My Great Idea for the week is pretty simple. I want you to do something for yourself today! Go buy a new pair of shoes, get a new jacket, have your car detailed, or get a massage (I can’t believe I said that; I have never had a massage in my life, I don’t like strange people touching me!). It is very important that we reward ourselves, possibly now more than ever. Last week I went out to dinner with my wife and after dinner I bought myself a couple of new shirts and I bought my wife a new outfit. Yes, just like every other family in America, we’re watching our pennies too, but at a certain point, you have to spend some money for your own personal sanity.

Unless you have been feeling sorry for yourself every day and spend all your time sharing the misery with others, you deserve a little reward for hanging in there and for making it this far. America is the most resilient country in the world and we will be back. And, I think it will be very soon…..but only…..only if we believe things can and will get better. So, reward yourself today and keep your chin up. I am granting you permission and that’s all the reason you need to spend some money on yourself, okay? Hope I made you feel better and I hope you’ll pat yourself on the back.

Hello, one of the best ways to improve your business is to ask your clients for feedback. At Grunder Landscaping Co., we are constantly asking our clients for their feedback. One of the ways we do this is by sending them this survey after the work has been completed.

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We average about a 50% return on these surveys, which is good. The ones we don’t hear from do get a phone call, as one of our administrative assistants calls all of our clients as well. We want to make sure they are happy.

A couple of weeks ago, I received this letter from Chase, asking me for my feedback. Chase is a huge company and they obviously “don’t get it.” I threw the survey in the trash. Why? Why would I fill this out? There’s really no incentive for me to do so. I don’t have a relationship with anyone at Chase. To be honest, I didn’t even know I had a credit card with Chase. I just know I have a so and so Visa; I guess Chase manages it for the company I have the Visa with. The reason I did not fill out the survey was I am busy and I’m not going to get anything for filling it out and here’s the lesson for the week.

Yes, some small businesses can get away with just asking for feedback and not offering up any reward or gift for doing so. Why? Because of the relationship your clients have with you. However, big businesses like Chase are going to be hard pressed to get feedback without offering up any incentive. All Chase had to do to get my feedback was something small, like if you return the survey, your name will be entered into a drawing for a $2,500 Chase gift card, or you’ll receive 100 points on your reward Visa, or we’ll make a donation to Habitat for Humanity in your name (It could be 50 cents for each one, several thousand of them would be quite a donation!). Something, anything to show me you really want my feedback.

You might see things differently than I do, but I run a small business, I am in touch with my clients. I understand that small business is the backbone of the American economy for many reasons. One of the reasons big businesses don’t do well is they don’t understand the small things. I personally think Chase wasted their money here and I would love to know what percent of their clients actually returned the survey. In business – Little things make a BIG difference. This week, consider putting a survey out to your clients, but make it worth their while to return it. Show them you appreciate their feedback; don’t just tell them!

I’m asked all the time about yellow page advertising. I’m asked if it’s a good idea, what is the best way to do it, and so on. Well, here’s a photo of me at the shop placing the newly arrived phone books in one of our paper recycling bins. So, what does that tell you?

We don’t advertise in the Yellow Pages; it doesn’t fit for our business. It would fit if you offer any emergency service, such as plumbing, tree care, roofing, helping with flooded basements, DUI litigation, and the like. But for most of you who receive this GREAT IDEA, your services are hardly an “emergency.” So, use your money on something that will give you a better return. If you are a landscaper in St. Croix, Wisconsin, and I enter “Landscaper, St. Croix, Wisconsin” and your company’s name does not come up, you have some work to do on your website.

At my house, we don’t need the yellow pages; we go online and do all our searches that way. Or we call a friend and ask for a referral. If the power’s out or we don’t have internet service, we just relax and wait or use our cell phone. Do you need a yellow page ad? I don’t think so. Do you need a website? Well, do you need a phone to be in business? This week, look at what you’re spending on yellow page advertising and closely analyze how effective it is for you. You might be surprised at what you find out.

My buddy and professional sales trainer and speaking coach Patricia Fripp (www.Fripp.com) has a great e-mail she sends out every other week. I highly recommend that you sign up for her e-mail and purchase any and all products she offers; I have most of them, if that says anything. One of her recent e-mails had some fantastic advice she picked up from one of her clients who has been trained by top sales trainer Tom Hopkins. I think it will help you with your selling efforts in this tough environment. Here is what she shared:

It is very important that you be as positive as you can in this environment and do all you can to help your clients see the value, expertise, and professionalism you bring to the deal. Use the above words regularly until they become a habit!