15 Years of Building Relationships Online….

…OR, validating yourself in this upside down world. 

Once upon a time you needed a brick and mortar to validate your online presence. Now brick and mortars need an online presence to be validated. Go figure.

It was 1999, just after our move to the states, after an 8 year stint in Asia, when my husband and I determined to establish our online business, selling, of all things, Chinese Antiques. Business model was to NOT have a brick and mortar, but to set up shop on the world wide web and take it from there.

What did we know going into this? Won’t go into what we didn’t know, which was plenty 

We  knew that…

 we had a source for a product that we had an affinity to…. building on relationships made during our 8 years living/working in Asia

we were breaking new ground….being the first online only sellers of Chinese Antiques.

we felt we could offer competitive pricing/create a niche….because of our business model and running it very lean/doing ALL the work in house…yes, learning ALOT along the way.

combined we had the skills required to make this come to fruition….not to mention the determination.

The website went live August 2000 and it wouldn’t be until Thanksgiving weekend, yes, of that year,but it felt like FOREVER,  that I would make my first online sale.  Will never forget the euphoric feeling of being “found” online AND then to have someone take the plunge and make that online purchase from ME!? With that I was officially in business, and away we went.

As husband continued to work the Search Engine Optimization side of the biz more people found us and had an interest in shopping with us and would call. As such the question would inevitably come up as to how we ever got into this business, and so I would ramble on with “my story“….

….and  this had me rethink the advise given to us by our web designer that the “about us” section on our website was insignificant and that although it needed to be there, that people didn’t tend to read it, therefore just give it lip service.  Didn’t take long for me to determine that it would indeed be  a relevant part of my site and that people would read it, per the conversations I’d been having…and so I edited what I had thrown up there to give the whole enchilada.  You can read that full version here/ shorter version here, as is on the website.  In fact it was where they first started to get to know WHO Antiques by Zaar was….WHO was the driving force, the heart and soul of this particular business….where they first started to gain confidence in us as sellers.

Yes, people want to do business with people, and telling them who we were straight out did us well as a foundation to move on.  We furthered this by starting an online newsletter in 2004. And, as was my way, I would tend to include personal  tidbits in the preamble, click here to visit past newsletters,….  I had plenty of fodder with having lived in several countries,  the start of this of my 2nd biz,  3 kids underfoot/raising golden retrievers, on a farm in Maine…you get the drift/ways to connect with people/letting them into my world...leading to the “meat” of the missive which would be announcing a new container, show dates and the such.

My newsletter remains to be a vital connecting point to my past customers as well as prospective s,  that have given me permission to put their name on my newsletter list…. a list which has grown to be  a  qualified list of over 5,000 strong…. proudly sharing that my “open” and “click through” rates consistently remain above the industry standard.

With the onset of Social Media the venues to connect in the virtual world, in addition to my audience of 5,000,  have grown at such a rate that it is sometimes hard to keep up with. The good news is that there is this plethora of opportunities for businesses of any size to put their word out there and let their customers get to know them prior to making any kind of purchase.  That is “the way” now isn’t it????  What is expected of businesses…to become transparent. The bad news is that you are competing with such a massive body of businesses doing the same.  The good news is, there is only one YOU and it is up to you to make your Unique Voice heard.

Considering my tendency to be upfront and personal in a simple newsletter, it should be no surprise that I felt I’d been granted a true Gift with the introduction of the blog. THE perfect platform to do more of the same, reaching more people. However, I have found the blogging road a bumpy one, as is evidenced by the frequency of my posts. Love hate relationship really.  But as I continue to figure out a blogging rhythm that works for me, I can’t afford not be seen/heard, and over the course of time I  have come to a place where I feel I can stay present in the virtual world in a relevant way, that is indeed manageable.

I am validating my, now 2 businesses,  daily where it counts….  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Houzz, and via my blogs.

Welcome to the long winding road of learning and growing, giving and sharing.

Ready, set, go!

Ruth

 

 

Daily Practice to Grow your Social Media Presence

With the onset of Social Media we have been given many challenges as well as many opportunities. The challenge, if you will, is to carve out the time, to take advantage of the given opportunities of growing the visibility of ones business over the air waves.

