The Gilman Company Blog

The First Time is the Hardest

 Some business firsts of notoriety.

1. You've decided to leverage social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter or Squidoo to expand your online presence.

2. You're developing or expanding to a new product category for your business.

3. You're knocking on the door of an all-new associate or business partner.

5. You're going to establish a corporate blog.

6. Your going to make the leap to a start-up.

7. Or, God forbid, you're finally getting a website.

Whatever first it is, it goes without saying, that the first time is the hardest. You can expect whatever your doing for the first time in business to take more resources, things like your time, money and your resolve, just to name a few. What you don't want to think is something like this: "If this is what having a website is like, it's not worth the trouble." Or, "expanding my sporting goods line to include clothing is a bear of a project." Getting started is the hardest part.

Bonus tip: Plan your "first" strategically based on market conditions and your company's position. Also, understand that normal operations of your "first" will be much easier than getting it started was.

Get a Gilman consultation.

Stephen King, Sending Email and Heavenly Bliss

Stephen King has written that he believes Hell is repetition. Any guy that has the wherewithal and talent to sell a bazillion books has to be onto something, right?  What does that have to do with your business and sending email, you ask? It has to do with you becoming more productive, efficient and avoiding repetition Hell.

Repetition Hell
You type out several virtually identical emails a day or every week that are virtually identical in content. Essentially, you're responding in the same way to inquiries or you're reaching out with the same type of message/information.

Purgatory (You're Almost There)
Who doesn't deplore needless typing. It's a waste of your time, your life and your abilities to be exceptionally efficient and productive. So, you type a message template once, copy and paste when necessary and throw in an occasional and personalized nice-ity. Better than repetition Hell, but aren't you really wanting Heavenly Bliss?

Heavenly Bliss
Create a unique page on your website with an easy alias URL related to the type of information you're getting out. Now, your three or four paragraphs turns into a line or two of personalized greatness and a short and easy URL.

Get a Gilman consultation.

You are Not Your Customer

If you want to enhance the experience that your customers have when they do business with you, remember that "you" are not "they". What may appear to be the best solution to you may not be the best solution for your customer.

For example, if you like pastels and your in the business of selling sporting goods, the packaging for your boxing gloves product probably shouldn't be designed based on a pastel color scheme. You should be looking for a bold and strong color scheme.

If you like to get creative but your customers are very no nonsense, you should market to and communicate with them with that in mind.

Bonus tip: know your customers.

Get a Gilman consultation.

Take One For The Team: Premium Parking and Other Perks

As adjustments and cuts take place, perhaps even layoffs, it's important that executives and other leaders communicate to employees that they too are team players, that executives are just as vested in dealing with the downturn as the rank and file. Even a token sacrifice like premium parking, first class air or another seemingly extravagant perk, one that employees will recognize, will go a long way with morale. The goal should be to do what you can to avoid or mitigate negative chatter about perks.

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Delegate What You Hate

Your not good at it anyway and that's probably why you hate it. You'll save money, get it done right and save a few gray hairs on your head. Doing things that you don't like to do or that your not good at will affect your productivity and efficiency. A great leader will recognize who does what best and delegate accordingly.

A few things that people hate to do that they should delegate:

Write/edit

Calculate

Speak

Navigate

Sell

Deal with technology

Hire/direct people

Administrate

...

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Time Value Ratio and This Blog: Three Minutes a Day

As the entrepreneurs and business people in this country figure out how to bounce this economy back, everyone gets just a little more busy. Here, a new promise from The Gilman Company and this blog.

We suspect that the average reader of this blog will spend about three minutes a day with this content, whether by subscription to the blog or visiting the site. We're committed to delivering value to TGC blog readers in that three minutes. Give us three minutes a day for one year and see if you and your business isn't better for it.

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Giving Face Time: The Art of the Walk By

Every day is a mixer. Beyond chance meetings in the elevator, take the initiative and the opportunity to give a little face time to colleagues or associates within your organization that may be out of your typical circle of operations.

While you're at it, try straying from the platitudes of dead end niceties (i.e. How are you? - Good. - Yourself. - I'm doing well, thank you.). Ask a benign but detailed question about specific things that this colleague does. "How is the ____ project going?" Test your abilities to keep it light and don't get lured into a detailed and long conversation. It's not a "water cooler" chat and it's not merely a polite acknowledgment.

Yes, it's easy to get shored up in small group. Up your "walk by" face time giving and you'll learn more about your organization, who you're working with, what the possibilities are and build relationships that you can leverage in the future.

Get a Gilman consultation.

Personal Communication Tactic #6425: Respond

One of the tiny details that was lost in the information age, the age of not enough time and too much information, is the classic courtesy response.

We've all experienced it. You communicate with someone by email, phone, fax or even a visit and there is no response. Once upon a time, this was unheard of in professional organizations. Now it is to be expected, commonplace and we are actually desensitized tot he courtesy response. All of this is actually great...for you.

There is a big, wide open space in professional etiquette to shine. Be that curious professional who responds, even when the answer is no. If you stay committed to responding, even slightly, you're guaranteed to cash in. Not to mention, you'll find a great excuse to upgrade that smart phone to make remote responding more convenient.

Get a Gilman consultation.

Dress for Excess...

Excess time, excess energy, excess personal brand management.

Dressing in a professional work environment can be this easy (for men):

Eight business suits, all relatively dark. Ten white, long sleeve, button down shirts. Ten to fifteen ties. Five minutes getting dressed in the morning (think of it as a uniform). Your clients, co-workers, business partners, etc., will know what to expect and they will relate your simple, yet stylish commitment to professional, no nonsense attire to your work product and work ethic.

Getting dressed should be one of the easiest things you do all day. With a focused and consistent wardrobe, you won't spend any time worrying about what you're wearing, very little time deciding what to wear and even less time shopping. One trip to a clothier and you're good for the next six months to a year.

Worried about comfort? Buy suits, shirts and shoes that fit.

Casual Fridays: this may be an opportunity to set yourself apart from the herd.

Get a Gilman consultation.

And You Shall Know Them by Their Desktops

Chances are, your computer desktop is a reflection of your office and your actual desk top. Take a few seconds to check. I'll wait...

If you have a collage of rotating photo's on your computer desktop, you probably have a lot of sentimental trinkets on your desk and lying around your office, music playing the background, etc. Okay, now think about how this state of things affects your work product. On a very elemental level, in a busy environment like this, you are either blocking all of the mental noise this creates, it's distracting you or it's taxing on your senses.

Now, you're workspace doesn't and shouldn't be entirely sterile. However, the more organized and simple your workspace and work environment is, the more productive it could be. Your workspace and that of your staff can also be a representation of your company's culture and your company's culture can make a difference with staff, customers, clients and partners.

Get a Gilman consultation.