Customer Service Doesn’t Cut It Anymore
Conventional wisdom says an organization must have satisfied customers if it is to survive. But today, organizations are realizing that satisfying customers may not be enough. Recent studies indicate that satisfied customers are not necessarily LOYAL customers and even though customers say they are satisfied, they may still defect to a competitor.
Many organizations use a 1-5 rating system to measure customer satisfaction with 5 indicating the highest level of satisfaction. In most cases, organizations are content with a score of 3 (“satisfied”).
But according to a study reported in the Harvard Business Review, a 3 rating indicates that the customer is “satisfied,” but not necessarily “loyal.” The article reported that a score from 3.5 to 4.5 indicates that customers are indifferent. Only a score of 4.6 or above indicates a truly loyal customer.
So how does an organization achieve customer loyalty? Is it simply a matter of answering a customer call on the first ring? Offering high speed Internet access in every meeting room? Seating only 8 instead of 10 at function tables? Not exactly.
Achieving customer loyalty is an ongoing process, not a single action. An organization must understand what customers want and provide it, because, in the end, the only perspective that matters is the customer’s.
So what do customers want?
The Institute has studied the issue and found that customer expectations generally fall into the five dimensions outlined in the SERVQUAL model (according to Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A., and Berry, L.L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A Multiple Item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality. Journal of Retailing, 64 (Spring): 12-37): Tangibles; Reliability; Responsiveness; Assurance, and Empathy.
Tangibles are the physical aspects of a service experience such as the appearance of the facility and staff, as well as items like communication materials. In short, this is the image that an organization projects. In the hospitality industry, for example, the facility and the staff must be neat, clean and organized in order for the customer experience to be satisfactory. To engender loyalty, however, that physical image must exceed the customer’s expectation. Some organizations take steps to create not just a certain physical appearance, but tangible ambiance– selecting a soothing color scheme, installing plush carpets and comfortable furniture. Westin’s concept of a “Heavenly Bed” is a prime example of an organization that is working to inspire customer loyalty using the tangible aspects of service quality.
Reliability means performing the promised service dependably and accurately, keeping promises, and doing it right the first time. In the hospitality industry, this can be as simple as honoring the fees quoted for a service and ensuring that the service provided is the service that the customer expects. Are you taking steps to ensure that there are no interruptions in service delivery? Is there a well-staffed reception desk, an informative website, an efficient toll-free number or strategically located information kiosks? When guests need directions or have a question, do they know where to go for an answer? If a first-time guest walked into your facility, would they be able to find their way to their destination? Is directional signage clear and easy to spot? Are employees easy to identify and prepared to answer most guest questions?
Responsiveness refers to the timeliness of service and the willingness to help. The loyalty factor is engaged when an organization responds to a customer’s need before he or she even realizes that a need exists, or when an organization goes above and beyond the call of duty in responding to a request.
Several years ago, the Institute held its annual conference at a popular resort in South Florida. Upon our arrival, we realized that we had not shipped any nametag holders for the conference. We asked our contact at the hotel to provide directions to the nearest office supply store. Instead of sending us on our way, she offered to go herself to pick up whatever we needed so we could continue with our conference preparations. She returned from the store with a variety of nametag holders for us to make a selection. We were so impressed with her initiative and responsiveness that we rewarded her service by returning to the resort for our next four events. That small investment of her time was returned with thousands of dollars in revenue for the hotel.
Assurance is the knowledge, courtesy, and professionalism that build a customer’s trust. Ensuring that representatives are knowledgeable requires that an organization invest in effective training initiatives. They must be targeted and ongoing. But training alone will not guarantee knowledgeable representatives. Hiring right, paying appropriately, coaching effectively, measuring accurately and rewarding often are critical success factors for developing knowledgeable representatives who can resolve most issues on the spot.
Empathy is the caring, individualized service that makes a customer feel valued. Loyal customers are made when an organization remembers their names and their likes and dislikes. The Ritz-Carlton, for example, has earned numerous customer service awards by creating individual guest profiles and offering personalized services; from remembering a guest’s preference in pillows to making certain that their favorite newspaper is delivered daily.
