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28
Jul
Read MorePaper Bag Bandits
Did you hear about the rather lucrative printer cartridge deal? The highlight for me was the public servant who: ‘... bought enough black toner cartridges to supply the government department for 40 years — despite toner cartridges expiring after two years.’ As my taxes paid this person’s salary, I felt encouraged by her initiative and commitment. Then I wondered if you’ve been stung by either end of the corruption cattle prod. Tagged & Bagged There are two sides to every story. And difficult times tend to throw these into high relief. On one side, we have flawed humans with the power to make purchasing decisions. On the other, hungry companies desperate to make a deal. If a wad of loot were to find its way into a brown paper bag, and that bag were to find its way into a pocket, and the owner of that pocket were to award a lucrative contract, who would be the wiser? This is a new area for me. Whenever I’ve been desperate for business, I’ve been way too desperate to contribute to anyone’s slush fund. When I’ve been in positions of power, the most I ever got was a bag of lollies from a printing firm. Guilty! Actually, now that I think about it, those lollies worked a treat. They were red, like raspberries, but in the shape of a K. Even better, they had a hard, chewy consistency (like the long-discontinued, sadly missed battleship lollies of my youth). The flavour was intense. The company was ... ... it’s coming to me ... Kwik Kopy! Yes! That’s right: that’s what the K was for! A little bag of red jelly Ks came with each Kwik Kopy print order delivered. It was a mere handful, but the effect was profound. Enough, even, to make a man forget his aversion to phonetic spelling. Whenever these arrived in the design studio, we fell upon them like orphan zombies. After a few sugar hits, I started hassling the Production Manager to use Kwik Kopy all the time. Mea Culpa And so I stand before you, a corrupt and broken citizen. Will you flay my flesh or sympathise with my human failings? Maybe you have even more shocking tales to tell. Don’t be shy; there’s a lot of it about. To get you thinking, I’ve provided some interrogation questions (sorted in decreasing likelihood of you ignoring them). Confess! Have you (or anyone in your business) ever: Taken a bribe? Offered one? Seen one change hands? Been beaten in a pitch because of one? Suspected as much? Been tempted to ‘grease the rails’ in your favour? For the record, I once considered bribing my ‘builder’ to do what I’d paid him to. But since he already had all our money (plus a lot more that didn’t belong to us) I realised the effect would be negligible. It’s now down to you. Think carefully. And tell all! Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
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26
Jul
Read MoreSome exciting changes at the Small Business Owner blog.
No-one goes through their entire life with the same hairstyle – and neither do we here at the Small Business Owner blog. Thanks to you, this blog has been such an incredible success that it’s getting a fabulous new makeover! The team at MYOB has loved bringing you the latest thoughts from the wordsmith de jour, Paul Hassing - so much so, that we’ve cleared some space on our website and custom built a brand new platform! It’s called The Pulse, and we’re very excited to introduce it to you. It’s launching tomorrow night, but we thought as loyal Small Business Owner fans, we’d give you the first sneak peek (glamour shot above). :) It’s going to be a hub of news and social media – think of it as your one-stop-shop to get your finger on ‘the pulse’ (excuse the pun) of everything business owners are keen to know about. We’ll have a section for business owners, one for accountants, and also some space so you can get insights, tips and views from our team, as well as a sneak peek into life in the MYOB offices. We’ll also have plenty of new authors to introduce to you. We’re positive you’ll like them as much as Paul. But what does this mean for Paul and his delightfully entertaining posts? Absolutely nothing! Paul will continue to provide the Tuesday and Thursday posts you know and love, and, like always, he’ll be around to chat and respond to your comments. For now, we’ll also be leaving the Small Business Owner blog live, so you can revisit all your favourite posts whenever you like. We like to think of it like moving house. We’ll miss the place that’s been our home for the last few years, but we’re pretty excited about moving into brand new digs! So now it’s time to pack those boxes. We’ve spent plenty of time tossing around ideas about the best way to transition to The Pulse. Until we realized that the best part of the Small Business Owner blog is all of your amazing insights, knowledge and experiences. So who better to help us?! While we’ll keep Paul’s pieces here for a few more weeks, we’ll also be posting them on The Pulse. Eventually, we’ll move across there permanently. We’ll let you know well in advance before that happens, and make sure to post plenty of links here at the Small Business Owner blog so you can find us. So, without further adieu, we open the floor to you all. Have you ever made the move to a new blog or website? How did you do it? What worked? What didn’t? How would you think the blog should move into its new digs at The Pulse? Emma Mulquiney | Online Editor MYOB
