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Posted by: | on November 21, 2012

Starbucks ‘paid just £8.6m UK tax in 14 years’

As a business woman I’m disgusted to hear about yet another big company avoiding tax!

I have worked hard for the last eight years building up my business. As a UK wholesale jewellery supplier I know how hard it is to make a profit, but I do and subsequently I pay tax!

Without getting too much on my soap box, I have paid enough tax over the years to buy tens of thousands of Starbucks coffees. Needless to say I will not be buying anymore….

BBC News – Starbucks ‘paid just £8.6m UK tax in 14 years’.

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Posted by: | on July 11, 2011

Communicating with your customers.

In this fast, high tech world, we are always in a rush, avoiding anything that seems to slow us down, sometimes even the principles of professionalism and politeness fall by the wayside.

Email, of-course is a fast and efficient way of communicating. It’s fast, it can be automated, it has a vast reach, nearly everyone uses it and it is easily archived for future reference.
I do understand why people hate e-mails though! Quite often, the principles of curtious communication go out of the window when writing emails. I’ve had corporate emails with spelling and grammar mistakes, something you would never see in a written letter.

There is one medium that is neglected by many online businesses, the phone call. In fact, sometimes it is so difficult to find a contact phone number on websites that one has to resort to email even though the inquiry might be urgent.

I know that a busy phone line can be a problem if people have to wait too long but there are ways that you can turn that experience into something pleasurable for your customers and good for you. Wouldn’t it be great if your customer could be listening to an interesting message about your business or some great music instead of the ring ring ring of an unanswered phone? These ringback tones can be a valuable way of promoting your business to a captive audience.

For me, my worst hate is the Automated Response. I understand that for some businesses it is vital but you should make sure it is there for the right reason, to help the customer, not to make life easier for you or to save you money.

If you are serious about your business, both offline and online, stop for a minute and go through all the old-fashioned and abandoned, traditional business methods and think of ways you can bring them into the 21st century, remembering to always put your customer first.

Posted in Culture, general business, Marketing, Media, Pat's Blog Posts | 31 Comments »
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Posted by: | on September 24, 2010

Purposeful Networking

Know your target and stay focused.

There are so many ways to network and so many places to network. But the most common complaints I hear from people about networking are:

  • You can’t possibly join that many associations – it’s too costly.
  • I don’t get any business from that networking group, so I am dropping out.
  • I don’t like that group.

I was very lucky to work with a marketing coach early on who advised me to do several things to avoid the above pitfalls. However, I do believe there is a lot of hard work involved, which can result in a lot of busy work if you don’t stay focused. Busy work does not produce revenue, business work does.

Here are my suggestions for purposeful networking:

1.       Identify your target clients. This sounds easy, but take some time to work with someone who can help you know your market. Be specific. For example, if you ran an in-home non-medical caregiver business, your ideal target client profile would be: A working mom in her 50s who has the responsibility for an aging parent. We’ll call that target client Kathy, and we’ll use Kathy as our example for the balance of this article. (Details matter when describing your target audience.)

2.       Where do your target clients hang out? Or to use another term, who are your market makers? Market makers are an entity or person who hangs out with your target clients. For example, Kathy likes to hang out in her professional associations and garden clubs. So join the places where Kathy hangs out. Here are some samples of market makers:

a.       Business trade associations. i.e. NAWBO, eWomen, WPO.

b.      Fortune 500 companies.  i.e. Bank of America, Duke energy, Mecklenburg County School system.

c.       Non-profit organizations. i.e. Goodwill, CharlotteSave (or AmericanSave), United way.

d.      Hobby clubs. Rose and garden clubs, poker clubs, bird watching clubs, running clubs.

e.      Strategic Alliances partners. Hospital, nursing homes, CPA’s, financial advisors.

f.        Religious groups. Church, Bible study group, Buddha study group.

g.       Form your own group. i.e. Heart Link network.

It really depends on who your target clients are. Choose your market makers wisely, because you’ll invest a lot of time, energy, and money into the group. Some may not turn out as well as expected.

3.       Examine why you are doing what you’re doing. People don’t care about WHAT you’re selling. They want to know you and why are you doing what you’re doing. I find this is most difficult for people to define, including myself; work with a coach to form your answer. If you can articulate a story, it’s an instant connection for people. For example, Roberta Franum, owner of the HomeInstead Franchise, provides non-medical in-home care. She tells people that her 92-year-old mother-in-law Eleanor lives with them. She started her business because they had an aging parent to care for and didn’t have a solution. Today, Eleanor has been cared for by HomeInstead for over 10 years.

4.       Clarify your 1-minute commercial with benefits first. Tell people the benefits of working with you. For example, benefits for Kathy; it will give Kathy more time to do what she wants and must do without the worry of taking care of her parent 24/7.

5.       Create connections to Kathy. You’re not going to meet Kathy in your networking meetings. But you’ll meet lots of people who know Kathy. Your job is to make connections.

6.       Get involved in active groups. And since you have to be there on regular basis for networking purposes, you might just get involved or even serve on the board or on a committee. Be your personal walking brand and showcase your capabilities through volunteering.

7.       Follow up within 48 hours after any networking event. People have a very short memory of whom they meet, so follow-up within 48 hours from your event. You can follow-up with a call or email – which ever works best for your business.

8.       Be consistent in showing up. Once you decide who your market makers are, be consistent and show up with intention. Your intention is not just to build awareness of your service, but also to form valuable connections. And don’t just show up at the meetings, but stay in front of the group with updates on your business and valuable tips that may help theirs.

After so many years of networking within my defined market markers, I’ve personally found the most effective way of networking is to be involved with a non-profit organization that I’m passionate about.  If you follow that passion, you may find yourself on a committee working on projects which showcase your capabilities and who you are. Everyone involved in a non-profit organization shares the same reason to be there – passion about what the non-profit is doing.

Be purposeful in your networking. Your time is priceless, so use it wisely.

Chia-Li Chien, CFP®, CRPC, PMP; helps women entrepreneurs to convert their business into meaningful personal wealth.  She is the author of Show Me The Money and columnist for WomenEntrepreneur.com & Fox Business online.   She is available for consulting, speaking engagements and workshops.  She can be reached at www.chialichien.com or jolly@chialichien.com.

Posted in general business, Marketing, Media, Social Media | No Comments »
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Posted by: | on February 15, 2010

Ten Top Reasons to Use Facebook

Facebook has become a way to keep in touch with people you meet and may not see on a regular basis. Ten Top reasons to use Facebook are the following:

  1. You can invite your friends to your business events you are holding or attending.
  2. Once your friends are invited you can see who is attending your event.
  3. You can stay in touch even after a networking event by using the Chat option.
  4. Facebook is like a brochure, flyer or billboard. You can advertise your products or services and give your contact information.
  5. Your followers can join your mailing list or purchase your products without visiting your website.
  6. You can advertise and increase traffic to your blog, articles or website.
  7. Bring increased traffic to your videos or use the video application to advertise your products/services on Facebook.
  8. Using applications like polls promotes interactive communication among followers and other Facebook users.
  9. Advertise your promotions.
  10. Create or join groups that are in your chosen target market.

Do you need help setting up your social media profile? Are you thinking of calling Facebook 911? Would you like to learn more about how to use Facebook?

Watch my Podcast Video Facebook For Beginners.

Watch me on itunes: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=309214867

Posted in internet, Marketing, Media, Social Media | No Comments »
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