BRG Manly

Good quality referrals are what BRG is all about. We aim to learn as much about each other as possible so as we can consistently deliver this quality.

So, once we’ve done this and passed on the referral, what is next?

What are your expectations for the referral?

How do you expect your referrals to be treated? Ie; phone call within 24 hours, quotes delivered within x time etc;

Do you frame up the referral for what they can expect?

Do you follow up or ask for feedback?

How can you communicate your expectations?

How do you resolve any miscommunication or lower than expected levels of service?

When building referral relationships, why not put together a charter of your expectations so as your referral partners are fully aware of your expectations? This makes qualifying the referral more powerful also, as they will be aware of the level of service they can expect, which leads to no less than a WIN, WIN, WIN relationship.

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

[First published in Flying Solo]

Last week I was cleaning my bathroom and skanking to the sounds of Madness. My height necessitates a bit of jumping when doing housework and yes I am an 80s ska child.

For some reason they’ve covered “Lola” (L-O-L-A Lola) on one of their more recent albums. Everyone seems to have covered this song.

It got me wondering. Sure, it is a cute song. But probably a bit like The Crying Game –  best appreciated when you’re not aware of the ending.

I asked myself  why does everybody cover this song? Are they out of ideas? Is it still a better idea than any they’ve had recently (despite everybody already knowing the key twist), does it just sound good, what?

It struck a chord with me and business. While there isn’t much new under the sun, why do so many people in business worry about what everyone else is doing?

It got me thinking about what I’ve heard and learnt over recent years.

There seem to be several main ideas around keeping an eye on what your competition does.

There’s the “you have to know what your competition are up to” theory which, quite frankly, to me sounds like too much hard work on someone else’s business. There’s a lot of competition out there. Just how close an eye am I to keep on them? You know what is wrong with your business. A little more inward focus and time spent fixing those things may be a better idea.

There’s the “identify what your competition do well/bad and then copy/avoid that” theory. That one sounds quite boring but it can certainly give your new business a kick-start. I remember watching Dick Smith on television many years ago. He was asked how he’d set up a new business. The reporter was surprised to hear him say “I’d find one I like and set up next door”. When asked why he said “because all my customers are already there and I just have to be better than the other guy” or words to that effect. It was a long time ago for my memory to be word perfect but the theory stuck with me.

And then there’s my favourite theory “don’t give a damn about what your competition are up to”. Be it good or bad why would you want to do the same thing as your competition? How does that differentiate you from them? It doesn’t that’s how! Right now “niche” is supposedly where “it” is at. When it comes to being unique this makes sense. Besides, having the competitions’ mode of operation floating around in your head means that, like it or not, you’ll unknowingly start heading down the same path as them. Besides, I don’t believe in competition. There’s plenty out there for everyone so why fight over scraps?

I’ve found being unique easiest when I’ve not been thinking to hard about it. When I am just being me and running my business my way, going with my gut and being playful. Often that isn’t as easy as it sounds. Sure I have to obey some rules and if I am smart avoid some traps with judicious research, but on the whole I’ve found NOT “doing what everyone else does” much more satisfying.

I think I’ll start a band! No, everybody does that.

[as published on Australian Anthill Online]

Dear oh dear the noise about internet privacy over the last few weeks has been annoying.

Know-nothing politicians trying to tell pioneers of internet domination how to go about business, people crying about how a free service is treating them, employment choices being won and lost on the results of search engine queries and on it goes.

I’m sure we’ve all heard horror stories. Someone we know has taken a photo of their own bottom, uploaded it to a web site to show their friends only to be surprised when they become the darling of the Friday afternoon email set. A friend of a friend tweets having slept with a friend’s partner and wonders just how the hell they found out. Chucking a sicky just got a whole lot harder for those addicted to social media.

In my line of work I have to put myself in the shoes of those among us who don’t know much about computers. The easy part is telling them that anything they put on the web can be found by someone else. The hard part is explaining why.

It is not about the privacy settings or what various entities say they will or won’t do with your information. It is about what happens when things go wrong. No matter what box you tick, when someone deliberately hacks into a database, accidentally releases passwords to a public web site or the program controlling the effect of that tick box just doesn’t work then your private information will get out.

Sooner or later through these, or any number of other potential SNAFUs, your privacy will be compromised.

Let me ask you this. Are you aware of how hard you are battling to keep the data on your computer private? The computer in front of you right now?

You probably know you are running a firewall, you probably know you are running some sort of anti-malware product, you probably know you are running some sort of anti-phishing product…or maybe not. My point is that you are battling to be master of your own domain, what chance do you have once your data is in the wild?

Despite all the rhetoric, the owners of the space where your data lives don’t actually care about you. They care about the majority of their customers. The customers they like and the customers who don’t complain about what they are getting free of charge. Often they don’t even care when you are paying for their services.

While there are benefits to be had by being “out there” for both your business and your social life, and I mean your actual get-off-your-arse-and-do-something social life, the value of this versus the risk of your privacy being compromised can only be judged by you.

Sometimes the path of least resistance is not only the best path but the only path.

