11 Feb

LinkedIn Ratings, Endorsements and Recommendations

By Lisa In Articles, Ask Lisa, Blog, Business, Featured, Featured, Marketing, Shop Talk, Social Media, Uncategorised / 1 Comment

Do you want to beef up your LinkedIn profile and build up a bit of credibility around what you do? No problem.

How you approach this could leave you looking bad to all those people you are connected to unless you exercise a bit of skill and social savvy.

Let’s break down your options when it comes to building credibility on LinkedIn:

1. Ratings via myBizCard.co

This site is simple to use. First you visit https://mybizcard.co/

Screen Shot 2014-02-09 at 7.57.27 PM

Then, you click a button and give them access to ALL your information…

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Then they populate a canned email like this one below guaranteed to make you look like a hero and blast it out to your network.

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Not so fast grasshopper.

Social networks are meant to be social.

That means if you are sending this to me and your 500+ other LinkedIn connections you have just made a very tactical error. The majority of these people have NO CLUE as to the professional rating you deserve.

All you have done is left them wondering why your judgment is so poor to even ask for a rating.

2. Skills and Endorsements

LinkedIn has added a simple and easy way for you to give someone an endorsement based on the skills they have in business.

This seemed like a good idea except for the fact that LinkedIn started populating these big blue boxes on your profile and most people just keep clicking add without even considering whether the endorsement is appropriate.

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Clients ask me all the time why people are endorsing them for things they don’t even do! Good question. Why would someone do that?

If you are going to endorse someone, make sure you pay attention and select skills that are applicable to them and what they really do – otherwise your good gesture is not of much use to them.

3. Recommendations

This is my favourite part of LinkedIn. This is where you can go and write a real legitimate recommendation for someone.

The problem here is simple: People email their entire list of connections, all at the same time and ask to be recommended instead of asking your customers when the time is right.

Stop asking people to recommend you when they haven’t done business with you.

Start writing GOOD recommendations for people whom you have done business with. Unlike ratings and endorsements, a good recommendation is of tremendous value to you when it is well written and comes from a credible source.

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Notice I have received 28, and I have given 27. If you haven’t recently given someone a recommendation that really deserves it, go do it.

Be detailed, specific and show the outcome or benefit they provided you.

LinkedIn is a tremendous professional networking tool when used appropriately. Stop getting caught up in the hype of a five star rating and how many endorsements you can get and focus on building solid relationships.

Relationships are the pathway to future business opportunities. Don’t underestimate their power. <- Tweet This!

Have you received a request from someone to recommend or endorse them on LinkedIn but aren’t really sure what the difference is or when you should do this? I set the record straight in this video below.

05 Feb

Is The Customer Always Right?

By Lisa In Articles, Ask Lisa, Blog, Business, Featured, Featured, Retail, Shop Talk / 3 Comments

Lisa-Larter-Customer-Service

As a Store Manager working in retail in my early 20s, returns were the bane of my existence. It made me crazy when someone would buy a pair of shoes, wear them and then bring them back and want to return them for some made up reason. It negatively impacted my sales and it went against my values of only accepting returns that were “unworn”.

Repeatedly, I would engage in debates with the customer, point out the scratches, the dirt on the soles of the shoes and try and force them to keep the merchandise.

One day my District Manager was at the store and he taught me a powerful lesson.

He said “Lisa, when it comes to how you sell and serve our customers, treat the business like it is your own. When it comes to accepting returns, regardless of the reason, just let the customer return the merchandise and have a great experience.”

He went on to explain to me the lesson around how one upset customer can tell so many other customers (this was back in 1989) and the bigger impact it has on a business when you don’t treat them well when things go wrong.

That lesson has stayed with me for the most part in my career and business and from time to time – I get tested.

Can you relate?

You know what I mean…You get that feeling in your belly that makes you want to defend or resist a request for a refund. Or you rationalize that it was “their fault” that the program or product didn’t work and think you should have a stronger policy outlining every exception known to man as to why they can’t have their money back because that will stop the next one!

