Why you need other business owner friends!

As a solopreneur life can get stressful, lonely, challenging and frustrating. It can also be incredibly exciting, fun and rewarding. In these highs and lows as a business owner you need a support system that understands what you're going through.

It may seem like your family and friends will be enough. Your spouse, kids, friends, parents, whoever, has been there for many of the other events in your life. So why not lean on them in this time? And you should, but, they can only provide so much of the support you'll need, unless they too are business owners.

When you come to the people closest to you and ask them to help with your business or vent about a tough situation, you may put some extra strain on the relationships. They may want to help you, but they don't fully understand your work. So just like having coworkers and teams to lean on at times that you need help at work, as solopreneurs we need a network of other professionals to lean on.

And some of us are lucky enough to have family and friends that own businesses, understand what we're going through and can really be there with us through out journey. If you don't have that particular support system in your life, don't distress. Your family and friends love you, and you can still share your special moments with them. But you can also build a strong group of business friends and be there for each other!

How to meet people!

Meeting people, especially while you're busy and they are busy running businesses can be tough, but there are some options that make it easier.

If you're planning on renting an office, consider joining a co-working space instead. In addition to having the space you'd need to work and meet clients, you'll also have the opportunity to meet other professionals in your area. By working together in the same space and getting to know each other, you can offer each other support as well.

It's possible to join a local chamber of commerce or networking groups. Some of these groups are paid, others are entirely free. Some are open to any businesses in your local area, some only allow 1-2 businesses of each type, and others focus on particular industries or subsets (like wedding professionals or creative professionals). Find the groups that work best for you. You want to aim for the ones that help you learn, grow as a business owner and form relationships with the other members.

Each group has it's own rules and structure and is appealing to different types of people. Find the group that works best for your communication style!

Check out social media! Many of the networking/training groups have an online presence. Many have meet-up, Facebook or LinkedIn groups online. This makes them much easier to find and read about. Many are doing virtual meetings.

Speaking of social media, you can follow local businesses on Instagram, Facebook and other social media! Commenting, interacting on their pages and messaging them are great ways to reach out. Keep the conversation light and let them know why you're reaching out right away.

Who to meet?

As you're thinking about which groups or organizations to join or how to build these relationships, you're probably wondering who you should be trying to meet?

Ideally, you want to meet people with whom you feel comfortable, can form great relationships and you can share things with each other. A great way to start is to try to find people in industries or professions similar to yours. If you're a make-up artist, try meeting other make-up artists. For one, if you work in the same type of job you have at least one thing in common in addition to being a business owner. In addition you all probably have different styles, schedules and ideal clients. So you can refer to each other.

Another group to meet with are people in the same industry. For example wedding professionals like make-up artists, hair dressers, venue owners, photographers, caterers, decoration rentals, wedding planners, etc. all have weddings in common. Though they do different things they all work with similar clients and understand the wedding process. By reaching out to this group of business owners within your own industry, you can form relationships where you can help each other see situations from different perspectives, refer clients to each other, work on projects together, and form a good group to lean on together.

Ultimately, the most important thing is that you get along, help each other grow. So regardless of where you meet or what types of businesses you run, if you can help each other get over hurdles, discuss decisions and celebrate wins, when your other friends don't really get it, then this is a great relationship to build.

Things to remember!

Don't go looking for networking that will help you get something from other people! The most important thing to having a great friendship is to be a good friend. To build good circles of friends, to have good relationships, try to give as much as you take.

Focus on building real friendships where you can find friends you can confide in and build trust.

Surround yourself with people you admire! People you believe are good people and good at their business. Not only can you learn a great deal from people like this, but having them in your life will help you to continue to try to work on yourself and be your best as well.

#smallbusiness #runningasmallbusiness #supportsystem #businesstips #businesscommunication #smallbusinesssupport #networking #businessfriendships

You are NOT your target customer

I'm going to repeat that one more time for those in the back! You are NOT your target customer!

Crazy as it might sound, but understanding this concept and all that it implies is one of the most important steps in reaching your target customer and providing them the services that they need. Everything from your marketing to the way you create your website, the contacts and touch points you have with your customers and the delivery of your good and services needs to speak to your target customer. And that person, simply put, is not you!

