Better Business Bureau Steals Business from For-Profit Company!

One of my good friends, Jo DeMars, has run a very successful business in Wisconsin since 1988. I profiled her in October 2004 in my “Success Secrets of Women Entrepreneurs” ezine. At that time, she had 25 full-time-equivalent employees, 40 independent contractors, and about 300 dispute resolution volunteers working with her company. Read the profile:

http://www.womenmarketing.com/demars.htm

Until 2005, DeMars and Associates’ biggest client was Ford Motor Company. When the Better Business Bureau underbid DeMars for Ford’s arbitration work, DeMars & Associates lost its biggest profit-generating client and has had to scale back its whole operation, a loss of 20 jobs and a drastic curtailment of work for 40 independent contractors and 300 volunteers.

Yes, you read that correctly. The nonprofit, membership organisation BBB took business away from a for-profit company! In the past, the BBB was a champion for consumers, helping them resolve disputes with businesses. Companies joined the BBB to show that they worked hard to equitably resolve disputes, and the Better Business Bureau worked with them to resolve complaints. But this is an entirely new direction for the Better Business Bureau. (Where’s “60 Minutes” when you need them?)

I think it’s time to expose the BBB for its deceitful practices. Stealing business from a member company is very underhanded. If you have ideas on how to publicize this issue, influence the BBB to discontinue this practice, or help DeMars and Associates become the strong business they once were, post your comments here.

Getting seminar business

 Last week, Sarah Cohen of Life’s Inner Quest Center asked, “I’m seeking places where I can give seminars on the following subject ‘The Secret to Happiness’ and ‘Stress Less for Success.’ Can you offer suggestions?”

Brainy reader A.H. of Up4Contract.com offered these suggestions:

“I would try to reach out to human resource departments of larger corporations: Bank One, Suffolk Construction, county governments, etc. Many larger organizations offer their employees monthly programs on various topics that focus on their overall well being. I worked at Bank One (which may have changed names now), and we had a monthly Lunch & Learn. We brought in speakers on how to be a better communicator, how to balance life with work, and other related topics. I could see your topics fitting in with organizations that have a belief in the well being of their employees. I would start talking to the heads of the human resource departments and see if they offer such programs, and tell them how you can bring value to their employees.

“Another suggestion is to consider college campuses. While this may not be your ideal target, you may find sororities, student councils or governments looking for great programs to bring their students. I would highly suggest talking to the Greek organizations, i.e. Panhel (which is the leading body over the sororities), and tell them about your knowledge and how you would relate to the students. I know Greek organizations are always looking for worthwhile programs to bring to their members. If I can be of any assistance, I have connections at Marquette University.”

From Sandra Sims of Step By Step Fundraising:
“About six months ago, I joined an organization called Business & Professional Women. I found that it’s a great place to network with other business people and meet potential clients. Not only that, but once a month we have a guest speaker give a 20-minute talk. Civic clubs such as Kiwanis, Lions, Optimist, and many others have a similar format. Sarah could give a short talk as a ’sample’ of her seminar material and style, and then book paid seminars from the organization or other people she meets at the meetings.”

Liz Ryan at WorldWit writes, “As we gear up for ‘Camp WorldWIT 2005: Women in the Lead,’ we have some slots available for dynamic, inspiring speakers. If you fit this description and would be interested in speaking to a group of professional, talented and educated women please visit our Camp speaker page and apply to be a speaker.”

And Lois says: While business, civic and nonprofit organizations are not likely to pay you much for your speeches, it’s a great way to get yourself in front of lots of people who ARE in a position to hire you. Make sure they know how to contact you later. If you also have products to sell when you do these free seminars, such as a video, audio training CD or ebook, you can often make good money by selling these after your presentation. I suggest you join Toastmasters and the National Speakers Association, too, because you will not only get practice presenting speeches, but you will meet others who can help you get speaking gigs.

To get hired by business, civic and nonprofit organizations, you’ll need to get in touch with the program director. Research the organization and network your way in to the program director. Consider attending the group a few times before you approach the person in charge of programming. They will be much more likely to hire you if they know you.

Consider putting together half-day and full-day workshops on your topic, and expand your networking by partnering with other speakers who can help you fill out your program. That way, you will have access to their customer list, too. Create a postcard campaign with at least three postcards in the series to promote your programs, and mail them to a targeted list of businesses and organizations. Remember, it’s generally the human resources or training departments that hire speakers.