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21
Jul
Read MorePaper Runs
I must get a proper NO JUNK MAIL sign. Each time my home-made one falls off, I have a Brazil moment. Someone, somewhere, must benefit from this bumf. But who?! Client companies? Ad agencies? Graphic designers? Printers? Paper mills? Plantation foresters? Walkers? Dogs? Customers? Australia Post? Certainly not me. How about you? Do you like receiving unsolicited print advertising? Is (or was) it part of your business marketing mix? Captive Audience Keep Australia Beautiful and Eco Voice want us to read catalogues online A fine idea. So far, they have ... six. Either it’s early days, or we really like ads in our letter box. I’ve heard older people look forward to them as bona fide reading materials. Perhaps the appeal is more widespread. Perhaps I’m missing the point. Here’s Australia Post’s take, with a handy link to Do Not Mail. I wish they cared as much about their rubber bands. My Do Not Fax registration ran out recently, but that’s another story. Sign of the Times With regard to stickers, I could move to Willougby where they’re giving ‘em away. Maybe NO JUNK MAIL is too terse. Perhaps I should go with the softer No Advertising Material Please. I wonder if it makes a difference. Boxed in In one of my lean years, I tried a casual brochure delivery job. By faithfully obeying NO JUNK MAIL signs, I had many brochures left over. The distribution firm: Accused me of not doing my job. Ordered me to ignore the signs. Threatened to do spot checks in my territory. When I later found great bundles of fliers dumped in vacant lots, I realised why I wasn’t trusted. I also saw other ‘walkers’ in action. (Never any kids, though; unlike decades past.) Some posted so carelessly, the merest zephyr strew their stuff across the street. Not a good look for the firms who’d paid to feature. I wrote to several, flagging their wasted budgets. A couple replied, but without enthusiasm. Here & Now As our world hurtles to ruin, I feel the need to query unsolicited print advertising once more. Therefore, do you: Make it? Get it? Use it? Love it? Hate it? We’re at a crossroads. Show us your papers! :| Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
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19
Jul
Read MoreMaking Stuff Up
We’ve seen how business strap lines can become part of mainstream culture. How about words? Hoover, Xerox and Google all went from brand names to generic English terms. Can we give our brands a similar boost? Word Up In almost every book he writes, Seth Godin either invents or takes control of another term, from permission marketing to purple cow to linchpin. These terms have helped cement his place as a global thought leader. Should we, as businesspeople, do likewise? Liferal I’ve been trying to get liferal in the dictionary for years. It wasn’t doing much, until it featured on national radio this month. The ABC kindly agreed to add an Empire link and suddenly I’m getting more traffic from here than anywhere else. Having the nation’s broadcaster pointing at my site should boost its search engine ranking. Will this translate into business? Probably not immediately or directly. But it should add to my long term momentum. Swagger Our Mike Boyle is also on a word quest. As a sales specialist, he’s been trying to find (or create) the perfect word to encapsulate the quality of a great salesperson. Here’s what Mike says about his term, swagger: Sales people aren’t born; they’re trained. High performance sales comes from developing through four stages: Build a sales PROCESS. Conduct ACTIVITY around that process. From your wins and good losses build SWAGGER. Through refinement create sales EFFECTIVENESS and efficiency. Of these, swagger is the key enabler of rock-star sales people. We’ve racked our brains to find a different word, because swagger doesn’t quite cut it. Poor sales people are arrogant and pushy. Great sales people have a certain rare vibe/force/thing about them that makes them stand out. A calm urgency, coolness with persuasion, confidence with empathy and directness with rapport. These behaviours, seemingly at odds, perfectly describe swagger. The trouble is, swagger can also mean pompous. So I’ve also toyed with sales essence, but it’s still not right. If your readers have a better word, I’d love to hear it! Say the Word The best I can come up with is elan (energy, style and enthusiasm). Mike doesn’t think this beats swagger. He’s still searching. If he succeeds, the world will know him as the bloke who invented the magic word. Can you suggest a better term than swagger, sales essence or elan? Failing that, do you have a special word you’d like to promote? If not, what’s your favourite made-up (or appropriated) word and who owns it? What good has it done them? This forum is open, sesame! :) Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