It can be seen as a quagmire of sorts and thus intimidating and daunting. It was in a presentation I gave at ZAAR Design Center, on April 21st, that I tried to sort this out for those that joined me for our Lunch N Learn, which focused on Growing One’s Online Presence, based on 12 years of having an online based business.

I don’t pretend to know it all, but I do know that I’ve learned a few things along the way, and that I am continually learning, and thus tweaking and adjusting as I continue on.  AND I believe very much in the premise of what Social Media is based on…building relationships with people online as being viable. Letting people know who you are and connecting with people. Giving you and your business a place to show and grow in the cyber world is a great asset to your business. Yes, a Gift!

However, over the years I, like most, have adjusted, and continue to adjust, what I can expect from myself to maintain this presence, and still have time for wearing the many other hats I don as an entrepreneur.

For instance, my blogging. I LOVE to write. I have plenty to write about.  I LOVE to connect with people with this medium, and for a time I attempted to put out at least 2 blogs/week, using that as my main source of drawing people in.  I found that I couldn’t keep up with this and was letting the guilt of not blogging as regularly as you “should” , at least to be “relevant” in the blogging world, get in the way of my joy of sharing/being what it was meant to be. Yes, have curbed this to once/month for each biz.

And then there are the relevant portals where my customer base is hanging out. No, it is not enough anymore just to have your website well ranked. We are to go where our customers are.  I don’t need to quote you the statistics that qualify that it is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Houzz.

So the question is how do you maximize the output across the airwaves, with the least amount of time? And, as I shared in my presentation, I feel that I’ve come to a place where I’m able to do this, taking a relatively small amount of time to put it out there. And yes, blogging still remains relevant, as does putting out  a newsletter, like my blogging, once/month newsletter for each biz, to your already defined audience….but want to focus here on those daily nudges to show your’e present.

For maximum punch it matters where you house the photos you post, just keep an eye on the stats on your website as sources of traffic and you’ll see what I mean, where you draw them from to further  share.

Pinterest and Houzz are  THE places from which you want to house, no pun intended/ok, maybe just a little bit intended, your photos. The subtle photos are those that show, in my case Chinese Antiques or Product from ZAAR Design Center, your product/service in settings. And then there are the less subtle photos of your product, with descriptions and prices…and links to your website that  is in perfect form to put out there as well. These places, and I’m told Instagram should be included here, although just jumping on that bandwagon now, are where you want your photos to come from.

Where do you want them to go? Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook. All of them.

And when do you want them to go?  Early morning, noon, and early evening…all prime times.

How do you want to get them there when you want them to go, without planning to be at your computer/on your phone, managing this constantly?

Tweet deck and Hoot suite are 2 of the most commonly used dashboards for such. I use Hoot suite and can only comment on that portal, but I think both operate pretty similarly.

On a perfect day I will end it with the following practice in place. Log into Hoot suite   Pull up either  my Pinterest or Houzz account…feel free to follow me on either one and/or the other. Grab a photo, one either shared by a customer or found in the cyber world, and add a comment that pertains to the image.  Use the scheduling function on Hoot suite for it to go out around 7:00 the next morning….on Twitter, Linked in and Facebook.  Then, go back and find a product photo of a piece similar and more directly suggest that I have such available in my collection, and post this around noon time, or early evening.  I do this both for Antiques by Zaar and ZAAR Design Center.

I’ve been doing some variation of  this rather consistently since mid January and have grown my audience for Antiques by Zaar on Facebook from 735 to over 1,000 and have a decent percentage of people “talking” about it. Also do this for ZAAR Design Center, a newer business, and as such a smaller base audience. Mid January I had 35 “likes” on that page, and that has now grown to 282, although with the help of a 10.00/day Facebook targeted ad helping that get a boost.

I am well aware that Social Media is all about engaging and that this approach is simply about growing your presence with a daily practice…and this blog is already long enough without delving further….not to mention I have other thoughts on how to invite people into your circle…yet another missive for that. This is a way to let people know you exist, to entice them into your circle. After that the meat of it happens by taking it a step further and engaging/deepening a relationship.