To ensure that these five dimensions of service quality are integrated into your day-to-day operations requires a commitment from management. Exceptional customer service must be incorporated as a primary business goal and a core value of an organization and must be reflected in its policies and procedures. A constant process of performance evaluation is also necessary to ensure that the organization remains customer-focused.
Any organization that understands what its customers want, and then provides it, will be on a fast track to achieving customer loyalty.
Marketing on a Shoestring
When a spiraling economy pinches marketing budgets, it means marketing money goes away. It doesn’t mean the need for marketing goes away. In fact, you may need to market even more.
Luckily, marketing — and that includes public relations — doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Keep in mind that what you don’t spend in dollars and cents, you’ll have to make up in energy, time and creativity. Simply put, you can make up for a small budget by rolling up your sleeves and putting your noggin to work.
So what does it take to earn free press? It’s pretty simple, actually. Become newsworthy. Sounds too easy, right? It often is, and the fact that you aren’t a PR person is a plus for you. The first thing you have to do is think like a reporter. For a moment, take off your owner/manager hat and put on a reporter hat. The reporter is looking for a scoop — a hot story. She/he’s going to look good to the editor when she/he comes up with something that no one else is doing, right? This is your opportunity to be a reporter’s resource.
Basically, you want to help the reporter do his/her job. You want to be on the lookout for stories that will help the reporter get the scoop. The stories may be from inside your company, but they could also be inside your clients’ companies or they may even be inside a prospect’s company. While getting PR for a client or a prospect may not sound like a direct route to getting attention for your firm, it is.
By offering information that is not self-serving, you earn reporters’ trust. The best reporters have incredible memories. They work on tight deadlines and when they need a quote from a subcontractor about an issue, guess who they most likely will call first? You are developing a relationship with the reporter as a valued news source. Keep in mind that reporters are bombarded by PR people and others who want to selfishly exploit the press. You want to set yourself apart from those types. You want to appear as unbiased as possible and stick to the facts.
For example, if you are working on a project that is different, unusual, important to the community, or any of a handful of reasons why something is newsworthy, call the reporter that covers that beat and tell him/her about it. Then wait for him/her to ask for more information. That’s the difference. You are looking out for him/her not for yourself. Reporters know people and if you come at them with any other intention than that which is honest, they’ll run in the other direction.
So, what could be news? A store opening? Well, yes. It is especially if the store is an oxygen bar (something different) or if the store is filling a critical need in the community or if the store caters to a sector of the community that is part of a trend. An Albertson’s opening in the suburbs where there are plenty of grocery stores is not news. A Fiesta grocery store opening in a part of town that doesn’t have any grocery stores and that caters to the booming Latino population is newsworthy. See the difference?
The other thing you want to remember about working with reporters is that they are busy. When you call, get to the point. You should practice what you are going to say so you can sum it up in about 30 seconds. Before saying anything, ask if it is a good time. If they are on deadline, they will tell you. When you hand off the idea, your job is done unless they need more information. Trust me; they will contact you if they are interested. If they aren’t, don’t bug them. The last thing they need is someone following up asking if they are going to cover the story. In the end, it’s what they think is interesting that matters. If you study newspapers, soon you will be able to discern what is news and what isn’t. You may think that your new service offering is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but will the paper’s readers? Scrutinize your idea before you let the reporter take a crack at it.
The way you share your idea with a reporter is critical. Do the homework. Share why you think it’s important; don’t assume the reporter will come to the same conclusion. If you go to a reporter and simply tell him/her about what your company is doing, she/he may not think of it as news. However, if you explain how this new service is part of a trend or an answer to a pressing business issue, the reporter can then see that this is a hot topic affecting a lot more companies than just yours. All of a sudden, you are newsworthy!
So, think like a reporter. Learn how the newspaper works. Request editorial calendars. And start developing relationships with reporters. “How?” you may ask. Well, it’s as simple as making a phone call or sending an e-mail. No magic. It’s just plain ol’ relationship building. It takes action. Don’t be afraid. The fact that you aren’t sure what to do helps you be honest. Simply tell them that you aren’t sure what the correct methods are, but you think you could be helpful to them. Reporters have told me that they truly appreciate being able to trust a person’s intentions.
Don’t forget to take part in press “freebies.” Is a new person joining your company? Did your company recently promote a person? Won a new contract? Send a press release to the local business paper. If you have new team members, announce it by sending one to the local newspaper as well. For personnel changes, try to include a picture.
