I have heard from a lot of folks who aren’t doing so well right now, but honestly, I hear from more folks who are doing well and at Grunder Landscaping Co., you’d never know gas is $4.00/gallon and the economy is supposedly in the tank. Now I’m not going to sit here and tell you I think things are rosy, but I’m not going to tell you it’s all gloom and doom either.

Things are never as bad as we think they are, nor are they as good; they are somewhere in between. So, this week I ask you, I beg you, I challenge you, to get out of your chair and do some follow up. If you need some business, sitting at your desk isn’t going to do a darn thing, but these three quick ideas will:

1. Go through all your past proposals and call on those prospects again, offer them a small discount if they go ahead with the project. After all, at one time they wanted to work with you, why not give it another try? When you follow up, good things happen.
2. Call your best clients and ask them if they need anything. Depending on what line of business you are in, go see them and walk their project or review again what you do and how you help your clients; make sure they understand all the services and products you have to offer. We have a very nice client who just had someone else put in a paver patio for them because they said they did not know we did those. I can either be mad at them for this and push the blame off us or I can be honest and say, “Man, I’ve got some work to do getting my name out.” It’s my fault that client went with someone else; I should have spent more time with them. A 5-minute walk around their property would have most likely gotten me the $15,000 patio. See, even the “guru” makes mistakes!
3. Finally, take someone to lunch each week that either is a target client of yours or is someone who knows a ton of prospective clients for your business.

These are 3 simple ideas that all of us ought to be doing and none of them cost that much. Remember, one thing is for sure, when you do nothing, expect nothing!

Oh, yeah, if you’re looking for some great ideas on marketing for your small business, check out my latest CD Marketing Your Small Business On A Shoestring Budget. We’ve sold out of this many times already and just got a shipment in, but order it today; you’ll be glad you did. The feedback we’ve gotten on this educational product has been incredible. Get your own copy and you’ll agree!

Okay, how is your website? You have one, right? If you don’t, you need to get one set up. In today’s marketplace, if you don’t have a presence on the internet, you really look like an amateur. Here are 3 websites that I think are very well done, and I want you to check them out to get some ideas.

The first website is for Good Earth Landscape Contractors. They are a client of mine in New Jersey and their website is simple, to the point, and well done. It brings in a ton of business for the owners, Bill and Dawn Pols. Visit theirs at www.goodearthpros.com.

The second one I want you to visit is for an incredible business in Ann Arbor, Michigan that I have written about in the past, Zingerman’s Deli. Visit their site at www.zingermansdeli.com. It is incredible and an excellent example of a fun website that is easy to navigate. There are a lot of great ideas to steal from there.

The last website I want you to check out is www.Inc.com. I visit this website many times a week for information on small business improvement. The website is easy to follow and it is full of great ideas to help you with your business. I hope you’ll visit it and learn from the format they have and also learn from the content of the website. I have made numerous improvements in my business as a result of the information I have learned in this website.

Well, that’s it for this week. If you don’t have a website, get one; if you do, have a friend or mentor check yours and make sure it does what you need it to do. For help with a new website, I highly recommend www.forwardmediagroup.com. They do all my work and are an outstanding little company that can help you! Tell them I sent you.

Hey. Each week I try to bring you something quick to help you win at the game of business and life. This week, I’m asking how is your health? I am by no means an expert on fitness or nutrition. But I am an example of how much more productive you can be if you are fit and healthy.

I can assure you, there would be no way I could do what I do at work and at home if I weren’t in some type of shape. Sure, I could be in better shape and I’m trying, but I have changed quite a few things in the last 5 years that have helped me feel better and have more energy.

Here are 3 things I do that I hope might help or inspire you to start doing something for your health.

1. I eat 3 small meals and 3 snacks in between. I will normally have a protein shake for breakfast. A handful of almonds or peanuts around 10:00 am. At lunch I’ll have a grilled chicken sandwich (Chick-Fil-A is my favorite….more on them next week) or a salad or a bowl of chili. At 2 I have a protein bar or a granola bar, or sometimes I even have a chocolate bar. For dinner I love to have anything grilled, like salmon or chicken, or even a small steak, and plenty of steamed or grilled vegetables. And then about 9 or so, I have another something small, like a bowl of cereal, a granola bar, or even some pretzels. Sure, sometimes I have a big meal when I’m out, but for the most part, I’m sticking to this. It’s not that hard and it works.
2. The second thing I do is work out 3 days a week. I run about 6-12 miles a week, and I lift some weights, nothing major, and do some situps and pushups. I have gotten in a groove of getting up at 5:45 am to do this, and it sure gets me revved up for the day!
3. The last thing I do is try to get 7.5-8 hours of sleep each night.

These three things – eating a little all day long, working out, and getting decent rest – make a big difference for me. I hope you’ll take my advice and try some of these things. It will be really hard for a month or so, but I can promise you, if you start doing any or all of the items above, you will see and feel a difference.

If you are very interested in your personal fitness, I recommend hiring a professional to help you. You can start with your Doctor for a suggestion. Remember, money can’t buy time or improve your health. But if you’re healthy and have energy, you can make more money!