Maintaining excellent relationships with clients should be a top priority for anyone who provides services; sadly, some ignore the basics. Here is my top five list of “what not to do”:

1. Learn on the client’s dime.
   Don’t be shy to take on a project even if you are not sure that you have the skills and experience to do it; particularly if you are on a per diem or hourly arrangement. After all, whatever you learn while you are on the clock for this client, you’ll know for your next project.
2. Blame the client.
   This is particularly effective when you have failed to estimate project costs appropriately. Tell the client that you can’t be responsible for “scope creep”; not only will you get paid for you but you didn’t know (see #1), but you will introduce guilt into the dynamic.
3. Don’t deliver on time.
   Deadlines are made to be compromised. Your client won’t mind a little slippage here and there; he/she will understand that you are busy.
4. Share your problems with your client.
   Be open about the fact that you have personal problems, technological problems, competing projects etc. Your client, a nice person, will surely understand and make allowances given your troubles.
5. Let your client know you don’t trust him/her.
   Insist on being paid regardless of your failures. Don’t try to rectify the damage you’ve done, trusting that the client will abide by your agreement. Stop work if the client withholds payment; it’ll probably cost your client a lot of time and added expense to hire someone else to finish up what you failed to deliver.

Of course there are more obvious ways to damage a client relationship — for example, not responding in a timely manner to the client’s questions. Rest assured, however, adding these to the mix will ensure you will never get more business or referrals from this client. So keep up your marketing efforts!

TAGS: entrepeneurs, fixing mistakes, growing your business

By now it’s no secret that women are leaving corporate America to start their own businesses at twice the rate of men.  Statistics show that over 75% of women-owned enterprises open for business in 1997 were still operating in 2000.  That’s about equal to the survival rate of all U.S. businesses.  Recent data also indicates that women invest more in their businesses than do men.  Which just goes to show – women have it what takes to run and maintain successful operations. 

If you’re in business for yourself (or thinking about starting your own company) there are some things you can do to grow your company:

1.         Follow Mrs. Fields Recipe for Success.  Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies, once said it was all about passion, persistence, and perfection.  Whether it’s starting a non-profit organization or a for-profit business, you’re going to put a lot of time and energy into it.  Your focus has to be directed toward something you are so passionate about doing – and doing well – that nothing can deter you from success.

2.         Develop a clear vision of where you want to go and a strategy for getting there. Many entrepreneurs with great ideas fail because they think their product or service should sell itself.  They work hard, but not smart.  Your vision of where you want to be a year, five years or even six months from now will guide your day-to-day actions.  Write it down.  This makes it concrete and tangible rather than just an idea floating around in your head. Then develop specific and measurable steps for how you’re going to achieve it. This is your blueprint for success.

3.         Create a distinctive brand.   There are thousands of motivational speakers, meeting planners, and trainers marketing their services.  What distinguishes you from your competition?  It may sound counterintuitive, but rather than try to be all things to all people, create a narrow niche that identifies you as an “expert” in your field.  Author Barbara Stanny uses the tag line “The Leading Authority for Women and Money.”  I use “Get and Keep the Job You Want.”  Make your brand synonymous with your area of expertise. 

4.         Think and act BIG.  When Jamie Foxx accepted the Academy Award for the starring role in the movie Ray he thanked his grandmother for teaching him to “act like you’ve been somewhere.”  Big is relative.  You may never aspire to be the biggest agency, but you should act as if you already are.  Doing so causes you to see things and consider options you would otherwise overlook or think impossible.  When I started my business I put thousands of dollars into marketing materials at a time when I could ill afford to do so.  But it made me look and feel competitive.  I had to live up to the “big” image I conveyed to potential clients and eventually my firm became it.

5.         Learn the language of money.  In  Nice Girls Don’t Get Rich: 75 Avoidable Mistakes Women Make with Money I talk about the fact that women are less likely to understand the basics of money and investing than men.  Regardless of the size or nature of your venture, you need to understand how to make it profitable.  As an entrepreneurial leader you’ll be involved with budgeting, investing, payrolls, or other forms of money management.  Take a course in finance for non-financial managers at your local community college, start reading The Wall Street Journal, and other money magazines.

TAGS: entrepeneurs, growing your business, women business owners