Tuesday, June 29  

Passion and building a business

I love this

It's 8.36 pm on Tuesday night. I'm sitting at my office desk writing this. I have a cup of hot coffee beside me. The wife went to bed 10 minutes ago. The kids about 30 minutes ago.

The office is only 1 minute from home. I had the choice of watching repeats of Law and Order on TV, going to bed or coming into the office. Now, as beautiful as my wife is (!), I decided against bed and made the quick drive into the office.

Geeeeez, I've just re-read that last line about not jumping into bed with my wife - I must be getting old!

I love coming into the office

I love coming into the office. When I come in of a night I get a lot done - answer a heap of emails, put together some proposals, have a think about next month's marketing, think strategically about client's problems and just generally tidy up.

I had a client I met today for the first time. This was the story:

They have a web site (just a small one). That's hosted for $1,200 pa. They have that web site replicated and hosted under another domain name. That hosting also costs $1,200 pa.

They send out a html newsletter that costs $75 a month.

The company that hosted the sites and provided the newsletter service did not miss this client with anything. They were charged for everything - my favourite was the $3.50 a month fee as an Account Keeping Fee.

The hosting company looks at business the wrong way.

All they look at is how much revenue they can generate for each client. And how they can maximize that revenue.

That's a very short-term bit of thinking.

What they should do is look at what value they can provide the client. They should look at how they can help the client's business grow. They should look at what they can do to assist.

Not at how much they can squeeze from the client.

Our basic recommendations...

Our basic recommendations will save the client $2,500 pa in the short term.

A different host will meet their needs now and well into the future for $200 pa.
I showed them how they can do a better newsletter to double the subscriber numbers for $36 (or for free if they want) a month.

I love doing that. Helping a client (the client is a health charity) get the best deal possible.

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Mel will buy new shoes...

We run an internet store that sells eczema cream amongst other things. Mel (my wife) manages the site and started a 'Stocktake sale' (it's the end of the Financial Year here in Australia) about 4 hours ago when she sent an email out to her e-newsletter subscribers announcing a 15% off everything sale.

The orders have flooded in. Hundreds already.

It's a great example that you have to make an offer to people before they'll buy.

(And with the extra cash, I just know there will be a new pair of shoes in Mel's closet next week.)

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'Client tennis' - I have it worked out!

Another reason I am in working late is because I didn't get a lot done today and thought I should catch up. I played a client in tennis at 1 pm and proceeded to receive a flogging.

Now being a guy with a fragile ego I can't (obviously) - and the guys reading will relate to this - I can't admit that the other person was a better player than me. That would go against the nature of all men!

So I told my client I was playing 'Client' tennis. That is, I let him win to keep him happy as a client.

A total lie of course, but I have to hold on to some semblance of dignity after being beaten so badly.

The client didn't believe me by the way. He actually said "Client" tennis?? No, I think the word you're looking for is "Crap" tennis!"

Anyway, the morale of that story is this: socialise with clients.

We get on great with all of our clients and it makes for an excellent working relationship.

I have a game of golf on Thursday with Mel and a client and his wife. I can feel another loss coming on...

Have a good day.

Brendon