When is Technology Bad for Business?

Technology has provided untold opportunities for small business owners to establish businesses in a low-cost, low-risk way.  It has also provided the platform for many women (and men) to make the decision to create a home-based whilst their children are growing.  So with all of these good things going for technology, when could it ever be bad for your business?

Answer – When it contributes to the business owner (and in most cases the main business doer) being injured due to the amount of time being spent in front of the technology.  And this is where I am at the moment. 

Over the past several weeks I have been attributing the dull persistent pain in my right shoulder and neck to the extra swimming regime that I am doing at the moment.  So in my usual style I pushed on through it and thought that as I grew stronger, and with some changes in my swimming stroke, the pain would go away.  Yeah, sure!  So much for that theory.

So the dull persistent pain has now changed a more acute pain and my trapezius being in spasm.  And guess what contributes to it feeling worse – keyboard and mouse work (in particular the mouse).  And thus it isn’t hard to work out what makes it feel better, and what has been suggested to me by my medical advisers – no, or at the very least minimal, computer work.

Yes I have set my desk up in the correct ergonomic manner.  I know this stuff anyway considering I was once married to an ergonomist/industrial designer.  But the pain is still there.  The challenge for me is not the layout but the over-use and the lack of stretching and stopping at appropriate periods.   It has been suggested to me that the swimming may also be contributing but the main problem is the repetitive strain caused by the technology use.

So for the next 7-10 days I am restricted to using the computer for no longer than 15 mins at a time (and if it doesn’t improve then I will be barred from it) as well as a series of massages and manipulation.  I am also out of the pool and onto the treadmill for the next week.

So technology can not only contribute to your effectiveness, it can also severely reduce it as well.  For me the next week will be about delegating the typing and spending more time hitting the phones, and connecting with people one-on-one.

Want More Clients? Make More Offers

Over the past few weeks one of the recurring themes of conversations that I have been having with clients and colleagues has been around attracting clients, and more specifically around why they don’t have enough.

Now this is not just a common theme for my clients but I would also imagine a large number of solo professionals.  So you are not alone if you feel that you are banging your head up against a brick wall in trying to attract clients.

My suggestion to these people (clients and colleagues) has been along the lines of a couple of my previous posts on building a pool of friendlies and making offers.

These are both top of mind for me at the moment as I start to bring together some of the Secrets of Going Solo posts from this blog to create a 25 Keys to Solo Success e-book.

So if you are stuggling with your clients numbers at the moment and want to up your numbers have a try at this tip.

Make More Offers
An offer a day keep the doctor away! (apologies if you always thought it was an apple).

“An offer?”, you say, “What king of offer?”

Any offer, to anyone in your target market, to purchase, use or experience your services.

You might think this is obvious but you may also be surprised to find how many solo professional don’t do this.

As a solo business owner you know what you do and how people could use your service (jeez I hope you do!) but does your ideal client (you know them ) know?

Now you could proceed to create a brochure, or website, or sales letter, or one of a number of other initiatives that lists what you do, how you do it and possibly even list the benefits.  But that’s all about you.

The key is to make it about them!  And one of the best ways to make it about them is to make them an offer.

Now I want to jump on something that I hear on a regular basis and that I see as nothing more than an excuse for avoidance …

“But I don’t want to appear pushy.”

What is it with solo pros who think that telling someone you want them as a client is pushy?!?  Offers don’t have to be pushy – in fact it is better if they are not.

By definition the word “offer” has many meanings.  Here is what I mean here by “offer” -

OFFER – 1.  to present for acceptance or rejection; 2. to put forward for consideration; 3. to make a show of intention.
- Macquarie Dictionary, 2nd Ed.

No where does it say push! )

An offer is something that will assist and is of value to the person you are making the offer to – it is the good old-fashioned win-win.

Making an offer is the antidote to the “if you build it they will come syndrome”.

Want to know why I think solo pros don’t make more offers?  Have a look at the first definition above for a clue).

Yes …. the rejection bit (I will address this more tomorrow in key #9).

So work out what you have to offer and make an offer today to someone you want to work with.

Make it relevant to them.
Make it timely.
Make it with heart.

(Oh yeah, the doctor that I mentioned at the beginning relates to the lack of stress you will have because your business is going well due to the offers you are making and having accepted.  I can guarantee you if there are no offers, then there are no clients, and if there are no clients then there is stress and then there is the doc).

It is straightforward – if the clients aren’t there you not making enough relevant offers!

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Everyone is an Expert on Something

I’ve been saying it for years – so much so that I feel like a broken record when talking with colleagues, clients and business owners in general – leverage your knowledge and be known as an expert in something.

Now some of my clients seem to have a problem with the word expert – it has something to do with people finding them out as a complete fraud and saying "you don’t know what you are talking about".  So in their effort to appear humble about their experience or knowledge, they in fact disappear (in the eyes of their market).

Some of them appear more at ease with the title "specialist".  To be honest I don’t give a damn what you call yourself but it is time to stop being humble and time to start having others recognise what you know.

If you are looking for a great resource on being an expert, look no further than Seth Godin’s new free e-book "Everyone’s an Expert – about something". 

THIS BOOK is for anyone who wants more online traffic, more revenue, more followers, more attention, more interest, more donations or more influence.

Download it here
.

This ebook has a close link to Seth’s new project Squidoo.

His primary premise is -

I BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU GO ONLINE, you don’t search. You don’t even find. Instead, you are usually on a quest to make sense. That’s the goal of most visits to Google or Yahoo! or blogs or the Wikipedia. How do you make sense of the noise that’s coming at you from all directions? You won’t take action—you won’t buy something, book something, hire someone, or take a position on a political issue—until you’ve made sense of your options.

So how do you find your source of expertise?  Of course different people find it in different ways.  Sometimes it is a natural talent that is obvious.  Or it could be

• based on life experiences,
• hardships overcome,
• things that just come naturally to you,
• hobbies or interests
• things that other people are always asking your advice on
• it could even be based on theory or study that you have undertaken

One way that I have found often works it to create a couple of lists.  Firstly create a list of what can be called your "desires" – your interests, the things that you could do all day, what you would do with your time if you didn’t have to worry about the money.

Then create a list of your "resources" – your knowledge, study, background, work experience, life experiences. These could also be your skills and qualities.

Stand back and take a look at your lists.  Where do they intersect?  What are the recurring themes?  If you were to show these lists to others, what do they consider to the things you know most about?

These lists, and when combined with a third list called "opportunities", have been used by Paul and Sarah Edwards as the DRO Model, to helpd small business owners uncover their niche.  They can also lead you in the direction of your place of expertise.

It is not my role to continue to be the broken record for you and encourage you to step in your role as expert, but I will leave you with this one final thought.

Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.   -  Henri-Frédéric Amiel