Or, maybe you are in a service business and you get scope creep where the customer expects you to do more than what they paid for and you struggle to say no, or ask for more money and you get resentful because of the way you perceive them to be treating you?

The truth is, this type of thing is usually the exception, not the norm. It is a small percentage of customers who are dissatisfied, or who are challenging to work with and a very very small percentage that are completely off the cuff trying to take advantage of you. Right?

Here is what I know: You have to stop taking it personally.

When you have the right process in place, it is easy to communicate your return policy or to explain the process for requesting additional support outside of a program.

When it comes to customer service, have a process. Don’t take it personally and don’t react personally <- Tweet This!

When you react personally you are engaging in something that is rarely about you, and you are expending valuable energy on these exception situations instead of putting that energy to use serving your good customers.

All of that said, is the customer ALWAYS right? Not necessarily. This week’s Shop Talk goes into some of the experiences that I have had when it comes to unhappy customers, or ones who expect too much.

Check out the video below and then tell me in the comments, how do you deal with unhappy customers? Do you have a process?

28 Jan

Is Your Business In Startup?

By Lisa In Articles, Ask Lisa, Blog, Featured, Featured, Marketing, Questions, Shop Talk, Uncategorised / 2 Comments

Lisa Larter - Business Startup Stand Out

Competition in business is fierce!

The Internet has made it easy for anyone to hang a shingle, open for business, and begin selling products and services. Your barrier to entry is much easier and affordable than opening a traditional bricks and mortar business and, because of this, there are WAY more people starting businesses than ever before.

This means that your ability to be unique and clear in your why is more important then ever if you really want to stand out.

When I first started my consulting business and decided to help people with Social Media, I knew I couldn’t be the same as everyone else if I wanted my business to thrive.

There had to be a way to be uniquely different and positioned from the competition.

When you are trying to be unique and different you can’t do business the exact same way as everyone else or you won’t stand out. You will be the same, just like them, and that doesn’t give your customer a compelling reason to choose you.

What makes you different is what sells.

Stop trying to be the same as other successful people and start looking at it this way: What is that thing that makes you different from the rest?

Let’s look at my business as an example for you to follow:

Social Media Experts are a dime a dozen so why even bother, right?

Anyone can say they are an expert. I see people with 300 Twitter followers boasting they are the “best” at Social Media.

So what set me apart?

When I started teaching Social Media to business owners it wasn’t just about Social Media. That’s what made me different.

I am NOT an expert at Social Media. I don’t know EVERYTHING when it comes to Social Media but I do know this:

I have incredible retail subject matter expertise when it comes to building a business, measuring what matters, attracting customers, and closing sales.

I also understand how people use their mobile device and how to leverage that device addiction so that you can stay connected to your customer and prospect.

I innately understand how Social Media bridges it all together creating as secret sauce for success in business.

And, I know that teaching you how to install a fancy app on your Facebook page is NOT the key to helping you create sustainable success in your business. But, teaching you how to build relationships and get clarity and confidence in what you do can.

This video talks about why I got started, how to create your own category and really stand out.

You can do this too whether you’re in start up or already have a successful business.

Start by asking yourself these three questions:

1. What am I really good at?

2. How am I different from my competition?

3. Why do your customers love doing business with you?

If you understand these three questions, you are on your way to creating your own category and standing out amongst the competition.

Share your answer to one of these questions in the comments below!

22 Jan

How to Stop Facebook Impostors

By Lisa In Articles, Ask Lisa, Blog, Featured, Featured, Marketing, Networking, Shop Talk, Social Media / 1 22 Comments

Has it happened to you? Have you been duped by a Facebook impostor?

Here’s how it happens:

You log into Facebook and the first thing you do is check your notifications to see what’s going on.

That’s when you notice a new friend notification and click to find a friend request from “Shannon” (insert your friend’s name here). For a second you think… “Wait a minute, am I not already friends with her?”…

Then, you click on the friend request and you see her picture as the profile image, a picture of her family vacation as the cover, plus a bunch of other people you know who are already friends with her so you figure it must be okay, right?