Why can't I be my own target customer?

Well that's easy! Because your pain points are not their pain points. You're good at what you do. In fact, not only are you good at it, you're better than most. You're passionate about it and love what you do! And that's amazing. It's what makes you good at running your business. It's what makes you someone your customers what to buy from.

Your target customer? They are not good at what you do. What you're good at solves their problems and pain points. Your strengths are their weaknesses. You are what they are searching for, because they cannot or don't want to do for themselves what you provide. Maybe they aren't good at it. Maybe they are and simply hate it.

The point is, if they were you, they wouldn't need you!

So why should I care that I'm not my target customer?

Because that means you're not the barometer for what is and is not a good move in your business. Really getting that you're not your target customer means that you're not the final check. In your own head, you shouldn't be asking "Do I like this?" Instead you should be putting yourself in the shoes of a person who needs your service and figuring out if they will like it. That's hard to do. Which is why we often rely on market research, polls and customer feedback to understand what is and is not working for them.

I struggled with this for so long! I would think, "I'd never pay that for this service" or "That's something that I can totally do myself!" And that's the point. I wouldn't pay for my services, because I could do it myself. But when I asked other people those things were annoying or difficult and therefore something they were more than willing to pay for to get results and save themselves the headache. So rather than thinking about what I would pay for, or how much I would pay, I had to start trusting other people and the market to tell me what the going price for a service would be.

This change had a direct impact on my pricing, my advertising, my website design and copy and so much more. It even changed how I spoke to customers about what I was offering!

I began to realize and behave in a way that communicated that what I was offering was really valuable to them! Because it would be helpful.

Ok, I'm not my target client. So who is?

This is where you start identifying who is it that would benefit from your products or services? Well, first they don't have your skills. They have other interests and abilities. They're also struggling with accomplishing easily or quickly or efficiently what you offer. But it would benefit them. So what group of people would benefit from your products or services (remember they have to have a use for them) and also be willing to pay for those products or services (can't or won't do what you're doing themselves).

Now, get a bit more detailed. Why is this such a pain for them? What problems do you solve for them with your service? Where do they like to hang out that you could tell them about yourself and your business (social media, google, coffee shop bulletin boards?)? Taking some time to put together a bio for the type of person who will buy from you, helps you speak to them.

What impact has adjusting your mindset to realize you're not your target client had on your business?

#smallbusiness #runningasmallbusiness #targetclient #idealclient #targetcustomer #businesstips #businesscommunication #smallbusinessefficiency

Customer Satisfaction Surveys

We've all gotten a survey after a purchase or in our email after buying a service. And sometimes we ignore it, but sometimes we fill it out and offer that brand some insight into our experience. Is this something your business needs? If so, what should you include? How do you send it out?

This wasn't something I had set up early on, and it may not be something you've even thought about. I thought I knew how my clients were feeling about my business and had all the answers. After doing surveys, I've realized that many of them do affirm what I already know, but they also offer great insights that can help grow my business, offer better customer services and make sure clients that have something to say have a chance to be heard!

Who needs customer satisfaction surveys?

Everyone!

Absolutely every business can benefit from asking their clients about their experience and insights.

I genuinely don't believe that there is any business that can't learn something from their customers. And a survey allows for a much lower pressure way of asking. Sure you can ask every client in person for their thoughts, but they might feel caught off guard or pressured to answer a certain way. In a survey, anonymous or not, it takes some of the pressure off and give them time to think.

What should I include?

There are lots of questions you can include, but my favorite are the following:

1. What made you decide to choose my business? If you want to know how to attract new clients it's helpful to know what drew your existing ones to your business in the first place.

2. If you were trying to find a business such as mine when searching online, what would you search for? Do you know how clients search for you? Keywords and search patterns online are constantly changing. Stay on top of what your clients are searching for by asking this. This will put you ahead of the competition, by allowing you to focus on what your clients are searching for, rather than what businesses think clients are searching for.

3. Can you describe one way I'm better than other ______________ (photographers in my case)? If you want to find your differentiators and strengths the best source are the clients that like your services. It also tells you what your clients value. If your differentiator that you're using to sell yourself is something your clients don't care about, it won't help you much. But if they tell you it's something you do better, you know it's a characteristic that is important to them and took enough note to tell you about it.

