It's Been Really Busy
My initial goal of this website was to share the ways I would go about making a few extra dollars per month, in hopes that I would eventually be able to replace my day job.
Well I'm happy to report that I was so busy in January and February that I almost completely ignored this blog. I still checked in and answered the emails that I got, but I didn't have time to share what I had learned. I thought this might be a good time to reflect on the last few months and put down some notes about what's been going on.
One thing I was committed to this year, was signing some bigger clients. I wanted clients that not only had a bit of name recognition, but would also order on a consistent basis. Whether it was luck, or just hard work, I've found one of those clients, so now I've moved on to the next step, which is keeping them happy.
Keeping my customers happy is definitely one of my top priorities, if not the highest priority. Of course bringing in the almighty dollar reigns supreme, but making sure I give each and every client a reason to recommend me to someone else is very important. Having your information handed over to someone else is a very powerful statement. The person giving out your information must think highly of you in order to do so. You wouldn't give your friend a poor mechanic for their car would you? Certainly not, but you would recommend a pizza place that served you right. So word of mouth selling is a wonderful tool when your the one they are talking about.
Making customers happy can also be achieved by getting back to them in a reasonable manner. That means that there is no room for procrastination. Being the one to give someone something when they want it, can most likely be the difference between winning the client now or loosing them forever. I recently signed a customer to a very large garment deal after working with them for 3 months to finalize it. Yes three months is a long sales cycle when it comes to personalized garments, but regardless, now that it's done I've most likely secured a client for many years to come. They will be my client as long as I keep fostering that relationship year after year.
Another important piece that I learned, that may go unnoticed once in a while, is getting yourself paid. Keeping up with invoices is extremely important. Sometimes I get so caught up in each and every order, that I sometimes leave the invoicing for later. As I've found out, this is a big mistake. Believe it or not, customers are not in a big hurry to give you money. I know that sounds strange, but it's the truth, nobody likes to part with their money. I found out the hard way, that making sure you send an invoice as soon as your finished with a job is essential. In fact, don't even move on to the next job unless you've completed the billing cycle. I know from experience, that the moment you think your going to remember something, chances are that you are going to forget something. I actually made a $100 mistake that luckily a very honest customer caught and brought to my attention. I felt that since I treated him right, that he treated me right, so it all worked out, but don't for a minute rely on your memory for everything. Especially when it comes to getting your money.
I'm sure there are a lot more things that have happened over the last few months, but those were the big highlights for me. I do need to get back to reporting my numbers, and I swear to you that I will, but right now I'm fully directed in the area of contacting more potential customers. My dream by the end of the year is to have 10 happy customers that I can honestly say depend on me. I'm getting there with one already, now it's time to make the other 9 fall in place.
Posted on: Mar 12, 2010
Filed in: Business
Tags:
Business, New Business
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