Maybe she created a new account. Maybe she unfriended you by accident and added you again…you shrug and click on confirm then go about your Facebook business.

This is where you made your first mistake and how you help Facebook Impersonation grow.

When you get a friend request that you suspect to be duplicate the first thing you want to do is go look for your friend on Facebook and ask them “Did you create a second Facebook account?” A quick Facebook private message can often clear things up.

Most of the time the new friend request is impersonation and without even realizing it you are allowing someone who is pretending to be someone they are not to have access to all your personal information on Facebook by accepting the friend request. You do not want to do this.

The reasons for impersonating someone on Facebook can vary from hackers looking to collect personal information about you to stalkers who are trying to get information on the person they are pretending to be. Regardless of the reason, you want to put a stop to it right away.

This is what you want to do:

Step One: Go to their profile, click the drop down arrow.

Step Two: Select Report/Block.

Step Three: Submit a Report and select Report Person’s Account

Step Four: Select This timeline is pretending to be me or someone I know, and select appropriate sub section and type name of person being impersonated in and press continue.

Facebook will give you the option to let the person who is being impersonated know too, so they can file their own report and put an end to the impersonation.

This is how you stop a fraudulent account from gaining momentum.

So, the next time you get what you think might be a duplicate friend request, instead of just confirming them as a friend, follow these steps and get the Facebook Impersonator shut down.

Have you ever had an impostor or been friended by one? Share your story in the comments below!

10 Dec

This Can’t Wait Until January 1st

By Lisa In Articles, Blog, Business, Featured, Featured, Sales Measurements, Shop Talk, Social Media / 7 Comments

lisa-video-12-12 As the New Year approaches, perhaps you’ve been thinking to yourself, “I want this year to be my best year yet in my business,” or “this year I’m going to finally take action to achieve my dream.”

Sometimes in your business if things aren’t going your way or you face challenges, you can feel discouraged. There is a difference between people who stick it through and people who give up when they face challenges or find their passion dwindling.

Recently, Hal Elrod shared a really powerful blog post. He talked about taking action NOW if you are serious about making progress in 2014 and I couldn’t agree more.

Why would you wait until January 1st to start planning for 2014? The New Year is sometimes the worst time to start planning something new because you have holiday hangover – let’s start taking action right now.

So this week I want to share two things with you. Number one some strategies for you to implement today in your business and number two, a video I shared last year on how to make more money in the new year.

First, I want you to dream big and find out how to take things to the next level so that you make 2014 your best year yet!

1. Become passionate about your business. Here are 5 ways to ignite your passion for your business:

Study other entrepreneurs and learn how they have built successful businesses.
Network with like-minded business people.
Hire a coach to keep you on track.
Invest in yourself and in your learning with webinars and seminars.
Read books and magazines about business.

2. Measure EVERYTHING you do in order to build the type of business you want to own. Here are 12 ways you can do this:

Set a sales goal for 2014 and put a number on it. (It should scare you a little bit).
Take your big goal and break it down into sizable chunks. This will help you figure out how to achieve it.
Look at what you sell in your business and measure the revenue line for each product/service so you know where the money is coming from.
Identify the big rocks first. Focus your energy on closing business that makes you the most money.
Create a timeline and set milestones that you want to reach.
Put your plan in your calendar and set reminders.
Create a solid business plan so you have a blueprint to follow.
Start taking action immediately. When you take action you feel motivated and inspired to take even more action.
Hire resources to help you.
Believe in yourself and believe in what is possible. Keep this in mind: “How can I vs. I can’t”
Track your sales and slice and dice your numbers regularly.
Learn how to manage money and cash flow

3. You have to know your customer. It is the starting point and the foundation for building your business.

Identify who you love to work with. Decide; is it a corporation, big business, entrepreneur, small business or a consumer?
Understand who is best served by you and build your plan around serving that segment of the market.
Create multiple revenue buckets in your business so people have different ways to access your products and services.
Know when you need to hire help to serve your customer base. There comes a time when you cannot do it all alone.

Careful planning, persistence, and calculated action will allow you to go from an idea in your head to a successful business. <- Tweet This!

