by Rich Bradley on April 13, 2010
I got into an interesting discussion with my co-host, Josh Chandler, on a recent radio show. The discussion started with another host, Jason Sanders, asked me a rather innocent question — how important is writing to a business?
As a former writer, newspaper editor and public relations specialist, nearly all of my post-college experience has dealt with the written word. I know how important writing an be for a business, whether it’s a press release, an advertisement or instructions on how to use or assemble a new product.
Josh, however, disagreed. He stated that in today’s world, he believes that formal writing isn’t that important. He backed up his statement that with the advent of Twitter, Facebook and the like, the ability to be present and to communicate quickly, was more important.
It was a classic generation gap. Josh is 23; I’m 48.
For his generation, which grew up in a world that never knew life without the internet and phones that did more than simply make calls, the “formalness” of writing isn’t important. Instead, the ability to say what you want to say in 140 characters or less (the world of Twitter) is the way to communicate. Grammar, spelling and all else be damned — too wordy, too stuffy, too “old.”
And that’s ok — if you only communicate with people under the age of 25 (or so) and in a non-professional setting. I still believe that good writing — like a cover letter, resume, press release, newspaper and magazine articles — have their places. And if you want to communicate with some of the more traditional business that rely on the written word — banks and lawyers come immediately to mind — you better be prepared to play by their rules.
Maybe one day, Josh’s generation will change everything. Maybe lawsuits will be filed and settled in 140 characters or less. Maybe you’ll be able to e-mail your business plan via video to your banker. Maybe one day you’ll be able to just hit “ok” on a keypad to get a mortgage or buy a car, and not bother with all those messy forms and notaries and lawyers and insurance people.
But until that day arrives — and my belief is that it’s a long, long way away — the written word will still have a purpose.
Even if it’s just to write a blog about how important the written word is.
by joshchandler on April 10, 2010
Jason Sanders of The Value Pages Group announced on the Wednesday 7th April show that I was leaving. It was a tough decision to make.
The show only started back in February and I think that Jason has developed a quality team of business owners who truly offer a unique and insightful opinion to the discussion. The newest addition Carolyn Tann Starr looks to continue that record.
So, I guess you’ll be wondering what exactly caused me to leave the show.
Well, I am currently a entrepreneur who is working towards many long-term goals. I currently own a freelance project management company which is just employing myself at the moment.
I found over the past few weeks that the demand of the work I’ve got have actually detracted from my preparation time for “Get More Business”. As such, not only was I being unfair to the others on the show I was also not focusing fully on the important, paid work I’d attained.
Myself and Jason had spoken numerous times in the weeks beforehand about me leaving. Like I said, it was a tough choice.
I’ve made a video blog on my Youtube Channel which I’d appreciated if you checked out. It helps summarize this matter fully.
Thanks again to Jason for providing me with this valuable learning experience. The Value Pages Group has got tons of potential, and as such I look forward to catching up with Jason in the near future to find out what’s been going on with it.
by Jason Sanders on March 30, 2010
This week’s Get More Business Show will focus on the topic of pricing. Want to see a blank stare? Ask a business owner how they price their product or service. Never has there been a less understood and more crucial business component than pricing.
In this changing market, are your products and/or services priced where they should be? What should be considered when setting prices? How can pricing be a proactive tool to help position your business for success? We’ll get into these questions and more on this week’s Get More Business Show.
Ashley Whittenberger of Interiority Complex will be joining us to share her expertise in what should be considered when determining price. Ashley recently conducted a break down session on the topic of pricing for her peers at the Real Estate Staging Association Conference and has a lot of practical information to share.
Avy Punwasee will also be our guest this week. Avy is coming to us from PricingSolutions.com. Pricing Solutions is the go to resource for pricing strategy for many large multi-national corporations such as Aramark, IBM, FedEx, Marriott, Pfizer and many more. We’re fortunate to have the resource for in depth pricing advice on the Get More Business Show.
Hopefully you can catch the show live on Wednesday March 31 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern (US). If you have a question about pricing, there’s never been a better chance to get a qualified answer. Feel free to call in with your questions, thoughts and comments! (646) 595-4184. If you can’t make the live show, you can always listen to the recorded podcast of the show anytime at your convenience. Just use the BlogTalkRadio player that appears at the top of the sidebars.