In closing I would like to also point out that my personal Facebook page is (and fully intend on adding twitter to this/just not as comfortable there ….yet!) where a lot of engagement happens….whereas I see the biz pages more as a place to post regularly…less engagement happening there.  I am my business and the people I hope to do business with I anticipate many to become my friends (just my way!) and thus I have no qualms, tastefully, sharing my personal world with my business world, not unlike how I’ve been doing in my online newsletters since 2004…just ask anyone who’s on my list :),  on my personal Facebook page, where I share my world and my Self.

I welcome you to My World and I welcome any comments/questions or tips you may have to add to this. We all have something to learn from each other and I welcome any tips that may be useful to me and my audience.

Ruth

P.S. For you High Point Market goers, check out my Pinterest Board on ZAAR Friends/Highlights @ Market.

ruth@antiquesbyzaar.com

866 868 9227

http://www.antiquesbyzaar.com

 

Facebook: Adding “Friends” and “Likes”/Where should you be engaging?

….quality or quantity?

Who doesn’t like a large fan base and following, on facebook, THE place to be for your business…and don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this portal to meet and get to know people.

BUT is it more important to have a large following or to have a qualified following? And should you be promoting yourself/business/growing your following on your personal page or solely on your business page?

Don’t know about you but I have a steady flow of “friend requests” come in on my personal profile… people which I don’t know, less what they put out in there for me to see, before I accept them as “friends” … and which I go through  individually before adding to my following.

For any of you thinking of asking me to “friend” you, please know this…

1. Having a healthy number of mutual friends is not enough reason for me to bring you into the fold.

2. If you want to be part of my flock I would like to know a little more about you than just your name….ie, don’t block your information so that I can only see who you are AFTER I friend you.

3. I would like it that English is the language you are posting on facebook. No offense, just that I don’t speak, nor can read anything but English.

4. A provocative profile photo doesn’t entice me to add you….

I’m not saying that some people have slipped through the cracks on me, but I am trying to keep my audience/friend list one that relates to who I am and what I do, and above helps.

I am so thrilled that so many people have indeed entered my world by way of my personal page on face book, and look forward to growing my community here….one that is satisfying to you and to me…and I think the above guidelines help to keep all in check.

Now for fans/likes….

I often see…”like me and I’ll like you” as people seek to grow their fan base on their business page on facebook.

Although I have on occasion suggested” liking” antiques by zaar to those in my personal following, IF I think relevant to who they are….ie, if you’re in the furniture or design business….BUT I much prefer people “liking” antiques by zaar because they want to support me and keep tabs on what’s up with my biz here, as that is what I use this page for.

And know I will happily “like” your business for same reasons…ie, I like you/what you’re doing, or what your sharing on facebook,which incites me to check out more of what you’re all about, and subsequently want to support you….not just to have you “like’ me in return…although the gesture is appreciated. 🙂

Soooo, IF you are interested in me and/or my business, I welcome your support in what I do by “liking” antiques by zaar, where I post my blogs and updates on my biz….and let me know of your business, which I will happily support by “liking” as well.

And if you think we share further mutual interests, I am happy to receive your friend request as well and will happily accept/welcome you to my world.

Would be curious to know what you think about how and where is the  best place to grow your facebook audience.

Should you leave business to the business fan pages and have your personal profile for just that, personal “stuff”?

If so, how do you move people over from your personal page to your business page? Do they want to go there or do they prefer interacting with you on your personal page?

Does it really matter who you have where as long as you are engaging?

Would love to know what ya’ll think of this, but in the meanwhile I shall enjoy sharing with those that have joined me on my biz page and/or on my personal page….yes, all on Facebook.

Ruth

 

Blogging: Make it Your Good Habit/Find Your Voice

Although, I’ve been journaling on and off ever since a teenager, it was only 5 years ago that I took to committing to writing daily. Admittedly it took some time for me to fall into the rhythm of scribing a daily page of notes, but now, well into my 5th year, my day isn’t quite complete until I’ve written my one page journal entry. Yes, it has become my “good habit”.

In so many ways blogging is like journaling, and in fact, one of the definitions I found for a blog, was indeed that it was an “online journal”.

