Turning the Page
You’re SO welcome!
We share many stories on this blog.
It’s so nice when one has a happy ending!
Previously on Small Business Owner …
In June 2009, I described my struggle to avert the Yellow Pages juggernaut.
Seems I wasn’t alone.
We thrilled as Steve@Sensis kindly (and bravely) fielded our questions and illuminated the path to freedom.
Despite [...]
Favourite Things
Happy happy. Joy joy.
Thank you for weathering my recent rants.
Having had a Bex and a good lie down, I’m in a much happier frame this week.
To celebrate, I’ve listed some of my favourite things.
Things that make owning and running a business worth all the aggro and pain.
Things that keep me at the grindstone [...]
Why did they stop using our business?
Today the Small Business Owner blog is joined by Nina Sunday. Nina is Managing Director of Brainpower Training, a people development company with a range of programs in communication, emotional intelligence, knowledge capture, productivity and leadership. Today Nina shares her insights into analysing the reasons why clients stop using a business. Welcome Nina! Naomi [...]
Law of the Letter
Another gym membership down the drain.
What is it with gym memberships?!
Like napalm, they cling and burn no matter what you do.
I was pleased to see the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission agreed with our assessment of that Gold Coin to Join ‘deal’.
Alas, I’ve had less success at my local pool.
Technically, they’re correct.
Morally, I feel [...]
Are You Spoken For?
Priceless.
If my website were burning and I could rescue just one page, it’d be this.
I believe testimonials are the most precious asset a business can have.
Yet when I start working with clients, many either have none or don’t use them.
Not for long!
Third Party
People believe what others say about us, not what we say about [...]
Out There
Long-distance communication is hard.
Love triangulation is even worse.
A few weeks ago my bank called.
Well, not really my bank.
They wanted my feedback.
Well, not really my feedback.
At a time that suited me.
Well not really …
Get the idea?
Here’s what really happened.
Backchat
My phone did ring: that much is true.
But instead of my bank, it was an [...]
Poll dancing – Part 3
One firm’s quest for client hearts & minds
Part 3 of 3 (Action)
Read Part 1 and Part 2
Armed with a mother load of intelligence from my first client survey, I asked my trusty business coach, Winston Marsh , what I should do with it.
Here’s what Winno said to me (in his uniquely forthright style):
Thank everyone for participating [...]
Poll dancing – Part 2
One firm’s quest for client hearts & minds
Part 2 of 3 (Results)
Read Part 1
So there I was; proud owner of my first ever client survey results.
My deepest fears populated the response options; it was time to see if they were true.
Question 1 (Multiple Choice)
Scanning the chart below, I was instantly relieved at two findings:
Only one [...]
Poll dancing
One firm’s quest for client hearts & minds
Part 1 of 3
Every empire has its bad days. When my revenue dipped 20%, I wanted to know if it was the Global Financial Crisis or something I’d said.
My wife suggested an online client survey. This turned out to be a very good idea.
Research
I’d heard of SurveyMonkey, but [...]
I, ROBOT.
I was going to report this development as a comment on Naming Rights, but I was so stunned that I had to give it a full post.
The Telstra ROBOT that gave me so much grief during my ISP dramas has evolved beyond the point of recognising my voice and hanging up.
It has now [...]