If you develop your reporter contacts, you will be able to see your company name in print more often than you ever dreamed. Most companies spend $2,000 – $5,000 per month to have a PR company on retainer. If you spend a small amount of your time, you will be able to accomplish similar coverage for a lot less than that!
Develop a Marketing Plan That Works
Does your company have a marketing plan and do you know where it is? If your marketing plan is sitting on a shelf, if you aren’t getting the new business results you want, or if you have a plan and don’t know what to do with it – read on. A well-developed marketing plan can help the “good times roll” in these not-so-good times.
What a Marketing Plan Is
A well-defined marketing plan is your company’s road map to results. It will guide you from your current situation to your target destination. It should be a document that is used and revised as needed (no one says you have to live and die by what you decide to do today). You can develop an effective marketing plan by following a tried-and-true series of steps.
What a Marketing Plan Is Not
A marketing plan isn’t some fancy, intelligently written (although it should be clearly communicated) 100-page document that “wows” people. It isn’t a document that will take months to create, and isn’t going to take the latest and greatest desktop publishing software to create. A marketing plan that works isn’t something that only the marketing director or VP understands.
Where are you now?
- Define who you are as a company.
- What is your company’s business philosophy or approach to business?
- What are your company’s competitive strengths and weaknesses?
- What differentiates you from your competitors? Knowing your key differentiation is integral to developing your marketing message.
Use these guidelines to write several paragraphs that summarize where your business is now. Be sure to determine if this is how “outsiders” see your company. Ask a few vendors, customers or business referral sources to give objective feedback on your company’s reputation. It’s important to know if you think you are the “tiger” of your industry and your target market sees you as a “sheep.”
Where do you want to go?
- What do you want to accomplish? (Increase new lines of business? Expand existing business? Both?)
- Do you have name recognition in your market? If not, do you want to build that?
- Do you know to whom you want to market? Do you want to target a new market?
As Microsoft says, “Where do you want to go today?” A fun part of the marketing plan process is opening your mind to limitless possibilities. Working in your business instead of on your business works well for tunnel vision – not marketing. Thinking about the future will get you back in touch with what you “dreamed” your company could be many years ago. Or, it may open up new dreams.
As you proceed through this phase of plan development, outline your goals and be very specific. To hit a target, you need to know exactly what you are aiming at. It’s nice to say you want to be the most well-known company in your city, but a more specific goal could be for you to be the most well-known company to your target market and increase sales by x percent in the coming year. And while you should dream big, it’s good to be realistic – the best marketing plan in the world won’t double new business in one year. Finally, once you have your goals on paper, it’s time to prioritize them. Put them in order starting with those with the greatest importance.
Research, Research, Research
Research may not be your cup o’ tea, but it’s critical to the success of your marketing plan. Once you have your targets on paper, you can focus your research to find out if another company is already the market leader in that arena, or test your company differentiation against other local offerings. You may decide that you would rather tackle another area in which competitors don’t already have such a strong foothold.
You also need to understand your target. What do they want? What do they value? A good place to start is American Demographics Magazine (www.americandemographics.com). The magazine’s Web site offers articles on various consumer and business market segments. Associations and publications catering to your target market can be useful, too. Web sites for those sources also are readily available. It never hurts to enlist the assistance of a pro. Often, the investment more than pays for itself in time savings.
Profile your target market with the information you gather. Include the percentage of people in your town that would fall into your “target” market. What is your target’s need for the services you offer? Do they appreciate the services you offer? Where do they currently go to buy these services? How easy/difficult will it be to lure them over to your company? The more specific your profiles are, the more they will help you hit your target.
Hitting Your Target
This is the most important part of your marketing plan! For each goal, you need to develop a strategy that incorporates your key messages and outlines the tactics you need to accomplish to reach your goal.
There are many tools for you to use to convey your message, including:
- Newspaper
- TV
- Magazines
- Direct Marketing
- Campaigns
- Newsletters
- Public Relations – events, speaking engagements, sponsorships
- Business Alliances
For each goal, write your strategy with the key message and the tactics you will take to realize your goal.