So,  if you approach blogging with the attitude that this habit will serve you well, rather than being ridden with guilt for when you don’t/can’t seem to embrace it….then it will start to flow. I’m pretty sure that I speak for many wanna be bloggers when I say that making it this good habit, like any good habit, doesn’t happen overnight. The important thing is to START…and don’t worry if you have false starts, or fall off, or get derailed, just start, and keep starting and continue starting, until you find your voice and your rhythm. It WILL come.  Put your footprint out there, and keep on keeping on, and your audience will find you.

As part of trying to figure out how you can best contribute to the blogging world, and thus how your output can contribute to drawing people to you/your business, read other blogs… take note of what you like/don’t like about them….the frequency of their posts, the timing that those posts show up in your email box, the photos they use to support their verbiage, or vice versa, their general style, where you see their posts, the template/platform they use and how easy it is to share, follow, comment. And what you think about their content and how it relates, or not, to their line of business.

It is easy to think that there are so many blogs out there, who would read yours and why. But in order to even give people a chance to decide to read/not to read, you have to put something out there, so they can make that decision. You don’t give anybody anything to read, it’s easy, you won’t have any readers. Put something out there and let them decide.

Some things that are working for me to continue keeping this as my “good habit” and might serve you as well.

1. Weekly make a list of blogs I know I want to write: On my bulletin board I have a list of 10 topics, more than I can put out in a single week,  I know I want to write about sooner rather than later. I choose from this pool.

2. Stick to a frequency that will work for you. BUT, if you’re going to blog, you really can’t do any less than one posting/week. There are many different attitudes  about frequency of blog postings and I know many that post daily, which, if this is all I did, I would happily blog along. But I, like many of you, am running a lean ship and wear many hats. I feel that if I touch my world 3 times/week by way of a blog that I’m in really great shape.

NOTE: If you only want to touch your audience monthly, a newsletter is the way to go for that. Nothing wrong with that.

3. Find the time of day that works for you to scribe your inspiration. Over time I’ve come to realize that attempting to write a blog in the morning is but a joke for me, as that is the time I need for readiness for my day, engage in the social media world (twitter/facebook) and answer all sales inquires., do general business upkeep.   I’m best to carve out time in the afternoon, or even better, in my evenings. Just a better time for all to flow.

4. Schedule Your Blog: Although I like to write late into the night, I prefer to schedule my post, easy easy to do, to go out around 7:30 in the morning. I have it set up that it automatically posts to my facebook page, and if I go into Hoote Suite, I can, in one fell swoop, post it to twitter, my facebook biz page and linked in. And, as I have a SHARE button at end of each posting I can then also easily post on relevant group walls on LinkedIn. Really, nothing like drinking your morning coffee and knowing that you are already touching people before you’ve laid hands on your keyboard.

5. It doesn’t have to be perfect….BUT, do ensure your spelling is correct AND that all your links work.

I LOVE this blogging platform that is made available for me and my business, and you should love it to. If you have an inkling to blog, then do it…make it your good habit and find your voice, and share it.  You won’t be disappointed.

Look forward to reading your blogs and knowing which blogs you like to follow and why.

It’s 9:30 Friday night…hope you enjoy this Saturday morning with your coffee 🙂

Ruth

 

Your Blog: What do you want to say to who? Your Title Matters…

I JUST posted my most recent newsletter, to my mailing list of just over 5,000. This “mailing list” is comprised of people that fall into two main catagories, although split into many more in my list, of either a past customer or prospective that I’ve met somewhere in my travels….my point being that the people on said list are already familiar with my company, and thus are more inclined to open up my missive no matter the title…and although the text in the subject line of my email does  matter, it matters even more that they simply know the missive is coming from ruth/antiquesbyzaar.

When blogging, you do not have that defined audience, but you are trying to reach that which you would consider your “target audience”, and thus the title of your blog should be such that they are drawn to read what you’ve writing about.

So, what is it you want to write about and who do you want to read it?

For myself, THIS is what I want to write about….

1. My business was nurtured on the direct to the consumer business and I never want to lose sight of what this has, and continues to mean to my business. To boot, these precious customers have provided me with testimonials of photos and words, which they intended for me to share.  How do I impart these “testimonials‘ in a way that will honor the person that chose to share them with me in the first place?