This is a show that you can’t afford to miss! Literally.
Jason Sanders @ValuePagesGroup
Business Networking Specialist
Help Spread The Word!
by Jason Sanders on March 30, 2010
On this past week’s Get More Business Show, we talked a little bit about starting a business and what you need to consider to not only be successful, but to grow your business and grow it fast. We had an excellent example in our guest Adam Horning.
I won’t recount everything that he said (Feel free to listen for yourself by using the player that appears above the sidebars.), but one thing really stood out to me after our conversation. From a very early stage, Adam Horning was thinking of his small landscaping business, Horning Landscaping as much bigger than it actually was.
When it came time for him to expand his business, he didn’t just think about filling an immediate need, but he showed forsight in setting up an infastructure that would support growth in his business for years to come.
Many people start their own business to escape the rules and mentality of corporate world. For this reason, organization, structure, and infastructure are often put on the back burner, if not completely discarded. Without this attention to detail, a businesses growth will metamorphasize the company into a collection of individuals instead of a formidable team.
Adam recognized that his particular approach to his business is what made him successful. And so it was not lost on him that this approach must be preserved as his business grew. This forsight not only kept Horning Landscaping on course, but it also simplified Adam’s training and management requirements. He was able to spend more time focusing on growing the business instead of micromanaging the troops. And the proof is in the results, as he was able to grow to a gross revenue of nearly 1 million dollars in only a little over 5 years.
The importance of infastructure cannot be overstated. Is this something that you’ve been ignoring for too long? Have you experienced success by building your organazation around a rock solid infastructure? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments section!
Jason Sanders @ValuePagesGroup
Business Networking Specialist
Help Spread The Word!
by Sheila O'Mara on March 25, 2010
On Wednesday, March 24, the TVPG, Get More Business, Radio Show had a guest on the show. Adam Horning was our guest and shared with us some of his techniques for taking a very small start up business in 2005, in a very crowded field, to company that made just shy of a million dollars last year. Adam did a fabulous job not only adding revenue and also employees and that is great for him and his local economy.
Adam doesn’t have a magic product and is very reasonable in his pricing – I would say on the reasonable end without a doubt. He has built this company by recognizing some very simple ideas very early on and capitalizing on them. Allow me to share …
Adam recognized after his first season in the business, that in order to continue growing he would have to duplicate himself. Always mindful of customer service and satisfaction, he determined that the best way to make sure that employees followed the same techniques and procedures was to draw up a series of SOPs: Standard Operating Procedures. Those few SOPs have evolved into a manual that supervisors within the company must take a test on the material. By setting the same standard for his employees and he did for himself, Adam’s company has grown significantly.
Adam took a real leap of faith when trying to find people that would maintain the same level of consistant customer care as he did. The manual helped in amazing ways and I encourage all business owners who are or are not seeking to employ others to do the same thing. Writing out your standard operating procedures for all aspects of the business is just smart, but so often overlooked. Look at where it brought Adam in only four years. If you start out with your “manual” in the beginning, then when it is time to expand and grow, bringing on new team members will be much easier.
I know that my lack of having written SOPs is one of the reasons I have not expanded yet. I can’t imagine where I am going to find the time to write out all of the things I do and how I want them done. If I had done it from the very beginning, it would be a no-brainer now and imagine how much bigger my company could be. I get approximately 3 calls a month from people that would like to work with me – shame on me for not having the “manual” done. I have learned a whole lot from Adam’s technique and it will be something I will work on in the future.
One of the other elements of Adam’s business that impressed me was his advertising. He did not take huge ads out in print media. He pounded the pavement with flyers and grew by word of mouth. We all know that word of mouth can be difficult to rely on, but because he is so committed to customer satisfaction and care, it works for him. Having a referral based business can only be achieved if you do what you say you will and gaining the consumer’s trust. Adam’s training of his employees has helped him maintain those standards even if he is not personally on the job site.
It was a great show this week. If you did not catch the live version, please listen to the podcast. If you are a start up business owner or even one that is looking to expand, then this is really a show for you.
