customer loyalty, because reading them is often like getting to know a friend. Here are some websites where you can establish your own blog if you don’t have your own website: www.moguling.com or www.tennerblog.com. If you are will to pay a little bit for a great blog, check out www.Typepad.com.
4. Local Social Networks 
Local social networks are great for small businesses because they are essentially the new Yellow Pages with a technological twist. These networks, like www.Yelp.com and www.Insiderpages.com allow businesses to post pertinent information about their business, like location, hours, and directions, so that potential consumers can find them. These networks also allow customers to rate your business and post comments about their experience.