Announcing My New Blog

I now have my main blog at http://www.JinniaLow.com.

It is where I will write all future blog posts. :)

There Is Always Time To Be Yourself

There Is Always Time To Be Yourself

The Question Of Focus In Mothering And In Business

I had posed a question earlier - Is it possible to multi-task and focus at the same time? And the answer to that question led me to these questions - What happens when multi-tasking is unavoidable for a stay-at-home mother, who also works from home? How can she keep her priorities straight and still focus on building her business?

I just love to figure out how to live right and maximize the life that I've been given for things that are truly important. Especially in business, it is quite a big playing field and I think it's necessary to lay an excellent foundation, test things, make mistakes, fall down and come right back again!

Who Will Get in the Last Word of Encouragement?

Who will get in the last word of encouragement?

This is my personal challenge to myself as I work on building great relationships with people. I think it's safe to say that one of my life's biggest goals is to become a great conversationalist and servant to people - to be a stay-in-touch master who builds a huge network of people. I spent all my life not staying in touch with people because of fears of people getting too close to me not liking me. But, getting over a fear like that opens up a floodgate of wonderful relationships just waiting to happen.

Acceptance is key.

Multi-Tasking and FOCUS

I've been thinking about this question a lot lately, and that is, "Do you think it is possible to multi-task and focus at the same time?" I even posted this question on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and a forum. Check out the video below to hear what kind of answers I got and what my conclusion is.

The Customer is Always Right
Customer service has been on a steady decline over the past decade or so. What recourses do we have as consumers and is there any hope for a return to the service of yesterday?
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1031510/the_customer_is_always_right.html

Think You Know Your Referral Network?

Today's blog was inspired by SmallBizBee, a prominent small business blogger, who posed this question earlier today:

"When my customers refer me to others, what three things are they saying about what I do?"

While SmallBizbee focuses on customer word of mouth, we thought it would be helpful to also ask the same question regarding your referral partners. In other words:

"When my referral partners refer me to others, what three things are they saying about what I do?"

There are some things to consider when making the distinction between how accurately your client's communicate your services and how accurately your referral partners communicate your services.

What are your client's saying about your services?

Your clients have no intrinsic obligation to learn and accurately communicate the benefits of your services. As SmallBizBee points out, what you "think" your clients are saying about you may be different than what your clients are "actually" saying about you. It's always a good idea to follow up with clients and get an idea of how they perceive your services. Yet, because they are your clients and not necessarily a referral partner, you must take a much more passive approach. Probe, ask questions and if you notice any trends or miscommunication; you may want to tweak the marketing message on your end.

What are your referral partners saying about your services?

Conversely, good referral partners need to maintain clear communication and meet the expectations you've both set forth. Because you're vested in each others success, there is a certain level of accountability. It is more acceptable to actively control the marketing message within your referral. Your strategy could involve anything from a periodic newsletter, to a lunch-date where you specifically tell your referral partner how you'd like to communicate the value of your services.

Referral marketing comes with a responsibility to accurately represent those who you've agreed to generate sales leads with. While the line between b2b relationships and customer relationships can sometimes be blurred, don't do market research on your referral partners; sit down with them, define clear expectations and be specific in how your services should be presented.