Here’s a sample:
Strategy: Position Bob’s Widget Company as the unique provider of low-priced, high-quality widgets in Any City, USA.
Key Messages: Bob’s Widget Company offers low-priced, high-quality widgets and is committed to serving the citizens of Any City, USA.
Tactics: Propose a story to the local business journal that shows how Any City, USA’s citizens now have access to the most affordable widgets in America. Attend trade shows where you can meet retailers who serve your target market. If Bob wanted to take his widgets straight to his target market, he also might consider developing a direct mail campaign.
As you outline each goal, make sure you keep asking yourself, “Why should I do this?” Also, be realistic. If you don’t have a lot of money to pour into marketing, it doesn’t make sense to list tactics that require a large budget. Marketing doesn’t have to cost a lot of money if you are willing to invest time and creativity to achieve your objectives.
Once you have all your goals broken down into smaller sub-goals, set a deadline for each sub-goal and a timeline for the larger goal. You want your marketing plan to be a win for you – set practical time deadlines.
Let’s GO!
Guess what? That’s it! You now have your marketing “map,” a well-developed “to do” list that was researched and is highly focused to get the results you want. It is based on facts, not hunches, and it will take you from point A to point B. More than that, it will continue to move you closer to meeting your company goals.
As you complete each goal/sub-goal, be sure to document the results you realized. Use this analysis to tweak and improve your marketing process. We think you will be amazed at what you can do in just three months if you take your marketing effort one goal at a time.
Where Will Your Business be in Five Years
Most everyone working in any type of business hardly has time to set goals and objectives, let alone do any short-term daily planning. Walking into the office with a preset list of daily “to-do” items will surely go to the bottom of the in-box within a matter of minutes. And, in the long-term, matching quantifiable outcomes with goals and objectives just isn’t part of reality. Or is it?
An increasingly demanding marketplace coupled with the need to get more done prevents some from planning, setting business goals and measuring outcome. Yet other business owners make time for this critical process. These entrepreneurs have experienced, firsthand, how applied business projections can turn dreams into currency.
The need to plan for the future of your business dates back to the Stone Age. As elementary as it may seem, cave men who hunted for food found they could not transport much on their backs or in their hands, so they planned for the future by inventing the wheel. Once a vehicle to carry food was available, the goal was achieved, and life was much sweeter.
Our business environment isn’t much different. We realize an end result through a goal- and objective-setting process. For example, your goal might be to increase business in 2008 by 10 percent. How are you going to get there? What’s keeping you from reaching that mark now? Asking the right questions generates the critical information you need to turn action into results. Even more important is accessing the data needed to set your goals. If you’ve never attempted this kind of planning before, you aren’t alone. Properly executed, this type of planning can significantly impact a business, but most entrepreneurs aren’t sure what to focus on, so they focus on what is urgent. Often, though, what is urgent is not a priority in the lifespan of your business.
It’s much easier to begin the process by thinking of the task in small, easily reachable segments. Following a streamlined, eight-step approach to planning keeps you focused. Even though you may already have taken on some of these points and begun the planning process, revisit them for a fresh perspective.
1. Make sure you are looking at the right numbers. If you are looking at financial statements, you may be looking at what we call lagging indicators. These numbers tell you what has already passed. What transforms action into measurable results is setting goals based on leading indicators – specific measures that give you a real-time snapshot of areas within your business. This gives you the power to make changes now rather than later. Often, what seems to be the area of concern is actually a symptomatic sign of another area that needs attention.
2. Assess the company’s strengths and weaknesses. Even the most advanced, revenue-generating businesses can benefit from assessing strengths and weaknesses. Gather your teams and create! First, you’ll quickly realize you have as many weaknesses as you have strengths. Second, if the group is given creative freedom without pressures of being watched by the boss, you’ll receive honest feedback.
3. Conduct a thorough market segment analysis. Who are you trying to reach? The same customer or client you had just a few years ago may have morphed into someone completely different. Perhaps you’re going after an audience that no longer has a need for your services. Consider generational differences (Gen-X, Baby Boomers), demographics (age, race, gender) and any other indicators that match your company’s mission.