2. Over the years my To The Trade business has grown as the Interior Design Trade has moved to online stores to source for their clients…How can I honor these Designers that have put their confidence in my business and my product, that they readily present their clients photos of pieces they won’t see until install?

3. I have had the gift of publicity over the years that continues to validate who I am to all that may consider doing business with me. It would be silly of me not to find a way to put this out to those that don’t know who ruth/antiquesbyzaar is yet, and why they should feel comfortable doing business with me.

4. Chinese Antique Furniture/Antiques by Zaar:  I LOVE selling Chinese Antiques. I LOVE that I have had this opportunity to capitalize on the 8 years I lived in Asia as an expat wife/mother of 3. I LOVE that I am able sell such a unique item online. I LOVE that my pieces bring joy into the lives and homes of my customers. I LOVE that I’ve been able to contribute to my family by way of the business of selling Chinese Antiques. I LOVE the people I meet as I go about the selling of Chinese Antiques.  How can I share this LOVE for a genre of furniture that gives so much and the business that encompasses that?

5. ” Social Media”. It was made for the likes of me, and in fact I bought into this concept back in 2004  by way of my newsletter….no, not your traditional bullet point newsletter, but one that had the facts couched in personal antidotes. Just when I thought I was too personal, someone would drop a line/call and tell me what it meant to them that I took the time to share my world with them by way of my newsletter…they felt they “knew me”…. I want to share with my world that relationship building isn’t just the current trend, it is THE WAY, and can most definitely be done online, to do business, as that is exactly what took me from  my very first sale back in November 2000, to the next, and the next and the next, with what was the first online only store for Chinese antiques. ie. if I can start and grow a business selling Chinese Antiques online, you can sell what you want to sell as well. How do I share this with others to encourage them forth?

6. And lastly…I like to share resources/promote other peoples product, businesses/organizations. How can I help spread the good word of the good works being done by others???

So, apparantly I have ALOT to say, and you guessed it, the BLOG is the vehicle used to put it all out there.

How do I get people to read it?

Chinese Antiques is what I sell.

Thus, it is imperative, that I use terms that relate to Chinese Antiques, as a way to draw people in…not to say you won’t see posts with otherwise, BUT, as the common thread, that which I hope to lure people in to be interested in me/my product, is by way of words that relate to this genre. AND, WITHIN the body of the blog I can include testimonials/photos from my customers, to support what is put forth in the title as the topic. OR I can promote my Designer Customers by putting their company name in the title and aligning them with the usage of Chinese Antiques.  I can mix in the publicity garnered where it fits as well. You get the gist, and check out past blogs to see if I am succeeding 🙂

And Building Online Relationships ….

…is something I know a thing or two about and am eager to encourage others to just go out and “do it”. To boot I am, like many others, on a huge learning curve with technology and all that comes with just trying to keep up. I can relate and again, if I can do it so can you and I want to help.

BUT, now this missive is beyond too long…you get the point. Know what you want to say. Know who you want to say it to. Think about how you can do that by using a title that will draw them in to read what you want to share….and then post it on all your social media portals….

Enjoy and look forward to your posts.

Ruth

 

Why Blog? A Platform to Share What your’e Passionate about, with Passion

Last week, on Twitter,  I came across a link to a blog by Liz Strauss, yes, which I re-tweeted as I felt it valuable to share, that so succinctly put out there, how important it is to know WHY you blog.

I really only became aware of the blogging world and my need to participate back in late 2008, and although I sensed that blogging was made for me, I liked to write and I had no problem being “real”  but I first had to work through just a few things….

…which was surprising to me, as, since 2004,  I  had been putting out a monthly newsletter to a list that has grown to over 5,000, and which I was very comfortable with my informal and personable presentation, clear on who my audience was,(this a big difference that set me “off”) and KNEW  it to be a successful tool to keep my business in front of my customers…. NOTE: If you can’t see yourself blogging, at very minimum touch your mailing list by way of an online newsletter…you won’t regret it….good way to “dip your toes in”…

But this blog thing….  Sure, I have plenty to write about, see below,  but, but, but….

Of course I was going to blog  for my business, which IS ME, but what format would my presentation take and more so  how would I get people to read it???? More on that in a later post on blog titles. VERY IMPORTANT!