You can do this. Don’t wait until January to take action. Start today. Watch this video for a little boost on how to get started:

You can start planning 2014 now; the first plan you can put in place is to participate in the Pilot Project. You can increase your skills, create a solid foundation for your business, and network with like-minded business owners who will become your go-to community for inspiration and support – no one likes to feel like they’re doing it all alone. Learn more

What is your 2014 goal? I want to hear from you! Share in the comments below.

26 Nov

Being Right or Keeping a Customer – Which is More Important?

By Lisa In Business, Client Experience, Featured, Featured, Retail, Shop Talk, Uncategorised / 2 Comments

lisa-larter-being-right-blog

I recently had an experience that caused me to say something I don’t often say. “I will never do business there again.”

I was angry and frustrated, but, more than anything else, the situation really made me wonder:

Why is it that so many people in the service industry feel the need to puff up and behave in a belligerent way towards their customers instead of coming from a place of service?

Here is what happened:

A few weeks ago, Gretchen had an upset stomach so I took her to ASH, otherwise known as Animal Specialty Hospital of South West Florida. They have been our “go-to” place for any vet needs over the past couple of years when we are down here.

They checked her out, prescribed some antibiotics and anti-nausea products, and gave me some low fat food for her then, sent us on our way.

Once the prescribed food was gone we went back to her normal diet as instructed at the hospital. A few days later, I noticed that she did not seem to have as much energy on the homemade food I have been making so I went back to buy more of the food they gave me.

When I explained why I was there, the receptionist was unsure how to help me because she said they don’t sell that food.

Now, this came as a bit of a shock to me because they gave me the food (technically I bought it from them) just a few weeks earlier and she was unable to tell me where I could go and buy more.

She asked me to wait while she went into the back to speak to someone and try to get me more information.

To my surprise, out came a vet tech who was very determined to give me a lecture rather than service.

Before I even had a chance to speak she basically read me the riot act on why they don’t sell this food and how you have to get it prescribed by your regular vet because they don’t stock enough to sell to everyone, and they only have enough to use for their patients.

Her tone was super condescending and I could feel myself wanting to tell her to take her six cans of food that she was so ungraciously allowing me to buy and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. But I didn’t…

After she was done with her lecture, she proceeded to tell me she could order the food for me with their regular inventory order if I wanted.

I didn’t think my jaw could drop any lower than it already had, but it did. I told her no thank you and left.

I could have made a scene, but there was no need because two things happened when she was going off on her tangent:

I decided to get a regular vet who would treat me nicely.
I decided there was no way in hell I would order this very premium and very expensive dog food from them.

This situation could (and should) have been handled in a very different way.

The young woman could have come out and treated me nicely. She could have explained that although they do not carry it on-site to retail, they would be happy to order it with their next inventory shipment, and how many cases would I like.

Instead, she ticked me off to the point that I will no longer take my dogs there unless it is an emergency and I have no choice.

That means, the $700 I spent a few weeks ago when Gretchen had an upset tummy will go to another vet next time.

Service is valuable. When you treat your customers well – they keep coming back. <—Click to Tweet

Take a look at this video I did a while back on the #1 Reason Your Customers May Be Walking Instead of Buying:

And, just as important as you understanding this, your team members or employees are an extension of your business model and they need to know as well. Do they understand that their behaviour can help you build a business or lose sales as quickly as they open their mouths?

If not, you need to make sure this is a part of their training. Help them understand the right and wrong ways to handle a situation.

In a time when so many people complain about the economy, my advice is this – treat your customers well and your business will be okay.

One more thing, if you are struggling with finding the passion you once had for your business is dwindling, this can have a negative impact on your level of service. On December 4th at 12pm I will be sharing some of my secrets to keeping that passion for your business alive and well during a Free Webinar. I’d love it if you joined me. www.LisaLarter.com/Webinar

20 Nov

Are You Leaving Money on the Table?