Recently it was claimed that 300,000 people closed their FaceBook accounts in protest at changes to privacy options. Last time I checked FaceBook was not owned by those 300,000 people and it was free for them to use.

There’s been a lot of whinging but those folks did the right thing. If you don’t like it, get off.

If I owned Facebook and people where whinging to me about what I did with my company I’d tell them to rack-off. You can’t make everybody happy and you go mad if you try.

The first time I checked, and every time up until the present, there’s no such thing as privacy on the internet. I am not talking about security, I am talking about privacy. If you don’t want it seen, then don’t put it out there. This is not a new concept, the technology has changed, that’s all.

As winter approaches it is often difficult to wake up each day feeling motivated,

invigorated and excited about your day. How do we overcome this?

What keeps you motivated?

Do you set work/life balance goals?

Do you maintain a regular fitness plan?

How do you increase energy levels when it is cold and rainy?

Do you start new projects in business and personally to keep some excitement in your life?

What are your tips for staying motivated?

“Well begun is half done” ~ Aristotle

It seems like the use of social media is taking over the world…. and many people’s lives.

How can this communication tool be used to promote your business?

It seems like the use of social media is taking over the world…. and many people’s lives.

How can this communication tool be used to promote your business?

Do you use Linked In, Facebook or Twitter as a marketing tool?

How can social media be used for business? How effective has this been?

How much time do you spend, daily or weekly updating and checking the sites?

What are the pro’s and con’s of using social media for your business?

What are the best sites to get started on?

What tips do you have to ensure social media becomes an effective marketing tool for businesses?

If you haven’t had any experience with social media, take a look at www.linkedin.com – social business networking site for a huge database of professionals.

www.facebook.com – social media website that allows users to stay-up-to date, message, share websites, promote your business, plan events etc.

www.twitter.com – social media and micro-blogging website where users can broadcast short, status-like updates that are a maximum of 140 characters in length, called “Tweets”, to other Twitter users, particularly those who follow you.you use Linked In, Facebook or Twitter as a marketing tool?

We all use IT in various forms and we all complain about IT problems from time to time. How do you know if your IT is working efficiently for you? Unless you get the advice from an expert, this saying has never been more true………..”you don’t know what you don’t know”.
A discussion topic for your IT Consultant to lead…..
What are the obvious signs that our systems are not efficient?
What tips do you have to make our systems more efficient?
How often should we upgrade our systems?
Is there a checklist of potential problems we should be keeping an eye on before we make the distress call to you?
How do we become an ideal IT Client? Ie focussing on prevention rather than cure.

Hello,
Would you like to find out the “10 Secrets your computer technician doesn’t want you to know”?
Then sign up to I Hate My PC’s famous newsletter to receive this exclusive and valuable report FREE.

http://ihatemypc.com.au/special-offer.html

It is only available to NEW subscribers of our much-loved and entertaining newsletter.
This report will save you time and money. This offer is available for a limited.
NOTE: The report will be emailed to you the day after you sign up.

Thanks and enjoy!
David Moore – Principle PC Wrangler, www.ihatemypc.com.au

http://anthillonline.com/8-ways-business-owners-sabotage-their-success-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/

by April 12, 2010 | By Rhondalynn Korolak

Do you have challenges in your business that really bug you and no matter what you try, they just don’t seem to go away???
Chances are others in your group currently experience or have experienced the same challenge.
We all have certain challenges in business. The most common are
? Staff
? Managing Cashflow
? Generating leads
? Systems
? Managing growth
Your fellow BRG members could be your “Board of Advisors”. Why not use their wealth of experience and expertise to overcome a challenge you are experiencing.
This discussion topic gives you the opportunity to gain some valuable advice from your fellow members to deal with your challenges.
“In the business world, the rear view mirror is always clearer than the windshield.” – Warren Buffett

What are you going to do about it?

No one can expect to just turn up, or sometimes not even turn and get referrals. It just doesn’t happen like that.

Your rewards are a direct result of the effort you put in.

You can’t expect a HSC student to simply attend their classes without doing any homework or study for exams and then receive top marks. It’s the extra work that gives you the rewards.

Here’s some very simple ways you can greatly improve your likelihood of generating referrals……

• Contributor….. do you provide your fellow members with information which may help them in their businesses? Do you freely offer assistance or advice (givers gain)? Do you add value to your meetings, ie: through your presentation or business discussions?

• Connector…..do you put people in touch with each other ie; “I know someone who could help you with that?” Are you genuinely interested in other people’s business…. One of the most powerful questions you can ask another member is…. “Please tell me more about your business so as I can find qualified referrals for you?” Guess what happens? The moment you genuinely become interested in their business, they become interested in yours!!

• Communicator ….do you stay in touch with people outside your regular meetings? Do you catch up for coffee or email them some interesting information you have come across?

• Consistency….. Do you do what you say you will? Can people rely on you? Do you regularly attend meetings? It’s the only way to gain trust!

Generating referrals is all up to YOU! Practice these 4C’s and see the rewards. It works!

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” – Robert J Collier