4. Analyze competitors. You can’t begin to make any headway without determining your competition. The answers “we don’t have any” and “we are the only ones who provide this niche of services” isn’t viable. Everyone has competitors; yet, they may not be apparent at first glance. If you can’t come up with a short list, talk to your customers or clients and ask their opinions. Chances are they’ll tell you who the competition is, but more importantly, they’ll tell you why you’re different than the competition.
5. Create company goals and objectives. This task may very well be the most fun, but again, be careful not to be too aggressive with your goals and objectives. It’s far better to concentrate on two to three specific items that can be accomplished, rather than a long, complicated list that sets the company up for failure. Of course, setting simple goals that don’t challenge your team won’t yield the results you truly desire.
6. Formulate strategic options and select the appropriate strategies. What are your options on reaching your goals and objectives? How are you going to organize your teams to accomplish your end result? Weigh factors like budget, people and staff time when planning your strategies. If you plan for 10 percent growth, what are your options – do you have the staff, money and time to reach this goal?
7. Translate strategic plans into action plans. This is the most creative step in the entire process because of the progression involved in coming up with action plans. The most productive meetings with the best outcomes come from dynamic, group sessions in which everyone offers their suggestions. Most companies are amazed at the creative knowledge inherent within employees during this stage.
8. Establish accurate controls. As in any business, controlling expenses and resources is paramount to any process. You can’t sell the farm if the farm isn’t for sale! Be sure to outline during the action plan stage just exactly how much the company is willing to commit to the effort, and attempt to stick to that whenever possible. Of course, there will be some deviation, but more likely than not, a well-defined set of controls will go a long way to ensuring goals are met in a timely, cost-effective and efficient fashion.
In addition to these eight steps, companies must evaluate the effectiveness of its plans throughout the process. Assessments must be reviewed and thoroughly analyzed to determine what’s working and what needs to be changed. You won’t want to wait a whole year, for example, to rethink your goals. Plan a mid-year review.
In five years, where do you want to be? What does your company look like? Put the incremental plan in place that will get you there and stick with it until you reach your destination.
Are your results reflective of "you"?
One day I worked with a top level executive. It was really interesting how the conversation weaved between how his team wasn’t getting results and how he was doing the lion’s share of the work (and marketing). This guy was a rainmaker extraordinaire. The other executives on his team were not.
What we discussed during our meeting was his strengths* and how those revealed themselves. He had an intense desire to serve others and to be excellent in all of his dealings. His marketing was effortless. He simply did what he loved and the clients followed. On the other hand, his counterparts struggled with their marketing and business development efforts. They didn’t act like themselves. They second-guessed their decisions.
During this conversation, the executive lamented, “Why can’t they just ‘get it?’”
That’s when I shared with him what I saw. What I saw was that one of the other executives just lost his confidence after a series of bad deals. His book of business was down, and he was down, too. Here was a superstar who was getting mediocre results. The effect was that he started acting mediocre. To me, this one was the easiest fix.
Another executive was not good at business development. His strengths were geared more toward organization and managing details. He was a precision operator as a manager and a technician; however, when it came to going out of the office, it was really a bit of a disaster for all involved.
I tactfully shared what I saw in the rainmaker. I shared with him that I saw that he was an amazing business developer and client service advocate. However, internally, he was as much of a disaster as the guy who was a great manager and technician was at business development.
Our conversation veered toward the question, “What would happen if you continued to grow business like you do and this other executive manages the internal side for you? How would that affect your business?”
His response was immediate – “That would almost be the best of both worlds – I get to do what I do best and so does he.” And then came the concern about the mechanics of making that happen – compensation models would have to be changed, etc.
The point here is this. In an organization, every player works at business development. Some will take on the lion’s share of the work because it is simply the best thing for them. They thrive on it, they are energized by it. Others will contribute to helping those rainmakers go out and make rain. Those activities will energize them, and contribute to the overall good of the company. And yet all can contribute in their own unique way to the bottom line. Every person can market. The key to success is discovering what your unique style is.
When it comes to marketing, go with what works for you. Don’t try to do activities that are not reflective of who you are. If you are an introvert, and love bridge, then join a bridge club and share with others just what you do. Go with the flow so to speak. Don’t force yourself into a business situation where you would rather watch paint peel – enjoy who you are and go where others will see your brilliance.
If you are an active type of person, take it off-road and do something different. Get out of the marketing box and refuel for profits.