Write articles about your subject and place them in print and online publications. You didn’t mention if you have a website, but you should have one! A website is a terrific showcase for a speaker because you can easily post articles you have written on your topic, post audio clips of your speeches, and you can even post video clips easily today. So it can eliminate the need to create an elaborate sales package and it can often help you book a seminar without having to sell. Your website sells for you.

My next teleseminar guest, Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound, is a highly sought-after public speaker. And she started out much like you–with a wealth of knowledge on her topic (publicity) and a desire to get paid for public speaking. She used her 22 years of experience as a newspaper editor at four newspapers to launch her career as a publicity expert. That was ten years ago. Since then, her career (and fortunes) have blossomed by applying all of the publicity ideas she has learned over the years. She commands big bucks whenever she speaks now. And you can hear her for peanuts on our recorded teleseminar, “How to Use the Media to Market Your Expertise.” It’s available as a CD or you can download it immediately as an MP3 or written transcript.

What to do when a client misses a deadline

 Betsy Hamilton of Canyon Communications asked, “Our biggest business challenge is getting client cooperation (they need to provide or approve information) in order to meet their deadlines.”

Meredith Hamilton of Expert Communication responds:

I know in my own practice when I have encountered this situation, it was because I did not establish the relationship in the beginning as a team effort. I have found when I approach it this way as opposed to one of a “service provider” and “client,” that not only does the client see things differently, but so do I! From the start, when seen as a collaboration, we set out what is expected of each party and what is needed to obtain the optimum results they are seeking. When a deadline approaches, with this mindset, I can call them and say, “As we discussed in the beginning, to achieve *our* goals on the timeline *we* set, this needs your approval as quickly as possible so *we* can progress to step two.”

And Lois Carter Fay says: I hear you on this one, Betsy! Sometimes it’s VERY difficult to get clients to sit down, focus and do their part so we can do ours. I’ve found it helps to have a day-by-day schedule written and agreed to by all parties before I begin a project. It also assigns responsibilities for each step and lists the items needed to proceed. The more organized I am, the easier it is for my client. I also learn who all the key players are and how the decisions will be made. If there is one person reviewing and approving each project, it can move much quicker than when a group is involved. So if I know the decision process involved, I can take that into account when we all plan the schedule initially, and this helps the client to be more realistic in their scheduling. I know that it helps me to have a deadline and a face-to-face meeting scheduled to keep myself on task. It also helps keep the client moving. I can generally move things along quicker if I offer to call the client to do a phone interview with the people who need to provide information, too. Sometimes, it’s just a fear of writing that is the stumbling block.

Opening a Spa

Today’s question comes from Deborah Meyer in Ohio. She will
open a day spa soon, and says, “I have never been a business
owner. Getting employees and publicity for my opening will
be essential, and getting clients will be the next big
challenge. Any ideas?”

And Lois says…

Sure! I’m going to assume you have done all your research
and you know your market thoroughly. I also hope you have
chosen a terrific location–one that has easy access for
busy, professional women and affluent moms. I’m reading an
excellent book right now about marketing to moms, “The Mom
Factor: What Really Drives Where We Shop, Eat, and Play” by
Nora Lee. It would probably be useful to you. C*lick here:

http://snipurl.com/krvt

It will be important to plan at least one special event –
preferably several, all targeting different audiences — to
initially build the buzz about your day spa. Make sure each
event is really top notch, with terrific hors d’ouvres,
maybe some good wine, demonstrations, mini massages and
other fun things going on. A day spa must be an inviting
respite for the hurried, stressed professional or busy mom.
So make sure the atmosphere reflects this, even during the
event. Compile a mailing list that includes everyone you
know and purchase a list of all the affluent neighborhoods
surrounding your location (perhaps within 15 miles). Hire a
graphic designer to help you create a fantastic, intriguing
invitation and mail it to these two lists. Don’t forget to
include the media, as well. Here’s something that would be
perfect for you. Joan Stewart, a publicity expert, and
Debra J. Schmidt, who has planned dozens of special events,
produced a 6-part series called “How to Plan & Promote
Sizzling Special Events.” It’s available as a set of CDs
or electronic transcripts and includes 15 can’t-do-without
checklists for event planners.

http://snipurl.com/ks4y

Attracting quality employees for a new business is a bit
tougher. The best way to find good employees is to network
your way to them. Ask everyone you know if they know anyone
qualified who would be interested. Consider joining a
referral group like Business Networking International (BNI)
to find employees and get business, too.