4. What is one thing that I could do to make sure you have an even better customer experience? Not only does this help you uncover things you may have done that need improvement, but also gaps in your business model. A service or product that you may be missing or some small add-on clients have grown to expect. It also might lead you to a brand new business expansion idea that you may never have thought of. Many times what happy customers will share as room for improvement is actually an opportunity for growth!

5. Would you/do you refer me to others? This fairly generic question allows customers to answer with a simple yes or no. You can gauge the general feeling toward your business.

6. How likely are you to recommend me to others? (On a scale of 1-10) Use this question to calculate an NPS score. It offers a bit more detail and helps you get numeric handle on how your clients feel about you.

7. And would you tell me why? Rather than just tell you if they'd recommend you, offer the option to explain their feelings on why they would or wouldn't tell their friends about you. This answer tells you several things. If they said no, this answer let's you know where you can improve and what it would take to have customers recommend you. If they said yes, you can learn both what they value and think is worthy of mentioning and recommending and also what you do best that makes you worth recommending. I believe in focusing on your strengths and always working to keep them top notch, to do that, you have to know what your strengths are.

8. What are some of your favorite local businesses? Look at your clients' tastes and see if there are any patterns. Maybe some of their responses will offer opportunities for partnership. At the very least you can get a better handle on your target market and know their preferences.

9. Did I miss anything? You're not psychic. There might be something they're just waiting to tell you. Offer your customers the opportunity with this open ended question.

How do I make one?

There are tons of survey services out there for building out your customer satisfaction survey.

And by tons, I mean TONS. One of the best known is surveymonkey, my personal favorite is jotform. Do some research and make a list of possible contenders and compare their services. Most offer a free and a paid option and have strengths and weaknesses. Different ways of collecting the information, analytics tools, personalization options, etc. Research the one that fits your needs the best.

Can't find one? That can be ok. It might be a great inspiration to build your own solution. A survey is really a contact form with the appropriate questions, settings, and delivery options. If you don't have the time or energy to build one out, there might be a professional you can hire that will do it for you.

How should I send it out?

You have some options with this one and it depends on your business model and your customer relationships.

• Social Media - Do you spend most of your time communicating with your clients on social media? This might be your best way to send out a questionnaire every few weeks or months to get the pulse of your audience.

• Website - If your website is your hub and everyone has to come there to purchase or receive your product consider making a special page for your clients to go to fill out a survey. If you have a purchase flow a review/survey page would work nicely shortly after purchase.

• Email - An email is a personal touch that is harder to ignore. If you communicate with your clients via email you can place a survey in an email after your delivery or service or send out a newsletter every so often to new clients.

• Client Gallery - Do you deliver products via an online gallery? Maybe a survey placed right with the product you've delivered would keep it fresh in your client's mind and make this a great place to put the survey.

What do I do with all the information?

First off, store it securely. All information your client's provide should be secured somewhere private and according to the laws and regulations of your and your customers' regions.

Second, read through it carefully. Read over what they write and absorb it on an individual level. Every client took the time to write their thoughts so give them each personal attention. Consider going back and reading through older surveys once a year and comparing them to current ones to see how sentiment may be changing over time.

Third, aggregate it. Combine the responses into aggregate data that you can analyze in groups to look for patterns. Make lists of search terms to optimize for that appear most often. Look at your NPS score and watch it over time. Take ideas for improving your business. Accept your strengths and use them to grow your business or improve your sales strategy. Personally I aggregate the data and create data visualizations to help me interpret it all. Find your strategy to try and get the most out of your data.

Last Step

Send a thank you to every client that helps you!

Since they took the time to respond to your questions and be helpful, offer them a sincere thank you!

How do you learn about your clients' thoughts on your business? What questions do you ask that I might have missed?

#smallbusiness #runningyourbusiness #customerservice #gettingfeeback #microbusiness #solopreneurship #levelupyourbusiness #businessfeedback #customerfeedback #customersurveys #microbusinessgrowth #smallbusinessfeedback