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14
Jul
Read MoreSmoke ‘em if you got ‘em
Here’s a business tip I learnt the hard way: If you get a gig, job, order, project, piece of work or commission, do it NOW. If you don’t, it may not be there tomorrow. For several reasons. Unkind Cut A large IT firm gave me 100 recruitment ads to critique. I toiled for much of Easter, getting 50 done. Then I rewarded myself with a couple of days off. When my client returned to work, he found his budget slashed by overseas corporate masters. He was forced to cancel the project. He paid me for what I’d done, which was half of what I could’ve done, had I pressed on. As this happened when I was just starting out, I felt the revenue loss keenly. Mind Altering I was asked to source radio jingles for an automotive firm. I offered the job to Adam, who quoted $3000. The client approved the quote and Adam pulled several all-nighters to write, perform and record some rippers in double-quick time. But before I could send them to the client, she abruptly changed her mind and tried to cancel the project. Fortunately, I still had her email approval, so we had her cold. Had Adam waited a few days, he’d have missed out on a lucrative gig. Off Balance Of course, this hot-iron-striking advice flies in the face of all our warm fuzzies about taking care of ourselves in business. We’ve had wonderful suggestions about negotiating realistic deadlines, operating within our limits, maintaining work-life balance and so on. But as GFC II threatens, I wonder if we can afford to dawdle on such shifting sands. Vexed issues are best handled by the fine minds that inhabit this space. And so I put it to you. Your View When you get a piece of business, do you: a) Luxuriate in the prospect and do it as, and when, you see fit. b) Seize it as if it were your last meal on earth and devour it on the spot. c) Attend to it fairly smartly, but without unseemly haste. d) Handle it some other way (please describe). ? The clock’s ticking. Let’s get to work! ... No? ... How about later? ... ... Never mind. :) Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
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12
Jul
Read MoreSour Cream & the Metagame
We can reasonably describe business as a game. There are certainly winners and losers. Gaming is an important analogy. These days, it’s not enough to merely play the game. Because chances are, your customers are playing the metagame. What’s the Metagame? The metagame comprises all out-of-game elements that affect in-game decisions. You’re playing the metagame if: Having learnt from past poker nights that I’m a bluffer, you ‘see’ me more often. Having read that tanks are popular with wargamers, you proactively build anti-tank guns. So what’s this got to do with business? Creamed I needed sour cream. Out of sympathy, I went to the lady grocer being crushed by the new kid on our block. She had cream, but it was a day past use-by. I asked what became of post-use-by food. She said she threw it away. Given use-by dates’ error margin, I considered this a waste and a missed recycling opportunity. So I asked if, since the cream had zero value to her, I could have it. She said I could, if I paid for it. Here the game ended, and the metagame began. Game On The grocer’s reply was understandable in the context of her business. But not in the context of looming competitors and pedantic greenies (the metagame). She alienated me by: Offering to sell a technically worthless item. Preferring to trash food rather than generate goodwill with a regular customer. From wanting to support her, I couldn’t wait to cross the street to her rival. Not Just Me This thing scales. When big retailers ran full-page ads demanding GST for online shopping, they ignored the metagame. Instead of convincing government, they alienated their customers and drew even more attention to online shopping. Tiny, seemingly insignificant decisions can lose you customers for life. I grant that I’m a twitchy case. But in these tricky times, I don’t think any of us can relax in the comfort of our long-cherished (yet possibly quite perilous) perceptions. The Tribe Speaks What elements (if any) comprise your metagame? Do your customers play it? Do you? Have you ever ditched a supplier (or lost a client) due to something way out of left field? Tell us about it. We love hearing your thoughts and stories. Survivors ready! ... GO! :) Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire
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