Next week I’ll share one of the most profitable marketing ideas I’ve ever encountered and I’ll share exactly how you can do it, too!
*This conversation took place before I ever knew about the Clifton StrengthsFinder or CoreClarity – I’ve had an insatiable desire to match up top performers to their best jobs for years. Therefore, in this example, I didn’t use the proper terminology of ‘talent’ vs. ‘strength’ although in this gentleman’s case his talents were definitely strengths.
Blockdot.com
Back in the late 90s, I worked as a marketing director in a large accounting firm in Dallas. Our ‘big thing’ was doing things differently than other firms. I’ll never forget the day that the bookie (that’s the partner that everyone regards as the scholar in the firm) and I planned out this entire marketing idea around creating a video game for the firm. Our marketing genius surrounded creating a viral video game similar to the game, Frogger. In our version, we would have a taxpayer that had a goal to get across a swarm of cars to deliver his tax return to the post office. There would be all kinds of excuses printed on the cars just for laughs and such. In a little under 10 minutes, our creative gizmos churned out a good video that probably would have attracted scads of publicity.
We never did it. J
But that doesn’t mean you couldn’t.
Check out Blockdot.com for inspiration!
PrintingForLess.com
For years I’ve sourced printing for clients. Usually, no matter where they are in the world (yes, we have international clients), the company has a printer relationship that works great for the day-to-day needs for stationery, forms and such. It gets a little trickier when need a short-run of post cards or flyers for an event. We’ve been working with PrintingForLess.com for more than six years and find they are really great to work with. You’ll need to plan ahead because total turnaround for a job is about two weeks, but it sure beats the cost of a local digital printer (usually) and since this is offset printing, you can get four-color printing for about what you would pay for two-color at a local source.
The site is super easy to navigate and no matter what time it is or where you are in the world, you can get a print quote in a matter of minutes!
Mention us, and get 20% off of your first order of brochures! Code NC20PB
What’s coming between you and your marketing?
Okay, I’ve heard pretty much everything under the sun in the form of reasons why people aren’t marketing. I’d like to introduce a couple of ways to look at the way you are marketing and, hopefully, these will help you make some shifts that support you in this area.
Let’s be honest, shall we? If you signed up to be a consultant or an accountant or a interior designer or whatever it is you do because you enjoy it, chances are you didn’t think your primary job would be marketing (and sales), right?
When I work with people, there are typically only a few scenarios that really illustrate why their marketing isn’t working.
Integrated VS. Compartmentalized
Marketing is like a ribbon that flows through your business. You are actually marketing all the time. When people get that they are marketing all the time – every interaction, every phone call, every customer interaction, well, virtually everything becomes marketing. YOU become marketing.
Marketing isn’t a compartmentalized ‘to do’ item. Great marketers and servers of people in all industries know this. For these people who are at the helm of a company and wonder how they can ‘share the rain’ I would suggest teaching this one idea! This is the difference between YOU as the rainmaker and others who aren’t. Marketing = taking care of the client at every turn = rain.
Effective VS. Busy
This one usually goes with the one above. Compartmentalized people think, “Okay, I need to do some marketing, what should I do?” Then they just ‘pick something’ – any something – and do it. Check, that’s done!
Multiplier Marketing people – those who want maximum effect – market throughout the day, balancing more important activities with less important. They know what is effective and do more of those activities. They avoid those that are less effective. They obliterate those that don’t work for them, their personality and . And, they don’t cut corners on the things they do that they know are effective.
Something’s Wrong
Believe it or not, this is the place where we find the least number of problems. Usually, it’s just not doing something, not that the ‘something is actually wrong.
If you have clients and they continue to come back year after year and you’re reasonably happy with the company you’ve created, your problem is probably in the first two areas.
If your client tenure is like a revolving door, then there may be a problem with your messaging (your client hears one thing and gets another), your market (your client is not right for your company) or your product (your service or product needs work).
If you are having an issue attracting clients, then it’s likely something is amiss in the way you marketing and how you are marketing to your target market. Go to the pond, learn the pond, invest in the pond, then the pond will come to you.
When is the best time to address marketing? Now. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next quarter at the meeting. Now. If each person in your company does this – incrementally – your revenue will be multiplied by this time next year!
