homebiznotes.com

December 5th, 2007

7 Tips for Mastering the “Art of Thank You” in Your Home Business

  “People don’t say thank you any more.  Or write thank you notes,” a friend mentioned the other day.

Is this you in your busy life?  In your home business?

Even though I was taught, by a mother who sat us at the dining table to write thank you notes the day after receiving a gift, I often find myself so caught up in a busy life that I must keep a “thank you note list” or “thinking of you list” so I don’t forget.  Even if it’s a verbal “thank you,” it means more than ignoring.

Translate this to your business and your customers, as well as family, friends, and strangers.  Develop a reputation as someone who appreciates others and what they do. 

*Have little appreciation notes made up that you sign and drop into customers’ bags.

*Send a thank you e-mail to your online customers. 

*If someone is especially helpful or purchases a large order, have small gifts you can include with purchase…or afterward.

*Remember your employees with thank you’s.

*Realize the “older” (grandma) generation was brought up with mothers who made sure they wrote thank you notes!

*Carry postcards with you so you can write notes while you wait or find someone needs a bit of cheer.  These may be special ones or simply those purchased at the post office with a happy face sticker on them.

*Smile!  Even those little smiling faces on your e-mail notes add a bit of cheer with thank you’s.  Seeing your smiling face often brings an answering smile and cheers the person you encounter.

Be someone of whom is said: “They always say thank you.”        

What tips do you have for mastering the  “Art of Thank You”?

Additional Posts:

Thanks & Thankfulness in Our Home Businesses

Attention to the “Little Things” by Home Business Owners

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 3 comments

November 18th, 2007

Tax Time Is Coming for Home Businesses!

The end of 2007 is approaching faster than most of us would like to think about…and that means we must consider wrapping things up taxwise.

Kelly, at Taxgirl, will be answering year end tax questions about charitable donations, individual tax planning or reporting.  For submitting your question, Ask the Taxgirl.

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 0 comments

October 27th, 2007

When Your Home Business Creates Stress

      Even though your home business seems the ideal solution for earning an income, you’ll still experience times of stress.  There are deadlines to meet, bills to pay, sometimes difficult customers to deal with, unexpected crises, and family commitments to coordinate.  You often feel you’ve become a master juggler.  Also, you may find your energy level  running on empty.

So how do you energize yourself and decrease stress?

Sara at Health Bolt has listed 25 Simple Ways to Feel Energized and Refreshed Every Day.  Although these tips are for anyone, I think the home business owner will find them especially helpful.

They’re simple; they aren’t costly; many can be done at home...in between business and family tasks. 

Be sure to check them out.

Do you have any ways of relieving stress and energizing yourself you’d like to share?

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 2 comments

October 26th, 2007

Home Biz Notes Post Mentioned at Biz Chicks Rule

Biz Chicks Rule, one of the new blogs at b5media’s Business Channel, written by co-bloggers Bridget Wright and Kristen King, features topics of interest to women in business.  Bridget, in Really, Really, I DO Really Work! , touches upon one of the topics I’ve often addressed over the years.  Moms with home businesses really do work.

In her post, Bridget refers to my suggestions for moms to feel and appear professional.  We seem to be on the same wave length.  I think you’ll also find Bridget’s analysis of the situation of interest and helpful if you’re one of the moms, or grandmoms, who operates a home business…but friends and family seem to think you have unlimited time to volunteer and run errands. 

(Not that moms  without home businesses don’t work.   That’s another whole  topic!  And one of my pet peeves.)

How do you handle the situation when family, friends, and others think you have a great deal of free time because you work from your home?

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 0 comments

October 24th, 2007

Check Out Press Releases for Increasing Your Home Business Exposure

        Some may consider press or news releases a relic of the past.  But, according to Dorothy Thompson, of Pump Up Your Book Promotion PR (an online promotion service), You Can Double Your Profits With Free Press Releases.  She has some suggestions for formatting your press releases so they’re picked up by major search engines.  Dorothy also gives ideas about where you can send the news releases.

Since Dorothy is a writer, publisher, and publicist, she addresses the needs of the writer.  However, many of the techniques about writing press releases and keying them for success can be used by businesses.  She also suggests a number of sites where you can place your press releases for free distribution.  These are ones Dorothy has used in her promotion of books and e-books, as well as  authors for whom she conducts virtual blog tours.

  As David Meerman Scott mentions in this book, it’s a new world of marketing and PR today, with new rules.  Dorothy has found some of these new rules.  Why not you, too?

Do you have promotion tips that have helped bring about success in your business?