Share more of my personal “stuff” which I do enjoy doing,?, promote how great I am by way of posting customer testimonials?, give credence to the level of clientele I have by showcasing the talented designers that shop with me?, publicize the publicity I have garnered and continue to garner for my business? , use the wonderful treasure trove of photos I have from my customers to show off how they have positioned their Chinese Antiques purchased from yours truly? promote the organizations with which I have affiliation with? share my love for my online business? YES to ALL of the above….and more.

…PASSION for what you intend to blog about is mandatory to attract an audience, and a few other things like relevance etc, but  Passion is that which fuels the engine…and I am so very passionate about all I’ve listed, and want to share with my growing online world.

As I’ve placed in the header of my upcoming roundtable on Blogging, at the WITHIT Leadership Conference in August, blogging is a Gift, to you and your business….

….But the premise on being able to successfully promote your business via said blog, is that you are passionate about it…as that passion will attract people to you and to your business.

And the premise that you would like to share your business/your passion with the world, so it can continue to be such by increased exposure, which draws increased revenue…and adds to the bottom line so you can continue to fuel this passion, simply precludes that you have this GIFT, in this FREE platform of reaching an untapped audience by way of putting out a blog, which is YOURS for the taking.

Are you passionate about your business?

Are you blogging about it? If not, why not?

How can I help you to “dip your toes in?”

Ruth

P.S. And if you simply have a passion that isn’t your business, blogging again is the perfect venue to do just that….

 

Blogging (Round Table): How Can I Help/Dip your toes in?!

As I mentioned in a recent post, I’m honored to have been asked to moderate a round table on Blogging, as part of the WITHIT Conference which is themed “Wisdom, Work and Wealth”….and which I KNOW will be an event that I will come away from highly infused/invigorated.

I hope to do my part to infuse others by way of leading a discussion regarding the value in blogging, as moderator of said round table.

I  feel very passionately about the value in blogging  and what it can mean for your business.  My experience running an online business, since 2000, /building relationships via email/phone and fostering through an online newsletter, started in 2004,  where I couched the “meat” of the business in warm fuzzy tidbits garnered from living on a farm in Maine, with 3 teenagers and breeding golden retrievers, and yes, I sold puppies to abyzaar customers because of this,  drawing on past lives as an expatriate in Asia/volunteer in Haiti….you get the gist….has shown me time and again that people do care when you take the time to be “real”….

…and now “blogging” has become a trend and serves as a  venue to those that care to “put themselves out there”, to do just that.  I invite all those that are interested, to dip your toes in, and see what it can do for you, or those that are already doing so, what you would like to share with the rest of us….have been dying to use this photo which I took to use  just for this very quip 🙂

As part of prep for this round table I’d like to simply ask what particular topics you may like addressed.

Shoot me questions/comments,  either by email, at ruth@antiquesbyzaar.com , or leave a comment/question on this blog, bloggers love that, and good for you too!, or leave a comment on facebook, linkedin, or twitter….wherever you may see this post.

...with Tobi, after her WITHIT sponsored breakfast/presentation on Social Media @ High Point Furniture Market.

Similarly, if you have some favorite blogs you follow…shoot me a note with a link and let me know what it is that you like particularly about said blog. Will compile a list to pass out at the conference ….and would start with blogs by Tobi Fairley, and Jane Pollak…both women inspired me to “dip my toes in” and I enjoy following their blogs….and constantly learn from them.

A Round table is meant to be a platform for discussion, and I’d like to see what we can do about starting the discussion leading up to the actual event.

So, join me, and yes, even if you aren’t able to attend the conference and would like to participate in this, please join in…..all bloggers, wanna be’s especially…drop on by.

Looking forward to a learning and growing experience for all of us…and meeting some new friends along the way.

Ruth

 

Online Shopping/Online Reviews

The numbers are  growing, and will continue to grow,  for people that are shopping online. We have moved from catalogues to the computer and in order for this this portal to continue to serve us all well it  is a given  that our online shopping/selling experience  maintain a level of integrity for this venue to continue on succesfully.

As consumers we used to rely on reports by the Better Business Bureau to give us handles on the validity of any particular business, especially ones that are we were unfamiliar with, but now, with the world wide web, this information, including that of the BBB, is right at our fingertips.