If you don’t have time, take a look around and cut one or two things that do not support your business – free up time for what’s important!
istockphoto.com
I remember the old days. They were so long, long ago (about eight years to be exact). In the old days, we had to charge clients a fortune for stock photography and a king’s ransom if the client wanted rights-protected images (that would be harder for another company to use the exact same image).
Today, there are lots of options for free images and inexpensive images.
My favorite right now (for so many reasons) is istockphoto.com. Istockphoto.com is part of Getty Images and, so far, the partnership hasn’t changed everything I love about Istockphoto. Which is:
1. It’s a social network of really great, talented designers who love what they do
2. The site tells you exactly how many other people in the world have used the photo you want to use (this is a big deal if you don’t want your book’s artwork (or company images) to end up in a Ford ad! This actually happened!)
3. You can upload photos you’ve taken and get credit to purchase other photos
4. The site offers illustration and photo images – and so many of them are awesome!
5. There are many ways to search the site – by artist (if you find an image you like, then you can look at everything by one artist with one click), by type of image, by keyword, and by popularity
6. It features a really cool plug-in that allows you to mouse over an image and see it larger without having to click on difference pages over and over again – TIME SAVINGS!
I’m sure there are more, but those are my top picks. Images are inexpensive, the collection is amazing and different than other stock sites.
If you are looking for quantity for cost, try ablestock.com owned by Jupiter Images. Jupiter has other annual memberships where you can get unlimited downloads for a set price.
If you are looking for clip art, animations and PowerPoint templates and other cool add-ons, visit the Animation Factory.com.
For FR*EE images, try these sites:
Be aware… image sites can take lots of time! Decide what you are looking for before you go!
Is It Time to Play?
When life gets hairy (you know what I mean) – even really hairy – a lot of times the feeling is that we need to hunker down and stick with it. However, sometimes the best thing is to take a break. Breathe. Have some fun. Lighten the load.
When do you know when it’s time to take a break? Here are five clues:
1. What you are doing is not working. If you are trying harder, doing more, learning more, searching more or struggling more then try the opposite. Let go. Darwin once said that he tried for months to ‘figure out’ the riddle he was trying to solve, and once he ‘gave up’ and did something leisurely, the answer came to him quickly. Thomas Edison often took naps when he hit a brick wall and would awake to answers.
2. What you are doing isn’t getting the results you want. Okay, try to contain your laughter here, but who among us hasn’t hit our head against the wall over and over again occasionally? When what you are doing isn’t yielding the results you want take a break, call someone else to walk you through it to see if you see something else, or start from another point and begin again. If all else fails, go bowling. Or to the movies. Maybe hit the video games?
3. You are grumpy, frumpy and slumpy. You know when you get there. It’s that place where you don’t feel like yourself. Some people are snippy others are distant – all are not acting like themselves. Take a detour from the land of slouch and get off the couch (even if that’s where you want to retreat – and often it is when you feel like this). Do something different. Been dreaming about a Harley? Take a test drive. Thinking about the great outdoors and fresh air? Take a hike. Miss the personal connection – call some friends and connect!
4. There are less referrals and more complaints. I don’t know how to explain it, but when I do a ‘diagnostic’ consultation with people I’ve noticed that when people are in a funk, so are their clients. Or more accurately – so are their client relations! If you’ve noticed that it seems like every time you pick up the phone there’s a problem and if referrals are dwindling, it’s time to kick back over a long weekend doing something that fills the ol’ juice back up. When you come back, things with other around you will be much improved – I can *almost* guarantee it!
5. There’s less green in the bank. This is kind of like #4 but with benefits. When you are overworked and overextended, you’ll see it everywhere – even your bank balance. Try taking a full day off DURING THE WEEK to break the cycle. A special client and I do this together once every other month and we have NEVER done this when we haven’t come back to NEW business and MORE money in the mail! Try it – you might like it! Road rules: Be sure to UNPLUG completely (no cell phones, email and the like) and do something that really is fun and that you’ve been wanting to do!
The most successful people I know work at what feels like play to them. They enjoy their days and success beats a path to the door.
Feeling inspired? Pull out that calendar NOW and schedule a date with yourself. What have you been putting off that would light your fire and trip your trigger? Do it!