Another good way to attract good employees is to take
advantage of the publicity you receive when you begin
promoting your company to the media. “Special Report #3: How
to Use Free Publicity to Attract and Keep Qualified
Employees” will help you learn to capitalize on free
publicity, discover how other companies promote their job
openings, find other resources that can help you, and much
more. Check it out:

http://snipurl.com/ks52

Or check out Joan Stewart’s handy booklet “113 Tips for
Finding Valuable Employees,” at:

http://snipurl.com/ks54

How much do YOU charge?

If you work with clients, at some point in your career, you’ve probably been asked, “What’s your hourly rate?” or “How much do you charge?”

Now, you and I both know this question isn’t totally relevant, even if you provide services like I do. Because it doesn’t really matter how much I charge per hour. What the client really wants to know is, “How much is this going to cost me?” But they don’t want to pay some astronomical hourly fee, either. They want to feel like you put some effort into their work. So what you really need to know is, “How much is it worth to this client to have this problem solved?”

Sure, I could quote an hourly rate. But usually I don’t. They’d be shocked. Because I’ve been doing what I do for about 30 years, so I can often write a brochure in “record time,” which wouldn’t pay me enough to stay in business if I charged hourly. So I don’t charge that way. I charge for my “smarts”– my knowledge and experience. And if the project rate is within the client’s budget, they’re willing to pay it. But how’d you like to get out of the piecework business altogether? I know I would!

That’s why lots of people take the risk of commissioned sales. That is, they sell something and then get paid a commission — no salary. And some programs, like Mary Kay, are two-tier commissioned sales — meaning you get commissions on what YOU sell AND you get commissions on what your “downline” sales force sells. So you and your underlings go out and beat the pavement, looking for new and returning customers to sell makeup to. You also keep your eye out for more sales reps who want to join your team, too. You’d never think of advertising your product in the newspaper, would you? No, because Mary Kay is direct sales.

Well, the online world of marketing has taken this a little farther. It’s called affiliate sales. Some programs pay one-tier and some pay two-tier commissions. It’s basically the same as Mary Kay. But what’s different is that usually you’re being paid for “electrons” instead of makeup. Someone writes an ebook that you decide to sell for them through your website.

You put it up in your store, and then you forget it. Every once in awhile, someone buys it and you get a commission. Maybe you’ve recruited others through your affiliate link to sell the same product. They put it up on their website and make sales. You get a commission every time you sell the product AND every time your downline affiliate sells the product. AND you have the option to advertise the product using pay-per-click campaigns on Google and Overture (and other places). You write such a good ad that tons of people click on it and visit your website. Because you have such a terrific sales page for the product, let’s say that half the people buy it when they visit. Now you’re cookin’!

You also improve your search engine rankings — meaning you do all the right things and every time someone searches on your keywords, you come up on the FIRST PAGE of search results. So more people visit your website. And while they’re there, they might buy something or not. Or, they might see a Google ad that interests them and click off to someone else’s site. You got it! You make money on that, too! And after awhile, your website becomes your product.

Now you want to add more revenue streams to your business (firing every difficult client you have and replacing that revenue with something else…wouldn’t that be great?!!?). So you write your own ebooks or nifty little software product that you can sell the same way you sell other people’s electronic products. But this time YOU KEEP ALL THE MONEY. Because it’s your product. Unless, of course, you recruit affiliates to sell your product for you.

And who wouldn’t? It gets your product out to LOTS more people. So you have to pay them 40% of the sales price. What does it cost you? Zip. Zero. Nada. It’s just electrons. You did all the work up front, so you can collect the money over and over and over as sales are made. THAT’S PASSIVE INCOME!

If you’d like to learn the nitty-gritty details about how to do something once and make money over and over and over, you can. Recently I did a teleseminar with Lynn Terry, a passive income expert and the author of The Passive Income Guide to Online Business.

You can read more about the teleseminar and buy the CD, MP3 and transcript of the recording here and be on your way to generating passive income in just minutes:

Create Passive Income so You Can Work Less & Earn More