Business Owners Start the New Year Right!

Wow 5 days to New Years!

San Diego Small Business Owners Rate your business practices:

1. I have good book keeping software and use it
2. I back up MY complete computer regularly
2. I have good records about my customers
4. My Web site, and Shopping Cart and are up to date and look good
5. My customers can contact me easily
6. I have cleaned up existing warranty, quality, and other product issues.
7. I have a plan on how to reduce my shipping costs
8. I have maximised my selling channels
9. I am ready for tax fillings
10. My computers are running well
11. My Business Plan is current

Perhaps, for you, some of the above are New Years resolution material.

Start the year with a clean slate. Contact me for a free 1/2 hour consultation via phone.

“Break the Trance” Says Dave Brown!

Webster's Dictionary defines trance as a stupor, or a daze.

Sometimes we are in a trance in the way we conduct ourselves in our business or personal lives.

There is a new Blog by Dave Brown: Please Pass the PASTA.

Dave's first post is, “Ten Ways to identify, “Break the Trance” and learn how to dance with your Trance”. The first step, Dave writes is to, "Recognize the signs of your trance. Write down five to ten concrete and specific behavioral, emotional andintellectual patterns that indicate that you are in your trance."

Just as your business will benefit from a “Computer Coach” you will also benefit from a professional life coach! Dave is an accomplished Executive Coach - Mentor - Personal Advisor and Business Coach. He is based in Del Mar, California. You will benefit from what he has to say! (and the way he says it!). His web site is, Dave Brown Coaching.

Vista – The Myth and the Reality for San Diego Business Owners

In the last several weeks I have done 4 Vista installs and or upgrades. I have just converted the machine that I use the most to Vista Ultimate.

Vista has been out since January 2007. I usually wait a least 1 year before I install a new operating system but I needed to stay current with this new technology. So, I decided to use Vista every day.

First reaction - I think Vista Ultimate is the fist big step forward since Windows 3.1! Vista is GREAT!

The “MAC versus the PC” commercials are very entertaining but they don't reflect the experiences that I and probably millions of others have with Vista. I am not an unconditional Microsoft fan, however my expectations were substantially exceeded Vista.
No problems with install!

• All my drivers were found (I used 1 XP driver for a RAID card that was ”not supported” by Vista)
• Programs seemed to run faster
• I have not had an application “hang” since I installed vista

My computer environment is a low end machine by vista standards:

• ASUS mother board (P4P800-MX)
• P4 4 Hz processor
• 3 gigs memory
• 1 60 gig mirrored disks
• 2 160 gigs

I installed an OEM version of Vista Ultimate on a clean disk. Over the next several posts I will review the features that I find most interesting for the home and the business user.

Customer Service and Your San Diego Business

I think that there is still hope for he smaller regional retail and service businesses in San Diego given my experience with Macy's (The department store).

While in New York my “GF” shopped at the flagship Macy's store in Herald Square (34th Street). She purchased several items to be shipped to us in California.

A week later I tried to get a tacking number for the shipment. After an hour of calling the store I had no luck in reaching any one who could help me. However, I did reach several rude and or untrained employees.

Last Monday I decided to try again. After a half hour of making several calls I finally reached the administrative assistant to the store manager. After getting some information from the sales slip she got me the tracking number in 1 minute!

I decided to write the CEO of Macy's:

Terry J. Lundgren
Chairman, President &
Chief Executive Officer
Macy's, Inc.

about my poor customer service experience. I needed to confirm his mailing address. I got his administrative assistant on the first call in about a minute!

I will publish the letter to Terry (mailed today) and the response if any.

Lessons I learned:

• No process for tracking in store shipments that is known to employees
• When in New York don't shop at Macy's and ship it home
• It is easier and faster to call the office of the CEO of Macy's and speak to a human (Margaret) than it is to get a response from the 34th Street store to a simple question regarding a purchase. (One minute versus 1 ½ hours.)
  

Lessons for business owners:

• The basics of customer service is to help the customer
• Employee training in customer service is KEY
• Make employes aware that thy should always offer to take the customers contact information so the appropriate person in your business can resolve the issue.

More on this latter.

MySpace and Web Site E-marketing One San Diego Example

For businesses catering to the edgy, young, trendy, urbans, the importance of e-marketing to reach your demographics is KEY.

The first thing you need is a great product! No problem for Barrie the designer and self styled "cornfed fashionwhore". The clothes are HOT, EDGY, and priced affordable!. You can see her stuff 12/2 at "The Fashion Event" (THREAD San Diego - Sunday December 2, 2007 The Aerospace Museum, Balboa Park..)


An example of this relationship between a web site and a MySpace site is her sites: http://www.fablesbybarrie.com/ and her MySpace site Cornfed by Barrie.

Her MySpace site has more of the current events, personal feel, and edgy graphics, while the web site gives the clothes and how to buy center stage. Both work well together. If your market is 18-35's this is the kind of thinking that will help create the Buzz or "Urban Stampede" (as I call it) for your business.

See you at the Show!