By Lisa In Articles, Ask Lisa, Blog, Client Experience, Featured, Featured, Shop Talk / 1 2 Comments

Lisa Larter Video Art of Sales

Earlier this year at the Live Your Best Day Event we held in Ottawa, a woman approached me and kindly gifted me one of her products.

I went home and gifted that product to my husband. He LOVED it.

Now I needed one for myself, so I went onto their website shortly after that and sent them an email about ordering another.

I never received an email back from them and never ended up ordering.

Fast forward several months to when we arrived in Florida and my husband realized he had not brought the item with him. He mentioned several times that he really wished he had so I went online, found their number, and this time I called the woman.

When she answered, I introduced myself and I reminded her I was one of the organizers of the event so she would remember me. I explained the situation and told her I wanted to order two items and have them shipped to Florida. I also mentioned that I had previously emailed and received no reply that was why I was calling.

What happened next amazed me…

She did not offer to take my order but instead directed me to go to her website and order the product.

This is a tactical error I see happen that costs many businesses money.

Your customer is on the phone. They are asking to give you money.

Make it easy for them to buy.

Instead of saying to your buyer (most likely on the other end of the line with credit card in hand as I was!) that the best thing to do is use the website so it calculates the shipping, tell them that the cost does not include shipping. Offer to call them back with the shipping fees or provide them with a ballpark price.

If you aren’t a master at the art of selling have a look at this Shop Talk Video for some tips:

The most important thing to know is – Never send a customer who is ready to buy away.

The individual I was dealing with did not try to sell me anything. They didn’t offer to guide me on my purchase, to up-sell me on other products or make the process easier for me. They just basically told me to go away and use their website, which didn’t seem particularly user friendly.

Have you have ever watched Dragons Den or Shark Tank? If so, you know already that business is all about sales and valuation.

When you are complaining about results in your business take a look at how you are treating your existing customers. Having a business requires your ability to sell and when you fail to do that – people go elsewhere.

If someone calls you and wants to buy – help them to do that. Don’t send them away to think about it or process the order online – take the business.

In the Pilot Project, I talk about business a lot. In fact, we go into the nitty gritty details of tracking numbers and cash flow because I want you to learn about your business value. I’ll even be talking about how the numbers can help fuel rather than extinguish your passion in my free webinar coming up on December 4th on How to Stay Passionate About Your Business.

When you are building a business be sure YOU are not the obstacle to the growth of the company. <—Click to Tweet

Your first priority should always be – make it easy for people to buy, and always process the order when the client wants to buy. Otherwise, you are leaving money on the table.

Time to share! In the comments below tell me about a customer service experience you’ve had recently, good or bad, that really stuck with you. I love hearing your stories!

10 Nov

How to Overcome Rejection in Your Business

By Lisa In Articles, Ask Lisa, Blog, Business, Featured, Featured, Shop Talk / 2 Comments

lisa-larter-shop-talk-overcome-rejection2

Do you struggle with rejection in your business?

When you are trying to sell your products or services do you feel like all you ever hear is “no”?

When you have a small business you often wear many hats yourself and one of those is usually the hat of a salesperson. Unfortunately, that job doesn’t come easy to everyone.

You may be frustrated because you don’t like to hear that someone doesn’t want to buy your products or services (nobody does!) and because you don’t know how to overcome the rejections and not take them personally.

Understanding who your ideal customer is and having confidence in yourself can completely change the way you sell your business and turn those rejections into sales! <—Click to Tweet.

One of the easiest ways to get started is to ask your prospects why they said no and your customers why they said yes. It can be eye opening when you realize why you get the response you do and will help you choose who you talk to and what you say when it comes to selling your business.

In this week’s Shop Talk I have some tips to help you overcome the no’s and turn your business around.

Watch the video and then share with me, what are some of the things you’ve done to turn things around in your business?

Need help getting started with marketing your business online the right way so you avoid some of those noes? Check out my book, Get Results for Your Business with Online Marketing today! https://www.lisalarter.com/online-marketing-ebook/

Shop Talk

Is The Customer Always Right?

Being Right or Keeping a Customer – Which is More Important?

Are You Leaving Money on the Table?

How to Overcome Rejection in Your Business

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