Have you ever called for a lawn service, someone to repair your car, paint your house, replace your roof and not get a call back? Obviously you’re not alone. Have you  heard independent contractors complaining about the poor economy and how it’s hurting their business? Do you think these two scenarios just might be connected?

Responsiveness is critically important to the success of your business. It is the window through which your clients and prospects see you.

I received a recall notice by postcard about my Jeep Wrangler. It needed a part replaced. The postcard gave me the name of a dealer who would do the repair and the telephone number. I called and asked for service. No one answered. I left a message and asked them to call back. I did this three times. Right, I too wondered why. I also called the dealership’s general manager, left a message, and, correct, did not receive a return call. I took the car to another dealership. And just in case your wondering, I checked, the dealership was open and in business when I called.

One of the easiest self-sabotaging behaviors to correct is to return your calls. If you are in the personal services business, contracting business, or quite frankly any business, returning a call will be one of your easy to recognize differentiators. Why? Because many of your competitors don’t. You’ve heard the saying that half of what it takes to win is showing up. Well, returning a call is "showing up".

Our advice is simple, yet difficult for some to do:

• Return your calls. All of your calls and ideally within one (max two) business days.
• We do make exceptions for telemarketers (don’t waste your valuable time)
• If you cannot help the caller, recommend someone who can
• This also applies to email, since email is becoming more common as a way to contact a business.

Running a successful business is not easy, but by returning your calls you will use a no cost, low risk way to better position your business with your clients and prospects and distinguish yourself/your business among the rest.

Copyright 2009 Kubica and LaForest

In Star Trek, The Next Generation, there is a famous line that Captain Jean-Luc Picard said to his first officer Commander William T. Riker: make it so number one. It’s a great line. But television rarely represents reality, and this is no exception. While Commander Riker may have dutifully executed Captain Picard’s order, how many times have you asked a subordinate to do something and it was done immediately and as you expected? Perhaps you are one of the fortunate few, but far too many executives we met expressed frustration in getting their subordinates to do what they ask them to do, when they asked them to do it and to get the results expected.

We tell executives never to assume that saying something once will result in immediate compliance – or even delayed compliance for that matter. What often happens is the group listens, smiles, nods in agreement, then goes back to doing what they were doing. And, it’s not what you asked them to do.

To get your message out and get the staff to respond timely, we advise executives and managers to:

• Recognize that your staff will usually not immediately do what you asked them to do
• Recognize  that you, the leader, may be contributing to poor responsiveness and that it is your responsibility to be clear on:
  • What you want done – the objective
  • Why you want it done – the purpose and reasons behind it
  • The benefits to be achieved when it’s done – for the organization and for the individual(s) – remember people listen to WIFM  – what’s in it for me.
  • And consistent with your message by giving the same message regardless of whom you are talking to in the organization and by acting in a way that is consistent with your message – walking the talk.
• Recognize that if you frequently change your mind and show the same sense of urgency with many new initiatives, your credibility as an executive will be severely damaged. Consistency and focus are important.

One final point. In dealing with organization-wide change initiatives we found the following approach to be particularly effective. When you are tired of saying the same thing over and over again and you are just about ready to give up in frustration, remind yourself that your staff is just beginning to hear you. Overstated – perhaps a bit, but important to remember.

For more information on communicating change and overcoming employee resistance, see the article "Workplace change made (more) easily" under Resources at www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com

Copyright 2009 Kubica and LaForest

But everyone knows this right? Apparently not because many business people don’t do it.

Success in business is all about good relationships. No relationships: no trust. No trust; no credibility. No credibility; no interest. No interest; no business. It’s that simple.

In last week’s Blog we wrote about the corporate refugee: the person who leaves a corporation either on their own or involuntarily. Many of these folks talk about starting a business. Some actually do.

One of the most important issues they, and everyone starting a business, must realize and accept is the importance of building real relationships. We buy from people we like.

We know an individual who was a CFo for a major healthcare system. He voluntarily resigned his position with the hope of starting a consulting business. He sincerely believed that his experience and repute in the industry would bring in clients. He had a field of dreams mindset – if I offer it, they will come. They didn’t.

When we talked with him it became readily apparent that he was neither attentive to nor good at building relationships. In his previous role he didn’t have to build relationships with others. They had to build a relationship with him. When he started his own business, he brought with him this "corporate baggage". One year later he took a job at a small community hospital.

What could he have done differently and what can we learn from his experience?

• Understand the importance of building relationships
• Understand that building relationships takes time, intention and attention
• Conduct a personal self-assessment three months and six months into his new business and honestly ask himself why he isn’t getting clients
  • Has he talked to and maintained communication with his prospects?
  • How many prospects has he talked to so as to continue building his sales pipeline?
  • How many discussions led to a viable opportunity
    • Has he examined these winning relationships and relationship building strategies so he can replicate them with future prospects?
  • How many viable opportunities resulted in business
  • Talk with a trusted advisor, someone wh
  • is successful doing what he wants t
  • do, and ask for and accept honest and candid feedback

Your interest in building real relationships is a choice. How you choose, and what actions you take – or don’t take, will set the groundwork for your future.

For more information see the article on our website "The Engagement Factor: 6 Tips for Accelerating Success through Relationship Building."

Copyright 2009 Kubica and LaForest

The national unemployment rate reached 8.5% in March 2009 and was widespread across industry sectors. A number of states currently have an unemployment rate over 10%. With rising unemployment, we will see more people think seriously about starting their own business. And some will actually do it.

Starting your own business is exciting and worthwhile. The glamour of being your own boss is enticing. As you start your venture into entrepreneurship, here are some key points to consider:

• Remember, behavior that was acceptable in the corporate world may not be tolerated in the entrepreneurial world
• Being in you own business is about being in the marketing and sales business. No money comes in until a sale is made. You must market.
• Initially you will see your entire staff in the mirror every morning and you could find your worst boss.
• Great friends you had in the company, may not return your calls
• Vendors who pampered you, may not return your calls

We often see people who leave the corporate environment behave similarly to the way they behaved in the organization they just left: arriving late for meetings; slow return email; not tolerating disagreement; hubris. Certainly not all, but enough to make it a concern and worth mentioning.

So, what should you do as you set out to start your own business? Here’s our success tips:

• Learn as much as you can from successful entrepreneurs about what they did and are doing to be successful
• Read about successful start ups
• Find a trusted friend or trusted advisor who isn’t intimidated by you and who will give you honest and candid feedback
• It’s OK to take advice from your lawyer and accountant, but balance it with people who are doing what you plan to do
• Do not accept or listen to unsolicited advice. Everybody has an opinion and too often their opinion is about what’s best for them, not what’s best for you

Starting your own business is a worthwhile goal and it can be rewarding – if you think it through and act accordingly.

Copyright 2009 Kubica and LaForest