Everything I know about Business I Learned from my Father

 

My professional journey has been an interesting one and less than traditional. I suppose that is because I was not raised in a traditional household. I didn’t realize it at the time but it was vastly different from the households my schoolmates grew up in. Looking back it was the best of all possible worlds.

 

Back in the 60’s when I was growing up, my parents worked at home. That wasn’t a very common thing in those days. I grew up in a small town that was on a major truck route. My parents were motel managers and we lived on site. Wow – what a life! I had a pool in my backyard and my parents were always home. There were always new people to meet and old friends returning. I think that was the best part – the returning guests. They were like family coming to visit. I still have a teddy bear (I’m 48 now) that was given to me by one of our regular guests. At the time I got it, I must have been about five; it was taller than I was.

 

My father was a true entrepreneurial spirit and he instilled his sales and marketing savvy in me. Whenever my school had a fundraiser, I didn’t have to go door to door. My father showed me how to neatly display the candy or magazines or whatever I was selling. He taught me how to share the information and ask for the sale. I’m sure I sold a lot of magazines to lonely truckers who were missing their own kids. I learned sales and marketing from a master of the game without even knowing it.

 

He also taught me generosity, gratitude, and compassion – disguised as “Customer Service.” Every year we have a Rodeo in town sponsored by our Elks Lodge.  Now if you are into that sort of thing, it’s a really big deal here. Everyone’s a cowboy for the weekend and there are more decorations in town than at the Holidays. Every hotel within 50 miles is booked a year in advance. When I was a kid, the only way to get from one end of California to another by freeway was through our town. We often had travelers who stopped for the night on their way to somewhere else. If they came in on rodeo weekend and they came to my father, he would call every single competitor in town to find them a room and if he couldn’t then we cleaned out a store room and set up roll-away bed. He did whatever he could to make sure no one was turned away. Sure, it was a smart business tactic. People who had to go to a competitor came back to us on their next visit or they referred their business associates and friends. As a business man, he saw that value to the bottom line but that was only part of it.

 

My father was driven by a passion to make people feel welcome, appreciated and comfortable. He wanted them to feel like our home was their home, even if just for the weekend. When they felt that, he felt it. He received by giving. He taught me that no matter what we do, whether seemingly trivial or on a grand scale; if we do it with a giving heart our lives will be filled with joy.

Training Time – To Charge or not to Charge?

 

I’ve seen some discussions recently in the Virtual Assisting Industry over the topic of charging your clients for training time. In my opinion, the answer is sometimes yes, but sometimes, no. Simply put:

 

Billable training:

• Time I spend with the client training on their specific systems, policies and procedures.
• Time I spend developing these things if the client does not already have them in place.
• Time I spend learning proprietary software and systems. For example, if the client has a CRM that has been developed specifically for their company, I am not going to be able to use this for any other client. It won’t take me as long to learn it as someone with no CRM experience and that does benefit the client, however I still have to learn it.

 

Non-billable training:

• Learning industry standard software such as Microsoft Office products, Internet Explorer, and Vista.
• These are “tools of the trade” and the client has the right to expect that I have these basic fundamental skills. I will be able to use them for most, if not all of my clients so who should pay for that? I should. It is an investment in my business.

 

Those are the guidelines I use but whatever policies you set, be sure you communicate them clearly to your clients so that there are no misunderstandings. Remember, these are not going to be the same with every VA so don’t assume your client knows your policies regarding training time or anything else.

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Yes, Take it Personally!

I read an article recently about handling criticism and taking rejection. The good ‘ole standby, “Don’t take it personally” was of course, the anthem uttered over and over, ad infinitum, ad naseum. I have learned through many, many rejections that I grow more personally and professionally from them than from the sales I do close.
Many times we hear the advice, “Don’t take it personally.” I disagree; I think we should not be afraid to take it personally. No, I don’t mean wallow in it, let it damage your self-esteem or give up. I mean that when you are evaluating why your product or service was rejected, don’t be afraid to look in the mirror.
Sales at the most basic level is about building a relationship between people and is therefore personal. So when I am evaluating why a prospect is choosing to not be a client I look at the personal stuff too. I look at what I may or may not have done to further the relationship. I may conclude that I’m not going to make any changes and that’s ok. I may conclude that I need to change the verbiage in a letter, develop a more focused advertising campaign or be a better listener.
The bottom line is the only control I have is over what I do. I do not have control over the prospect. I am the one responsible for my business and that may mean making some personal as well as professional changes. If we aren’t afraid to look at how we can improve professionally, we shouldn’t be afraid of looking at how we can improve personally. Just don’t let it leave you broken and bloody; let it leave you healthier and stronger.
I guess what I am trying to say and perhaps not very clearly or succinctly is that business, especially via the internet has gotten too impersonal for my taste. We can’t forget that the fancy web sites and creative taglines are bringing people not businesses to our “door”. I don’t believe in “B2B” sales – it’s all P2P sales.

Everything I Need To Know About Business I Learned From My Father

My professional journey has been an intesresting one and less than traditional. I suppose that is because I was not raised in a traditional household. I didn’t realize it at the time but it was vastly different from the households my friends grew up in. It was the best of all possible worlds.

Back in the 60’s when I was growing up, my parents worked at home. That wasn’t a very common thing in those days. I grew up in a small town that was on a major truck route. My parents were motel managers and we lived on site. Wow – what a life! I had a pool in my backyard and my parents were always home. There were always new people to meet and old friends returning. I think that was the best part – the returning guests. They were like family coming to visit. I still have a teddy bear (I’m 48 now) given to me by one of our regular guests. At the time I got it, I must have been about five; it was taller than I was.

My father was a true entrepreneurial spirit and a very savvy marketer and salesman. Whenever my school had a fundraiser, I didn’t have to go door to door. My father showed me how to neatly display the candy or magazines or whatever I was selling. He taught me how to share the information and ask for the sale. I’m sure I sold many magazines to lonely truckers who were missing helping their own kids sell magazines. I learned sales and marketing from a master of the game without even knowing it.

He also taught me generosity, gratitude, and compassion – disguised as “Customer Service.” Every year we have a Rodeo in town sponsored by our Elks Lodge.  Now if you are into that sort of thing, it’s a really big deal here. Everyone’s a cowboy for the weekend and there are more decorations in town than during the Holiday Season. Every hotel within 50 miles is booked a year in advance. When I was a kid, the only way to get from one end of California to another by freeway was through our town. We often had travelers who stopped for the night on their way to somewhere else. If they came in on rodeo weekend and they came to my father, he would call every single competitor in town to find them a room and if he couldn’t then we cleaned out a store room and set up roll-away bed. He did whatever he could to make sure no one was turned away. Sure, it was a smart business tactic. People who had to go to a competitor came back to us on their next visit or they referred their business associates and friends. As a business man, he saw that value to the bottom line but that was only part of it.

My father was driven by a passion to make people feel welcome, appreciated and comfortable. He wanted them to feel like our home was their home, even if just for the weekend. When they felt that, he felt it. He received by giving. He taught me that no matter what we do, whether seemingly trivial or on a grand scale; if we do it with a giving heart our lives will be filled with joy.