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 1 comment

October 23rd, 2007

Staying Motivated in Your Home Business

You’re excited about your home business.  It’s something you basically enjoy.  You work for yourself, from your home, and can be somewhat flexible about your hours. 

However, no matter how much you enjoy what you’re doing, there will be times when it becomes routine, monotonous, frustrating, and perhaps discouraging.  For instance, when I was making children’s quilted vests, I had to set up an assembly line type of routine to be most efficient and earn the most money for my time.  Basically, it became somewhat boring as I cut, appliqued, sewed, and made vest after vest, even if they had different designs on them.

How to you stay motivated in your home business when some of the excitement wears off?

Laurie Neumann has written a very helpful article,  Achieve Work from Home Business Success, on her Christian Home Business Connection web site and provides great tips on staying motivated.

“The difference in seeing success while you are working from home is that you need to keep yourself motivated,” Laurie says.  “You don’t have a boss urging you on, telling you what to do.” 

Utilizing some of the tips Laurie offers, should help you stay motivated in your home business.

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 0 comments

October 22nd, 2007

Home Business Owners Should Consider Retirement Plans

Home business owners are self-employed.  If they or their spouse don’t have another job with a retirement plan, they may find themselves lacking when they want to slow down.  It’s also often very puzzling to know what to select.

Miranda at Yielding Wealth, discusses this in her post, Retirement Plans for the Self-Employed, and gives specifics on the various ones you can consider.  Miranda discusses the one she has chosen as well as several others.

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 2 comments

October 21st, 2007

Participating in Showcases & Carnivals for Home Business Promotion

 One way to promote your home business, particularly an online business,  involves participating in showcases and blog carnivals.  However, you can do this, too, if you have a walk-in business in your home.  You probably have a web site and may be writing a blog. 

Utilize your blog by becoming involved in the online round-ups of similar businesses. This month, in the United States and Canada (and in some other countries), many businesses are focusing on Halloween sales and celebrations.  

An example of a showcase featuring Halloween as the theme is the one recently conducted by b5media’s Arts and Design channel.  Some of the participants have online crafts businesses.  They used the carnival to share ideas and instructions.  (This type of theme carnival works well for any holiday.)

You can do the same with your business.  Become part of a group that contributes blog posts/articles with a periodic theme.  Also, you can participate to groups with themes that relate mainly to your type of business. 

Recently, I contributed a post from the Alzheimer’s Notes blog (which I co-author with Liz Lewis) to the Gene Genie carnival.  If you had a business that somehow involved genetics or DNA, participating in such a carnival or theme day would help you share your knowledge, and result in your name becoming recognized as someone associated with this field.

Finding time to participate becomes part of the promotion plan for your business.  You must promote any business…so figure blog writing and carnival participation into your schedule, the same as a store front business coordinates ads for the local newspaper or radio or designs flyers to mail.

Becoming involved in showcases, theme days, and carnivals can be fun, too.

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 0 comments

October 20th, 2007

More on Using E-mail for Your Home Business Communication

My previous post about e-mails for your home business and personal communication, Keep Your E-mails Professional, has drawn a number of comments,  here and sent to me personally.  Readers have shared with me and given additional information about e-mails.  

In general, they have agreed we often don’t spend enough time on our e-mails, a factor that could have an adverse reaction both personally and professionally.

*Yvonne Russell, my Home Biz Notes co-blogger, mentioned that e-mails, in some cases are legal documents. 

*Laura Spencer, at Work From Home Momma , reminded us, that people often tend to “adopt a too casual attitude” regarding their e-mails.”

*Yvonne also coincidentally wrote a post at Small Biz Mentor  about e-mail etiquette, especially as it applies to online groups.  Her post, Sending & Responding to Group Emails, will give you something to think about…such as “stop and think before you write or respond.”  At least count to 10!

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 1 comment

October 17th, 2007

Keep Your E-mails Professional - Personal & Home Business Ones

Writing careless, unprofessional e-mails may turn off customers.  Take time to use the proper English (or other language) you’ve hopefully learned in school. 

I’ve even seen writers express the idea that they don’t need to proof their e-mails.  “After all, that’s not serious writing,” they comment about casual e-mails. 

However, just about any writing on the Internet might be seen by others.  You never know who might be in that online group, chat group, or reading your blog.  For a writer..maybe the editor who had expressed interest in your book.  For a business owner…perhaps a customer  who now wonders if you’re as sloppy with your product production or service as you are with your e-mails.

Celine at Pimp Your Work has some good tips about writing e-mails in her post, 7 Ways to Make Your E-mails Unprofessional.  She writes sort of “tongue in cheek,” but has some very valid points to make.  I hope you aren’t practicing any of these!

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By Mary Emma Allen -- 7 comments