If leary, the easiest thing to do is google….”company name online review”.  If there is something bad to be said about the particular company in question, you will readily see it pop up on the first page.

Also, Google the name of the person you are communicating with.  If you can’t get a full name put up your red flag.

If you are the patient type, and the business is doing what it should to be out there on social media, this reletively recent phenomenon that serves the consumer so very well,  check the assorted portals and ensure a consistency in presention of the company and the person representing the company.

Asking for referrals  isn’t a bad thing, but really…is anyone going to give you a bad referral?

Well, I take that back.  From a customer of mine… One company gave a prospective client (her)  a list of names of supposed satisfied customers. When this persons red flag started going up they started calling the names on said list…many of which had never even done business with the company in question! Guess they didn’t expect the customer to actually make the calls.

The beautiful thing is that there are many many more people out there doing good business than those that aren’t and no need to let the few that aren’t harm us.  Fact is that we, ALL, buyers AND sellers, simply are required  to exercise diligence and responsibility in our transactions, and the fact is that if the majority weren’t doing so, commerce on the web wouldn’t be the growing success it is…ie, we really can trust each other!

I for one am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this virtual shopping mall, coupled as it is, with its own consumer awareness board which just continues to grow in depth and breadth as social media cements itself as part of the fabric of everyone’s online shopping experience.

If YOU are unfortunate enough to have a bad experience, it does behoove you to share this with the world as way of warning to others….and similarly it goes without saying a good review goes the same distance…just in a different direction.

Happy Internet Shopping! 🙂

Ruth

P.S. In my early blogging days I did do an entry entitled Google Me! There you go…

Ruth Olbrych

 

Scoring with SCORE: Delivering what they “Sell”

SCORE’S Mission Statement

To Deliver Expertise and Resources to Maximize the Success of Existing and Emerging Small Businesses.

 

….and that is exactly what my experience has been since I attended my first SCORE  workshop, on writing a business plan, last summer.

Following that most informative workshop I asked the presenter about securing someone to counsel me, as I worked to take my 10 year old business to the next level.  My understanding that such was available at no cost,  truth be told, it  just seemed too good to be true…but I had nothing to lose by exploring this venue.

 Long story short… the gentleman who presented the workshop was  true to his word and within a week one of the SCORE counsellors contacted me….the one he thought would work well for my particular needs.  We met shortly thereafter, and the rest is history. Nancy Strojny, who currently has her own consulting business and has a 20 plus year history with Proctor and Gamble, has become not only an indispensible resource for me, but also my cheerleader, reality checker and dear dear friend. We fit like a glove!

Yesterday I attended my 2nd SCORE workshop which served as a primer on using  Social Media and making it work for your business.  It was a cohesive and informative presentation made  by Nicki Hicks of flyte new media….touching all the major venues we as small business owners need to engage in to put our businesses “out there”….certainly a good launch pad for the many that attended that were either starting their own business, or working to understand the intricacies of facebook, blogging, twitter, linkedin etc. And although I do have a reasonable handle on this I walked away with tips/resources that I previously was unaware of.

I’m just over the top for an organization that delivers what it “sells”….and in this case what SCORE has to offer is either free or at a nominal charge.

If you are thinking of starting a business or already have a business, and are looking for some professional advise, you can’t lose by connecting with the fine folks at SCORE…at least that is my experience and therein my testimonial.

In Maine alone there are 7  SCORE chapters and there are 10,000 nationwide….just as an FYI.

Thank you Jane Pollak, for introducing this organization to me by way of your blog posting of Jan 25, 2010….Jane being another resource, specifically for Women Entrepeneurs, which is of great value to you and the growth of your business. At minimum you should follow her blog. And if you want more, her book Soul Proprieter, is one I’ve listened to repeatedly on my road trips….which are numerous.

  Click image to go directly to Amazon and purchase paper version.

…and this image if you want to listen to the book.

 Love love love sharing something, SCORE/Jane, which offers so much value to my many fellow entrepeneurs working their passion, and could use some handles…which we all do, eh?

Happy Day all.

…and if you have a resource to share that has served you well, do just that…share.  Look forward to hearing from you.

Ruth